It’s hard to believe that fall is less than a week away… on September 22nd it will be “officially” fall! There are so many ways to spend your weekend, there are the things you HAVE to do and then there are the things you WANT to do.  So why not do both? Start your morning off with some household chores and then head out to spend some time with your family or friends.  Now that’s what I call making the most out of your day.  Below is a list of household chores that might need to be taken care of and then some fun activities that you can reward yourself with once the work is done.

HOUSEHOLD CHORES FOR THE FALL

1. Clean out gutters

2. Rake laves

3. Replace batteries in smoke detectors

4. Replace summer bedding with winter quilts and comforters

5.  Pack up summer clothes and bring out the fall/winter colors and warm sweaters

6.  Get chimney and fireplace professionally cleaned and inspected

7.  Close up pool, put patio furniture away

8. Trim back bushes

9. Put away lawn mower and start up snow blower

10. Install storm doors and windows or install heavy curtains over large glass doors and windows to keep the heat in

FUN FALL ACTIVITIES!

1. Enjoy the not so chilly weather while you can by your favorite lake, ocean or river, with long walks and camp fires.

2. Go apple picking, not only is apple picking a nice way to enjoy time with family and friends but you get fresh air and even fresher fruit out of the deal!

3. Take a hike – you’ve probably heard this over and over every fall but do it for real this time! Not only does a good hike up a mountain provide you with fresh air and exercise but you can turn it into a science class for the kids or even better yourself.

4. Hit up some of your local fairs, festivals and farmers markets one last time.

5.  Take a bike ride – just saying that I can feel the cool breeze hitting my face, the sun glistening and my blood flowing.

6.  Make fall crafts or cook some fall treats!

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Spending time with your kids doesn’t always mean you have to do something special but its great to have ideas on hand and its nice when you can turn a fun activity for the child into a learning experience.  Each moment you spend with them is a memory.  So make it count!

SUNNY DAYS

• Go for a hike – put together a list of plants, flowers, insects and trees in your area and try to find them along the way
• Go biking – stop at fun places along the way such as restaurants, fairs, rivers, lakes, or ocean
• Go camping OR set up a camp in your own back yard!
• Use Local Harvest.org to find a local farmers market to visit
• Go strawberry picking and then set up a stand to sell your pickings
• Hula Hoop – make it a competition as to who can go the longest
• Play “hot potato” with a medicine ball – great workout

RAINY DAYS

• Free Story On-Line Story Time at Barnes and Noble
• Try new restaurants. Make a list of all of the places kids in your area can eat for free using  Kids Eat For.com or Kids Meal Deals.com and create a fun eating out agenda for the summer
• Start a small business: washing cars, mowing the lawn, washing the neighbors windows, or starting a lemonade stand or selling those strawberries you picked together.
• Cook together – but instead of making cookies with all that butter and sugar, teach your kid how to make healthy options that they will love.  Great recipes can be found on The Sneaky Chef.com
• Go to the craft store and find things to paint, draw or put together.  Whatever comes from this activity can be used as a gift for friends or family later on.

Do you have any great ideas your would like to share? Please let us know!