Nerd alert! October’s here and our Halloween calendar is hung up and filled. Ready to inhale the best time of year. I used to be a lot more crafty than I am now (current level: 0% craftiness) and this calendar is a relic from that era that gets brought out every year because my kids still go bonkers for it. And, the anticipation of Halloween (which is just an anticipatory step towards Christmas) brings out the bonkers in me too and I want to do alllll of the fall things.

I made this years ago when we first had kids and it was finally socially acceptable for me to show up at the pumpkin patch as many times as I wanted, since I had the kid. My first job ever was at a pumpkin patch in the middle of a parking lot where my creepy manager slept in a trailer to watch over the merchandise at night. I was happy there because pumpkin patches, even in the middle of a parking lot with creepo dudes, are better than every non-pumpkin patch place.

I’m pretty sure I heavily ripped off this design from a Pottery Barn version that year? I used felt, rickrack, hot glue (or a sewing machine if you can operate one without going mad, I mostly can’t), a dowel and some ribbon for hanging. And also, ultimate craft material, embroidery thread.

Some years I am more creative with my fillings than others, but even simple activities scribbled on a piece of paper stuffed in this thing are magic to my kids. I am careful not to overdo it, or I get burned out. I definitely have lots of filler days with little trinkets instead of activities to do. With the exception of spider rings (YES!), I stick to consumable stuff that doesn’t accumulate in our home: stickers, pencils, etc. In short, keep it simple and don’t add useless busyness or physical junk to your life :)

Some usuals for our family…

• visit the pumpkin patch
• fall hike
• go for a nature walk and collect some cool stuff
• movie night (It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, obviously but Harry Potter and Spooky Buddies are kid favorites too)
• family game night
• carve pumpkins
• visit everyone’s fall favorite, Avila Barn
• check out the Cambria scarecrows
• downtown SLO trick or treating
• make costumes
• eat a box of Trader Joe’s Halloween Joe Joe’s
• beach day
• make apple cider
• roast pumpkin seeds
• make homemade apple sauce
• make pumpkin pie
• caramel apples
• bake cookies
• go apple picking
• bake pumpkin bread
• community activities/fairs/carnivals
• there are so many art projects out there…get messy with your kids!
• family bike ride to the beach
• SLO farmer’s market
• afterschool Starbucks and park date
• weekend camping trip (may include a hotel and exclude a tent)
• carve pumpkins
• fluff and fillers (reserved for especially busy days): pencils, erasers, and stickers

Sadly, because I love crisp weather and changing leaves, but totally perfectly OK because I don’t want to live anywhere else, October is actually our hottest month here in San Luis Obispo…hence some regional ways to celebrate the season (our list embarrassingly reads like a Central Coast visitor must-do list). Obviously if you live in a place where there is major fall color, your calendar should revolve around chasing that peak!

A note: I was hesitant to even post this because I would definitely call this going overboard in celebrating, an added pressure parents don’t need. I love simplicity and calm and unscheduled time and don’t believe kids need insanity or stressed parents to have memorable holidays. And I HATE the hype and consumerism of this time of year. It’s really easy to start comparing and feel like a crappy parent. So know that this (and a December calendar…I know) are MY personal overboards because I love this time of year. No 1 million gifts. No pinterest inspired parties. If this isn’t your thing, good for you. Know you, do you. I’m doing pumpkin loving weirdo me over here…