No matter what your official kick off date is, fall is near, and I can hardly wait! It’s easily my favorite season. To make sure that we hit all the highlights, I compiled a fall bucket list. I know, I know, the bucket lists are a little overdone, but I thought I’d offer up my own twist on the fall version.

Fall Bucket List

1. Visit an orchard and go apple picking.
   1. a) Eat apple cider donuts. Repeat. Push thoughts of Homer Simpson out of mind.
2. Speaking of apples, hot cider always makes me happy.
3. Go on a hike once the leaves start to change. Make it a long hike to compensate for 1a.
4. Bust out the plaid scarves. (Maybe this is just me and not for the family, but I really love warm scarves and this is my list, so it stays. You know what they say about happy wife/mom, right?)
5. Make pumpkin waffles.
6. Carve pumpkins. Try really hard to not be a little grossed out by the insides of the pumpkin. Decide the mess-free, no-carve options are best. (I know, I’m weak.)
7. Watch “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” Yell at Sally that she should not get roped into a boy’s delusions and should go out and do her own thing, especially if that involves candy.
8. Make pumpkin pie and maybe enter South Side Pie Challenge?
9. Gather books to donate for the Reading Road Trip while visiting Beaches Turks & Caicos for #BeachesMoms in October. (And repeatedly get excited that this fall will involve beach time – crazy!)
10. Date night: Sip caramel apple martinis by the fire.
11. Jump in leaves. Watch others jump in leaves and be proud of myself for saving the co-pay that would be required for the resulting doctor’s office visit if I did it myself.
    
12. Visit a corn maze. But first, give my phone to a family member so I don’t panic and become one of those crazy people who makes headlines for calling 911 while lost in said maze.
13. Decorate for autumn and Halloween and not feel lame that I opt for cute, not scary decor.
14. Acknowledge that we are a family that loves sweets and accept that buying the Halloween candy early doesn’t mesh well with our efforts to eat healthy. Decide to wait until last minute. Cave a week before that.
15. Plant bulbs for spring, then curse silently when animals eat them and you realize this was not the year they were going to leave them be.
16. Make soup, like corn chowder with corn from the farmer’s market. Make peace with fact that my daughter really doesn’t like soup and it just means more for me.
17. Ignore family eye rolls when playing “Monster Mash” before Trick or Treat starts. Because it’s a great song – one day of the year.

What activities are on your fall bucket list?

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