Fall is just… better!

Scoop OTPNow that summer is almost over, I feel like I can openly admit how happy it makes me to turn that calendar off August. The Autumnal Equinox will not officially happen until September 23rd, but in reality the minute we are done with Labor Day festivities, it’s go time for pumpkins, cider, and all the other treasures that scream fall.

I’m sure you have all seen the slightly obnoxious Facebook posts about Pumpkin Spice Lattes, so I know I’m not alone. If you aren’t convinced that this time of year is better than summer, let me give you some reasons.

First, and maybe most importantly for us ladies, is the ease in getting dressed that returns in the fall. No more worrying about if you have the perfect pedicure for flip flops or if you will sweat through your clothes. Jeans, a shirt and your favorite closed-toe shoes are back. It’s much simpler, and being able to go out and run errands without working up a sweat is priceless.

Scoop OTPThe second problem for me that disappears with the closing of summer is maintaining the garden and yard. I no longer have to remember to water my flowers and bring them back from the edge of death from the heat; zero-maintenance pumpkins can now adorn the front stoop. Added bonus: I don’t have to listen to my husband complain about the chipmunks eating the tomatoes, setting up traps for said chipmunks, and still yielding hardly any vegetables. We’re done with our summer attempt at farming and onto perfecting our chili for football season.

Scoop OTPThird: For those of us living with school age children, there is something just fabulous — at least for me — about returning to a schedule. In summer, there is an underlying feeling at all times that “anything goes.” No bedtimes, eating whatever you want, and letting the house get a little messy. I know I personally stayed up too late and slept in too long, had ice cream too many nights in a row, and enjoyed my Countrytime Lemonade almost 100% of the time with vodka. I am probably worse than my children when it came to indulging during the summer months, so the schedule of school serves me well.

FOMO1-1FOMO, or “Fear of Missing Out” is a real condition, and in summer it becomes worse as I find myself just trying to keep up with all the fun that other people appear to be having (thank you, social media!) In the fall, it is perfectly acceptable when asked “What did you do this weekend?” to answer with “sat on my couch and watched football all day.” Not in the summer. You need to have been at the pool, on the lake or on a beach. Curling up with a blanket on the couch is cool in fall, and that makes me happy.

14192790_1048760221908575_7674143978486859993_nLast year, Suzanne and I actually wrote a list of “Summer Fails” for Scoop OTP, documenting all of the wonderful ideas we had for our families to do over the summer months, and noting how few of them had been completed. This summer, we were much more realistic about what we could accomplish. We set the bar very low, and now we don’t have to feel as bad about not visiting the places we set out to. Instead, we pat ourselves on the back with the few things we could accomplish this summer with our teenage children who really don’t hang out with us as much a when we started Scoop. So we say Happy Fall…bring on the cool temps, closed-toe shoes and pumpkin lattes!

Follow Scoop OTP on Facebook. Visit our calendar, which is full of fall events.

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