printables

Fall Family Bucket List + Printable Checklist!

September 27, 2019 by Rachel 26 Comments

I’ve never been to keen on Summer. But Fall? Fall is my dream come true. It’s something that I’ve also passed on to my children. They love all things pumpkin, all things sweater, and all things

Instead of trying to meet impossible standards (thanks, Pinterest), try and focus on the simplicity of the season.

I’ve rounded up a small list of my favorite Fall Family Bucketlist Items for you to check out. Make sure to pin and save the printable below!

Visit a Pumpkin Patch

What could be more basic than a pumpkin patch?! Nothing! But that’s the beauty of the season. My husband and I bought our pumpkins from the store once. And, at the time, that was fine. But there’s just something about picking out your own pumpkin — flaws and all — that makes the carving and painting process that much more special.

Go on a Hayride

One of my favorite memories as a child is my families annual hayride. The hayride was actually a “haunted hayride” at our towns Century Village. Truth be told, it was always a bit spooky, but it was also incredibly fun.

Over the last several years, the little family of my own has done a more traditional hayride. And every year the kids love it more and more.

Does it matter that we’re only going through the pumpkin patch? Heck no! It’s amazing to them nonetheless.

Jump in a Leaf Pile

If I could name my top three most-despised adult chores they would rank the following: 1. Laundry. 2. Dishes. 3. Raking leaves.

Funny enough, until recently we’ve never had a large yard. But year after year we would spend countless hours raking (and blowing) the leaves in our yard. It felt like an impossible task, as there were always, always, more leaves to rake.

Now, with kids, I see things much differently. The idea of raking leaves actually brings me joy… because I know how much my kids love jumping into leaf piles.

Pumpkin Painting or Carving

I’m going to admit something to you right now — I am not great at carving pumpkins. And also? The whole process can be a bit exhausting.

The tracing, the gutting, the cutting… I’m not the best or most patient with this process. So there have been years where we opt for pumpkin painting instead. And guess what? The kids still adore it. That’s what I call a win-win, folks!

Trick-or-Treating

Okay, so maybe this one seems like a given. But when my kids were teeny I considered not taking them. And that would have been a huge mistake. There’s nothing cuter than a teeny tiny first-time trick-or-treater. It’s, like, a fact. Everyone will ooh and ahh over how cute your little pumpkin looks.

So suit them up, take them out for approximately 20-minutes, get a few pictures and a handful of candy, and call it a night.

Bake Cookies

I know that the holidays are generally the time for baking all of the things. But, for me, Christmas is just too busy of a season to truly enjoy baking. It feels more like a chore than a fun event.

Instead, my kids and I bake cookies and other treats in the Fall. We decorate cutout cookies to look like mummies and ghosts; throw together a Fall-themed trail mix; and snack on goodies like Chocolate-mummy-pretzel rods!

Apple Picking

I’m sure we’ve all recently seen the meme about buying apples from the store for $5 versus taking your family on a grand excursion to pick their own apples for $25, but there’s something to be said about seeing where our food comes from.

We are lucky to have several apple orchards within a few minutes of our house, so we’ll pick a nice day in early Fall (during honeycrisp season) and go to an orchard.

Drink Apple Cider

Is there anything better than warm, mulled, apple cider? The answer is no. Definitely not.

Grab a couple of mulled cider recipes from here and here and enjoy with the family on a cool, Fall evening.

Be sure to print this handy checklist to keep track of all of your Fall Family Fun!

Tell me — what’s your favorite Fall family activity?

Back-to-School Must-Haves

September 4, 2019 by Rachel 15 Comments

With both of my big kids successfully transitioned back into the school-year routine, I’m taking a peek at what makes our days (and weeks!) run smoothly.

For the home.

Grocery delivery.

The great thing about raising a family during this digital age we live in is taking full advantage of the conveniences our own mothers didn’t have, such as grocery delivery.

I use two services — Shipt, which delivers from Target and Meijer; and Curbside Express, which delivers for Giant Eagle. Both are extremely convenient in their own way.

Shipt is a subscription service that I am billed for annually but allows me to have my items delivered in as little as an hour. As long as the order is over $35, my items are delivered by the driver for free. Curbside Express, on the other hand, charges a small delivery fee but is convenient because I can shop using my ad and coupons directly on the Giant Eagle site.

