5 Fun Fall Family Activities!

Personally Fall is my favorite time of year, the weather is perfect the food is good and best of all its football season!  I’ve came up with my top 5 favorite things to do in the fall.

 

 

1. Hit up the pumpkin patch.

My kids LOVE going to the pumpkin patch and there is so much that you can do with the pumpkins you pick! 

 

2. Go to the park.

Go to the park and have a picnic lunch,take pictures of the changing leaves pick up a few for crafts and don’t forget the pine cones!

 

3. Go to Local attractions.

I know here we have a park where the kids can really get hands on, its set in the 1800’s so the kids can pick peanuts,cotton,corn and see demenstrations done by the park staff. Explore the general store, visit the old school house and so much more! 

4. Go to Local events

Fall is the best time to go to local festivals and parades! I always rack up on handmade crafts and craft ideas!

 

 

 

5. Go to a highschool Football game!

Nothing like rooting on the home team! We go to every home game, Its cheap, the food is good, the kids love to show their school spirit and the weather is perfect.

 

Being a better parent.

Times have changed so much in such a short time family and home life are nothing like they used to be.  As a parent of two small children I can personally say my parenting style is far different then how my mother raised me.  With so many of us caught up in the hustle of everyday living and responsibilities sometimes our children can be over looked and brushed off, as parents its never our intentions to hurt our children and we may do so unknowingly, I myself am guilty of doing this, especially if I am pressed for time and trying to get something done by a deadline. These are 5 guidelines I try to stick to, to ensure that my kids are getting their fair share of my time and attention.

♦ 5.  Listen.

I can not even being to tell you how many times my daughter has approached me talking about the same kids in her class. (Kindergarten) I understand she is excited about all her wonderful new friends but I get so tired of hearing about them 7 days a week. I’m guilty of pretending like I’m listening when in actuality I’m not, so I figured everyday when she gets home from school we will sit down at the table look over her work and while shes having her snack I will actually start the conversations about her friends at school and what they all did today. That will give her the opportunity to tell me then all the stories she has to tell me instead of coming to me 30 times in 5 minutes to tell me what all the different children did or said that day. Its vital for your children to have that one on one time with you it really means something to them when you take a break from what your doing to spend time and talk with them.

♦4. Weekly Special Outing

Staying in the house besides work, school, and errands can be so damaging to all relationships. We try to plan a weekly outing on our off days, besides the routine things we do we try to add something special for the kids to look forward to. We let each of the children pick what they want to do and we do it. Movies, Drive-In, Park, Game Room, Shopping, A walk, football game no matter what it is, it can make a difference. 

♦3. Family Night

This is one of my favorites, I love family night. On the days that the weather is bad, the weather is bad or we just don’t feel like getting out family night is refuge.  Movies, crafts, baking, board games, coloring making tents in the living room or all the above! This is a great time to step away from the computer and really get some special time in with your family.

♦2.Relax

How many of you have had a bad day at work or just a bad period. I know I do, I sometimes feel as if I’m prone to bad luck lol. So by the time I get home my nerves are shot and my stress level is off the charts. I’m quite snappy and irritated and quick to be sassy. I’ve figured out the best thing to do is just relax. Sounds simple but with two rowdy kids this task can be tricky. If I’m feeling overwhelmed instead of taking it out on my husband or kids, I ask my husband to keep them entertained while I unwind. Nothing makes me feel better than taking a hot bath, washing my face and putting on my pajamas! 

♦1. Be Happy

When your children see you happy…they are happy. I can still remember seeing my mom happy when I was a child. I felt joy in knowing that something made her happy her smile was the world to me, I can feel that same love from my own children now, when I smile they smile. To a child you are their world, the day begins with you and the night ends with you. Its important that we take time out everyday to nurture them and show them how much they mean to us.

Doughnut Hole Acorns

Yum I found this super cute and sure to be tasty recipe for Doughnut Hole Acorns! 

 

Ingredients

• Chocolate Frosting or Peanut Butter
• Donuts

• Crumbled Toffee
• Pretzel 

Instructions

1. Frost a third or so of a plain or glazed doughnut hole with chocolate frosting or peanut butter.
2. Roll the frosted top in crumbled toffee (look for it in the baking section of grocery stores), then add a small piece of a pretzel for the stem.

Thanks Family Fun! 

 

Fingerprint tree.

I found this super cute Fall fingerprint tree! I love searching for autumn crafts!

 

 

What you’ll need:

 White construction paper or card stock
Orange construction paper
 Scissors 
 Acrylic or poster paint in green, brown, orange, yellow, tan and red
 White craft glue

How to make it:

1. Line work surface with newspaper and place white construction paper in the center. 

2. Start by showing the child where you want to place his/her arm on the paper, you will be painting the bottom of the forearm, palm and all fingers.

