Our Pumpkin-less Day at the Pumpkin Farm

Below, you'll see some pictures of our recent trip to Sonny Acres, the pumpkin farm I've been going to since I was old enough to remember pumpkins. Last year, Ethan was only 4 months old when we went, so it was more fun this year now that he's walking around. It was also fun to be with my parents, who, obviously, were the ones who used to take me. My mom hadn't been there in years, though, and she was amazed at how much it had changed. She said that when we used to go, there were pumpkins, hay rides, the big shop, and a pony ride. Now, there are still those four things but also a dozen carnival rides, vendors everywhere, and ticket booths. The ticket booths are of course necessary in order to have a place buy tickets. And what do you need tickets for, you ask? Everything! Will paid $2 to go down a giant slide with Ethan. And, actually, they tried to charge him $3 because going with an adult costs one more ticket (though that was not on the sign), but he indicated that he was out of tickets and they let him go. Seriously? Three dollars to go down a slide? I can almost get a Starbucks coffee for that! It saddens me to see that a simple farm that I looked forward to going to as a child has turned completely into a profit making machine. Not that I really blame the owners, who I'm sure are simply trying to keep up with other farms, some of which even charge an admissions fee on top of tickets. Sonny Acres, for the time being at least, does not charge an admissions fee. Luckily, Ethan's young enough now that we did not have to take him on a lot of rides. He went down the slide, on a train with grandpa, and in a little play area. That was $7 worth of fun right there, so I can't imagine what the families with multiple children were paying, especially if they were buying their kids any of the highly nutricious snacks like elephant ears or butter with corn!

Maybe I'm extra sensitive now because we're living on a pretty tight budget, but I just remember loving Sonny Acres simply because I could climb on what seemed like a mountain of pumkins to pick the most perfect one. (The mountain doesn't exist anymore, most likely for fear of litigation from the parents of a clumsy child.) Last Saturday, we didn't even pick out a pumpkin because the price was so ridiculous, we knew we could get two or three from Jewel for less. So our odyssey to the pumpkin farm ended, and we departed without the traditional fall pumpkin we had set out to find.

I realize that silly spending money for traditional outtings is necessary at times when you have kids, and looking at the pictures I remember the fun we did have. But I hope to be the kind of mom who finds creative, fun, and FREE things to do with their kids. I think I already am that mom, in fact. Last week, on a brisk day, Ethan and I drove over to the grounds of the McDonalds corporation, which is close to us (just in Oak Brook), free to get into, and has a ton of trails to walk. With the fall colors just emerging, this was a great outting for my curious little boy. We had a great time. My sister and I have found out about all the free museum days coming up and marked them on our calendars. We've already been to the Museum of Science and Industry on one of our "Culture Days," as we like to call them. It is not always easy to find free or inexpensive activities around here, but it's certainly not impossible either. I know that getting out of the house is important for my sanity, so I've just learned to be a bit more creative in how we choose to spend our time and shake things up a bit. Any suggestions are welcome.

The four above are from our walk in the McDonald's Headquarter's grounds. Do you see the crane in the last picture? Pretty cool.

Here's Ethan eating one of the last of the cookies we made.

I guess this face makes it all worth it, huh?