The Instant Pot.

I am terrible at meal-planning. Luckily, the Instant Pot allows me to throw together last-minute meals in a pinch.

If you’re looking for a few easy Instant Pot recipe ideas, check out my library of recipes.

Snack-and-go station.

My least favorite job as a parent (besides laundry) is playing snack-fetcher. I despise it. From the time my children come home from school and activities, they are full of ‘want.’ And I have zero desire to fetch their snacks for hours on end.

An easily accessible snack station is a must-have for every parent of school-aged children. Load the bin (or bins) up with snacks they are allowed to have and then let them be. I’ve found these bins to be super handy.

For the kids.

An easy-to-read after school schedule.

I am someone who thrives on a schedule, so it should come as no surprise that my children are as well. I’ve created a printable schedule/checklist to help them manage their time after school.

Having a set(ish) ‘schedule’ allows them to feel like they are in control of their afternoon. There are certain things that might not be fun (such as homework), but they also have time for lots of play once school work is completed!

This printable schedule checklist has been really helpful.

Headphones.

Most kids school supply lists include headphones to keep at school, but do yourself a favor and grab a second pair for home. Between tablet time and online homework, having a pair of headphones handy is the key to everyone’s sanity. This pair has been tried and tested by both my three-year-old and 7-year-old.

An Umbrella.

During my sons first year of school, I completely underestimated how many times he would need his own umbrella. The poor kid had to run home, half-soaked from being only half-under my umbrella.

These are a few of my favorite umbrellas. They are cute, stylish, and work very well!

For the mom.

I wish I could offer you sanity and a weekend of sleep. Alas, that is not possible. Instead, I offer you a few of my favorite back-to-school mommy must-haves.

A paper planner.

I know we all use our phones as a means to keep our lives organized. But there’s just something permanent about a paper planner and calendar. I use my Google Calendar, a paper planner, and I have a giant wall calendar in our kitchen so that the family schedule is displayed for my husband as well.

My favorite paper planner is the Day Designer. Not only is it visually appealing, but it has the perfect weekly set-up to keep our obligations organized. I also use the Day Designer Wall Calendar.

Just for fun — the wine lover edition.

A good bottle opener, a stemless wine glass, and a couple of bottle stoppers are all you need!

A Pair of Running shoes.

Whether or not you are a runner, you will be running… around — if nothing else! Truly, nothing prepares you for all of the running around you’re doing like sending your children off to various schools and activities.

My go-to running shoes are from Brooks Running. They offer a variety of styles and fits for every foot.

If you do happen to find yourself actually running, you’ll be pleasantly surprised that they’re quite helpful for that as well!

Travel Mug and Bottle.

Travel mugs that keep your hot coffee hot and your cold coffee cold are everything that is perfect about this world. Whether it’s a YETI or another brand, you will be happy when your hot coffee is still hot after school pickup!

What is your must-have back-to-school item?

Taking Control of our Back-to-School Routine with Guardian

August 27, 2019 by Rachel 30 Comments

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Okay, so maybe some of you think that should be the holidays, but for those of us with two or more kids, the most wonderful time of the year is Back-to-School season!

Our new school year only started a week ago, but we are already into a decent routine, thanks in large part to Guardian Alarm.

Living right next to the school has its benefits. Walking Ari to school each morning takes all of 1 minute. Traditionally, elementary school students in our district require an adult to pick them up at the end of the day. However, our proximity to the school means that Ari is allowed to walk home alone — even as a 1st Grader!

He has been able to maintain a bit of independence by letting himself in using our Guardian Alarm deadbolt with a passcode. He has his own passcode which not only allows him to enter but notifies me via the TotalConnect app when he does.

It has been incredibly helpful since school release is during the girls’ nap time. He has definitely taken charge with the home automation aspects, too!

And, of course, having the safety and security of knowing that he is home safe after a long school day is a huge relief. When I’m upstairs with the girls, I wait to hear that he is home, and then I check on him with our security camera. I can see him in the kitchen finding himself an afterschool snack. Then I watch him take it to the dining room, where he settles in for a few minutes of ‘chill’ time before homework.

Use this handy printable checklist to help the back-to-school transition:

As in all times of transition, we will find a good rhythm soon enough.