Everyday Mama Approved: Our Fall Editors’ Picks

We’ve rounded up our latest favorites for the kids, the home, and for you! From two-in-one coats, to cozy fire pits, to great reads for mom, everything we recommend is tried and true and Everyday Mama Approved! As a fun addition, we’ve also included some of our favorite new recipes that we hope you and your family will love as well. Happy fall!

Halley’s Picks

For Everyday Kids:

We are moving across the country from Texas to a cold weather climate and preparing for our first real winter as a family, so I’ve been watching for sales and stocking up on real winter clothes. I found these coats which I snagged in every color and size for all four kids and I really love them. They’re so warm and cozy, and you get two coats for the price of one because they’re reversible. The hood also snaps off. 10/10 would recommend. 

I also got them a big set of Bombas socks. I’ve loved their adult socks for years but this was my first time purchasing kid socks and I think it’s totally worth it for the warmth, comfort, and non-slip grippers. Plus, they are one size fits all age 1-5 so you can use them every year for a long time. 

Both Backcountry and Bombas offer 20% off on your first purchase, so I took advantage of that and grouped a big order all together for maximum savings! 

For Everyday Homes:

Over the summer, I caved and bought this beautiful book on timeless American architecture, and now I want to stock up on all the ones in the series. This one has been on my wish list for a while, as has this one — gathering all the inspiration for renovation on our new house. 

Because of our coming move I’ve put most home purchases on hold, but the chill in the weather is reminding me how much I love our Lodge Dutch Ovens for basically everything from pasta to chili. These pans are heavy and durable but also versatile and I love this cream color. Love pulling these out as the weather cools. 

For Everyday Moms: 

I finally purchased my first pair of Everlane jeans and couldn’t be happier. They’re so comfortable and flattering and I want to wear them every day. They’re also more affordable than Madewell jeans, which is nice, but the quality is just as good. 

I’m a sucker for crewneck sweatshirts and found these last winter that are breastfeeding friendly and I’m now joyfully pulling them out of the winter clothes box. They’re so comfortable and the breastfeeding zippers are subtle, but they’re so functional! I have them in multiple colors. I also snagged this one from Target (not breastfeeding friendly in particular but still works) which I love. 

RECIPE:

My husband made this most amazing chicken recipe for Oven Baked Chicken Thighs while I was at violin lessons with the triplets and it took him less than 10 minutes! It was absolutely incredible and we are definitely adding it to our weekly rotation.

Monica’s Picks

For Everyday Kids: 

We’ve been really into playing all sorts of board games at our house lately. Recently, we received the game Ticket to Ride as a gift, and we have been playing it non-stop with our eight year old. If you’re not familiar with this one, know that it’s definitely a crowd pleaser!

With our three year old, we’ve been working on recognizing letters. I wanted a few extra games that reinforced this skill, so I dug around and found this cute whale learning game by Fisher Price on Amazon and she loves it! It’s designed for ages 3-6, and she gets so excited to push the little star-shaped lever to get the new set of letters each turn to try and match to her card. Super cute!

But also—have you seen these LCD writing tablets? They’re super-thin, lightweight magic doodle boards. It’s the perfect quiet activity to have onhand—I always keep it stashed in my purse. It literally goes everywhere with us and I especially love it because there’s no mess. For just roughly $12 (and the amount of use it gets in our home), I’ve been super pleased with this purchase.

For Everyday Homes:

The cooler weather here means finally getting to spend some evenings on the patio by the fire. We’ve been enjoying this firepit that we purchased last year. But I’m also a huge fan of this one that I came across on Wayfair. Roasting marshmallows is a favorite pastime around here, and we were in need of a new set of roasting sticks, so I just ordered these as well.

Inside, our living room has seen some changes. I recently made a photo ledge for above the couch, using this tutorial from Angela Rose Home, and incorporating a variety of digital prints from JuniperPrint shop, like this one, this one and this vintage-inspired piece. (You can get 10% off your first order, if you sign up for their newsletter!) But I also included this pen and ink sketch of the Pieta made by Emily Narduzzi on the picture ledge as well (message her on Instagram to purchase the file!)—I printed it in a 12×12 frame. I’m loving the mix of religious, vintage, and photographic prints. P.S. Emily also has this pen and ink drawing of the Mary + Child on her website that is just jaw-dropping.

