September is a busy month; I’m sure it’s the same for most of us. Firstly there’s a new school year to contend with (finding a ‘new normal’ always takes longer than anticipated) and in this house, the new term is closely followed by our wedding anniversary plus two birthdays on consecutive days at the end of the month.

I don’t know about you but I am always itching to get back into a routine after the summer holidays and usually have a few projects up my sleeve to keep me busy. Let’s just say that September comes with high hopes!

For some reason, I’ve found this September harder than usual. We’ve had so many new routines to get used to and this has left us crawling into week four a little run down and chasing our tails somewhat.

But as my monthly Little Loves is a happy place, I’m going to focus on the fact that our new starts have gone really well – my eldest has settled into college brilliantly, throwing herself into studying again (something she had always loved in the past) and my 16 year old is embracing her new-found independence at sixth form.

What else has been going on this month? Here are my Little Loves for September…

Read in September

I’ve started two new books this month, one fiction and one non-fiction. The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena is proving to be a great bedtime read.

I remember this book doing the rounds on social media a few years ago so I had high hopes for it. I’ll be honest and say that it hasn’t gripped me as much as I had anticipated it would; I think it’s the writing style I’m not keen on. Having said that, I’m one third of the way through and it’s holding my attention enough to want to know how the story ends. I am also fully embracing the distraction from my phone of an evening, which is always a good thing.

The second book I started this month, is Love Does by Bob Goff. I heard Bob speak at Hillsong’s Colour Conference earlier in the year and I’ve been wanting to read this book ever since. I host a small bible study group at my home on a Tuesday and we’ve decided to delve into this together. I knew right from the introduction that this is going to be a life-changing book; I’ll be sure to keep you updated!

Watched in September

Well pretty much the entire nation was gripped by Bodyguard this month so it would be wrong of me not to give it a mention. Honestly? I don’t think I’ve ever watched a programme that had my heart racing quite so much. I was on the edge of my seat during every single episode – ears blocked and peeping through my fingers. Just me?

Other than that, you might be surprised to hear that I’ve enjoyed seeing the return of Question Time. I’m always taken aback when it goes off air for the summer, as though the world of politics stops when the sun comes out! Question Time is one of the few programmes that the OH and I watch together – he’s an avid follower of current affairs and I have a (fairly unfounded) opinion on pretty much everything – the perfect match ?.

Heard in September

I sometimes find it difficult to remember what I’ve been listening to during a whole month but one thing that springs to mind immediately is anything and everything that comes out of Rachel Hollis’ mouth.

If you’ve yet to discover this lady, then you really do need to look her up. She is an american motivational speaker, blogger, successful business woman and author. Oh and she’s also a mother of 4 children – some might say she’s a machine!

Rachel’s own podcast is called RISE and alongside her husband Dave, they have another one called RISE Together. It’s this one that I’ve been captivated by this month – the little gems that they share are priceless. I find myself nodding along throughout, picking up loads of great relationship and general life tips.

Rachel is also an established author with her latest book, Girl Wash Your Face. This book was on the New York Times Bestseller list for 17 weeks! I haven’t read it myself but imagine it’s pretty good stuff.

As for music this month, I’ve been loving ‘Just You and I’ by Tom Walker. His new album comes out shortly and this song is a little taster of what to expect.

Wore in September

Woolly jumpers! I can’t tell you how excited I’ve been to crack open my autumn wardrobe this month. I finally put away the flip flops last weekend and the ankle boots are well and truly out out.

Only tonight, both my daughter and husband expressed their surprise at the number of jumpers I own (can you ever have too many?). I took great delight in informing them that my latest purchase was a Tesco bargain at £17! If you’ve not checked out your local supermarket for clothes lately, I would highly recommend both Tesco and Tu for this season’s must-haves.

Autumn is my favourite season wardrobe-wise so expect to see some new as well as vintage (last year’s) items on my Instagram account over the coming months. I *might* have purchased some leopard print boots in anticipation of birthday money next month.

Made in September

Right now, as you’re reading this, I’m making a birthday cake. This weekend we have two birthdays – my son’s (14) and my husband’s (*cough* creeping ever nearer the big 5-0). Think of me on Saturday evening with six 13-14 year old boys wreaking havoc in our garden room. Having said that, I’ll be forever grateful that we made the decision to build the extra space in our garden last year. I might need to fumigate it on Sunday morning but it’s invaluable for times like this.

Other than that, I’ve made a few home improvement plans for the coming months. First up is painting our front door. I’ve chosen the paint, taken advice from my Instagram family and I’m going against the better judgement of my husband. I’ll keep you posted…

And Lastly

I always get excited about birthdays, probably even more so when it’s someone else’s. Tonight I will be decorating the house in my boys’ honour and I am really looking forward to delving into that chocolate cake tomorrow!

Have a great weekend, whatever you are doing.