For me, it’s just not fall unless there is at least one apple picking outing. It’s been a family tradition since I was little — even though I actually fell out of an apple tree and broke my leg when I was 5. It wasn’t the tree’s fault.

And we never bring home a normal amount of apples — by normal, I mean the amount a family could eat before they start to soften. The baking would ensue: apples pies with streusel toppings, apple crisps with poofs of homemade whipped cream, apple coffee cakes, apple muffins.

PITTSBURGH — No one likes to say goodbye to summer, but there’s no denying a new school year can be pretty exciting.

After chilling by the pool, sleeping in late and traveling with family on vacation, it’s fun for kids to be back with their friends. And what parent or caregiver doesn’t like the predictability of returning to weekday routines?

That said, getting back to a dependable daily schedule can take some time for mom or dad, who often are rushing home from work to prepare dinner, help with homework or get kids to and from practices.