Some of My favorite Things – October & November 2025
It’s about to be “the most wonderful time of the year,” but if I’m being honest, most days feel like that as a mom and homeschooler. Granted, there’s an added magic (can I say that as a Catholic?) and joy to the holiday season–and not just because my husband gets almost all of December off.
Looking forward to vacation
This one isn’t referring to a vacation for ME necessarily, but rather my husband’s, an occasion we look forward with absolute glee every year.
As the ad goes, moms don’t take time off, but in our home it sure feels like it sometimes with how special my family is.
My husband, in particular, makes sure to take every December off (a practice he started many, many years ago) so I know we’re spoiled to have him all to ourselves for so many weeks in a row each year. Even though he works from home, having him full-time with us is such a feast because we get to treat pretty much every morning like it’s a Saturday or Sunday and do whatever or chill and do nothing.
I know this post is specific for October and November, but I’d be lying if I that my excitement for his yearly vacation didn’t start as early as (at least) October, haha.
Ladies, find a man that doesn’t need to travel (much/at all) for work and who prioritizes spending physical time with his family. Having my husband around is a treasure that the kids and I can’t get enough of. It makes the beginning of the next year kind of difficult (not gonna lie) but it also makes us cherish this time so much more.
While I’m on the subject but not really, I’d like to take a minute to bring up how important I think it is for women to:
- Pick a profession that gives them the flexibility to raise a family if they don’t want to be full-time (i.e., stay-at-home) moms OR choose a man who prefers her staying home to be that full-time mom her kids need;
- Be with a man who values staying physically with his family close to 100% of the time; and
- Be with a man who also values living near the best, most edifying relatives for his family.
I’ll write a post with more on these later but suffice it to say for now that if staying home, living near family, and having your husband value time with you above all else are important to you, then you MUST choose a man for whom they’ll also be important.. so that you’re not stuck at home with littles.. hours away from Mom.. while your husband is out on his third golfing trip this year or working for the 60th hour JUST this week.
Christmas School Prep
Sarah Mackenzie’s Read Aloud Revival Premium Community offers a program called Christmas School every year, which is a “menu” of Advent (and, well, Christmas)-related books, crafts, recipes, and other activities for homeschool families to do in December.
We did it very minimally last year by just reading the main assigned book (A Little Christmas Carol–highly recommend it!) because we all were sick at different points that month. However, this year, God willing, we’ll do as much of it as possible, and I’ve been preparing the schedule, the books and the supplies/ingredients so we’re ready to begin right after Thanksgiving.
If this sounds like something you’d like to do with your family or in your homeschool, then feel free to find out more by clicking the button below:
Friends’ Birthdays
After a good-busy Summer (in previous Favorites posts I detailed how many birthdays and special occasions we get to commemorate during late Spring and throughout the Summer months) comes a good-busy late Fall in which we get to not only celebrate Halloween, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, but also the birthdays of our kids’ dearest little friends (whom we’ve known since us Moms were pregnant), Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Advent, and of course, Christmas.
Budgeting through the year for these big days and for the holidays (and finishing 90% of one’s Christmas shopping by September!) helps A LOT and it takes so much pressure off all the gift-giving and gift-making. I may not be immune to impulse purchases that I think will further brighten someone’s day, but at least that’s also been accounted for so it’s not a big deal.
In any case, seeing our kids have so much fun with their friends in a different setting with food and activities they don’t always get to do is such a highlight! We have faith we’re able to remain close friends with these families so our kids grow up together and are able to share the best experiences and stories. They’re so sweet together!
Halloween with Little Kids
Last but not least, I love trick-or-treating with our littles and they really enjoy the tradition. I admit, though, that they don’t eat 90% of the stuff they get because it’s plain terrible (it’s not just bad for you, but also doesn’t taste as good as it did “back in our day”). Despite the candy “sacrifice” (see below), it’s still an awesome day where they get to go around and practice their manners while looking adorable and admiring all the neat decorations everyone has.
Anyways, instead of letting them eat and drink all the stuff they get, we do something called the Switch Witch, where they trade most of their candy (incl. the juice pouches) for a very nice, significant toy that “the Witch” leaves by their rooms overnight.
They are REALLYA happy to get rid of their candy so they can get that toy instead, haha. Time will tell how long we can keep that tradition going, and perhaps when they’re older we won’t cringe (as much) at the candy they’ll get, but for now, this is more wholesome and healthier, which keeps us (OK, me) more sane.. so it’s a WIN-WIN!
