If you're like me, you may often find yourself stuck between wanting to do ALL the things AND stay cozy in your sweatpants with a warm bevy. It can lead to some serious angst in a brain.
Enter fall and all it's glory. It's the season for cozy and sunshine, for foggy slow paced mornings, and laughter filled afternoons.
Yet, again, there are so many options that one can feel overwhelmed and succumb to the urge to wrap themselves like a burrito in a blanket never to return....(although, this doesn't sound like a terrible plan)
So I thought I would compile a small list of suggestions for some fall family fun! (Any alliteration fans?) I thought a lighter fun post was in order this week!
So here goes nothing!
-Apple picking. It's a tradition my husband and I have been doing every since we started dating (we've been together for...11 (? he knows, I don't) years now and it's something we treasure. I love the smell of the orchard and taking those times to savour the moments of finding the best ones. The laughter we share and hear from everyone around us. Some farms have play areas, some do not. Some charge admission and some don't.
Always call ahead, especially during our COVID19 times!
Orchards we like:
Albion Orchards 14800 Innis Lake Road, Caledon, ON
Downey's Farm 13682 Heart Lake Road, Caledon, ON
Dixie Orchards 14309 Dixie Road, Inglewood, ON
Andrew's Scenic Acres 9365 Side Road, Milton, On
Chudleigh's 9528 Regional Road 25, Milton, ON
**In no way is this list exhaustive, but a good starting point!** I'll link these on our instagrams.
Pumpkin Picking!
Same idea, but I like to make it spooky and stand in the pumpkin field and yell "I am Jack, the pumpkin king!" (Nightmare before Christmas fans-we'll be besties)
We also use the same farm/orchards, or if we're exceptionally lazy, the grocery store.
A beautiful fall porch is my jam! (Even if my porch is some tiles I put on the driveway in front of our door...where there is a will, there is a way!)
Please sir, can I have s'more?
Smores are ooey and gooey, sticky, sweet and oh so much fun. A campfire or bbq works great, let the little hands make their sandwiches. I know, we live in Toronto and space for fires if often limited! Never fear! A stove burner melts the marshmallow all the same, or let your littles make their sandwich and give them a quick zap in the microwave! Throw on the fireplace channel on tv (Netflix has one too), tell stories, play games, and cherish those family memories.
Leaf Piles!
This might be ONE of my favourite memories as a kid. Everywhere someone would rake a pile of leaves (I was a rotten child and even jumped in the neighbours piles, but I was small and had a chipmunk voice so I always got a way with it) and both feet with a whoop I would jump all the way in. I'd try and hide and scare my mother (told you, absolutely rotten) EXCEPT I had the patience of a gnat and it never worked because I kept popping out. Get a child's size rake and let them help you, and then it's jumping time!
Alternative option!
Nature walks and listening to the leaves crunch, how many can you count, what leaf colours do you see (always learning opportunities). Collect some, bring them home, do leaf rubbings. Or run to the dollar store and buy some fake leaves, and create an indoor or outdoor scavenger hunt. Make a leaf wreath for their front door!
Jack O Lanterns!
Hellooooo! We couldn't forget the oozy fun of the pumpkin guts that we picked before could we? Find a stencil online, draw it out, and carve the pumpkin. The littles can scoop the "guts" out and you can roast the seeds together. (I can't, I traumatized my grade 1 teacher but that's a story for another day) Or you can paint the pumpkins too. It's just as fun and messy! You'll remember the fun, not the mess anyways.
Movies, cartoons and more
Stay with me here. I am not the one to champion for continual screen time, but every once in a while, to give you a break, to give them a break-it's not the worst thing in the world. If you can find a movie together, pop some popcorn and throw on some cozy jammies, warm up some apple juice or (normal) cider and gather together. It's the perfect recipe for a family snuggle. Or build a puzzle, draw and write your own story together.
I know there are so many other options, and I'm always open for new adventures! Perhaps this will give some inspiration, or maybe just a giggle. Either way, thanks for sticking it out with me and I hope you all FALL into the new season with joy and laughter.
See y'all soon!
Mrs. Lauren
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