New Year’s resolutions are all well and good, but I for one don’t really have the energy to start new lifestyle commitments right after the holidays. This first full week of fall is a different story – I’m inspired by the cooler nights, back-to-school routines and fresh-off-the-tree apples.

And I don’t think I’m the only one – during the past week my inbox has been full of great ideas for enriching our children’s lives. Here, in no particular order, are five ideas to get you started.

It’s my favorite time of the year. The leaves are turning gold, the heat is easing up and, best of all, I no longer have to watch endless home remodels on DIY Network just to get my TV fix.

Yes, this week, thanks to the launch of the new fall TV season, I’ll be reuniting with some of my best friends – Sue Sylvester, Liz Lemon, Jules Cobb. However, there’s no one I’ve been looking forward to reconnecting with more over a glass of wine and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups than Frankie Heck of Orson, Ind., and the matriarch of The Middle on ABC.

I burst a first-grader’s bubble the other day. We were all set to go on one of the last water park outings of the summer, and as he was about to climb into our car, I stopped him. “What about your car seat?” I asked.

He gave me a highly insulted look, the kind only a perturbed 6-year-old can muster, but before he could say anything his mom jumped in. “Oh, he’s tall enough,” his mom replied. “He doesn’t need one.”

We stood there discussing it for a bit. She was pretty sure she was right, I was pretty sure she was wrong. I think she gave in only because I’d have been the one paying the $50 citation plus court costs for violating the booster seat law in Missouri – and because our destination was Illinois, I could potentially have been set back another $50 on that side of the river.

So what are the rules?

I’m not the kind of mom to follow trends, so I was a little slow on the uptake on the whole crazy bands (aka Silly Bandz) fad.

You can play a role in saving the lives of children right here in St. Louis just by chowing down on a cheeseburger. Or pizza, tacos or spaghetti.