As I mentioned a few days ago, I’m not really a V-Day person.  I think it’s a manufactured holiday in which florists and restaurants feel justified in jacking up their prices.  

But each of the boys did enjoy buying the little cards for their classmates, so we always do that.  Though, at this point Hayden is the only one that still does it.

We went to Walmart on Saturday, and Hayden picked out his cards - Skittles this year.  I think he just wanted to eat the leftovers, but that’s fine.  

Yesterday, he finished up his homework and then started on his cards.  His teacher sent home a class list, and Hayden diligently went to work on his cards.  He wrote people’s names on the little stickers, put smiley faces on them, and then signed his name.  When he completed one, he would cross that person off his little list.

“Mommy, why do I have to give a card to everyone?” 

“Well, isn’t everyone your friend?”  I asked him.

“Well, yeah, but sometimes C (little girl) is mean to me.”

I put my magazine aside, and looked at Hayden, “Oh, she is?  What does she do?”

“Well, sometimes she hits me and pushes me.  One time when I was trying to sit down, she moved my chair to try to make me fall.”

I tried to stifle a smile, “You know, Hayden, she might like you.”

“What?” Hayden was confused.

“She might like you, and that is why she teases you.”

Hayden thought about this for a minute, “But if she likes me, why is she mean to me?”

Good question.

“Well, she is just a little girl, like you are a little boy.  And she might not know how to tell you she thinks you are handsome, so she picks on you so you will give her attention. Does that make sense?” I brushed his soft brown hair off his forehead and searched his eyes.

He shook his head, “I get it.  But if she likes me, she should just tell me.”

My son… so smart.

I have a love/hate thing going on with Halloween.  I LOVE the idea of dressing up and going out. I so want to put up some great decorations. But I REFUSE to spend hundreds of dollars on costumes and candy.

Roy says I am a cheap skate, but as far as costumes go, the kids rarely wear them the entire time.  Masks come off; they don’t want to wear capes, or wigs, etc… so why spend a bunch of money on it?

“WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE?” I fuss at Hayden.  We are in the Halloween aisle at Walmart, and I have about had it.  I told him to figure out what he wants to be - BEFORE we walk in so we can get what we need. But as soon as we get there, he goes nuts.

“I don’t know, MOM!” 

“Don’t sass me!” I fuss right back, then take a deep breath, “Look honey, this is what they have left, tell us what you want to be, and we can figure out something.”

“I want to be an Army guy.” Hayden LOVES to watch Corey and Joe play their games. Sometimes we let him play Call of Duty, and he wants to be a part of the Special Forces when he gets older.

“Ok, so like GI Joe?” I ask him.

He gives me a look like I am a complete idiot and then goes to find Roy.  What did I say?

“Chris, chill out.” I HATE it when Roy tells me this.

“LOOK, it isn’t the money, Roy. But he always does this.  He wants to be 20 different things. If he wants to be the Grim Reaper, we have stuff at home. We don’t have to spend money.”

In the end, Roy got the idea to wrap one of Hayden’s nerf guns with camo duct tape, and we found some camo clothing in the kids section that he can wear again. (YEAH!)  He also wore Roy’s paint ball mask.  Works for me. And Hayden was super excited - especially about the mask.

Dean was going to be Optimus Prime.  I bought him one of those little muscle suits with the mask at Target, but then Roy came up with the idea of him being a robot. Which Roy and Dean then morphed into a box of movie theater popcorn.  He cut, sealed, and painted a box, and I glued popcorn to the top of it.  I bought him a new pair of black sweat pants as that is all he likes to wear in the winter, and we put him in a red sweatshirt.

Halloween day was an ‘off day’ from school for the boys, so they played with friends, and before I knew it, 5 PM had rolled around.

Roy put Addi’s makeup on first.  He kept the latex horns we got at Busch Gardens, and Roy put those back on.  Yes, Roy does all the Halloween makeup.  Just like I can’t put makeup on myself (lipstick and mascara - no problem; anything else, makeup counter here I come!), I can’t put it on anyone else either.  Addi looked great (picture to come!), and he and his friends went out. 

