Remember September Part 2

My next three September traditions that I will share with you are:  Go Back to School, Preserve the Summer, and Visit the State Fair. (See my first Remember September post for the complete list and explanation).

Go Back to School

"We might ask, when shall we cease to learn? 
I will give you my opinion about it: never, never."    

Brigham Young

                           

There is something truly wonderful about the end of summer when its time for school to start again. And I don't mean the sigh of relief mother's breathe when they get more time to themselves.  I mean the magic of yellow school buses, the crunch of autumn leaves beneath the feet of children as they walk to class, the thrill of new crayons and pencil boxes, and the promises of learning and discovery that each new school year brings. 

I don't know why but there is just something I have always loved about school. And I consider myself very blessed to have gained as much education as I have. This past year I completed my masters degree, and I must admit, while I won't miss final exams, copius amounts of homework, or the stress of writing and researching a masters thesis, this fall I will truly miss going back to school. I'll miss walking to campus on cool autumn mornings, the smell of a new book's clean, crisp pages,  stimulating seminars and class discussions, and the invigorating buzz of campus life. 
My college experience truly provided me some of the richest and most rewarding experiences, and in the words of Victoria A. Bradley, "I thank my Heavenly Father to have live[d] and work[ed] and stud[ied] at [a] university. I whisper gratitude for the professors who became friends, roommates who became family, and the school that became my home."
(Bradley, After All, 2005: magazine.byu.edu/extras)

                      

1. Learn Something New

While for many of us September no longer means the return of a new school year, my mom suggests that we never abandon our pursuit of learning. That is why one of her September traditions is to Go Back to School. What she means by this, is that no matter where you are in life, choose something you want to learn more about. It may include taking a class or attending a seminar, learning a new skill, or simply reading more about a topic you have an interest in.

   For me, this September I want to learn more about organic and sustainable foods. Its something I've always been interested in but I never had the time to fit a nutrition class into my schedule. So I am going to watch documentaries and read articles when I get the time.  And am I a total nerd if I want to buy a nutrition textbook?  For some reason I just get so much satisfaction out of highlighting pages and writing notes in the margins. Ok, I'm a nerd!

Note: For those of you who have the time or are feeling particularly ambitious, Brigham Young University offers FREE online courses for anyone to take! See their webpage here.   Or a great website here  offers over 500 FREE online/audio lectures from professors at top Universities like Yale and Harvard.  My husband and I have listened to these on roadtrips and love them! Hey, you could even listen to one while cleaning your house! Just imagine taking part in a prestigious Yale University lecture while scrubbing your toilets!

2. Buy a New Notebook  

Once you have chosen something that you want to learn more about, my mom's advice is to buy a brand new notebook (and I would add: a highlighter!) It may not be an exciting new lunch box, but at least it puts you in the "Back to School" spirit along with your children.  

                           

 "For in the end we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, we will understand only what we are taught."  -Baba Dioum

Preserve the Summer

     Another one of my mom's September traditions is to Preserve the Summer by following the age-old custom of "stocking your larder."  For centuries, autumn meant the time when you would gather in the harvest and other essential supplies to prepare for the long, cold winter when otherwise food might be scarce. Thankfully, today we don't have that dilemma, but it is a wonderful time to still take a moment to preserve the richness of summer's yield.   

There are several things you could do: 

Clean out, re-organize and re-stock your pantry

Evaluate your food storage (or if you don't have one, start one!)

Make or update your 72-hour kits

Bottle fruit and/or make freezer jam

I personally decided to clean out and re-organize my pantry and also stock up on and freeze lots of summer berries (these make for great smoothies and shakes!) 

   I realize that my pantry is NOT Pinterest-worthy (I'm amazed by some women's abilities to organize their pantries into bins and baskets, etc.) but thanks to this tradition it IS cleaned out and organized now.  

                             

"Autumn is a gracious time, filling my heart 

with beauty as she fills my shelves with her harvest." 

- Patti Pitcher

Visit the State Fair

This is the time of year when many state's throw a fair. I am lucky to live in a state that has a HUGE one each fall. Big or small, however, a fun autumn tradition is to support your State by visiting the fair.  It is a great activity for kids too. My son, as young as he is, LOVED looking at all of the farm animals in the Agricultural Barn. He even got to pet some sheep! There were also lots of kid-friendly rides like the merry-go-round and bumper cars, and of course all of the carnival games.  If you're feeling adventurous too, fairs usually tout lots of unique foods to try, like deep-fried twinkies and oreos or of course, funnel cake!

                         
                           

                            

They had a Butterfly Adventure at our Fair where kids could feed and interact with butterflies!

Coming Soon: More September Traditions!   I promise I will get October out very soon!  (I'm a little bit behind for now, thanks to our computer hard drive crashing, but in the future I will get my posts out during the month they correspond to!)