For Everyday Moms: 

Last fall, I was on the hunt for a new pair of booties, and I came across these super cute and comfortable booties by Dr. Scholls. I wanted something that had a low enough heel that I could run around after my kids, and easily pull them on and off. I love the tan color, but you really can’t go wrong with either the black or tan. Add a drapey sweater, and a pumpkin-spiced latte, and that’s essentially fall for you, in a nutshell.

RECIPE:

This Copycat Panera Squash Soup is amazing. I don’t normally cook with squash, but this recipe was just one I had to try, because of course, it had “fall” written all over it. I personally omitted the curry powder. But this was so creamy and yummy—and my kids really liked it too. Serve it with a baguette on the side—and it’s the perfect fall meal for a Sunday afternoon.

Gabby’s Picks

For Everyday Kids:

My kids have been loving these EyeLike Sticker books lately! The dinosaur, ocean, and letter books are some of their favorites. They are perfect as a quiet time activity and entertainment during long drives in the car. 

My sons are extremely hard on their shoes, but also grow out of them so incredibly fast! I’m always on the hunt for quality shoes that will hold up to the wear and tear, but aren’t terribly expensive since the boys are shooting up by half sizes every few months. The See Kai Run Basics line at Target are that perfect blend! My 4 year old loves these army high top sneakers, and I love that they are velcro so he can put them on by himself.

How cute is this Do Your Best pennant banner? I just love it hanging in the kids playroom. All of the banners from Letters and Laurels are so sweet and would make for a playful and fun addition to any kid-centric space!

For Everyday Homes: 

We haven’t had much fall weather here in California (it’s in the 90’s this week!) so we’ve been trying to keep the oven off as much as possible. These Heath & Hand serving boards have been coming in so handy for no-cook charcuterie dinners. When it becomes bearable to turn the oven on, I can’t wait to try out some ideas from Beautiful Boards as well; it has super creative options for assembling appetizers, meals, and even desserts all on a board. 

I recently wanted to simplify the palette in our living room, and found the best way to do that with maximum impact and minimal cost is by using pillow covers! These coffee brown and cream covers have added a beautiful simplicity and texture to the room (and for a fraction of what it would cost to replace the entire pillow)! 

Now that we have two kids in school and the lunchboxes and backpacks have doubled, I’ve been looking for a way to store them out of sight. We don’t have a dedicated mudroom or extra cabinet space, so I found this large wicker trunk basket to keep on the bottom level of our bookshelf. It’s a perfect blend of style and functionality. 

For Everyday Moms: 

The new Theology of Home II does not disappoint! The first volume took the elements of a home and explored their natural and spiritual implications, while this second installment takes an inspiring look at the connection between the home and the homemaker. It has been a complete joy to read such a thoughtful exploration about how motherhood, of both the spiritual and physical order, calls us to fruitfulness. I highly recommend it! 

Although this is technically for the home, I feel like it was more for me because I love it so much! I picked up this Studio McGee Wooden Bead Garland, and it looks so fun on our mantle with little velvet pumpkins interspersed throughout the beads. It is cozy and fall like without being a single-season-use piece.

Lastly, I can’t say enough good things about these Madewell sunglasses. Our delightful dog chewed up my yellow pair, so I’m eyeing either this orange or grey color as a fun fall set of shades! 

RECIPE:

Regardless of the heat in CA, I will turn on the oven for cookies! Smitten Kitchen recently released this absolutely delicious whole wheat chocolate chip cookie recipe and they are AMAZING. I substituted the nuts/wheat germ option for chopped up Heath bar and I can only say that if you decide to trust me on this unhealthy swap you will not be disappointed. I would definitely double the recipe and freeze whatever leftover dough you have to pop in the oven whenever the craving strikes!