I fed the little boys as Roy put Addi’s makeup on, and they were hot to trot. 

“I thought Hayden was going to wear your mask?” I asked Roy as he put camo makeup on him.

“Oh, yeah!” Roy laughed, “I just forgot.”

Hayden was really excited to wear Roy’s mask, so Roy left the makeup on, but let him wear the mask anyways.

“Mama, my pa-corn?”  Dean was done with dinner and ready to put his costume on.  Corey and I worked him into it, and I got my shoes on.

We took pictures of all the boys and then we were off.  The first few houses Dean could just barely contain his excitement.

“MAMA, I say trick treat!” Dean shared.

“Good job, baby.  Say thank you too.” We reminded them.

“I will.”

Hayden was moving fast, as only an elite member of the armed forces could imagine, and Dean couldn’t keep up.

“Hayden!” Roy called to him, and Hayden turned around, “Wait for Dean.”

Hayden stopped and waited for Dean’s little legs to catch up.

About six houses into our trek, the boys had to cross the road to get to the next house.

“Oh, Mama!  My pants fall down!”  Dean was standing in the middle of the road with his blue pumpkin bucket and his little sweatpants down around his knees.

We laughed.

“Way to go, Mom.” Roy teased me, and I knelt to pull up his pants.  Guess the pants I got were a little big.

This was the first year Dean really got what trick or treating was about.  Look cute and say, ‘Trick or Treat’ and you get some candy in your bucket.  SWEET!

“Dada, I wanna go lots of trick or treat, K?” Dean told us.

“Ok, buddy. We’re working on it.” Roy explained.

And everywhere we went, Dean’s costume got attention:

“Oh, that is so cute!”
“I LOVE that costume.”
“Look, he’s popcorn!”

Dean loved the attention.

“Mama?  Dada?  They like my pa-corn.  They say they eat me!”  And he just erupted into giggles.

“Mom, feel my bag!”  Hayden handed me his candy bag, “Isn’t it heavy?  I got a lot of candy.  I think I got four of the one you like too!” 

He means Almond Joys - my favorite candy.

We worked our way back to the house. Dean was tired, and it was getting cold.  The older boys were hanging out on the couch giving out candy ( I bought a lot this year, lots of leftovers!), and Dean and Hayden tore into their loot after Roy checked it out.

Halloween was a success this year. Oh great… now I need to put together a menu for 17 for Thanksgiving!  Do I have enough chairs?  Plates?

eddieni asked: My preference is milk chocolate and generally i just get Cabbury (sp?) but I love more expensive brands. I try not to eat it very often because chocolate gives me a huge headache. No i have not tried that website but I am totally going to now. It looks amazing!! I am amusing you like it?

Chocomize is great!  I actually custom made a bar for my husband - Dark Chocolate with a few mix ins, but then I had them put a message sheet on it (totally edible too!).  I think you can actually custom make the messages as well.  I just don’t eat too much chocolate, because I love it and will eat too much! But I think Chocomize is fun for special occasions. And Roy loves Dark Chocolate. (He’s nodding his head in the background.)

