SLOW FALL DAYS | Making the most of it | Purposeful living as SAHM of 4 littles

These fall days are passing quickly so I am trying to enjoy my slow homemaking and motherhood with being purposeful with my kiddos in the kitchen, with school, and with taking in all that the season has with the beautiful and changing leaves and time outdoors. The relaxed mornings are one of my favorite times. It doesn't always happen this way but I really try to have some purposeful time doing things for myself with reading the bible, drinking some water, honestly that's something that I need to just be intentional about, getting some exercise, and just sipping some coffee while I enjoy some quiet time before the day really gets rolling. I'm currently in Corinthians and just some good words of wisdom always to be found in God's word. And then little ones wake up. A little bit of snuggle time and then it's time to get reading a little bit. We've been enjoying a little more slow morning routine as my husband has a busy season right now so he is off to work before the kids even get up so he gets out of the door pretty early. So we've just been enjoying some mom and kid time in the and having some different breakfasts than our usual of eggs and toast and avocado and sauerkraut. So we've been doing things like cocoa wheat and cream of wheat and oatmeal, some hot cereals, or some yogurt. Just different fun things that make it special for the kids since the dad's not home eating with us for breakfast like our usual. So my first cup of coffee that you see is a decaf and then my second cup is the caffeinated. I enjoy my Americanos and they just are such a treat and so warming to the soul. Then I've been reading this devotional to our kids, The Wonder of Creation by Louis Giglio and it's just got some interesting information for science and some beautiful verses that are great for kids to learn lessons about. And then the sunrise, oh the beautiful sunrise of a changing season. It was one of our first frost days so the pumpkins had gotten covered, the windows had gotten some moisture in it so it's just fun to see the change and the kids were so excited to draw some smiley faces in the moisture on the windows. Then it's cleanup time and little guy just needed a little mom time so still getting things done but also making some purposeful time with the little one while I get our yogurt ready to be strained because that's a weekly occurrence for me. My slow cooker greek yogurt recipe is on my blog and you can check that out if you are interested in making some homemade yogurt for your family. It's so easy. I make it greek yogurt so I strain it but you could honestly just have it like this and then it's done and the kids enjoy just some time while I still get some things done that they play with their legos. Even though it's a slow morning there are still things that continue to happen. Always a load of laundry going in our house whether it's clothes, sheets, towels, burp claws, whatever it needs to be. I always keep at least one load of laundry going a day. I love you. I definitely want to use some pajamas but... The kids and I are working on their basket of laundry and that's just a responsibility they have is to fold some laundry and I get to help a little bit but I just think it's good for them that skill of folding or at least putting their laundry away. Laura lived in the little house with her mom, pa, her big sister Mary and her baby sister Carrie and the good old bulldog Jack. Yeah right there bud. Yeah. Okay then can you put this yellow one on? I always try to get the kids outside after school has been done in the morning even if it's brisk and cold and windy but it's so beautiful because the leaves are changing, they're crunching under the feet and it's just fun to be able to be outside and getting some leftover soup warmed up for the family. It is a white chicken chili that my family has been enjoying this season. That intentionality of giving getting our evening meal prepped is crucial for me because if I want to have the kiddos back outside I usually tend to go out with them especially if we're going for a walk so prepping the food during nap time right after lunch is the time I've got. If I'm in the kitchen I try to just double stack what I'm doing so I might get some sourdough bread started, I might start chopping vegetables for the next meal, do a few dishes while something is cooking on the stove. Whatever it might be I really try to do a couple things in the kitchen at a time so I'm not constantly having to go back in. So this stew is a black bean butternut squash soup and I guess it's more of a stew because I made it pretty thick. It's really delicious. I'll share the original recipe with you down in the description box. It is a vegetarian meal but I added some Italian sausage because we're about the meat here in this family so we enjoy having that extra protein pack that meat brings so it was really delicious and that Italian sausage added a great flavor as well. So just using the in-season produce and peppers I got 20 or so peppers from my brother and sister-in-law who raise a very large garden so I put some of those in there and then I'm also storing some of these peppers in some freezer quart bags for later use and then some fresh of course to have for just eating for snacking or for sauteing with my eggs in the morning but it's just so nice to be able to get that done while I'm already in the kitchen prepping a meal. Might as well keep cutting while I'm at it. There's always little moments to take to feed the little one and then continuing in the evening meal prep so some of my own chicken stock that I made from a previous whole chicken we had. It's really nice to just have that on hand in the fridge and then a can of black beans and I'm using whey instead of milk. It calls for coconut milk but we have dairy as well in our family so I decided to use whey strained off from my yogurt. There's a little tip use it all together and there is that delicious soup with some homemade sourdough bread. What a treat! The day has quickly passed with just some time spent indoors doing some slow living intentional living and then some time outdoors just being purposeful with being in God's creation. Then I always like to end my day just resetting the kitchen for the next day. Cleaning the sink with some barkeeper's friend. I do that about once or twice a week and getting the kitchen just settled in because if the kitchen's not settled in for me and things aren't really done then I don't feel like I'm at peace with that. Yes there are dishes drying in the dish rack and that's okay but everything else is just ready for the next day. Turning on my little lamp that I found out antiquing. If you missed that video it is in the description box or my last one I shared and going to be lighting a candle. It's a cozy time of year because it is time to be getting that glow of the candles as it gets dark so early. A little bit more time outside the next day and it is a brisk one. The wind is a howling, the leaves are blowing even off the trees but fun little outing we had even if it was just for 10 to 15 minutes just to get that fresh air. And I'm sharing a beautiful yummy and delicious pumpkin bar recipe with you all. It's almost cake like. It's so just flavorful with a cream cheese frosting. So the recipe will be over on my blog DavieKillian.com. It would be a great addition to bring for your Thanksgiving meal or a fall gathering you have, Friendsgiving, whatever it is to share at a potluck just to enjoy as your family. So don't forget to go check out the description box for the link so you can enjoy this yummy recipe that I am sharing for the fall. Pumpkin bar recipe is one that I asked my mom for and I've been sharing some of the recipes that I've grown up with over on my blog. So they may have a few tweaks because of course I don't cook or bake with oleo or margarine so things are a little more natural-minded but yet still delicious nonetheless. Slow and purposeful living is the way I like to live my life. Yes, there's things that keep you busy as a homemaker and mama and being a mom to four little ones can really be taxing sometimes. But I try to take in the moments and just notice the daily changes of the leaves. Notice something special that my kid does each day and just be purposeful with what is brought into the home, what we do as a family, what foods I make and just really be, I know the intentional word is overused, but be intentional with what I do in my home and in my life. So I hope you enjoy coming along on this little bit of fall homemaking and this little shorter video but that you feel blessed as well. So I hope you have a wonderful fall season and I will be coming back with some more videos, probably more in the Christmas spirit.