This is a crazy time of year.  The last month of baseball, football is in full swing, and hockey is just starting.  And that is just our family.  Putting together the October schedule at our house is like watching an architect making plans for a new structure.  Different colors, different levels, different everything.  Somehow my wife always makes it come together.  It should remind all of us parents to enjoy the activities of our children, but also to slow it down a bit.  The song "You're Gonna Miss This" comes to mind.  It's about all of the business that a parent has to deal with.  The mother is reminded by her father and others throughout the song that she will eventually miss all of the running around, all of the games, all of the time spent being busy with the kids.  They grow older, and become more independent, etc.  Some of you might be there in your life already, wishing that you were getting ready for that child to take their first spill on the ice, their first swing at t-ball, or their first soccer game.....(ok maybe not soccer).  Your advice to the young parents like me, would probably be to just stop and spend time with your children, without anything scheduled.  I thought about that the other day when I saw the new schedule for the kids this month.

I realized that car rides home from practice or games are usually occupied with comments from the sporting event.  That's not much for real conversation, is it?  I then remembered my fall trick.  It involves fire, some chairs, a cool night, and conversation.  Kids love when you tell them that you're going to have a fire tonight, outdoors.  There is something about the fire that they love.  Maybe it's the smores, maybe the smell, or just maybe the lack of something on the schedule.  I will implement my fall plan very soon.  Sitting in the backyard, with nothing to do, except listening to what my kids have on their mind, not on their schedule.  Fall is in the air.....

Good luck