The leaves are turning, there�s a nip to the air, and the kids have settled into a routine. Kids are running around soccer fields, football teams are practicing every day after school, and marching bands are rehearsing their drills. On my bike rides through the Connecticut hills, I appreciate all too well the smack of brisk air against my face, the sight of deer taking their final ventures out of the woods, and the visual aesthetic feast of pumpkins and colorful mums lining walkways and front stoops. And one of my favorite Connecticut traditions continues to bring a smile to my face each and every time I see it: front doors topped with a row of miniature pumpkins. Scarecrows have taken their stands against lighting posts; wheelbarrows hold fresh-picked bounty; and roadside stands offer cider, caramel apples, and home-baked pumpkin pies.
Ahh!!! Fall is finally here!
And your home is waiting to be invigorated with its palette. Let�s roll up our sleeves and take a good look around:
Arrange flowers with an autumn hue
Golds, rusts, deep reds, and yellows always read �fall,� with mums remaining the season�s flower of choice. Arrange them by your front walkway and your side door, keeping them in pots or actually planting them. And don�t neglect silk flowers while you�re at it. Long gone are the days when they served as atrocious substitutes for the real thing; recent advancements in manufacturing have produced gorgeous varieties, and they are being generously used by the most persnickety of designers and homemakers alike. I brought out several arrangements from my �arts storage� shed last week, and also purchased another few gorgeous bunches. Arranged in blue-and-white porcelain vases, cache pots, and antique watering cans�they make me happy every time I walk by one of these arrangements. (Check out Michael�s and your local florists, too. They are already offering fall silk flowers at deep discounts. I bought silk sunflowers this weekend that looked like they were literally just pulled out of the dirt�they were even appropriately �aged� and�well, were just really quite wonderful. On sale for $5 a pop at my local florist.)
Add the soft glow of candles
Keep one burning at all times while you�re in your home; make sure the kids walk into the house after school to the lovely aroma�and color�of �fall.� My candle of choice: votivo. Hands down. I�ve tried most of the wonderful, expensive brands�as well as the not-so-wonderful, inexpensive ones, too�and have become a loyal supporter of this �hand-poured in the USA� classic. Priced somewhere around $20 (depending on what part of the country you live in), they offer a nice value with burn times of up to 60 hours; their strong essential oils are available in the loveliest combinations. Try Red Currant, Mandarin, Fig, Cinnamon, or Forest for fall. And don�t forget to change out your tapers while you�re nesting. Try adding some in sage, pumpkin, or deep rust. Do a walk-through of your home and take note of candlesticks and sconces that need a good change.
Indulge in a few favorites from your own kitchen or from your local bakery or gourmet deli
Pumpkin scones, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin pie come but once a year. No guilt, okay? An occasional small piece of pie with a dollop of whipped cream never killed anyone�even those on Atkins or the South Beach Diet. And if you�ve never tasted a pumpkin scone then you have no idea what I�m talking about. I do limit my carbs, but if I could get my hands on a fresh scone right about now�well, the diet would have to wait! Let your kids enjoy a few fall favorites, too. One caramel apple a year won�t get the carb police out in full force. And get out that slow cooker and stock pot. Wonderful soups and stews simmering on your stove all day certainly lend a fabulous fall �read.�
Rotate your closets
If you need to put stuff in storage, this might be the time to do so. Rotate out summer clothing, take things to the dry cleaners, and get ready to winterize. Put your favorite sandals back into their boxes and organize them onto your high shelves; get out clogs, boots, and other heavy footwear. Make sure that before you put things into storage, they�re clean and stain-free. Those extra precautions taken now will yield big dividends for years to come. If you haven�t already done so, arrange things in your closet in color sequence, and use hangars that are visually appealing. And re-fold your folded stuff while you�re at it. Folded edges out. Plant a few of your favorite sachets in between those cashmere sweater sets, too.
Get papers color-coded and organized for the rest of the school-year
If you haven�t yet read my article on �Color-Coding Your Family,� take a quick peek before it goes into Archives. ( selfhelpcenters.com/family.asp#1) You need to make sure you�ve got your ducks in a row before the flurry of December hits with full force. So go through school papers, sports schedules, music folders, travel brochures, and miscellaneous junk that has cluttered up your work space. (I can hardly talk: my desk is at this very moment literally screaming for a quick �fix.�) Start thinking �Holidays� now! Place your orders for address labels, shipping labels, and Christmas or Hanukkah cards now. Don�t wait until next month, but instead, allow yourself the dizzying liberation of having your ducks lined up in a serious row before you can say �trick-or-treat.�
Start buying Holiday gifts this month
Hopefully, you�ve been picking things up throughout the year. If not, don�t panic. Just promise to start thinking about those on your gift list right now. For those of you who much prefer giving gifts made with your own two hands, you better get crackin�. It takes a while to hook a rug, work up an original oil-painting, needlepoint a belt or pillow, or crop a perfect scrapbook. If you prefer the bright lights of the mall, shop now before the crowds hit. Could you think of a more perfect fall outing than a leisurely day at the mall?!? And don�t forget your wrapping paper/ribbon/ gift tag scheme for this year. Design something special.
Carolina Fernandez earned an M.B.A. and worked at IBM and as a stockbroker at Merrill Lynch before coming home to work as a wife and mother of four. She totally re-invented herself along the way. Strong convictions were born about the role of the arts in child development; ten years of homeschooling and raising four kids provide fertile soil for devising creative parenting strategies. These are played out in ROCKET MOM! 7 Strategies To Blast You Into Brilliance. It is widely available online, in bookstores or through 888-476-2493. She writes extensively for a variety of parenting resources and teaches other moms via seminars, workshops, keynotes and monthly meetings of the ROCKET MOM SOCIETY, a sisterhood group she launched to �encourage, equip and empower moms for excellence.� Please visit rocketmom.com rocketmom.com.