“My favorite color is October.”
– Unknown

Happy Halloween!

Today was a lot of fun with students arriving to school in costumes, a staff costume contest, classroom parties, and more. 

Tonight will also be a lot of fun with Halloween parties, trick-or-treating at Residential, and the inevitable over-excitement / sugar crash that younger kids will experience–and their parents get to manage. 

There is a lot going on these days. In addition to all of the Halloween activities, The MS/HS Girls and Boys Cross Country teams are currently in Bucharest for the CEESA Cross Country competition–Go Wolves! There is also a HS Girls Football game tomorrow at 12:00 at AAS–again, Go Wolves! 

Tomorrow will be another fun and eventful day. After the girls’ football match, the annual AAS PTO Halloween celebration begins at 16:00 with trunk-or-treating, hay rides, games, the haunted house, food and drink. 

Tomorrow is also National Enlighteners Day. Enlightener’s Day will be marked by commemorations all over Sofia and Bulgaria. 

After all the events of today and Saturday, you might wonder what you should do on Sunday. The weather will make Sunday a perfect day to rest, relax (recover from overstimulation and oversugar consumption), and spend time with family (and/or friends).

One of the things I love about living in Sofia is that there is so much to do on an autumn Sunday. If you haven’t noticed, Vitosha Nature Park (the oldest nature park in the Balkans) is stunning in fall colors. Sunday’s weather looks to be perfect for a hike or a bike ride on the mountain. The same colors that blanket Vitosha are all over the city, and the many parks in Sofia are also perfect for a walk. Or maybe go spend the day visiting one of the countless wonderful places outside of Sofia: maybe Plovidiv or Bansko as the couple in this article did. 

One of my favorite “parks” in Sofia is the AAS campus. Sunday will be a perfect day for AAS families to take advantage of the playgrounds, football fields, outdoor fitness equipment, outdoor volleyball/pickleball court, outdoor basketball courts, and more. 

Regardless of where you decide to spend your Sunday (or any weekend day), how you spend it matters a lot. Spending time as a family is critically important to the development and well being of our kids–and us as adults. Having a healthy amount of quality time together improves everything from mental health, physical health, success at school, healthy relationships, etc., and it is fun. Of course we all get to the point where we need a break from family, but that is why a “healthy amount of quality time” is important to keep in mind. The quality of time matters. Time playing or talking or just walking quietly together all helps. You don’t have to commit to an all day adventure–though those are excellent–even a 15 minute walk around the neighborhood or running an errand together count. One of the very best things you can do is read together.

If you are a parent of an early teen, you might be thinking, “But they don't want to spend time with me.” It might feel like that, but it is not true. They do want to spend time with you, you might just need to rethink how to spend that time with them.  

 No matter how you decide to do it, make time this weekend to enjoy some good family (or friends) time. 

“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.”
– Nathaniel Hawthorne