3. Use brown paint to cover bottom of forearm, palm and all fingers, use a generous amount.

4. Help child carefully lay their arm and fingers down on the paper, fingers extended. Hand should go in the center of the paper to allow room for the leaves. Gently press down and roll each finger, palm and arm onto the paper. Lift arm straight up into the air.

5. Wash paint off arm and hand and dry completely.

6. Place a nickel sized amount of each color paint into a paper plate. Have child dip their finger into the paint and onto the paper creating leaves of all different colors. The fingers on the paper are the branches, so put the leaves at the end of the branches and all around them.

7. Use a paint brush to add some grass at the bottom of the tree.

8. For older kids, add a few flowers in the grass. Use a small dot of paint on their finger to create the center and flower petals. You can even add a little squirrel in the tree by dotting on a head, body and tail! Use a black marker to dot on the eye. You can also add a few “falling leaves” by dotting two or three colors falling from the branches and use a marker to add a few squiggly lines indicating motion.

9. Make a frame from the orange construction paper by gluing around the back edge of the picture.

 

Found this @ http://crafts.kaboose.com/fall-fingerprint-tree.html

Super Cute Acorn Picture Frame

Surfing the web I also found this super easy super cute picture frame. This would be a great project to work on with your child or grandchild, niece or nephew.

 

What you’ll need:

• Acorn tops, enough to cover your frame, we used 59
• White craft glue
• Wooden frame

How to make it:

1. Gather acorn tops that have fallen from the trees. Place acorn tops in a bowl of water to soak. Use a toothbrush and a little baking soda to clean them off if you wish. Rinse, drain, and pat dry with a towel.
2. Place the acorn tops on a cookie sheet and have an adult bake them in a preheated 225 degree F oven for about 40 minutes. This should kill any remaining insects that may be hiding and will also dry the acorn tops. Remove from oven and let cool on a paper plate in a single layer. 
3. Apple a generous amount of glue to one section of the frame at a time. Cover with acorn tops, hanging the ends of the acorns over the edges of the frame if needed to fit.
4. Once the frame is completely covered, fill in all the gaps between the acorns with craft glue. Let dry overnight. 

Tips:

1. If you want a more colorful frame, paint the acorns.
2. To jazz up your frame, add a bow to a painted frame or use jute, twine or raffia to add a bow to a natural frame.
3. When collecting acorn tops, be sure to gather extras to save for additional projects!

Fall Fun Prints!

Came across this wonderful idea on Martha Stewart’s website I can remember doing this as a kid!

‘

Her instructions below:

 

Crafts enthusiasts have long known that a potato can be cut in half, carved into a stamp, and used to decorate everything from cards to cloth. Another idea is to use an apple and allow its natural shape to be the dominant decorative motif. Simply cut the apple in half from top to bottom, press the flesh side against a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture, and cover that side using an ink pad in the color of your choice. You can use this apple on bags, cards, book covers, or virtually any surface of your choice. Be sure to hold the apple down firmly and apply equal pressure to the top and sides. Reapply ink after each application. Once the image has dried, you can use a paint marker to add a stem and leaf.

If you want a thicker image, you can brush fabric paint onto the surface of the apple. Set the paint by allowing it to dry, placing a press cloth over the image, and using an iron set on medium.

 

For more family fun ideas visit her page:http://www.marthastewart.com/crafts

Holiday Haunts

So I was browsing around the web today looking for some fun crafts that the kids and I could do over the weekend and I came across the cutest thing on ivillage.com,

“Halloween Nightlights” 

I like these because it puts a spin on the average pumpkin carving (Although nothing beats pumpkin carving lol)

These would be perfect to add to any Halloween Decor and fun to make on top of that. So its like a 2 for 1

What you’ll need:
– empty baby food jars
– orange and white crepe paper or tissue paper
– Elmer’s glue or Mod Podge
– scrap construction paper (black)
– LED flicker candles

How to make it: Cut or tear the crepe paper into pieces. Then coat the outside of the glass jar with glue or Mod Podge. Take the pieces of crepe paper and stick them onto the jar. Once it’s covered, glaze on another coat of glue. Let dry. Cut the jack-o-lanterns’ and ghosts’ eyes, nose and mouths out of black construction paper. Glue them to the front of the jar and put a LED flicker candle inside.

(You can follow the link below to see the other spooky crafts they have there)

Read More http://www.ivillage.com/halloween-crafts-kids/6-b-279466#ixzz1YpjfFECB