Friday Five Hop and 5 Ways to Have the Best Fall Ever!

Welcome to the Friday Five! Please feel free to link up your Friday Five post with us below and check out today's Friday 5 article!

As much as I love the freedom and sunshiney, flip-floppy fun of summertime, fall has always been my favorite season. As a lifelong New Englander, fall has always equaled great sleeping weather, cozy sweaters, hot cider and breathtaking foliage. It means a trip to the Big E, a pumpkin decorating party at my mom's house, getting lost in a corn maze with my boys (thank goodness for the iPhone's built-in GPS), and the whole fam snuggled up on the couch for the Pats on Sunday afternoons.

A couple of years ago, my son brought home a drawing and writing sample from school. In his precious little handwriting he explained that his favorite thing about fall was "apple picking with mama." The problem was, I hadn't taken him apple picking for at least a couple of years. Needless to say we made plans straight away to go! It made me realize how important this little tradition had become for my son. This leads me to my first of four ways to have the best fall ever:

 1. Consider a bucket list. I know what you are thinking. ENOUGH with the bucket lists already. It does not have to be anything fancy. It can just be a little post-it note that you stick to the fridge. This is a a great way to live more intentionally and be sure to incorporate things that everyone in your family likes to do. Like apple picking! Here is a super cute printable fall bucket list in case you need a little inspiration.

 2. Enjoy the foliage! We have a hammock in our backyard tucked between two trees that must be at least 50 feet tall. One of my favorite fall pastimes is lying in the hammock under a canopy of turning leaves bursting with color. Some of you may need to make a little more effort to seek out the best foliage. It may not come as a surprise to you that there is an app that can help you do just that! Check out the (free) Foliage Leef Peepr app from good old Yankee magazine!

 3. Find a fall festival. As much as I L.O.V.E. summer, I have to admit that I am a total heat wimp. I love to be in the water or in the shade in the summer so the idea of a summer festival is a huge turnoff for me. A fall festival on the other hand sounds awesome! We live about 20 minutes from the Big E which is both a blessing and a curse. Super fun but also mega traffic. It can also get pricey but the food is amazing and it IS tradition! There is also an adorable itsy bitsy fall fair out in Granville, MA, that we love to go to. But these are just two needles in the haystack. Check out this ultimate guide to New England fall festivals! I know some of you Northeasterners are a little farther south but this is the perfect excuse to come up and visit!

 4. Try something new. I haven't dressed up for Halloween in years. I don't know why. I used to have a blast coming up with fun costumes. One year my husband and I dressed up as my sister and her husband. Only my husband dressed up as my sister and I dressed up as my brother-in-law. We thought we were hilarious! Of course this was all pre-kiddos. So maybe this year I will dress up again. Or finally make a wreath for our front door. Or carve a pumpkin with a drill! Head on over to Pinterest and check out all of my fall related boards including: autumn, boo!, gobble gobble, and wreaths. I hope something inspires you.

5. Start a gratitude journal or jar! Fall wraps up with my favorite holiday of the year: Thanksgiving. The spirit of love and gratitude that Thanksgiving brings me each year is almost enough to carry me through the harsh winter to come. But why wait to feel that love and gratitude. Try keeping a gratitude journal. It doesn't have to be anything cute, a simple notebook will do. Each day write down 5 things you are grateful for. I remember my mom telling me about this idea years ago. She and I did it together for a while. We would email each other our lists each night. Enlisting a friend or relative to do it with you is a great way to help you stick with it. Want to get the whole family in on the fun? Consider a gratitude jar.

I hope you are getting excited to make this your best fall yet. And whatever you do, don't forget to jump in a pile of leaves! Put it on the list! XO, ellie from Creative Geekery

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