Happy Fall, Everyone!
I am rolling into the first of October very proud of myself. Yes, I, the person who cannot grow anything, have four out of five of my spring/summer plants still alive on my front porch! Usually, by now, my front urns have been empty for at least a month while I await cooler temps that won’t fry whatever I put in them.
But this year, only one of my urns is empty and I am excited about changing them out with some new fall plants. I love when October 1 hits because this is the magic date when I give myself permission to put on my boots, grab a delicious chai latte and scroll my Pinterest boards to find the perfect setup for my front porch (which, in reality, will look nothing like the photo, but a girl can dream).
Some of my very favorite pieces of fall décor are, of course, the traditional mums and pumpkins. What is it about pumpkins and mums (and football) that get us all so excited? Is it the hope of cooler temps on the horizon? Or is it that these things symbolize the upcoming fall festivals that kick off the next few months of holiday celebrations? Whatever it may be, I love it all. Like many families, we do have some traditions this time of year that we all look forward to.
One of my favorite activities is when the girls and I go and pick out the perfect pumpkins. I tend to like the “different” pumpkins like the whites, the flats, the blue/greens, but my girls tend to go for the traditional orange. Then they invite friends over to decorate the pumpkins for proper display on the front porch. Perhaps you have some traditions that you would like to start or add to your list. If that is the case, check out this month’s feature, 5 Halloween Traditions to Start with Your Kids. You are sure to find some excellent ways to spend time with your family this fall.
As I mentioned, October brings with it a variety of fairs, festivals, pumpkin patches and other events for families to enjoy together. So much so that we have dedicated an entire section of the magazine to these types of events. Our Fall Festivities and Halloween Fun Guide is a great place to start planning your family outings, and possibly even add to your new traditions. Don’t stop there though. Make sure you also flip over to the Family Calendar for even more local fun this month.
If during all of this fall fun your little angels start acting more like goblins, you may want to flip over to where you will find 12 Creative Consequences for Kids, by Sarah Lyons. She has pulled together ideas that you may want to consider when trying to modify your child’s behavior. They may not all fit with your family, but pick and choose what you think might work in your home. I love the silly faces idea!
I hope you enjoy this issue as much as we enjoyed putting it together. We always love finding fun activities and resources to share with area families (and ourselves)! Now go pull your boots out of the closet, heat up a latte, grab your calendars and have a Happy Fall, Y’all!