I gotta know…

1. I have read in numerous magazines (well-respected mags, not tabloids) that a new diet fad among women is… eating baby food?!  Really?  Why not eat, I don’t know, big people food, and just watch your portion size?  And have you actually smelled some of that baby food?  Ham?  Beef?  Can you say GROSS?! NONE of my kids would touch that stuff. My mom said I wouldn’t touch it, and now when I have a sound mind about me, I should actually choose to eat that because it will help me lose weight?  No thanks!
2. Gyms are crowded, sweaty places, BUT if you have Niagara Falls flowing off your forehead as you plod along on the elliptical machine, get a towel.  They have them at the gym, or bring a small hand towel from home.  Because I promise you, the person next to you does NOT want to be splashed with your sweat. *shivering with grossness
3. Once again, at the gym…  I love to lift weights. In fact, I prefer it to cardio, and I get that it is ideal to rest for a moment between sets, BUT said moment should not be 30 minutes while you check and send emails. All while sitting on the machine.
4. Ok, one more time at the gym…  I get that you are super buff, and it is cool to walk around in your wife beater, with your arms all bowed out, BUT throwing down the bar you are curling and making a LOT of noise doesn’t make you look cool. In fact, it annoys everyone around you, and is actually supposed to be against gym rules. So DON’T DO IT! I almost had a heart attack yesterday.
5. Sometimes you run out of milk.  I have done it, you have done it, we have all done it.  And sometimes, you really need that milk… but PUT SOME CLOTHES ON before you head to the grocery store.  If you have on those flannel pants that men seem to wear in the winter and a henley, ok, maybe I can get passed it… but do you really think coming to the grocery store in boxers, a dirty tank top and a short robe is the way to go?  Is it THAT hard to throw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt?  Want my three year old to come help ya?  Cause he can do it!
6. I have lost just over 25 pounds.  I feel great about myself. I look better. I feel better in my new clothes (that I had to buy cause my old clothes are too big, YEAH!), and because I feel better about myself, because I have worked SO hard to lose the weight, I might put on some lipstick, BUT I am not doing it for you - so please don’t make comments about my butt. And I KNOW you can see my wedding rings… respect them, cause I sure as heck do.
7. Do not offer my son candy.  You don’t know me, and I don’t know you.  Yes, my son is adorable, and yes, I am very proud that he is sitting so nicely in the shopping cart, but I do not feel comfortable letting him accept a lollipop from you… Stranger Danger!  I am sure you are a perfectly nice person, but I just do NOT know that. And I won’t take chances with my baby.  But he loves to say hi to people, and tell you he is three.  Just smile and say hi to him. That is all he needs.
8. Yes, my purse is AWESOME!  I LOVE my purse, and I am proud of my purse - a kelly green, leather tote from Michael Kors.  NEVER seen another one like it.  No, I will not consider selling it, and I kind of, sort of don’t appreciate you asking me how much it was, where and when I got it, and can you take a picture of it.

Well, that’s about all I have… but two nice things:

1. The young lady that checked us out at Target was very friendly and professional.  It was nice for the cashier to actually say hello, did we find everything we need, and then when handing us our receipt give us a sweet, genuine smile while she thanked us for shopping there.
2. The ladies at the deli counter at our local Super Walmart.  They know Dean and I (I know, bad, right?). We are in there every Thursday morning getting our groceries.  Whenever I order my cold cuts, they often put together a little roll up of turkey and cheese for Dean.  Just a little something for him to snack on.  He loves it! And I really appreciate it.

I love Halloween! Okay, I love parts of Halloween. So let’s cover them…

Costumes - Spending money on silly costumes is not a part of Halloween I love, and Roy is on the same page. Costumes, even the ones bought from cheaper stores are getting ridiculous. Forty dollars for a cheap, polyester costume and a thin plastic mask is CRAZY! Roy and I don’t often see eye to eye when it comes to splurging. Wait, let me correct myself… Roy indulges us all. As long as we have the money for it, he is fine with a new video game once in awhile. He understands my thinking when it comes to handbags - at this point in my life I will not spend 50 dollars on a cheap, poorly made bag that will barely last a season, rather I would prefer to save some money and buy a well made handbag that I can pass down to my grandkids! And if I am being honest, he spoils the kids as much as I do. But, he will often tease me about being cheap or tight with money, but when it comes to Halloween costumes, he thinks they are just as oddly expensive as I do.

When Addi was about three, we bought a costume from the Disney Store - the little green alien guy from Toy Story. It was 50% off, so I think we paid about fifteen dollars for it. Corey was a vampire that year. He had his own black pants and little white dress shirt, and we bought a kit at Target with a little red vest, a medallion, and some fangs. Then Roy did his face makeup, and we used Halloween hair dye for his hair. Joe was a ninja - I don’t remember where we got it, but I’m sure it was Target or somewhere similar. Anyways, they were so cute! Especially little Addi in his alien costume. That year Roy also found this HIDEOUS mask and a long black robe at the local Halloween store for himself. I think his costume was the most expensive. But it was scary.

