A Fall Bucket List

I’ve been feeling pretty down lately and forgot that I had this post drafted over a month ago. Maybe it will be the mood boost you need in your inbox today too.

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It’s officially FALL! While the season doesn’t kick off in my mind until our daily highs dip below 80 degrees, the calendar says Fall is here. There are so many excellent Fall Reading Guides that have been making their rounds on Substack that I’m not going to publish my own, but I am publishing this massive newsletter focusing on all things Fall. I hope you’ll flag this email in your inbox or save it on Substack to come back to when you’re looking for ideas for fun family activities. It’s my goal that this newsletter is a one-stop shop for autumnal inspiration for all the working parents out there.

What’s in my Bogg Bag

I shared my summer Bogg bag and it’s time to switch it up for the season. In the fall and winter, we primarily use it at the park and for picnics. It’s great to keep packed and ready to grab by the door at home or stashed in your trunk. There are plenty of more affordable dupes out there now too! I love that it is structured, waterproof, and easy to clean. Here are some non-negotiables for my fall trunk bag:

• reusable wet/dry bags

• a stasher bag

• wet wipes

• a towel

• a change of clothes for my preschooler

• snacks like crackers, applesauce, and fresh fruit — I love this Rigwa bowl with the 3 way divider insert to keep things cold

• water bottles + juice pouches

• sunglasses

• my Kindle

• mini Bluetooth speaker

Fall Bucket List

Here are some ideas to add to your fall bucket list. I recommend you copy + paste this into a note on your phone that you can check off as you go!

• go to a “far away” playground instead of the neighborhood park ✅

• check out library books about apple picking, farms, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and more ✅

• go to the zoo ✅

• have a picnic at the park ✅

• make a spooky treat ✅

• buy mums at the farmer’s market

• see a movie at the theater (Moana 2 is at the top of our list)

• attend an outdoor concert ✅

• host a family game night

• try a new local restaurant

• complete a DIY craft

• visit a pumpkin patch ✅

• go apple picking

• drive around and look at Halloween decorations ✅

• take a fall foliage tour (hike or drive)

• create a cozy reading nook

• carve or paint pumpkins to display on your front porch or windowsill

• start a family gratitude journal ✅

• host Friendsgiving for kids

Kid Lit that Celebrates Fall

Thinking back on my childhood, fall screams visiting the pumpkin patch, making s’mores by the fire, going to the book fair and getting a stack of new books, painting pumpkins, making homemade Halloween costumes, avoiding haunted houses like the plague, celebrating my parents’ birthdays, and sitting around a giant table for Thanksgiving dinner. I’ve come up with a list of children’s books that celebrate fall themes. There’s something for every family on this list!

Fall Recipes

I tend to cook heartier meals in the fall and embrace more soups, stews, and chili pots. Here are some recipe ideas I have saved to come back to all season long:

• Pecan Pie Cheesecake

• Brown Butter Sage Dinner Rolls

• Sweet Potato Gratin

• Grilled Cheese with Apple and Bacon

• Butternut Squash Risotto

• Stuffed Acorn Squash

I adore Milk Fed’s post Kitchen Witch.

An Autumnal Playlist

My Fall TBR Stack

There’s no way I’ll get around to reading all of these books but these are the books I have my eye on and hope will guide my reading. I’m a huge mood reader!

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

• The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

• You, Again by Kate Goldbeck

• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

• What The River Knows by Isabel Ibanez

• Somewhere Beyond the Sea by TJ Klune ✅

• A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene

• A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft

• Intermezzo by Sally Rooney ✅

• At the End of the River Styx by Michelle Kulwicki

• A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal

• Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver

• Graveyard Shift by M. L. Rio

• A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland

• Fruit of the Dead by Rachel Lyon

• A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft

• The Lamplighter by Crystal Bell

• The Tower by Flora Carr

• Where the Dark Stands Still by A. B. Poranek

• Sanctum by Arabella Ashley

I’m grateful to NetGalley + various publishers for the opportunity to read several DRCs that are the perfect fall reads.

• How to Help a Hungry Werewolf by Charlotte Stein ✅

• If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens ✅

A Family-Friendly Fall Watch List

• The Nightmare Before Christmas ✅

• Halloweentown

• Hocus Pocus and Hocus Pocus 2

• The Goonies

• Fantastic Mr. Fox

• It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

• Paddington

• Coco ✅

• Coraline ✅

• E.T.

• Harry Potter

• Casper ✅

• Matilda: The Musical

• Open Season

• The Chronicles of Narnia

• Hotel Transylvania

• Monsters, Inc.

• Scooby Doo

• The Addams Family

• Migration

Whew! Chime off in the comments or reply to this email and tell me what your fall plans are. Are you going to see Moana 2 for Thanksgiving? Do you have any special traditions this season?

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Wishing you a COZY fall,

Elsewhere on the Internet: Goodreads / Storygraph / Pinterest