Halloween or Halloweenie???

So, I am having this massive internal debate about the upcoming Halloween holiday. Hang tight for a few while I give a bit of background on this particular musing...


Each year, I decorate the front porch for Halloween. And, I go ALL out! I'm talking black lights, glow-in-the-dark spiderwebs, skeletons, bones, tombstones, ghosts, & even a "Scream" dude sitting in the corner. I also have a strobe light flashing inside the house and a fog machine outside. I am known in our current neighborhood (and the last 2 neighborhoods we've lived in) for my Halloween displays. I am typically out with the kids, but the hubby has reported many instances of kids refusing to come up on the porch. Instead they beg their parents to ring the bell to collect the candy. BTW, I usually have GOOD candy...none of that chewy, hard, boring stuff. I go for the Snickers, Reese's, Hershey's, etc. I can't help it...I have an addiction! If I'm gonna have leftover candy, I want it to be good sh*t...not the nasty, leftover from last Halloween sh*t a lot of people hand out...

BUT...(ya know, it's been a while since I had a "but" in a post)...Anyhoo, once again I seem to be venturing off track. Big shock, I know ;)

To add to the front porch display, I am a little over-the-top about the kids' costumes. If I cannot send them out in something that is the "best" or extremely unique, I get a little concerned. For example, last year they went as Mario and Luigi...I made the costumes (even to the point of using dye to get the right color), and the boys looked awesome!





So, this year, they want to be rapper/gangsta/rock star kinda-lookin' "dudes"...Originally, the eldest wanted to be "Batman", and the youngest wanted to be a "Policeman". (Of course, I am thinking, "Where the heck did you ever see Batman???") Needless to say, I was a bit surprised...I thought for sure they would say they wanted to be "Spongebob and Patrick" or "Tom & Jerry", since those are their 2 most favorite shows. A week later, they inform me of this whole rapper/gangsta/rock star change. What??? Who the heck have they been talking to??? How in the world do you go from "Batman" or "policeman" to the whole rapper/gangsta/rocker thing??? Maybe they are just trying to "represent" in our neighborhood? I know, I know...maybe not the most PC thing I have ever put into print, but it is the truth and oh, so accurate...

Once again, I am venturing off on some weird side road...

Back to my original reason for writing (typing??) tonight...

Every year, the kids start to P&M ( that would be piss and moan, for those of you who don't know me) about the whole trick-or-treat thing. Seriously, after about 4 houses, they are whining and wanting to go back home. Now, to their defense, about 1 of every 4 houses in our neighborhood actually answer the door on Halloween, so I can easily see how they get bored/discouraged/tired quickly. Add the whole "hit or miss" thing to the fact that our 'hood is very hilly, and I can see how they'd get tired quick. BUT...(I know, there it is again...) they love, love, LOVE the candy!! Gee...I wonder where they get that addiction??? ;)

SOOOOO...thank you for hanging around this long, considering the fact I have yet to ask the million dollar question of the day...

This year, I had the brilliant idea to "skip" Halloween. Before you all fall on the floor in shock, let me explain. We typically spend way too much on Halloween when you add in costumes (even if homemade) and candy...plus whatever new thing I add to the front porch. This year we are not quite in a position to continue with tradition. I have all the stuff to decorate, but that means we have to have the candy to back it up. This is something I am not sure we are in a position to do...

I came up with the idea to take what I would have spent on costumes and candy and put it into something lasting. I want to give the kids a choice: "I can buy you a costume and we'll trick-or-treat like every year....OR, I can take the same $$, and we'll go to the store for you to pick whatever you want for that same amount."

My question is this: I am a bad Mom for even suggesting such a bizarre idea??

I've been working on the railroad...

Not really, but I have been working on building knowledge in 10 little 3-year old minds! It has been a long while since my last post, and so many things have happened since I last wrote. I have yet to write about my trip to Cape Cod, and that was almost a month ago. OMG! A month??? Where did the time go...

Between acts of my Mother, Mother Nature, and the Mother of all sinus infections, I haven't worked a full week in 4 weeks! I guess one can never have too many Mother's in their lives, huh?? Confused yet??? I assure you, I can explain...