In the years that followed, we have had Power Rangers, more ninjas, Stitch, a mouse, skeletons, zombies, military men, and Grim Reaper’s, but the cool thing is none of the kids ask for silly costumes! Sure, Hayden loves looking at them, and occasionally will ask for one, though he usually just wants to be a ninja and really is just looking for a new katana sword to strap on his back (and for five dollars at Target, I’m cool with that). But the older boys are okay with scrounging up anything around the house and using their creativity to come up with something. Corey is finally tall enough to wear Roy’s long cloak and he has done that before, Joe has used an old military uniform my sister gave him and been “GI Joe.” Addi rummages around in the big costume bin and will come up with something crazy and then just happily take his younger brothers up to all the doors to get their treats. They use makeup, old wigs we have, and mess up old clothes to look like rotting corpses. Now, don’t get me wrong, if one of the kids had their heart set on a specific costume, I would consider it, but it’s so much fun to see what they can come up with.

Candy - Now, let’s talk about Halloween candy! CRAZY! I buy a little bit at a time, but I would say we probably spend at least $75 dollars on Halloween candy every year. Two years ago when it was warm out, I probably spent that, ran out half way through and used candy from the older kids’ bags to replenish the supply (they just go get more anyway)! We live in a large Suburban neighborhood and people from more rural areas bring their kids over here to trick or treat, so things can get crazy.

Decorations - LOVE THEM! I am not a fan of the cutesy ones though. No Pooh Bear dressed up as a vampire for us. I want a graveyard, fog, and creepy witches with warts and pointy hats. A few of the houses in the neighborhood go all out, and it is always a blast to see what people come up with. This year, if we are home (a theme park has been thrown out as an option, so we will see), Corey and I are thinking of doing a “Friday the 13th” homage. Set up a tent, à la Camp Crystal Lake, have a “campfire” and drag out the old OP short shorts and invite Jason to come hang out. YES, I am a HUGE Friday the 13th fan. I think we have convinced Roy to be Jason if we are here, and I will have to see if I can pull off feathered hair for my doomed counselor look. *wink*wink

Movies - But what I really love about Halloween is the new crop of cheesy horror flicks that always come out - whether it be in the theaters or on DVD (or even NetFlix). It’s only the first week of October, and already we have the “New Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Grindhouse” special editions coming out on Blu-Ray DVD. This past Friday “Let Me In” (an Americanized version of a very effective Swedish movie called “Let the Right One In”) opened, and though it had a disappointing opening, it will no doubt bring more attention to the very good original. Next Friday has Wes Craven’s “My Soul To Take” opening in 3D (in limited release I believe). I have seen the trailer and this looks like a fun slasher movie, and Wes had made a lot of good ones! Friday also has the release of a remake - “I Spit on Your Grave” was originally released in 1978. It was a brutal exploitation film that was actually banned in a few countries. While this movie isn’t nearly as vicious as some of the genre (I liken this to “Last House on the Left,” another Wes Craven film) it has a number of horrific images and scenes, and I imagine the modest success of the remake of, yes, “Last House on the Left” has led directors to remake old exploitation films to see what they can get away with now. I am not sure how the remake of “…Grave” is going to fare, but I will probably check out the DVD one dark and stormy night. And let’s not forget that “Devil” (written and produced by M Night Shyamalen) and “Case 39” (starring Renee Zellweger and Bradley Cooper) are still playing at many theaters. And finally on October 29th we get yet another installment in the “Saw” series. And I won’t even touch on the straight to DVD movies being released, all the fun that SyFy has this month, and A&E might surprise us with another scariest moments countdown (I don’t know if they are, but here’s hoping we get something!).

So, in short… all you Ghouls and Goblins have a Scary October and enjoy the haunting season! I know we sure will!