In sunny Florida it is still a blistering 90+ degrees out there, but the calendar says fall is coming and according to Starbucks + Dunkin Donuts, it was fall on August 24th {#PSL!} So, regardless of the Florida heat, are you ready to dive into all things Fall?!?

To help all of us mamas get in the mood for some fun for what lies ahead of us over these next few months, we have put together a “Florida friendly” Fall Bucket List. Most of these things we can do, even if we are still enjoying warm weather and shorts & flip flops!

If you ask me, this scorching weather is all a bunch of hocus pocus! The kids are back in school. Starbucks is selling its pumpkin spice latte. As far as this Florida girl is concerned, spooky season should already be here!

Did I say Hocus Pocus? Yes, this year’s streaming TV lineup is everything we 80s and 90s babies could dream of! Grab your bright orange plastic pumpkins and put on your homemade costumes (thanks, mom!), we are diving into all things fall TV, spooky season style!

I love spooky season. My youngest was born on Halloween and the joy that holiday now brings our family is all encompassing. Since moving to Florida last year, I have been relying on books to help me get into the seasonal mood.

Weather changes I experienced in Michigan don’t happen here in Florida, so I’ve escaped into reading. I need a good amount of thrillers/mystery books to get into spooky season.

There is no shortage of Pumpkin Patches in Orlando this year! Our Guide to Pumpkin Patches in Central Florida should keep your weekends packed! Are we missing your favorite pumpkin patch? Let us know in the comments below!

Please be sure to check with each venue, as times and dates may change.

There are plenty of fun Fall festivals in Central Florida that the entire family can enjoy this year! Are we missing your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

Please be sure to check with each venue, as times and dates may change.

if you want an easy way to enjoy delicious brats, sauerkraut and beer with the bonus of good music and a family friendly event, check out these local Oktoberfest festivities in your area.

If you love 5ks, 10ks and family fun runs, check out this list of Central Florida runs!

Please be sure to check with each venue, as times and dates may change.

Fall weather is creeping in (very slowly) and the blazing heat is finally starting to go away. While this season is notorious for pumpkins, festivals and lots of themed events, sometimes we just needs simple ways to get the kids outside for some family time! So here we go, mamas! In an effort to keep the kiddos engaged and you smiling, OMC has put together a list of five outdoor fall activities that kids are sure to enjoy too!

A child’s healthy development relies on the freedom to play, learn, and grow all year round. A parent shouldn’t shy away from letting their kids simply be carefree and snotty-nosed youngsters. However, it is important you keep up good practices to prevent them from catching viruses as much as possible. Plus you don’t want them bringing a bug back home to the entire family.

Let’s take a look at 5 simple ways you can help your kids stay fit, healthy, and happy this fall. 

Yup, as parents we dread the time change. Right when we seem to figure out our kid’s sleep schedule, it all gets turned upside down! Who wouldn’t dread this?! Fall is tough because while we “get another hour of sleep,” our kids who usually sleep till 7am are waking at 6am on that day. If you have an early riser, the time that they wake on that day can be almost unmentionable. Yikes! Their internal biological sleepy clock doesn’t know that our iPhones automatically changed at 2am.

So, I am passing along some tips to help you and your child get through Daylight Savings Time. I have provided options for each type of sleeper:

Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) started the Teal Pumpkin Project in 2014 to raise awareness of food allergies. Food allergies continue to be a growing public health issue and 1 in 13 children in the United States has a food allergy. This can make Halloween especially stressful for families as many popular candies contain nuts, milk, egg, soy, or wheat, all of which are common allergens. Not to mention, many of the miniature size candy bars don’t list ingredients on their labels which makes it even harder to determine if they are safe.

I had heard of dentists and orthodontists buying back candy, so I Googled it.  I found this website. Dentists buy back Halloween candy and send the candy to Operation Gratitude or other Military support groups who send the candy to the U.S. Military.  There is a search feature on the website where you can enter your zip code and find participating dentists or orthodontists in your area.  The site recommends calling ahead to the office to make sure that they are participating before you lug your bag of candy there.

We’ll keep things short and sweet (see what happened there?) today, since many of you are still trying to figure out what your little ones are dressing up as this week. Don’t feel alone if you are still sewing or even gluing costumes together. Halloween always seems to sneak up every year.Since your kiddos will be coming home with several pounds of candy this week, we’ve rounded up a few ways to utilize some of their loot, including a few recipes, so everyone can enjoy the bounty. Plus, you won’t feel so guilty snagging a few pieces for yourself. Enjoy!

The fall season is definitely one of our favorite times of year! We love all things fall especially Halloween! From boo-ing neighbors to sharing special treats with friends, to festivals and trick or treating, we just enjoy this time of year so much! So much so that we put together some of our favorite Halloween printables created by Orlando Mom Collective owner, Eryn!

Get ready for some Halloween fun at the Theme Parks!

From trick or treating, to scary haunted houses, you can experience all the fun of Halloween at the Theme Parks! Events range from safe for the littles to thrilling for the bigs! Have a blast!!

Please be sure to check with each venue, as times and dates may change.

Get ready for Halloween sweets and treats with our list of special Halloween events and trick or treating in and around Orlando! There are kid-friendly events that include trick or treating around town AND extra scary events for the older kids too.

Please be sure to check with each venue, as times and dates may change.

There’s something about fall weather that makes me want to open up my cookbook to my favorite Pumpkin Roll recipe! We’ve compiled all of our favorite fall-time recipes! Enjoy!

Here in Florida we never know if Fall weather will stay, or if we will return to the dreadful heat and humidity. If we Floridians waited until there was a real crisp in the air to indulge in all things pumpkin, squash, or fall-themed, well, we could be waiting until January! In honor of the season, we’ve rounded up a few tasty fall recipes: Cranberry Apple Crisp, Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Agave Nectar, Pumpkin Carrot Muffins, Pumpkin White Wine Risotto.

As much as I love Summer I love a good DIY even more! And the changing of the seasons gives me a great excuse to create. Seriously, if you walked into my home you would see that 90% of the decor pieces were either hacked, tweaked or made by myself. I wanted to share with you 2 easy and inexpensive Fall decor DIYs. All of the materials cost between $1-$3 each and can be created with tools you already have on hand.

If you frequent Michael’s Craft Stores, you know they have some great 40% off (non sale items) coupons each week. So using that coupon,  I paid $4.99 (total) for the wreaths I used to make the face and ears. I then went to the Dollar Store and bought a few Halloween decorations, small glitter ball vase fillers, pumpkins, a Halloween hat, some bat clips, and a bow.  The great thing about this is you can decorate the wreath in such a way that it can be left up on your door through Thanksgiving. Just opt for some fall themed decor or glue the Halloween accessories.

Fall is such a wonderful time for the kiddos. I love pumpkin patches, fall festivals and the holidays we celebrate during this time. Something else we love to do during new seasons and holidays is to work on crafts. What I love about crafting with kids is that is causes them to practice those motor skills and use their imagination. Below are some fun fall craft ideas for kids!

As soon as I flipped the calendar to November, I got that warm feeling: it is really fall! Yes, it has been fall for a while now, but here in Orlando it doesn’t quite feel like fall when you are sweating while setting out your pumpkin decor. When the weather drops a few degrees is when I really feel like cranking up all the seasonal fun. Of course that includes some baking, pumpkin pureeing, and fall kids crafts so we can all share in the excitement together.