It seems like just yesterday we were getting advice from Beth for acceptable beach behavior, and now according to the school calendar we have to start preparing for autumn.  What the hell happened to summer? I have no idea.  In order to transition us from sand infestations and mojitos to bits of leaves everywhere and s’mores, I have offered to step up and give you the top ten things that you need in order to transition into colder weather.

Get out your notepad.  This is important stuff.  Maybe.

10.  The first thing that you need to transition into fall is a corgi.

First of all, I have to admit that I have no freaking clue what these creatures are.  They are kind of odd looking, just like sloths, but they are the total opposite because they don’t seem to hold still.   They seem to be quite popular on the interwebs though, so at least they have that going for it.  And the frog man seems to love his little corgi.  So get one, or not.

9.  materials to build a bonfire

Oops did I take this too far?  My bad.

Nothing says Autumn like hanging out by a great big bonfire on the weekend.  The weather will be cooling off and  bonfire is a perfect excuse to get together in a big open field and catch up with friends over how difficult instructors/bosses/corgi puppies can be.  Try it!  Except maybe use some old wood instead of books (see, this is me playing nice 50 shades fans).

8.   A subscription to EW or some other entertainment magazine

This is confession time for me.  I have no freaking clue what is going on in the entertainment world.    Being over-committed (a.k.a. slightly insane) has taken this joy from me.  Everyone is all: “oh [insert hot new show here] is so great!   The show this week was absolutely perfect! Blah. Blah. Blah.”  Yeah, I have no idea what they are talking about.  When it comes to new shows like Under the Dome, I can catch the first two episodes and then life gets in the way and before I know it weeks have gone by.    This is where magazines and entertainment blogs have come in handy for me.  They are like cliffsnotes for what everyone is talking about on twitter.

7.  OITNB

OK, Netflix is really onto something here.  Remember that I have that entertainment attention span problem?  Netflix has figured this out and learned what it takes to suck me in.   Darn them for putting an entire season out there at one time!   Pretty much I can fall in love with a show and binge watch it. It’s a good thing that my kids are old enough to feed themselves, that’s all I am saying.

6.  Start making your Christmas/Jewmas/whateverholidayyoucelebrate list

HAHAHAHAHAHA!  Yeah right!   This is what the week before Christmas is for.  Don’t waste your precious time on this.  If you really need advice, wait until the bookstores have the good sales and then buy everyone that you know a copy of Outlander.

5.  Label school supplies

I know that not all of you have a bazillion children like I do, but trust me on this.   You have all of these items: paper, markers, crayons, scissors, glue, etc, sitting right in front of you and you have to “test” them all out to make sure that they are in the best working order before the first day.  Before you know it, you have spent a [completely justified] hour of coloring and cutting hearts out of notebook paper.   Do it for the children.  Trust me.

4.  Take time to reflect…

This can always be an insightful process.  For instance, I am currently reflecting on my choice to make a list of 10 items instead of, say 6 or 7.   This informative list-making stuff is hard people.

3.  Buy Movie Tickets!

I am not sure if you have heard or not, but this little movie called “Catching Fire” is coming out in November.  It is kind of a big deal.  So go ahead and get your tickets.  While you are waiting for the actual release date take time to reread your Hunger Games books and watch the first movie on repeat.

2.  Experiment with different drink options.

Being a grown-up is hard work and sometimes you don’t have the time/money/babysitter cash to go out and have a professional make you some awesome drink and hors d’oeuvre combo so you have to get creative.  If you are like me, you have tried to offset your slacking fitbit numbers by trying out out the skinny girl line of drinks.   There is a good chance that you will agree with me when I say that these things taste awful.   Almost awful enough for me to take a jog around the neighborhood to justify the calories in the good stuff.  Almost.  Let me tell you a secret:  if you mix a little of each together they actually taste pretty decent.   I wish I could share a recipe, but it varies depending on how many I’ve had when I am mixing.  You could always stick with “old faithful” rum and diet coke if it has been one of THOSE days.

1. Drumrolll please….

Ignore me, and this list, and do what makes YOU happy.   Each person here has wonderful opinions and things that they love to do.   Don’t try to conform to what someone else suggests.   If you want to eat an entire bag of chocolate while watching every episode of Supernatural ever made, go for it!  If 50 shades is your book of choice for your downtime, embrace it.  We may heckle you a bit here at TN, but we do it with love.

What are you looking forward to for fall? Sweaters? Boots? Are you mourning summer like I am?

    Written By: Ellie, a candy-stealing, reading, sleeping, ninja wanna be. Follow her on twitter @eharrisreads