Friday, November 2, 2012

7 Quick Takes [Halloween Edition]

1. Here are the obligatory Halloween photos from Wednesday night.
Notre Dame cheerleader, lion and transformer.
2.  And now check out these amazing pumpkins from my artistic husband.
The Notre Dame logo got a lot of comments from trick-or-treaters.  Lots of Irish Catholics in St. Paul.  But seriously, how about the Fighting Irish?  I've remained surprisingly mum on our house team on the old blog.  And there I've probably gone and jinxed the whole thing.

Lucy was a Notre Dame cheerleader this year which was awesome.  Way more awesome than the princess she was pushing for before I planted the cheerleader seed.  My sister-in-law's nephew went as Manti T'eo and I'm a little bummed I didn't think of that costume for William earlier.  Such a great role model for little boys.  I think even the ND-haters can agree on that one.
3. Does anyone else think Halloween night is one of the most stressful nights of the year?  Quick! Eat dinner.  Quick! Get everyone's costumes one.  Quick! Get your hats, mittens, scarves.  Quick! Light the pumpkins.  Quick! Get the perfect picture.  Quick! Get the candy hand-outs ready.

It's just such a whirlwind of excitement.

We had a ton of trick-or-treaters this year.  So many, in fact, that I had to call Brian to have him run home and refill my hand-out bucket with the kids' candy.  I assure you, they did not miss the candy they had to regift.  Obnoxious is the word I would use to describe the amount of candy they gathered in.

4. Lucy was really into the trick-or-treating this year.  I was unsure how long she would make it because she stubbornly refused to nap that day even after I made her stay in her room for almost three hours.  Brian, William and the neighbors walked at least a mile that night and Lucy carried her own like a champ.  Brian said he didn't hear one cry of complaint.

The next day Brian and I took the girls to noon All Saints' Day mass and at one point we looked next to us to find Lucy laying down on the kneeler falling asleep.  When we got home I got her out of the car and then went on the other side to get Katherine out.  When I came back around I found Lucy completely spread out on the floor of the garage trying to catch some shut-eye.  I put her to bed even without lunch and she fell asleep instantly.  The trick-or-treating finally caught up with her.

5. Last night, after the kids were asleep, Brian had his head stuck in the kids' candy bag.

"Wow," he said, "I forgot how good candy really is."

I laughed so hard.

"Seriously," he said, "I mean, when was the last time you had Nut Roll?!  Or a Butterfinger!"

It's true. I can't remember the last time I bought a candybar.  And if I did, those two would not be first on the list even though they are delicious in their own right.  Have you found any long-lost treasures in your kids' stash?

6. Speaking of candy stashes, I tried something new this year.  I combined the kids' candy into one bag and instead of hiding it or keeping it out of reach, it's sitting on the floor in our dining room.  They each get one piece after lunch and two pieces after dinner.  But if they "steal" one before the meal, then they get nothing.  It's worked out surprisingly well.  I'm finding out that they seem to like digging, sorting and choosing the candy almost as much as they like eating it.  And by keeping it out in the open, it's lost the "forbidden fruit" effect.

The candy is also a great bargaining tool.  For each behavioral misstep, I warn that Dad and I are going to pick out a piece of candy from their bag to put into our bag.  And when Dad and I pick, we like to take the full size pieces.  Such terrible parents.

7. With Halloween coming to a close it means we're officially into the Holiday season.  I hate even thinking about Christmas before the turkey's been carved but this year, with a baby due smack dab in the middle of December, I feel have no choice but to get a jump on it to save my sanity later on.  We also have Lucy's surgery and William's sixth birthday to squeeze in as well as all the other normal things like doctor's visits, chimney sweeps, happy hours and playdates.  Amazon is my best friend.

Do you start your Christmas shopping now or does it make you feel icky like it does me?

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Copyright © Mama Nash | Custom Blog Design by Lilipop Designs