Romanticizing Fall: Family Activities to Try

by Nathaly | Oct 30, 2024 | Lifestyle, Motherhood, Travel | 0 comments

I don't think I'm alone in saying this, but, I love love the fall! There's something about the season that just hits perfectly. For me, it's a little sprinkling of magic in my life. On this new journey of life, I've been all about romanticizing everything. It brings out the joy in even the smallest of things, and fall is the perfect time to add a little more romanticizing to day-to-day life. October has been a month of activities and I'm hoping to share some today.

The first thing I did to start the month out was get a membership at the farm we have been visiting since I was pregnant. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner, but now that I live closer to it, it was just the logical choice. We are huge fans of Sweet Eats Fruit Farm! They have different membership options, depending on how often you plan to visit. They also have a variety of activities and events based on the season, which keeps the visits feeling new and interesting. One of the benefits of having a toddler is every visit to the farm always feels like the first time. He is constantly running around exploring everything, meeting all the animals, and taking in whatever new events they have going on.
For one of this month's visits we learned he is still afraid of chickens, most farm animals if we're honest, he loves mud (what kid doesn't) and he loves to pick flowers.

I'm excited for more visits coming in November and December as they add in the next round of events for the holidays. Highly recommend if you have a farm nearby sign up for the membership, with all the visits you'll do it basically pays for itself.

Another fun activity we added was Austin's well-known Pumpkin Nights! I hadn't done the event since I was pregnant, but if you know me you know I love getting in whatever pumpkin trail activities I can find. In the past, I visited New York's Pumpkin Blaze, but getting up north with a toddler tends to be a little chaotic, so we stayed close to home this time. I'm hoping in the future I can add in the New York one as he gets older. The biggest difference between the Austin one and the New York one is Austin uses only fake pumpkins, I'm assuming due to the intense heat, the last thing you'd want is to walk through a trail of rotting smelly pumpkins haha.

For the Pumpkin Nights we decided to turn it into a dual parenting event. While I know my son is young, I do see his face light up when he has both his mom and dad with him. We'll try to keep some activities where he has both of us together so he can feel all the love and enjoy the memories being made. This was a fun one to add and experience together! Bubs was in love with the entire dusty trail, especially the part where all the bubbles took over. One of the best parts about being a mom is seeing some of the simplest things in life bringing out the most joy in him. Getting to watch him experience these different things always brings me to joyful tears.

The last activity we did to end the month of October was the Wings Over Houston Airshow. Honestly, it was pure luck finding out about this but I'm so glad I did. My son has recently had a love of cars, trucks, and airplanes. He immediately recognizes the sound of a plane and searches for it, once found he quickly yells "Avion" (airplane in Spanish). Again, I know he's young so most of these memories are for me but I wanted him to see all the planes close up. While we didn't stay the entire time due to some intense heat we were just not prepared for, the few hours we did get was well worth it. He ran to all the planes and watching him keep his focus the moment they shot up to the sky brought me pure joy.

Having worked in airports for 10 years I knew these shows existed in a lot of airports around the country, but I never really experienced one myself, so this was a treat for momma too. If you're near an airport that holds one of these events I do recommend you check it out. You've got the different planes flying around, some history lessons talked about and some close-up helicopters and airplanes to step into.

Overall October was a pretty fun-packed month! Memories were made, clothes were dirtied and lots of laughter took place. This month has reminded me that there's always something to enjoy, something new to experience you just have to go find it. So if you're in a bit of a funk in life right now, my tip for you is to go find a farm, go find the latest activity of the season in your city or town; drink some cider, and enjoy the moment. A lot of these things I did alone before becoming a mom, and even now when I do them as a single momma I still enjoy them. It changes my perspective and, like I said, sprinkles a little bit more magic in my life, maybe it will for you too.

What I've Been Focused On

This month I wanted to refocus and create for myself a schedule I could easily follow that pushed me towards certain goals. I wanted to write it as a weekly planner and just follow easy focus steps without feeling like an overwhelmed momma. So I used my friendly neighbor ChatGPT to help me come up with a balanced schedule. I listed my goals (start an Etsy shop, reboot my blog, and lose some of the leftover weight while still allowing family time). This was honestly the best thing I've done; it created time stamps for me based on my commute, drop off to daycare and bedtime. Everyday I look at the main focus for that day of the week and sit my butt down to get to work when I need to. 

