Yes Yes it’s been a while! I’ve been having ‘finally get home and put the kids to bed only to fall asleep while reading to them’ days! Any post would have been a delirious, crying about not enough hours in the day, someone come over and let me sleep, wah poor me, rant. Hahaa…not quite…but close….
So we’ve been busy…not doing anything productive really…but fun. This is my favorite time of the year. All the pumpkin patches start to open, the fall festivals, the petting zoos, the everything at restaurants apple and pumpkin infused…mmmmmm. The weather starts to cool.
You know I’ve been on the course to become “that mom” I’ve always dreamed of. The kind you all know of! The one who decorates for every holiday and always has something good cooking and a treat in the oven. And you know that I’ve said- all that keeps me from being ‘her’ is- me and my laziness.
So here I am with laziness behind me (and by behind me, I mean hanging from my shoulders begging me to come home and snuggle). I am fighting to turn a new leaf. A new year, new me blah blah blah. It’s all I’ve been writing about. hahaha. I am actually enjoying myself. I decided we woud decorate for fall. Packed up the kids to The Decor Store in Moorpark, Ca. (which, if you are in socal is an amazing holiday decor place with amazing coupons and great stuff) and Michaels. I have transformed my abode into a Fall heaven:) Scarecrows, leaves, orange lights, spiders, crows, pumpkins oh my. With the kids in tow for help, we have quite the mish mash:) Although, had they been allowed to make all the decisions, we would have a bloodied corpse with an axe through it’s head, hanging from the rafters of our entryway. “Mommy wouldn’t he be soooo cute right when you walk in the door?” “Yes, Saylor but mommy wants the decorations to last through till Thanksgiving, so lets steer away from the scary stuff” “He’s not scary, he’s funny!”. Yeah kid- let’s see if you still think that when you walk out of your room to pee in the middle of the night and are scarred for life!!! I’m not into Halloween scary stuff at all. Cracked me up at how they LOVED it!!
We went to the LA County Fair yesterday. Which is by far one of my favorite yearly traditions. I look forward to it all year. We always hit the giant barn that makes me long for my farm in the middle of nowhere, where the kids roam the land…aaaaahhhhh. Saylor is so great with animals…I call her the goat whisperer:) They literally crowd around her and she gives them each a turn. She hugs and kisses them and they look her in the eye like they understand her and love her. So cute. She squealed at the baby pigs and wanted to take “1 baby goat, 1 baby pig, lots of chickens and the mama cow” that snuggled into her and licked her head, home with her. Who knew cows were affectionate? This one followed her and put its giant head on her shoulder and literally kept kissing her head:)
They rode there first ferris wheel with daddy while Renn and I watched on.
We ate the usual…fried everything, turkey legs, churros.
My sister and Tyler came with us. The usual group:) My best friends, my loves, my sweet family. All in all an amazing day.
Hey anyone live near Detroit Michigan by any chance?
Hi Haylie,
I always wanted to be "that mom", too, and Fall is the prettiest time of year up here. My kids are high school and college age now, but I still do the treat-baking (as much for myself as for them). I never had much success with the decorating, though, since my three boys seemed to tear up everything within reach. Window clings were about the only thing I could trust them with.
We moved to Michigan's thumb (Huron County, not that far from Detroit) to raise our rats a safe country atmosphere, which was quite a change from the big city life in Houston, Texas. We're five miles from the lake with farm fields all around us, literally across the road and behind our back fence. I had to start a vegetable garden just so I felt like I belonged. I love it here!
Lisa J.
My favorite thing in the world is the sky and it's never more spectacular than in the Fall!
Your intro made me think we all have "that mom" in our heads whether we have kids or not, no matter who we are, no? That idealized image of someone we want to be and strive to be, maybe simply a better version of ourselves? But "she" keeps reminding us that we're failing…
"She" was in my head until I learned that I was "that mom" in someone else's head–WHA?! Clearly that person was clueless to the actual details of my days! So I demoted "that mom" of my own mind–the real GHOST of the season, and I'm not haunted anymore!
I know, I'm corny, whatever, it's true though.
-connie
P.S. The friend that I was (no longer am) "that mom" to, was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan.
One thing I envy about america the most is HALLOWEEN!
It's not a tradition here in Spain and I'm determined to live the halloween experience once in my life!
Lisa- You must go to Franklin Village, MI. to the Franklin Cider Mill and eat a dozen apple donuts for me! I grew up around the corner and we would go there every weekend. MMMMMM crave those donuts every fall:)
Connie- So true! No matter how amazing we are there is ALWAYS a better version of ourselves still in there. You can't win. hahaha. But I do get satisfaction from actually doing the things I TALK about doing:)
PS- Your letter will get a response:) ummm amazingly sweet!!!!
Raquel- Get out here!!!:) hahaha
Great point! My goal today: Get to Franklin Village and eat apple donuts! -c
I forgot to mention my married name is Johnson, so you and my hubby may even be distant relatives. His grandfather Albert was chauffeur to the Dodge family in the Detroit area many years ago before moving out here and buying a farm.
Mmm, apple donuts! We have Leipprants Orchard here and they do the cider and donuts as well as yummy warm apple "sundaes" with sliced apples covered in caramel sauce and lots of whipped cream. YUM! Lots of corn mazes around here too, as you can imagine with all the farmland.
Lisa J. (Lisa Hastings-Johnson on Facebook)
Lisa- YUM! I am going to make an apple sundae tomorrow and imagine I'm there:) Why don't we have cider mills in SoCal? Maybe I'll open one!!!!
My fathers family actually moved here from Norway when he was a young boy. They changed their last name to Johnson upon arriving in the US. So it's not the original family name:)
I grew up in Rochester Hills, MI. To me, Michigan is the best state in the country to visit in the fall. I'd never live there again, but it's beautiful to visit.