Family must do's this fall

A day off from work . .so relaxing . .NOT. I hate relaxing and doing nothing on my weekends. I have been this way since I was a kid. I was the first one awake on weekends skipping around the block, knocking on doors to see which friend was awake to come out and play. I would like to apologize to those friends now, I never meant to ruin your 2 days a week when you may have wanted to sleep in.

 If I have a day off with my family, you bet we are out doing something fun. I want to create special, unforgettable memories for my kids. My parents did a great job at instilling special traditions in me. I hope I can do the same for my kids.

 Below are some ideas on what to do with your family on those crisp fall weekends.

• Apple Picking. This is a big tradition on the east coast. It seems these mid west folk don't do much of it. Get outside with your family, grab a barrel and pick some of your own apples. Most apple picking farms have hay rides and cider at the end. This year we are going here : Yaya Farm. A lot of time you need reservations WAY ahead of time to get your spot. One time I called in August for an October booking and I was too late. I may have cried, I was also pregnant and I cried over everything. Stop reading this blog and call someplace now to book!

• Pick your own pumpkins at the pumpkin patch. I love bringing Xavier to the pumpkin patch and let him run wild to find his pumpkin.  . .until he trips over the pumpkin vines (that part is not fun) But besides that.  . .We always pick pumpkins for everyone in our family. Javy gets the biggest one, Charlotte gets a small one. I get such a feeling of self satisfaction when I find that HUGE, round bright orange pumpkin. It doesn't get much better than this! We place our desired pumpkins outside on my patio next to my corny fall harvest decorations.  We always go here Rock Creek Farm

 
• Make a huge leaf pile and let your kids spend a whole day playing in it. Don't you remember doing this as a kid? I use to love it. I love not caring how dirty Xavier gets, he is having fun, that's all that matters right? I suggest saving your leafs in your yard for awhile. Wait until you get approximately a full tree worth of leafs on the ground. The bigger the leaf pile the bettah. Your HOA may not like it, but they aren't the ones jumping in it.

• Take a drive (for me it's into the mountains) and see the fall foliage. I vividly remember doing this as a kid in Maine, it was so mesmorizing. We have driven up to Golden Gate Canyon the past 2 years to see the gorgeous Colorado rockies and foliage. Really take a sec and enjoy the Fall nature. This truly makes living in Colorado and having 4 seasons worth the San Diego sacrifice ANYDAY.

• This one is for all you Coloradians. Drive up to Estes Park and see the elk. I have yet to really go to Estes Park during prime elk time. I am sure there is some technical reason they come down into the city of Estes Park, but I hear its pretty cool to see these giant beast up close. This year we are going for sure. Javy will not be allowed to hunt one at this time. This will be exceptionally difficult for him to be so close and not try to fill his tag. I went here with my brother and sister in law one year at the end of the official Elk season. We saw a heard running right across from us. We chased them all up the mountain to see where they were going. Bad idea. A male elk does not want anyone chasing his girls. I thought I was going to die when that male elk saw us way too close to him.

• Carve Pumpkins. Just block out the vision of all of the mess this will make in your house and all the pumpkin pulp you will have on your clothes and between  your fingers and think of how fun it is to carve pumpkins. If you have a 4 year old kid, prepare yourself for the following: they will carve the pumpkin themselves for about 10 minutes. They will insist on carving the most difficult design. You will tell them to do something easy. They will win this battle, and get eventually get sick of carving when they realize how hard it is. Take over, carve it and you will find yourself addicted to making that darn pumpkin perfect. 

• Do a corn maze. We complete our corn maze at Rock Creek farm. The directions they give you are crap. One year we had to use our phone GPS to find our way back. Here is a quick thought: It is not fun getting lost on the way to Target. It is fun getting lost in a bunch of corn with your family running around like wild panthers on the amazon. Interesting.

• Let your lil ones do their own "small kid" corn maze. Why? It's just fun for them to figure out their way through something without a GPS and without their parents thinking they are both the right ones trying give directions to one another.

• Take a fall hike. The fall season smells and feels so good. Take your family outdoors, spend a second smelling the fresh air, enjoy the newly cool weather, and see the scenery. Golden Gate State Park has some great kid friendly hikes.

I hope you and your family have a memorable fall. Get out and do something!