Fall 2016 Bucketlist

Now that fall is in full gear (and it actually feels like fall around here), I'm excited to begin making some plans...  Here are a few places I would like to go to truly celebrate the season.  (If I don't achieve everything this year, then there's always the next...I'm determined to make it happen, especially while Lewie is still little.)

1.  Apple Picking - Actually, I can check this one off of our list!  We went to Karabin Farms in Southington, CT and had a blast as we took a hayride to the orchards and picked our very favorite Gala apples.  Then, we enjoyed picking up a few fun items in their gift shop.  My favorite?  Pumpkin, Brown Sugar & Fig Handmade Goats Milk Soap with Pumpkin Seed Oil.  I will be using this all October!

2.  Pumpkin Picking - For almost eight years straight, we have gone to March Farm for Pumpkin Picking.  Besides pumpkin picking, I can always count on them to deliver hayrides, corn mazes, apple cider donuts, friendly goats, and lots of fun in their children's playground--complete with little houses for children, a gravel track for pedaling cars and tricycles, a sand pit, and a swing set/slide.

This was Lewie's first year at March Farm.

3. A Scenic Railroad Trip - Lewie loves trains.  In fact, since his passion first blossomed as a toddler, we've been taking him to all sorts of train museums and train rides.  My goal is to make a trip to Winnipesauke Scenic Railroad in Laconia, New Hampshire.  Since these tracks glide next to the lake, I'm sure there will be some breathtaking views.  However, since this is almost a four hour trip for us, I have to be realistic.  If we can't fit this in...there's always the Essex Steam Train or the Railroad Museum of New England right here in Connecticut.

Lewie - Age 3 with his train table

Lewie - Age 6 at the Strasburg Rail Road

4.  A Classic Fall Festival - If we go to Laconia, New Hampshire this year, then I absolutely want to visit The New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival on October 22.  How can you go wrong with 20,000+ pumpkins?  It sounds like pumpkin heaven.  Of course, the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze in historic Hudson Valley, NY sounds amazing too.  They have activities going on throughout the month of Oct. and even into Nov., so this may be more realistic for us this year...

5.  A Pilgrim Thanksgiving Dinner - Another goal is to visit Plymouth Plantation, and show Lewie the "true" life of the pilgrims.  Although he personally has not shown any major interest in history yet (other than the history of railroads, of course), both my husband and I LOVE learning about the past. Plymouth Plantation has opportunities to sign up for the "Americas Thanksgiving Dinner" or "Harvest Dinner with the Pilgrims."  While you can do this on Thanksgiving Day, you can certainly choose other times in Oct./Nov.  I honestly think this would be great fun!

Okay...so here you have it...my fall bucket list...  This has already been a busy fall with swim lessons, roller skating lessons, Cub Scouts, CCD classes and the like...  We have a wedding on Oct. 16th... Plus, you never know what Mother Nature may bring along the way, but if I could have the perfect fall experience, this would be it.
Happy October! 🎃

Currently - September Edition

Ever since school has started, I find that the days and weekends are whizzing by fast.  The first two weeks of September were spent getting adjusted to new schedules, cooler temperatures, and shorter days.  We've been fighting off germs (and winning so far), and buying new school clothes and shoes to last us through the fall and winter. 

In the midst of these new routines, we've had 'school picture day,' 'pirate day,' and 'pajama day,' which are a welcome break from the norm but, to a certain degree, require their own planning and preparation.  Then, out of the blue, I received a job promotion, which is both exciting and overwhelming at the same time.  Will I be able to achieve a work/life balance?  At the moment, it feels like work is winning, but I'm determined to take days off ahead of time to make sure that my family remains a priority.

Today I'm linking up with Jenna of A Mama Collective, to discuss life...Currently.

Thinking about// APPLES!  Lewie's school has been focusing on apples for the past few weeks, and last week, he brought home his own "Apple Book" that had all sorts of lesson plans, stories, poems, and crafts focused on apples.  Since it's been a central theme this month, I thought it would only be right to end the month with some apple picking.  So today we went to a nearby farm, picked some apples, and bought some homemade apple cider donuts to bring to school.  (His class is small with only six students total.)  I'm sure they'll be a hit!

Thankful for// my family.  Our little family has gone through some rocky times over the years, but today it feels like we're closer than ever.  Although the days are getting darker quicker, we're still determined to fit in valuable family time even if it's outside in the dark.  At least four days a week, my mom watches Lewie (she lives next door) while my husband and I go for an hour long walk in our neighborhood with flashlights.  Then, on most days, I go on the trampoline with my little boy and play "bounce tag."  Even on days when I come home late for work, my little guy and I will put on jackets and bounce while looking at the moon and the stars.  I actually look forward to this time with him and hope he'll remember it just as fondly as I will...


Loving//  dress up theme days.  So far, Lewie's school has celebrated Pirate Day and Pajama Day.  For Pirate Day, we were able to find some old mix and match costume items from years before to dress him up, and on Pajama Day, we chose his very best pajamas and brought two favorite story books to school--How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? and Steam Train, Dream Train.  I wish I could have stayed behind as a school helper, but at least I had the pleasure of dropping him off and watching him be so excited to show his school teacher and his classmates his little outfits.  For Pirate Day, Lewie constantly grunted, "Yo, Ho, Ho...Ahoy Mates!" in his deepest voice.  (If you didn't see his pirate costume, you would have thought he was doing more of an imitation of a deranged Santa Claus--"Yo, Ho, Ho...Yo, Ho, Ho....) 

So we found an eye patch and pirate scarf that was from an old birthday goodie bag...

Then we added one of my mom's gold, loop, clip-on earrings from the 70's and of course, a Captain Hook type moustache.

We completed the outfit with an old Dracula vest we used for Lewie when he was three. 
(You can see old Dracula pictures here.)

Yes, September has come and gone, but at least we were able to savor some fun memories along the way.   Now it is on to pumpkins, leaf peeping, and Halloween...  Does anyone know how to make a steam train costume?  (That will be our October project this year...)

An Apple Picking We Will Go...

Since the start of September, I've been craving caramel apples, apple pie, and my favorite-- apple crisp.  I pinky swore we were going to find time to go apple picking, and last week, we finally had a chance to do it...not just by ourselves but with some of my friends' families too.

It was a warm, sticky day (definitely more July like than Autumn like), which made us feel pretty exhausted all around.  Still, my little guy had a chance to really pick the apples off the trees (and take a few bites of one too!)

This week the apples have been sitting on my counter, a daily reminder that I now need to do something with them.  If all goes well today, the goal is to make apple crisp.  I'll peel and slice the apples, and I'll let little guy arrange the apples in the pan and put on the crumb topping.  I can't promise that some of the crumb topping won't get eaten along the way...I guess I'll have to see how it all works out...

Here's some pictures from our apple picking excursion:

"Give me a high five!"

"I'm ready Mommy!"

"An apple picking, we will go..."

"There's one!"

"Thanks for the lift Daddy!"

"Don't drop me!"

Yay for friends!

"Time to rest!"

"This is the life."

All in all, it ended up being a short trip for us, but I still enjoyed being outside in the orchards.  If I get to making apple crisp today, then my September will be complete!