At our house, fall means FOOTBALL, food, and family, but most of all FOOTBALL and football means that I am on my own a lot for the next few months. Don’t get me wrong, the kids and I love football and I wholly support my husband in his coaching career, but during the football season his job is very demanding and he works seven days a week. This leaves me with the kids and a lot of time and energy to burn! Sometimes I NEED to plan something for us to or decide to do something last minute for all of our sanity! So here are five of our favorite things to do in the fall when the weather is dreamy and the yummy holiday treats start coming!
1. Go for a hike
Find a small mountain hike where you can see the changing leaves and enjoy the amazing fall weather! I shouldn’t be surprised at how happy my kids are once they get outside in the fresh air and have my undivided attention, but I always am. It makes me happy to see them so happy and free.
2. Make caramel apples
It’s always fun to get in the kitchen with my kids. We turn on some good music and I just enjoy each other’s company! We use a simple three-ingredient recipe for caramel apple dip (1 bag caramel squares, 1 stick butter, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk) that is so easy, the kids can do it themselves! I also add a dash of cinnamon to give it a little more fall flavor. Last time I made it my 6 year old son told me that my caramel dip is the best and when I asked him if he knew why (assuming he would say no and then I could tell him it’s because I add cinnamon and he likes cinnamon) he quickly responded that it was because I made it with so much love. He knows the way to my heart.
3. Go to a pumpkin patch
Find a local pumpkin patch or farm where you can get outside and see the animals and pick your favorite pumpkin! We have a super small pumpkin patch near our home that my kids love to go to so they can pick their perfect pumpkins for painting. We usually take a few minutes on Pinterest to look up ideas for how they want to paint their pumpkins so they can search for a pumpkin that is the perfect size and shape for their idea.
4. Paint or carve pumpkins
This is a no brainer during the month of October! We usually do this a few days after we visit the pumpkin patch and always make another batch of the yummy caramel apple dip to snack on while we paint! I let my kids have two pumpkins: one to paint like Picasso and one that they try to paint like something they found on Pinterest. I usually get one for myself to paint too because I just love to paint with them and it’s good for them to see that I am not a perfect artist either.
5. Have a movie night
Break out the warm jammies and pick a great fall movie (Hocus Pocus, Casper, Spookly the Square Pumpkin, Room on the Broom and Hotel Transylvania are some of our favs) to curl up to on a brisk fall evening. We love to add popcorn and apple cider for our fall movie treat! We all grab our favorite blanket and I try to officially start-up our gas fireplace and cozy up for some family time. If you don’t have a fireplace, no worries, you can make a big blanket fort or bed to sink into to get warm and enjoy the show and snuggles.
