Before you take your kids to one of numerous family-friendly fall activities this weekend, you should properly prepare yourself. For starters (as I learned two weekends ago), you do not want to take your child to the most popular pumpkin patch in town. Every family within a fifty mile radius woke up with the same exact idea and is heading there too.

I suggest you find the less popular option down the road. It’s usually closer to where you’d have to park for the popular place, anyway. It won’t have pony rides or a bouncy castle, but trust me, your kids will be way more excited about actually picking apples if they don’t think it’s just a bouncy castle pre-game.

Even if you do find that hidden gem, you’ve still got to be on parental alert. For instance, there are few things scarier than your toddler’s head disappearing into a corn field.

Here’s a breakdown of what you should expect in pie chart form.

mommy-shorts-chart-4

mommy-shorts-chart-2mommyshorts-chart-5

mommy-shorts-chart-3

apple-picking-pie-chart

UPDATE: I don’t want anyone to cancel their plans due to this post! I still think going to your local pumpkin patch or apple orchard is a worthwhile family activity with the potential for lots of fun. It’s just that, like everything else were kids are involved, it is also WORK.

For more Mommy Shorts, follow me on facebook.