Happy September! Autumn is around the corner, but hang onto summer just a bit longer. Get outdoors, play in sprinklers and swim a few more times, play tennis in the driveway, and watch for the last butterflies of the season. Keep the warmth of summer close to the heart as you plan as many fun activities with the family as time allows. Create unique family celebrations this month and incorporate some of the holidays below to make it a super-September celebration with the ones you love.
Library Card Sign-Up Month – If you don’t have a library card, take a family field trip to the library downtown and get signed up lickety-split. You’re missing out on some great opportunities for reading and other activities if your family is cardless. After you get signed up, take a short walk to jump on the hiking trail that meanders behind the library, past the dogpark, and through the center of town. You might even end the field trip with dinner at one of the close-by restaurants.
International People Skills Month – How are your people skills these days? Unfortunately, after the pandemic, some of the niceties and pleasantries of being friendly and neighborly kinda went by the wayside. Talk at dinner each night this month about good manners and the kind way to treat others. Brainstorm ways to be extra-friendly and hospitable to those around you and put those ideas into practice throughout the month, too. Check out some of these books from the library about manners. Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners by Laurie Keller, The Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners by Stan and Jan Berenstain, Kindness Wins: Stories of Love Elementary by Marguerite Locke, and Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller.
National Bake and Decorate Month – Try out these yummy cookies to start the celebration this month. Fit in several baking and decorating days this month for delicious family time spent together. Make these inside out cookies to enjoy with the family and share a few with someone else, too. Whisk together in a bowl one cup all-purpose flour, one-half cup plus two tablespoons cocoa powder, one teaspoon baking soda and one-eighth teaspoon salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream one-half cup softened butter, one-half cup granulated sugar, one-half cup packed brown sugar on medium high speed until fluffy. Add in one egg and one teaspoon vanilla extract and beat on high until well combined. On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl. The dough will be very thick. Beat in one tablespoon milk and one and ¼ cup white chocolate chips. The cookie dough will be sticky.
Cover dough with foil and chill for at least three hours up to overnight. Remove cookie dough from fridge and allow to sit at room temperature for ten to 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop and roll balls of dough, about one and one-half tablespoons of dough each cookie. Arrange two inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 11 minutes or until the edges are set. Remove to a cooling rack. Once cooled, decorate the top of the cookie with a powdered sugar and milk drizzle.
National Indoor Plant Week – Take a family field trip and purchase two new indoor plants. One for your family and one to share with someone who might need some cheering up.
National Keep Kids Creative Week – Purchase a large pack of paper plates and a roll of painters tape and encourage the kids to get creative. For a simple project, use scissors to cut from the outside edge to the center of a paper plate. Push one of the cut edges over the other cut edge slightly to form a cone-shape. Use painters tape to seal the cut edges to hold the cone shape. Repeat the steps with a second paper plate. Place the two plates together with the cones facing outward on top and bottom. Use the tape to seal the edges. Now toss the dome-shaped disc like a frisbee and play catch with other family members.
Enjoy all 30 days September hath with family members to create lasting memories to enjoy into the next season. Take in some local football games as a family, watch a few together on television, and play football in the front yard. Visit the Farmers Market on Saturdays and read lots of books on the back porch. Spend quality moments with the ones you love and make every day a holiday this month.
Statesboro native Julie Lavender is an author and speaker and loves spending time with family.