A tip for making back-to-school mornings easier, creating new habits for a healthier life, and a September playlist.

Plus, a bit of This & That.

Making Mornings A Little Bit Easier

This last week of summer was intense for the boys (and us), with lots of big emotions about the start of a new school year at a new school. Mixed with some excitement, especially after meeting other kids and seeing the campus at the New Student Orientation, there was also anxiety and overwhelming bursts of sadness. We talked a lot about missing friends in Los Angeles and Turin, and they asked many questions about their new school: How will I make new friends again? Will my teacher be nice? What if I don't like the food at lunch? How will I find my classroom? I started thinking a lot about how to make this hard transition as smooth as possible with the least amount of frustration and anxiety. On Instagram, I saw a child therapist and mom post a tip that really helped ease the transition with her kids (I think it was @drbeckyatgoodinside but can’t find the video). She suggested making a short and simple breakfast menu the night before school that the kids can choose from. It's fun for them, gives them control over something when they are feeling very out of control, and makes it much easier for you to prep breakfast before they get up. I decided to give it a try this week. The night before the first day of school, when tension was running high and the tears were starting to flow, I drew out a menu of breakfast options: cereal of choice, yogurt and granola with honey, and breakfast burritos. I came into their bedroom as if I were the chef at a hotel and asked my very special guests what they would like to have from the menu for morning breakfast. Immediately, their crying and whining turned into giggles at how silly mom was being as they selected their choice from the menu.

The following day, I woke up a little earlier than everyone and went to the kitchen to prepare their special breakfast. When they woke up to exactly what they had "ordered" the night before, they immediately were in a great mood. They ate everything, thanked the chef with a smile, and set off on their first day well-fed and less nervous than I anticipated. After seeing its success and how much it helped us have a drama-free morning, I repeated creating a menu for them to choose from on the second day, and it worked like a charm again. I'll continue doing it the rest of the week, and we'll see how it goes, but so far, it helped make this transition back to school a lot smoother. If your kiddo struggles with the start of the year, the morning routine, or their mood in those early hours, I highly recommend trying this menu hack. It's bringing smiles to our boys' faces and a bit of ease in the mornings as we try to get three kids out the door!

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Creating New Habits So I Can Feel Good

While I thrive with structure and a daily routine, it felt impossible to establish anything like this during our first year in Italy. Between living in a new country and moving to two different cities in less than eight months, it was tough to implement and stick to what I know makes me feel like a thriving human. So, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, now that we're finally settling into our life in Rome, I’m getting back on track with good habits and routines again. The past two weeks I've committed to establishing structure back into my days and creating guidelines for things that need to have guard rails so I can get back to a place of feeling good physically, mentally, and emotionally. My best friend, Sarah Pachelli, a nutritional counselor, just visited, and I shared how I was having trouble losing the weight I gained once I had Bruno, something I didn't experience after Costa and Paolo, and was not feeling great inside my body. She suggested creating “containers” or general rules for certain things to get to a place where I can still enjoy all the things I am so passionate about, like food and wine, but with moderation.

Here are some new habits I've implemented over the course of the last two weeks that are already transforming how I feel physically and mentally each day: