October is prime spooky season! We’ve been watching the trees change color, being busy at home, and I went to a few speaking events. This month, I was going to spend a week in Poland for work, however my passport needed renewing so I sent that off and am waiting. It takes much longer as I am American renewing in the UK, but it was good to have a month without travel if I am honest. It was still extremely busy! This month has Amelia’s birthday, Halloween, and a lot of little events. Kai has also been in fantastic spirits, talking about how happy he is with his life and how great things have been lately. It’s so good to see him continuing to grow and thrive.
For each and every day of October, I wrote about our day and took a picture. I post these monthly as a part of Project 365 – some bloggers post their daily, weekly, or monthly like me. You can check out their posts at the bottom of this one.
October 1st – Volunteering and Speaking
Today, I made Robin’s packed lunch, then Kai and I headed off early to volunteering! One of the main people who volunteer on the same day as us was out today, due to illness, so there were a little bit of extra work that we were asked to do – like putting all of the eggs in cartons and doing a bunch of the unpacking. It was a moderately busy day, in the end, with Kai heading off to the gym afterwards! I headed home to do a bunch of work before going to Good Game Dev Club, to promote an event we are running this month and support the new host. Dann and I had some drinks, watched the host’s talk, and I got to talk about the Indie Games on a Boat event we are hosting! It was a lovely night. We went for pizza afterwards, like normal, but it was shut. As a result, I got to take Dann to the bagel shop I use to go to when I lived in the area, which was delicious.
October 2nd – Christmas Already?!
Today was a big work day, after making and dropping in Robin’s spooky-themed packed lunch, which I was very proud of today! Between the event happening so soon and daily work, there is a lot going on! I had my head down in writing today as well, as there was a lot I needed to get written up! In the afternoon, I picked up Robin who was so excited for the weekend – she then went to Perform. Amelia hung out, doing some drumming. After dinner, Dann and I went out to a sneak peak of Christmas at a local garden centre. This is a big influencer event, showing off their Christmas range, which is neat to see. We then headed home and I went right to sleep.
October 3rd – Pumpkin Patch
I woke up today and Robin was already up, asking if she could help make breakfast. We made French toast for the household, a part from Amelia who has been eating breaded, fried zucchini for the last month, and opted for that. It was very cute that Robin wanted to cook! We then hung around at home until going to Hatter’s Farm. Hatter’s Farm is one of those pumpkin patches that we have been going to since their first year, and they’ve just gone from strength to strength. We had lunch there, which was delicious, before heading home in time for Gigantamax Raids in Pokemon Go. Amelia and Robin played with their friends and had Five Guy’s shakes and fries, before everyone came home for dinner at ours, with Amelia and Robin’s friends staying into the evening.
October 4th – A Packed Sunday
We went along to another Pumpkin Patch today – this time Marsh Farm’s Pumpkin Village. We had gone here a few years back, and it was wonderful! A great place for taking photos and enjoying spooks. They even had rides back then. I must say, this year was very disappointing. It very much felt like a bunch of pumpkins dumped in a field, with some toddler activities dotted around. We didn’t spend long there, and were convinced to go into the farm itself, which also didn’t feel great. There just wasn’t a lot of Halloween there! We did meet some animals, then Dann wanted to head to the nearby German Christmas market that he absolutely loves – so we went there and tried a bunch of German treats. It was a good recovery! Then we headed home, before heading out to dinner with Dann’s extended family. We went to the Moorhen pub, which Dann and I had never been to. The food was okay, the company was better, then we headed home exhausted and ready for bed.
October 5th – Monday Play
Today felt like a classic Monday – school lunches packed, kids of to school, and I had some meetings for work. There was a lot of work to be done and time flew by before it was time to pick up Amelia and Robin from school. I got Robin, and we headed to our town centre to play Monopoly Go, which was quite fun! We tried out a new cafe in our town centre, getting some treats, before heading home to prep dinner. Dinner was a crockpot chili, and once it was on, I headed into London to see a play with my friend Sophie. We got food before hand, hung out, and then headed to the play. It was a lovely time! I then headed home on the train and went right to bed when I got in.
October 6th – Slower Day
Today was a sort of nothing day! Normal morning of packed lunches and sending kids off to school, before I settled in for work. I had a lot of work to get done and some meetings about the indie game event we are running this month! There was a lot to do today, and I spent most of the day focused on work. Tuesdays are really becoming a work day! In the afternoon, Dann and I attended our BSL language class, digitally, which felt like we didn’t have enough time today! It was a good class though, and it feels like things are getting smoother, which is good. Afterwards, Dann made dinner, we watched a movie and headed to bed.
October 7th – Raid Hour
Today I felt exhausted! I made Robin a new potato soup for her lunches for the next few days (I make one batch and then freeze them), which was exciting. Otherwise, I spent a lot of the day working. We then went out for Raid Hour in the evening, which was a fun one as we really enjoyed the time with our friends – most people were a little late today, so the group really grew as the evening got darker. I got a shiny on the first raid too! Then, Dann and I went to see Hope in cinema. This was a very long film, probably too long, but it was okay! They were all out of the new Cheeto popcorn, which I really wanted to try, but Dann and I each had a free popcorn and drink combo on our Cineworld cards, which sort of made up for it!
October 8th – Volunteering and activities
Kai got his Halloween costume today, so had to try it on. I am so excited he is full of joy now – it feels like he’s out of that teenager miserable-ness that he use to have about him. I do feel he has really thrived living here full time and it’s amazing to see him excited about something so silly! I packed some lunches, dropped Robin’s in, and then headed to volunteering. Kai and I had a slower day today, so Kai worked on a big map he has been creating. Then, I headed home to do a bit of work before picking up Robin. She had a book fair on, so obviously we went to it and got some books! In the evening, Robin, Amelia, Kai and I all played Minecraft Dungeons until it was time for bed.
October 9th – Busy Day
Today I woke up early, made some lunches, and did a bit of work before taking Robin to school. It’s a bit of a full on morning as Kai, Amelia and Robin all have school, and all of them start at the same time. We are considering getting two cars just for Friday! The only real thing stopping us is the fact that there isn’t tons of parking near our house, and as a result, we would likely be paying for parking for two cars and only get parking for one car most days – needing to park the other down the road. I went with Robin to her school, and then went on a little walk home, where I got to take a bunch of pictures! We also saw the neighbour cat in our yard this morning, which was funny! I made some stew for dinner, picked up Robin, and then she went straight to Perform. Amelia and I hung out – she made some rolls – then we had dinner when everyone returned. After dinner, Amelia and I went to our cupcake class – this time bee themed – which was very fun! This is one of the classes we never had attended, as it was chocolate, but we had a good time even though Amelia doesn’t love chocolate. She ended up saving most of her cupcakes for a playdate she has tomorrow, which is always a good shout!
October 10th – Pumpkin Patch and Indie Games on a Boat
Today was a bit of a mixed day! In the morning, Dann and I packed up the car before we all went out to Cammas Hall for their Pumpkin Patch. Cammas Hall is a local farm that we often go to for pick your own fruit, so of course we go there to see their pumpkins. Kai went in his Halloween costume, and some of the little kids there thought he was an actor! The rest of us went in normal clothing, which was also funny. Amelia and Robin very much enjoyed the spooky walk here, and we all got treats before heading home. In the afternoon, Dann and I headed into London for Brilliant Indie Treasures (on a boat) which was the indie gaming event we have been working hard towards. We had a fantastic night seeing so many friends! Afterwards, Dann, Quang and I (we are the three who run the event) went out to dinner with our friend Ed who we hadn’t seen in a long while. It was a lovely dinner, and then we headed home and I went right to sleep.
October 11th – Well Deserved Rest
Today, exhausted from yesterday, we slept in a bit. Then, Dann and I headed to the spa for a well deserved self-care day. We do this after celebrating new events that went well. We went to the Bannatyne Health Club and Spa Chafford Hundred where we each had some treatments done, which was so lovely. Then, we braved Costco on a weekend and picked up loads of Halloween things for our Halloween party next weekend. I actually wanted to skip the party this year, if I am honest, but Robin and Amelia really wanted to do it, and Kai wanted mates over too, so we went ahead with it. I am excited but also a little exhausted at another event! In the evening, Dann made dinner, and I played video games on the Xbox until bedtime.
October 12th – A Busy Monday
Today was very work focused, with some packed lunches in the morning, then meetings during the day. I am still feeling a little tired from the weekend! In the evening, I made more beef stew and rolls, as Kai requested them as the perfect meal to have at DnD while wearing his Halloween costume, which he wanted to surprise the DnD people with, as it’s the same sort of costume his character would wear. I had dinner at my desk working, and worked in the evening as well. Dann cleaned the kitchen up and then we both went to bed.
October 13th – Tabletop Tuesday
Today started off the same as yesterday – lots of work and packed lunches! I had some work meetings today and started prepping for dinner, as I was making this vegetable stew like dish that I make, but in a crock pot. We had a bunch of friends over for tabletop in the afternoon, but first had our BSL class. I had some good pairings this week with the breakout rooms, so it felt good and I feel like I am really clicking with it. Matt, who came to tabletop brought cake, Wendy and Joise brought sodas, and we had a lovely time playing Trivia Night Live which felt very casual!
October 14th – Extremely Busy Day
Today I woke up, did some work, packed some lunches and prepped Kai’s dinner. Then, I went to the dentist to get my teeth whitened. I got obsessed with this Lipton Ice Tea, which has been on sale for like 3 months, and I have been drinking tons! Even cold tea does stain your teeth, it turns out, so I ended up getting my teeth whitened to get rid of these stains. Thankfully, I caught it early so it was simple and cleared out within one session. I then headed into London to meet Dann, James and Abi for a Pokemon event at the Science Museum. This was SUCH a fun event with lots of wonderful background pikachus! Quang works at this museum and gave us a bit of tour and we got access to the video games on the bottom floor, which was cool. We then went to Five Guys for lunch as Dann and I had free burgers on our cards, and we made it back into town to hang out at ours before Raid Hour. Abi and James wanted to check out Dann’s pinball machine. We then all went into town for Raid Hour, before heading to see The Social Reckoning in cinema, which was a very good movie but a bit slow at points. I did get to try the Cheetos popcorn, which is intense, and the lady gave me cups of cheese to go with it, lol.
October 15th – Writing and Volunteering
Today I packed some lunches, dropped them in, and then Kai and I went to volunteering. It was a slow day, another one with the main person being off, but a good one. Dann picked us up, and then Kai went to the gym. Dann and I did some work before we decided to watch a movie together and have dinner. I did a bunch of writing today, as I am behind! I was feeling a little bored in the evening, but otherwise it was a good day.
October 16th – Opening Blind Bags
Today was a more normal day, though I had trouble focusing at work! We did a bit of shopping today, including going to M&S, to get stuff for the Halloween Party this weekend. It feels like a lot of stores didn’t have their full Halloween items out, despite it being October! I am guessing because of the hot hot summer this year, things shifted. We made a plan for the Halloween Party then I got Robin from school, she went to Perform, and I prepped in the evening for the party. There is so much to do when you have such a large amount of kids over! Robin and Amelia both opened Pokemon Cards and Blind Boxes this evening, to play with new toys.
October 17th – Halloween Party and Pumpkin Patch
You know, I am really happy we did the Halloween party this year. After it all was packed up and I was sitting with Dann to write this bit of this post, I started thinking about how soon they won’t want parties or be here to hang out. It’s so important to make these memories and have these traditions while they are younger. I started off the morning by making loads of spooky treats – Amelia and Robin helping, while Dann and Kai got the house sorted with the TV and Xbox moving to Kai’s room. Robin finished off decorating the house, after yesterday, and set up our pumpkin patch. We did pumpkin painting, a Halloween Pumpkin (filled) hunt, stick the nose on a witch, a giant Frankenstein head smash, marshmallow toasting over the fire pit, and a bunch of other little games. Kai’s friends hung out in his room, watching spooky movies and playing video games. It was a lovely time! Afterwards, we went to Hatter’s Farm yet again for their Pumpkin Nights, which had a really amazing spooky trail – one that was all lit up – and a glowing pumpkin trail. Then we headed home and did some cleaning before bed.
October 18th – Sleep in
Today, everyone slept in after the party! I got up and started cleaning the kitchen, as we made great strives yesterday but there is a lot to do. We had lunch and played a spooky game called Splatterbrain as a family. We also went out to the Hyland Park Spooky Walk, which was not super scary, but was interesting! The actors did a fantastic job of putting on a show that everyone enjoyed and it felt like we got a lot of face time with the actors as well. Amelia and Kai surprisingly asked if they could go to the 15+ one! I do not want to get scared, so we are arranging that later in the week with Dann.
October 19th – Half Done with School
Robin and Kai both had school today, but Amelia did not. I find it funny the way their schools split up! Those with school got up, got lunch packed, and headed off. Amelia had a bit of a lie in, however I had work to be done and got on with work. There was a lot of meetings today, which is typical for a Monday! A co-worker at one of my jobs is having a holiday soon, so I am going to be filling in for her. It’s fun, but challenging! In the afternoon, Dann picked up Robin and we headed to Geek Retreat where we played a Minecraft card game, which was fun! We then headed home, where Amelia and Robin declared it was too rainy for Max Monday. This was fine by me, as we instead put on Is It Cake? and had some hot chocolate before dinner. I made a massive dinner for DnD; Lasagne soup, and hung out with Amelia and Robin in the evenings, before they both went to bed and so did I!
October 20th – Amelia Day
As Amelia had no school today (Robin and Kai did!) we planned on having a little outing in London. I work on the Roblox game that has been working with LAIKA Studios, who have an exhibition at a museum in London, and Amelia was very interested in coming along. We packed some lunches and headed out just after 10, arriving at midday. We ate our lunches and had a look around. They had Coraline in the exhibition hall, which Amelia wanted to see, along with the very interesting Wildwood exhibition itself. It was a lot of fun! We also got some pastries inspired by Coraline, which Amelia thought was really cool, before heading home. Once back, I did some of my day work and then relaxed for the evening, doing quite a bit of writing before bed.
October 21st – Raid Hour and a Movie
Today felt like a very normal Wednesday, though the weather has gotten colder, which means more hot coco and more hanging out downstairs next to Dann during the day, which is exactly what I did. I had a lot of content creation today, for various jobs, and found myself just doing exactly that with Pancake in my lap, keeping me warm. In the evening, we went out for Raid Hour, which was fun. It was a food bank donation collection and we got a fair bit of items considering the weather and time of year. In the evening, Dann and I went together to the Cineworld Unlimited screening, which was Wicker. This was a good movie, we both enjoyed it as an adult fairy tale, before heading home and heading to bed.
October 22nd – Video Game Evening
Today was a bit of a long one! Kai and I went to volunteering at our local food bank. The last hour or so was super busy, more busy than it has ever been, which was good. We then headed home where I had a call with a company that was very important and draining, before heading off to get Robin from school. She then came home, got into her Halloween costume, and then headed back to school for a disco! Amelia had been home all day, chilling, but in the evening we got dinner ready before Robin was done with her disco, as we were bringing her to a friends house and then all going out for the evening. Robin to her friends, me into London for the Jackbox Party pack 12 press event, and the rest of the family to the Hylands Extreme Scary trail. I went with a new friend called James to the Jackbox event, but ran into my friend Sara who took this cute picture of us both. Dann, Kai and Amelia spent the evening at the trail, which they all liked, and Robin had a fantastic time at her friends house. Dann picked her up after the trail and they all headed home, with me joining them at about 1am.
October 23rd – MCM Comic Con with Amelia
We had gone to Comic con earlier this year, however they do it twice in London, so we went back as press. Today, we went with Amelia (as Robin and Kai had school), so it was another little Amelia out day. Unlike Dann and I, Amelia isn’t very interested in video games, so instead was interested in shopping! Each year, we collect all of the artist made Pokemon cards in the Card Rally, which is a lot of fun for us both. It’s like a little treasure hunt through the con. We got this done quite early (which I do credit to being press, so getting to go in half an hour before the event even opened) and then spent the rest of our time looking at different shop areas. It’s wild we got to meet Crazy Aaron (who invited the putty of the same name) before heading home and grabbing Robin from school. She had Perform this evening, so I made tacos for dinner as it’s quick, and we all headed to bed a bit early after this week!
October 24th – Pokemon and Writing Day
Today was a day of waking up a little later and playing Jackbox Party Pack 12 with Amelia, Dann and Robin. Kai was working on his maps! We did a little bit of gaming before I started writing for the rest of the early afternoon. I then headed into town for a Dynamax Raid day, which was a lot of fun despite the cold and the rain. Once I had caught my fill, I headed home and Dann and I started watching terrible horror movies. It is just a thing that seems to happen this time of year, but we ended up on some series from there, with me typing away on the couch into the evening.
October 25th – MCM Again
Kai also wanted to go to MCM so today I woke up early, did some work, and then we headed off! Kai is more of a gamer, though he did wander around the shops and pick up some dice. We mainly played a bunch of the games, which I then went home and wrote up for the various websites that I do write for. I was very tired today, probably because of the clocks going back, so ended up sitting on the couch and falling asleep during the series Dann and I were watching! An eventful yet uneventful day.
October 26th – DnD and Cupcakes
Today I made some lunch for Kai, as he’s the only one still in school this week, and did some light cleaning before the cleaners come. They are such a big help in our household! They do a bunch of the deep cleaning, which has really helped with how much use we get out of our home. They did the bathrooms and the kitchen, including all of the floors and cat box area, which was just such a good, deep clean. I am so happy to have them! Then, we had a bunch of friends over for DnD – I made mac n cheese with bacon and someone brought American pumpkin pie – while getting a lot of work done today. Dann, in the evening, watched Midnight Mass with me, the series we are currently watching after finishing Below, which has been the perfect amount of weird Vampire-ness to it for the spooky season! I had actually entered a contest to win some cupcakes from the lady that runs our cupcake class. I’ve never entered before, but I won! So we picked those up in the evening as well and dropped them off to the Cineworld crew at our local cinema, as we don’t really need a bunch of cupcakes, and it would make their day.
October 27th – Working day
Today was a bit of a strange day! I had a lot of work to do – so did Dann – and there was some prep to be done as tomorrow is Amelia’s birthday! With that in mind, we were also going to have tabletop tonight, where our friends come over. Before today, we already had one couple say they cannot make it, but on the day a few messaged that they weren’t feeling the best, so we decided to call it off for this week. However, one of our friends was feeling a little sad generally, and has for the last few weeks, so we headed over to their house with a gift basket. I made some pretzels, which are their favorite, and Dann picked up a bunch of fun items to go in the basket. We then headed right over there and spent a few hours chatting, which was lovely, getting home at like midnight. The moon as out bright and I had my camera, so I snapped a picture in the ASDA parking lot when we were picking up yeast for the pretzels.
October 28th – Amelia’s 15!
Today is Amelia’s birthday!! We did a last bit of work and cleaning in the morning, before Amelia started celebrating after lunch. She opened up all of her gifts and was very excited at what she got. She has so many different interests and we seemed to cover all of them. She had been at her other house for the last few days and had been quite bored, so was excited for a fun day. Her friends came over shortly after and then we walked over to bowling, got them set up with snacks, and let them be teenagers. After they were done, we went to Wagamamas for dinner. Dann grabbed Robin and she played some Pokemon in town with her friends, then we all met up for the end of Wagamamas and to sing Happy Birthday to Amelia. She and Robin then headed back to their other house and Amelia’s friends got picked up from town, before Dann came back and we went to see Prime Time in Cinema, which was good. It was a busy day, but a fun one, and I am so glad that Amelia was able to have a birthday party! She doesn’t have those at the other house and it felt like a very tricky time planning them this year, as the weekend after her birthday is Halloween and her friend’s ballet (which all of their mutual friends are going to). It was really lovely to hang out with her and see her friends. She is such a lovely and caring person, and is growing into a fantastic young adult.
October 29th – Volunteering and Kew Gardens
Today I woke up, packed lunches, and Kai and I headed to volunteering. Dann got Amelia and Robin, who spent the day crafting and gaming! Once Kai and I got home, we all played some multiplayer games (and I planted some garlic in my garden), before heading off into London to attend Halloween at Kew. Kai had some evening plans with a few of his mates, so Amelia, Robin, Dann and our friend Claire went with us! This was such a fun spooky walk – the actors and decorations were amazing. We actually ate dinner there, which was a lot of fun too. I had these buffalo loaded tatter tots which were the best thing I’ve had out in a long time. We got home late and I honestly went right to sleep, but it was fun!
October 30th – Movies, Pumpkins and Food
Today I woke up early, made some muffins, and then did a bunch of Halloween-event stuff in Neopets. I had some writing and work to do in the morning as well. We played some games at home today, mainly some new Xbox games, before Robin made lunch. She made three types of Pizza Pinwheels, which was very well done. We then headed out to see Wildwood in cinema, which everyone really enjoyed. Kai found the war bits interesting, I found the puppets interesting, Amelia and Robin liked the story and characters, Dann liked the funny lines. I’ve been working with the team on their Roblox game, so had seen lots of versions of this movie – and it was neat to see it all together. We then headed home, where Amelia made fried fish for dinner, and then we carved pumpkins! Kai carved his after a mod he likes in a game, Amelia made a spooky face, Robin made the Hash Slinging Slasher from SpongeBob, and Dann and I shared a pumpkin with a face. Kai’s first pumpkin was absolutely rock solid, and we could not even get it open, so he grabbed a new pumpkin, which was interesting. We then watched the Spooky Spongebob episode, as Amelia did not know what Robin’s pumpkin was, before heading to bed.
October 31st – Halloween
Today was a very busy day, due to it being Halloween after all! I had actually needed to go into London to give a talk at the Tech Summit on Gaming, which I did not realize was so late in the day, as it was originally a morning talk. Either way, I made a spooky lunch of stuffed jack-o-lantern shaped bell peppers and then headed to London. Dann took Amelia and Robin to Pokemon, in the town centre, where they hung out with their friends. My talk went well and we all came home at about the same time, with Amelia and Robin’s friends hanging out until dinner. I made a giant taco mummy, we ate, and then we went out for trick or treating! We had a fantastic time as we started earlier in the best location in town with all of the decorations, then visited Dann’s mom, as we do every year, and stole all her sweets as she never has trick or treaters. We then went to another part of town, before going out to a few of Kai’s friends and trick or treating there. We then headed home, went through all of our candy, ate a bunch and watched Halloween Town as a family before bed.