favorites – Chocolate 'N Children

I’m writing this post as one of a group of posts with other bloggers about some things/items we just love about Fall. After you read my post, check out their posts below and see what things other people like about fall as well!

There are things uniquely fall that I just love. The smell of apple cider, colorful leaves, and crisp mornings with a steaming cup of coffee, to name a few. While summer is my favorite season, I still enjoy fall, and all the different smells and sights that come with it.

I started working on this list and realized that my favorite things about fall seem to center around food. Caramel sauce, sweet potatoes, tea, etc. It’s just that time of year when I feel like baking and cooking. I included some food on my list but did my best to include some other things as well.

1. Mickey Jack O Lantern – I purchased this years ago at a silent auction. The tag said it was Disney though. Every fall, we pull it out and my kids use it as their bathroom nightlight all October and November.

I hide it again when we return home after Thanksgiving, and we save it for next year. I think the kids love seeing the fun Mickey smile through the fall, plus it’s not terribly bright so it makes a perfect nightlight.

2. Fall Candles – I just love candles, and fall has some really great scents. Pumpkin, leaves, cinnamon, apple, etc. All those wonderful, comfort scents that come with fall. Plus since it’s getting cooler out it’s nice to have a candle burning to give the feeling of warmth – since I don’t have a fireplace.

I love a fireplace, there just isn’t one in my house. So I make do with what I can. For me, that means lots of candles in the fall and winter months.

My favorite brand is Yankee Candle. They just always burn well and smell so great! This Autumn Wreath scent is one of my favorites, it’s fall, without being festive. Since I like to save the December holiday scents for December so I can enjoy fall for as long as possible.

The real trick with candles is keeping my kids from blowing them out before I’m ready. Since my kids just love blowing out candles.

3. Russian Tea – My husband introduced me to this years ago. It’s a super simple “tea” to make, delicious, and so perfect for a crisp fall evening. Last week, I mixed up my first batch of Russian Tea for this fall. It’s something everyone in my family loves. And with the Tang, it even has some vitamin C.

I love to mix up a mason jar full and just keep it on my counter for whenever I want a cup.

Russian Tea

1 cup Tang
1 cup instant tea (I prefer Lipton)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Pour all ingredients in a mason jar, close the lid, shake until well mixed.

To make tea, mix two heaping spoonfuls of mix with boiling water in a coffee cup.

4. Salad Spinner – It’s that time of year when my CSA gives me lots of lettuce. Around here, we get lettuce in the spring and lettuce in the fall. My salad spinner is a lifesaver. I love salad, and fresh lettuce is delicious, but it’s a pain to dry.

This salad spinner works great, and is so easy to use that usually my kids spin my lettuce dry for me. I usually spin a whole head of lettuce, dry my spinner, then just cover it with a towel in the fridge and I have delicious, clean, lettuce in my fridge for days!

I bought my spinner a few years ago so it’s no longer available on Amazon, but I did find one that looks just like it.

5. Leaves – And last but not least, I just love the leaves in the fall. I love the colors, the crunch, and just the fun of making a pile and then playing in it. I don’t do much jumping in leaves these days, but it sure is fun to watch the kids play in the leaves. The great part is the play, rake, play, and wear themselves out, then all come in and take baths. It makes for a very fun day for them with minimal effort from me.

What’s one thing you love about fall? Check out these other awesome blogs for more fall inspiration!

* This post does contain affiliate links.

Remember those old rhymes about what girls and boys are made of?

Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice for Girls

Snakes & Snails and Puppy Dog Tails for Boys

I had two girls and then a boy, and boy are they different!

My girls are very girly, glitter, sparkles, dresses. If it’s girly, they love it. They don’t like getting dirty, and they sit still and quiet in Church. They want to have tea parties (with sugar and milk). They want to wear makup and have their hair fixed up. They talk a lot, but they’re really not loud.

Then, along comes the boy. He’s oh, so different. And I’m loving all of it.

1. He just won’t sit still – The girls have no problem sitting through a 1hr meeting (with snacks or something to color of course). The little guy? Sitting is always optional, anywhere. And sitting through a meeting is just out of the question.

I remember moms with boys commenting on how well my girls sat still and quiet, and being polite I would always reply with something along the lines of “it’s just easier for girls to sit quietly”. I’m so glad I said that!

It really is true. My Father in Law tried to take my almost 2yr old boy to the Church service with him the other Sunday. He didn’t last long before he took him to the nursery. He apparently wanted to talk the entire time and wanted to explore instead of sitting still. Yup, and that is why there is a nursery. For all those active little boys.

2. He loves to get dirty – really dirty. A real conversation between me and my husband.

Husband – “what does he do outside?”

Me – “gets dirty.”

Husband follows son into the yard and watches what he does.

Husband – “it’s like he wants to get dirty.”

Yes, he wants to get dirty. What fun is the outdoors if you don’t come inside covered in it?

My girls on the other hand, refused to go down the slide the other day because it was a tad muddy at the bottom. –

Girls, don’t let your brother know…

3. He loves sticks – I’m still teaching him that “we do not hit our sisters with sticks”, and he does pretty good about it. So he is allowed to play with sticks.

Every time we go out the door he feels compelled to get a pile of sticks. He brings them in the car and when we get home my 6yr old throws them out in the yard.

Sticks are great for a variety of things. Stirring puddles so that they become mud puddles, banging the swingset, running around the yard with one in each hand – also very effective for clearing a path as everyone wants out of the path of a stick-wielding child, and of course they’re just great to have on hand.

4. He also loves balls – and he can identify them all, football, baseball, basketball, bouncyball. And all round objects are balls. He thought baked potatoes were awesome until I cut one open, then I had ruined his ball. The same thing with tomatoes, he loves to play with them but he wouldn’t dare destroy a ball by eating it.

5. And cars – before he came along my house was filled with dolls and barbies, now we’ve added hotwheels and thomas trains. I keep a couple of hotwheels in my purse for emergencies. It’s amazing how calming a tiny car is to a little boy.

They’re also great for plopping into your sister’s tea cups if you want to join their tea party, and they’re just the right size for dropping in the Children’s Hospital donation box at the grocery store – yes, he dropped his favorite car in there while we were checking out. They were really nice and got a manager with a key to come up and rescue it for him.

And it’s not just the little cars that he likes. He wants to play with the big ones. He would like to run out in the street and he’ll actually run towards moving cars in the parking lot!

6. He’s an explorer – The girls stay with me, if I’m more than half an aisle away at the grocery store they come running. Not the little guy, he’s pretty certain that getting lost is just a state of mind. Nevermind that the fish tanks at the pet store are at the opposite end of the store from mommy. Fish are awesome!

7. He’s oh so sweet – As full throttle as he is about just being a boy, he’s also so very sweet. He likes to snuggle way more than the girls ever did and if anyone starts crying he has to be right there to give a hug and tell them it’s ok.

He loves hugs so I’m going to enjoy them while I can because I know that in just a few short years he’ll be all grown up and won’t be quite as interested in hugging his momma.

Tag: favorites

Fall Favorites

The Thing About Little Boys