Slowing down to enjoy the fall.

I have never really been a fan of the fall. It’s the end of summer, plants are dying, kids are back to school and homework starts, and honestly the scary decorations of Halloween didn’t appeal to me. But … that all changed when I had kids. Suddenly my perspective on the season wasn’t at all about me. The cooler weather brings relief and you can play outside with light jackets on, jumping in leaves definitely makes yard work way more fun, and I’ve come around to decorating Halloween inside and out, because it’s actually kind of fun to run silly screaming from the giant inflatable “spooky” tree in our front yard. Go figure…. 

Like most things, being a mom changes your perspective.  I now really enjoy planning room parties, deciding on what costumes we will get or make, and carving or painting more pumpkins than I think you could possibly grow in one season! 

I’m one of “those moms” that loves to plan a party and welcome the opportunity to help out with my son’s class.  Bonus my son loves to help me so it’s something we do together to celebrate the season all month! We always come up with a few game stations.  This year we will be decorating painted “Halloween Rocks!” and stacking tall towers of “Boo Boxes” decorated in black and white paper and googly eyes to see who can make the tallest before it falls. 

One of my favorite parts is dressing up and I still try to pull off a family costume theme. Last year Mickey and Minnie outfits were accompanied by DIY Daisy and Goofy baseball hat costumes with coordinating t-shirts for mom and dad. This year my son is into animals, so we are transforming the entire family into sloths and will be ambling down the trick or treat street together. 

Every season we love to get out and experience an adventure or two. It started small with just one pumpkin farm years ago, but our sense of adventure has grown to dress for the weather and pack in every chance we can to fill up their tanks for Halloween fun. We prefer the “not too scary” adventures for now and love to make sure we get the kids posed in the pumpkin field and atop a tractor together for a fun fall photo op. We’ve made a few locations our tradition so they actually look forward to it. Instead of repeating past mistakes when I sat my tired child in a field of pumpkins at the end of our visit and said smile, but I learned with experience. In fact I try to plan our adventures together, looking at the map of the event and plotting our route. This, like putting together room party games and drawing pumpkin face ideas out on paper, help our family celebrate the season all month long and enjoy planning too. 

Some classic area events to plan on this fall include: 

Visit an area pumpkin farm like Bengstons’ (Homer Glenn), Konows Corn Maze (Homer Glenn), Heaps Giant Pumpkin Farm (Manhattan), Crosswinds Farms (Manhattan), and/or Blackberry Farms (Aurora).  And plan ahead to the end of the month for great Halloween / Fall Events like: 10/26 New Lenox Chamber Halloween Fest in the New Lenox Commons; 10/26 United Methodist Church in New Lenox Trunk or Treat 3-4:30pm; 10/27 New Lenox Public Library Ghouls and Ghosts event. Also check out the New Lenox Park District for 10/13 Big Bad Pumpkin Party; 10/13 Fall Family Fun Day at Nova Quarter Horse; 10/18 Not So Scary Halloween Bash; 10/18 Community Bonfire Night. 

Too often there is a rush about getting through the day, making it to baseball practice, cleaning up the messes and catching the bus. Fall is a seasonal reminder to slow down even nature takes breaks; even if it’s not easy to do. So this fall I’m taking my cue from the sloth costumes on my kitchen counter and going steady and slow. 

I’m Rebecca Barker… mom of two, wife and writer. I’ve lived in New Lenox most of my life and excited to share some of the adventures that go along with being a mom. Skip the nap, grab a snack, get creative and Be Brave Mom. For more follow me @bebravemom2 on Facebook; @Be_Brave_Mom on Twitter and https://bebravemom.blogspot.com

This article ran in The New Lenox Patriot on October 3, 2019. 

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