I really wanted to focus on more quality time with my son but not lose the overall goals I had for myself and for our future. I also wanted to stop feeling like a burned out mom constantly trying to catch up with whatever life was throwing at her that day. Doing this I've (clearly) started blogging again, opened an Etsy shop (still a work in progress), minimized my phone time (extra win), finished 3 books and somehow I've had leftover time that I've filled with church groups/events. I haven't felt this focused and motivated since probably covid times...

 

What's Been Challenging

Now let's be honest, just cause I'm in a pure joy and peaceful stage does not mean everything goes according to plan all the time. Nor does it mean I'm always happy go getter...this is a daily push and journey for me to stay focused. But even through the good there's still the personal challenges I have and if I'm honest as a lot of things fall more into place in my life, the more those "flaws" make their appearance. One of the things I've noticed is the emotions that tend to sneak up on me when I'm triggered by something, in many cases it's usually something surrounding co-parenting or just being a single mom. While I make it a point to not turn myself into a victim on this journey, there are those moments when baby daddy is in a mood, or Sebastian is in his mood, or others emotional baggage starts to pile up and I have just reached my limit. That limit usually comes out in some angry outburst...whether in the car using language I'm not proud of, losing my cool on my son (that just leaves me feeling worse) or just being in a very noticeable grumpy mood at work (if you've known me long enough...you've seen this look). 

But when those moments rise up I apologize to whoever needs the apology and I take that time to mentally shut off anything else and just sit with it. I go for a walk, I cuddle on the couch with my son while watching a fun documentary or movie, I read or lately I've been working on designs for the shop. Anything that gets me out of my head and allows me to breathe through it. I have also notice that my son watches me, he watches how I react, how I handle whatever is stressing me out (DUH). So those moments of outbursts with him are not my proudest moments. But I'm learning to use the tools I'm trying to teach him, which is when I feel those emotions start to come up, stop, close my eyes and just focus on my breathing. Today I did just that in a moment I felt me reaching my limit and when I opened my eyes my son was breathing along with me and doing that hand movements...proud momma moment there!

Small Wins This Month

My biggest proudest win this month is lowering my phone time. Even without going on social media I still find myself scrolling on youtube, googling random things...it's crazy the amount of time you can spend on your phone even when you're not active on Instagram or Tik Tok...like what am I even doing?? Last Saturday I decided to turn off my phone for most of the day and by the time I went to bed I had only spend 3 hours overall on the phone (most of it using GPS). 

I purchased a small treadmill to avoid the excuse of not running or walking since I'm working out in the mornings before work. I love me a good run and really hate when I feel like I have to pick between a run and time with Sebastian. So while he sleeps I take some time to run and work up a sweat before getting ready for work. 

What I'm Focusing On for the Rest of April

My main goal is to remain focused for the rest of the month and into May, which I do feel is possible with the schedule I've set up. My other goal is to step out more into other things. The last couple weeks I've really started to get more involved in church. I signed up for a small group class which meant getting a sitter ( a new mom journey), I've signed up for volunteer needs and have made it a point to find events in town or nearby that I can go to with or without Sebastian. Stepping out has really made me feel more at home in Texas lately (not that I was planning on making anywhere else home). But even just stepping out more in church events feels as if I'm setting roots down, and maybe that's why I feel so at peace and ready for the future. 

 

Like any good tree that one would hope to grow, we must set our roots deep into the ground so that what is real will prosper in the Light of Love.

Billy Corgan

I say this all the time, but Texas is the first real place I've ever felt at home. If you knew me before mom life you know I was constantly traveling or moving. While I love traveling I do feel like I was always searching for a place that everyone talks about, the place that feels home where you could set roots, build a home and a family. And while I knew that Texas has been that place for me, it's not til recently that I've made it a point to find community, set a foundation for our future and really dive back into my relationship with Christ. Through all that it feels as if my roots slowly started to expand and truly make their home here. It's a beautiful feeling to know I'm expanding, as if God has plucked me out and placed me in a bigger pot to begin growing even more. So I will continue to grow my roots, step out more and really build my community here, not only for myself but also for my son.

April hasn't been about doing everything perfectly. It's been about continuing to show up every day, even when I don't feel like it. It's about trusting and believing that the small, consistent choices I'm making are building something bigger. Even now through some of the most miniscule decisions I can see the difference it makes in our day to day life. I can see our future being built and the more I stay focused and active in those choices, the more I remain hopeful and sure that everything I've been dreaming about is on its way. I can see now that as I remain more faithful and on the path that Jesus is leading me on that things are starting to shift. Yes, there are moments I find myself distracted, but I realign, pray and get back on it. April showers truly feels as if May flowers are just around the corner.

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much

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