Happy Hallowe'en!

Ah, Halloween.  One of the primary reasons to bother having children.  Adult-only Halloween activities are creepy.  There's a seediness about them, a desperation.  Costumes seem to fall into three categories:  Sexy (devil with push-up bra), Gruesome (I think you know), and needlessly clever ("I'm a Freudian slip!  Get it?").  I understand and accept that this is the sort of activity societies always have, a loosening of social mores, an exploration of other identities, blah blah, where's my degree? but I still find them a bit oogy.  I prefer a Halloween with joyousness and silliness and it's easier to pull that off if you're entertaining kids.

I worked the car line today in my kitty hat and kitty tail :


The little kids loved it.  The middle schoolers thought it was funny.  The upper elementary kids could not BELIEVE I was such a dork.  They're the ones I said "meow!" to and chased with hairballs.  I told Julianna this morning that it was a really warm hat and maybe I'd just wear it as a winter hat.  Sadly, she doesn't embarrass easily yet.  But wait.   I will get revenge for all the times I carried a screaming child out of a store.  For the times I had to cover for "Mommy, why is that lady so fat?" For catching vomit in my hands.  Oh yes, revenge will be mine.

So this afternoon will be filled with hair and costuming, I imagine, since Julianna wants little knobs all over her head, sprayed purple.  Dani is coming home with her and I'll have to do her hair as well.  Lily wants silver hair.  Ben...Ben still has not settled on a costume.  The house looks great, if not a whole lot different from last year.  Which, apparently, I never blogged....Hm...Well, it looked like this last year:


and isn't a whole lot different today.  Those dia de los Muertos banners on the rail are now over the windows.  And there are lots of day of the dead skulls on strings hanging down.  We also have lots of red lights lining the walk this year, too.  It all looks bright and festive with our bright and festive house.  It pleases me.