How does Fall affect you? Family dynamics

Hi all,

I am struck by the changing season again this year.  In some ways, our season change has been mild, and in some ways more extreme.

Tired is my general state of being during the Fall, and that's probably an understatement.  I get dark circles so severe that people wonder if I have black eyes.  Solution?  Wear more makeup :)

Excited is M's general state of being during the Fall.  She loves everything about it, and she gets ecstatic for all the Fall activities and schedules, since it means the poor only child gets to be around other kids a lot more often.  At least, she thinks she's around other kids more often.  I'm not sure if it's really that significant a change.  However, her mama is a homebody, so it's probably a true account.  When coops and sports start for Fall, we get a busier schedule.

Tired mama, and excited girl.  Does this mean energy is leaking from one to the other?

Our whole family has allergies, however, including a dog on medication.  Yes, literally.  This leads to a lot of easily confused beings in the same house.  I sleep through my alarm.  M forgets things, the dogs gets goofy and itchy which is distracting, I forget things.  My husband denies that he forgets things.  With all this forgetting comes even more activity and chaos.

For instance, returning home for forgotten things on a regular basis.  Or running to the grocery store during coop because the lunch bag that M took out of the fridge never made it into the bag we brought, and I assumed we were fine upon seeing said bag in the car. . .

You get the idea.  That was all in one morning, and only a partial account.

My throat gets itchy and I love that my cousin carries a toothbrush just to scratch his itchy pallet during allergy season. I, on the other hand, drink carbonated beverages.  They help clear the phlegm from my throat, reduce coughing and itching, and contain caffeine to combat the fatigue that leads to sleeping through the alarm that lasts a full hour (literally . . .  unfortunately).

And, of course, when I'm drinking more caffeine, it leads to increased chaos and activity.  Manic energy, you could say.

Do you see the spiral effect?  Does it sound relaxing?  Anyone with me on this?  Anyone have a solution for me?  In the meantime, I'll add more soda to the grocery list.

Hope you're having a fun fall filled with changing colors of leaves, pumpkins, squash, apples, and more!