The Journal of an Honest Mom

We recently did a few fall activities with the boys, and I thought it would be fun to ask them how much they enjoyed each one.

Which, in hindsight, was probably a mistake.

Because apparently, my children have absolutely no understanding of how a rating system works.

Or perhaps they do, and I’m the problem.

Either way, their reviews were interesting, to say the least.

We started with painting pumpkins. We invited some friends over for a little pumpkin painting party. The Triple P, if you will.

Our oldest two gave it a 10 out of 10. They loved it.

Our two-year-old, on the other hand, decided that painting his own pumpkin wasn’t nearly as exciting as painting everybody else’s.

So he spent a good portion of the activity going around adding his own personal touches to other people’s pumpkins.

I’m not entirely sure everyone else appreciated his artistic contributions, but he had a wonderful time.

So, from his perspective, I’m assuming it was also a 10 out of 10.

Next, we decorated cookies.

Little fall and Halloween-themed cookies. Ghosts, jack-o’-lanterns, witch hats, things of that nature.

Our oldest gave it an 8 out of 10.

Our five-year-old gave it a star out of 10.

Not five stars. Not one star.

Just a star.

You can interpret that however you’d like because I certainly don’t know what to do with it.

And our two-year-old?

He didn’t decorate a single cookie.

He was simply happy that cookies were involved.

Which, quite frankly, I respect.

Then we let the kids play outside with their friends.

Our oldest gave that an infinity out of 10.

Infinity.

So apparently, we could have skipped the pumpkins, cookies, and everything else, opened the back door, and called it a day.

Our five-year-old gave it a smiley face out of 10.

Again, I have no idea how we’re supposed to compare these ratings, but at least he seemed pleased.

And our two-year-old got lost.

We found him, obviously.

But for a little while, he was missing from the group.

I’m not sure if he just needed a moment to himself or if his older brothers convinced him to play hide-and-seek and then forgot to go look for him.

Either way, he seemed to enjoy himself.

So I’m going to assume that was a positive review as well.

All in all, I’d say our little fall gathering was a success.

Even if our rating system needs some work.

The Little Things Around the House

Aside from our pumpkin painting party, we’ve been doing a few little things around the house to make it feel more like fall.

Nothing elaborate.

We put some stickers on the boys’ mirrors that spell out “BOO.” There are little spooky eyeballs in the O’s, along with a ghost and a bat.

They’re small. Really small.

But the boys enjoy them.

We also put some jack-o’-lantern stickers on the windows in their playroom.

Again, nothing fancy. Just little pumpkins looking back at them while they play.

And honestly, that’s about the extent of our decorating.

I could probably go all out and decorate the entire house, but I don’t really feel the need to.

The boys are happy with their little decorations, and I enjoy seeing them excited over something so simple.

It’s funny how something I hardly think twice about can be such a big deal to them.

A few stickers on a mirror might not seem like much, but to them, it’s something different. Something fun. Something that makes their space feel a little more festive.

And for now, that’s enough.

Our Little Pumpkin Painting Party

I think the pumpkin painting was probably one of my favorite things we did this fall.

Not necessarily because of the pumpkins themselves, although I do enjoy a good painted pumpkin.

But because we got to have friends over, let the kids make a mess, and spend some time together.

It was simple.

Pumpkins, paint, friends, and children who were more than happy to participate.

Well, most of them participated in the intended way.

Our two-year-old apparently believed that all pumpkins were public property.

But that’s neither here nor there.

I enjoyed seeing the boys get creative and do their own thing.

And I enjoyed having people over.

Sometimes I think we get so caught up in making sure everything is planned perfectly that we forget children really don’t require much.

They don’t care if everything matches or if the pumpkins look particularly impressive.

They just want to paint.

And, in our toddler’s case, they want to paint everybody else’s pumpkins, too.

Cookies, Leaves, and a Little Fresh Air

The cookie decorating was another simple activity that the boys seemed to enjoy.

Well, according to our very scientific rating system, two of them enjoyed it and one was just happy to eat.

Which is fair.

I can’t say I blame him.

We had little Halloween-themed cookies, and the boys got to decorate them however they wanted.

Nothing particularly complicated, but it was fun to watch them.

And, of course, they enjoyed getting to eat their creations afterward.

Although I suppose our two-year-old skipped the creation part and went straight to the reward.

Smart kid.

We’ve also been spending time outside, enjoying the cooler weather and the fall leaves.

And I think that’s been one of the best parts of the season.

Just being outside.

The boys have enjoyed running around, playing with their friends, and getting some fresh air.

No real agenda.

No elaborate activity.

Just kids being kids.

And apparently, according to our oldest, that’s worth infinity out of 10.

We had hoped to have a bonfire at some point, because that just seems like the perfect fall activity.

Cool weather, a fire, and everybody sitting around enjoying themselves.

Unfortunately, we’re in the middle of a burn ban.

So that idea has been put on hold.

Which is probably for the best. I don’t particularly want our little fall festivities to end with a visit from the fire department.

Maybe we’ll get to do that another time.

Looking Back on Our Fall

I think what I’ve enjoyed most about these little activities is how uncomplicated they’ve been.

We haven’t done anything extravagant.

We haven’t spent a fortune.

We haven’t even had to leave the house for most of it.

A few decorations, some pumpkins, cookies, friends, and time outside.

And the boys have had a wonderful time.

Well, at least I think they have.

It’s difficult to say for certain when one child is giving things infinity out of 10 and another is handing out smiley faces.

But judging by the laughter, the messes, and how much they seemed to enjoy themselves, I’m going to call it a success.

I don’t know what they’ll remember about this fall.

Maybe they’ll remember painting pumpkins with their friends.

Maybe they’ll remember the cookies.

Maybe they’ll remember those silly little stickers on their mirrors.

Or maybe our oldest will just remember getting to play outside, because apparently that was the highlight of the entire season.

And that’s okay.

I don’t really need them to remember every little thing we do.

I just enjoy getting to do these things with them while they’re little.

And I hope that, somewhere along the way, we’re making some good memories.

Even if those memories include a toddler painting everybody else’s pumpkins and temporarily disappearing during outdoor play.

So that’s been our fall so far.

A little decorating, a little painting, some cookies, and plenty of time outside.

Nothing particularly impressive.

But we’ve enjoyed it.

And if you ask the boys?

Well, depending on which one you ask, I’d say it was somewhere between a star and infinity out of 10.