I went to Cape Cod with my Mother for 4 days in mid-September, and I missed 2 days of work which resulted in a 3-day work week for me. I'll post on the trip another time... Mother Nature was kind enough to replenish the water supply in the greater Atlanta and North Georgia area, ending a long drought. Doesn't sound so bad, right? Well, not only did she refill the lakes, rivers, ponds, streams, etc., but she also filled streets, homes, businesses, etc. with rainfall totalling over 22" in just a couple days. This,too, resulted in a 3-day work week, as schools were closed for 2 days. The following week (week #3), I missed 2 days of work with the Mother of all sinus infections. I had what the Doc called a bacterial sinus infection. (As opposed to what? Aren't most - if not all - infections caused by some sort of bacteria?? And, I didn't even have to go to med-school to figure that one out. Oh well...) Anyhoo, I ran fever and just felt like total crap for 2 days, again resulting in a 3-day work week.

By this time, I think my kids at school were probably forgetting what I looked like...I know they forgot the class rules, routines, etc.

On to the next week (this would be week #4), which happens to be the current week. The local school system is blessing us with a 4-day weekend! Not sure what the occasion is, but I will certainly not argue with the time off! The "teacher furloughs" as the teacher of my youngest calls this break, will result in back-to-back 4-day work weeks! When all is said and done, I will go a total of 5 weeks in a row without working a full week. Gonna be rough when things go back to normal!!

In the midst of all these bizarre work weeks, I have also taken on a 3rd child! Not literally, OF COURSE (for those of you who know me, this is kind of stating the obvious!), but I am watching a 2-year old little girl after school 3 days a week. She is a student at my school, and one of the cutest little girls I have ever had the pleasure to know. She is your typical, laughter and smile inducing 2-year old. She is also very particular in the way she likes things at naptime. I suppose some of her actions stem from the way her first visit to our house went, but I also have been told from a pretty reliable source that this is normal behavior for this child. So, here's a brief rundown of the pre-nap preparations:

"Can we play for just 5 minutes?"
ME: Okay, but only 5 minutes, and then you need to go lay down.
(5 minutes goes by...) "I just wanna play for 5 more minutes, okay?"
ME: No, we need to go upstairs and get ready for nap. I'll put the Teletubbies on for you for 5 minutes.
"Okay...Where's the books?"
ME: They are already upstairs.
"Where's the cards and Tigger?"
ME: They are still upstairs from last time you were here.
"Heeeeyyyyy, what's that?"
ME: No more toys, it's time to go upstairs.
"Okay. I do it by myself" (Meaning she wants to carry whatever new objects she has collected up the stairs by herself)

So, we get up the stairs and put all the necessary items into the bed in all of their designated places...And after about 10 minutes of discussing where everything is and where I should lay to read a book, I finally get her to close her eyes and go to sleep. The entire process takes anywhere from 30-40 minutes. Now, here's the good part...below is a list of the items that go to bed with this child, who I have renamed "Hector the Collector" (after a Shel Silverstein poem):

• A Backyardigans book with little magna-doodle drawing thing attached
• A "Cars" book with the same type of magna-doodle thing attached
• A Thomas book with push-button sounds
• A "How to Tie Your Shoes" book complete with laces
• A handful of Uno cards
• A HUGE stuffed Tigger (about as tall as she is) that talks when you push his tummy
• A toy stethoscope
• And various other items, depending on the day (one day this past week, she took a box of Dora bandaids)

And the whole thing is rather humorous, because she goes through the same rituals every day!! Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that the hubby is soon going to wonder if I am having an affair. He comes home 3 days a week to find a Tigger lounging in the bed... LOL Never know, those stripes and bouncy tail are kinda hot...

Anyway, I am quite sure I am on the verge of losing my mind...I say this because I spend 5 days a week with a roomful of 3-year old children. Then, I come home to my own insanely wild boys. And I voluntarily take on a 2-year old??? What the heck am I thinking...

I can answer that one, too. I love the kids!! Each of my students holds a special place in my heart and mind, and this newest addition to my life has taken a very strong hold! I am honored to be given the opportunity to help shape the lives of our future doctors, lawyers, politicians, teachers, etc. I can only hope they will someday realize they were just as important to my life as I was to theirs!