Share a few recent shots from your camera roll, no context needed.
A few recent shots from my camera roll – no context needed?
I got you! ☺️
I could be here all day sharing a few recent shots from my camera roll, but these are just a few of the most recent ones.
Here’s a few more just for the hell of it.
……Anyway…..
Tomorrow is Halloween.
And you know how this goes.
Time has gone by so quickly this year.
Let’s talk Halloween. Yes?
For the last few weeks, I’ve tried to get my little dude to pick a costume already.
I’ve showed him plenty. We’ve been to plenty of stores. He hasn’t liked anything we’ve seen or I suggested.
I’ve been on Facebook marketplace where other parents are selling costumes that their kids no longer need or want, and he hasn’t liked any of those.
There were many cute ones. Many scary ones, and it was all a no!
He drove me crazy for weeks because he couldn’t decide or make up his mind, and he wanted to be a bloody baseball player. I thought that was too gory for school because he had his Halloween party coming up, and he kept telling me that his friend was going to be a bloody chainsaw guy.
That’s great, but I’m not your friend’s parent!
I’m YOURS! 😄
He didn’t like that answer, and he finally said he wanted to be one of those inflatables that look like they’re riding a dinosaur.
I found a few on Marketplace, but I was worried that they would pop or not work once tomorrow comes, so I went against that and tried suggesting something else.
We kept bumping heads in the area of costumes, and he said no to everything, and whatever he wanted – I said no to – for good reasons.
I’ve been over Halloween for a week 1/2 now and just wanted to get it over with. lol.
Finally, after many stores – many suggestions – many arguments over costumes – he went back to this bloody baseball player. He loves baseball, so after not finding anything he liked anywhere else, we decided to go check out Walmart, and wouldn’t you know it?
They had………..
He was so excited.
He loves this and asked if he could get it.
Yes! Hurry up! Before you change your mind again. 🤣
We also made goody bags for his class with some fun things inside. Candy. Pencils. Stickers. Pumpkins. Skulls, glow sticks and other things.
I’m a little disappointed in myself this year because every single year since Elijah was 5, I’ve always gotten each kid in his class these big Halloween trick-or-treat buckets, ordered a bunch of stuff on Amazon, and filled the buckets with snacks, candy, and so many other things. Cool things.
This year – I just got small Halloween decorated bags, and filled them with the basics. Nothing too cool, and I think Elijah was disappointed as well, but he didn’t say it.
I didn’t put a lot of thought into the class goodies this year because I’ve been so drained, and tired. Working so much, and if I’m being honest….I forgot. I threw goody bags together at the last minute this year, and you know what, dammit?
As parents….as mothers…. we’re allowed to forget and to just do the basics sometimes. We’re allowed to not be perfect and to not to go above and beyond sometimes. We’re allowed to mess up, and not give it our all sometimes.
Today, when I felt bad for a minute about not doing these lavish, huge goody buckets I have done every year since Elijah was 5, I’ve realized that it’s okay to skip a year of trying to be the cool mom. The perfect mom. The mom who gives the best treats and buckets, and goodies.
My inner self screamed, “Girl, give yourself some Grace!”. 💜
So, I didn’t worry about it. I took my cute little Halloween goody bags (instead of big buckets) into the school and handed them to Elijah for his class.
I didn’t let myself feel bad, or beat myself up over it. My daughter told me that the kids should be happy to be getting anything, and she was right!
Every year since Elijah was 5, I’ve brought his class cupcakes and sprite for Halloween as well. Kindergarten. 1st grade. 2nd grade. 3rd grade. All the same things, and this year for the 4th grade …I didn’t even do that and you know what?
That’s okay. I’m allowed to not go big or go home just this once, and to make sure the class and his friends got something at least – without me breaking the bank for it this time.
Parents. Mothers. Please give yourself some grace. We don’t always have to be perfect and do everything we always do. We can relax, take a breath and just do a little bit sometimes.
A lot of us parents are rocking this parent thing and doing great and sometimes …we don’t even realize it!
So, he had a good time and the class and teachers loved his costume. He loved his Costume and I was just glad we found him a costume. 💙 My daughter did his face makeup today because she’s really good at that kind of thing, and it looked like he had a big cut on his face as a zombie baseball player, with blood and all.
After we dropped off the goody bags at the school and I was grateful he had a costume for school and tomorrow (Halloween), I thought we were almost done with the madness, but as a parent – are we ever really done with it??????? 😂
My daughter reminded me she wants to be Eeyore. (Winnie the Pooh). She wanted an adult costume we saw at Spirit Halloween a few weeks ago, and I could have sworn it was $43. So, she kept mentioning it today and I went to go check it out, but it was $60.
I told her I just can wrap my mind around paying that much for just one night, and reminded her of all the onesies (just like the Eeyore she wanted), that I got her – and she never wore.
She was so cool about it and said she could grab a mask and figure something out because she really just wanted candy. 😂 She didn’t even care about the costume, so she asked if we could stop at any store tomorrow and get her mask.
Absolutely!
Hell. I was at the dollar store tonight to get a few new chargers, and they had a lot of their Christmas stuff out already, so I picked myself up some Christmas glasses, and Christmas bracelets with bells on them that jingle, and plan to get myself a Christmas necklace tomorrow and maybe a hat.
What am I going to be? The spirit of Christmas. The holiday spirit. Something like that! 😁
I’m so glad Halloween is almost over, but unfortunately…even though I’m going as the Christmas spirit or whatever – I’m not really in the spirit of anything this year.
This has been one of my worst years, and from August – up until now…things have only gotten crazier, so my heart isn’t in it. Usually, I’m so excited for this time of year and I can’t even say that this time.
Ah well.
I like to think of funny memories, and I remember last Halloween when my oldest son carved the bottom of a pumpkin out and went as the (real Pumpkin head).
We went trick-or-treating, and when we were done, we went to McDonald’s before going home.
Whenever we were at the stop lights, he’d slowly turn his head to look at people in the cars next to us, and he’d have everyone laughing. 😂
When we got to McDonald’s, the woman in the lane on the side of us looked at him, tried so hard not to laugh, and she rubbed her eyes and looked at him again.
We all laughed and joked that she couldn’t believe what she saw the first time, so she had to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.
That was one of the best Halloweens we had in Minnesota, and I still love the house that had the coffee set up for adults! 🧡
……..
When my little dude was about 2, we went trick-or-treating in the snow and ice. It was freezing cold that winter, and we still lived in Chicago.
There weren’t a lot of kids out at all because it was so ice cold, and a lot of people were grabbing handfuls of their candy, and putting it all in Elijah’s bucket just to get rid of it because they weren’t getting any trick-or-treaters.
He had only gone two blocks and his bucket was already full, and I told him it was too cold, so we were going home. He cried. He literally cried and said he didn’t want to go home. He was truly enjoying it and we laughed as he wanted to keep going from house to house – full basket, freezing cold and all. 😄
I’ve always loved this time of year and Halloween, and the holidays that follow.
I wish I could get back into the spirit, but this year has been such a tough one for me. Still, I celebrate for the kids and keep my faith up.
Tomorrow when I get home from trick-or-treating with the kids and they’re asleep for the night, I may just pour a glass of wine and enjoy the old school movie:
Loves. I’m out of here.
Please be safe tomorrow if you go out and as always… no drinking and driving! 🎃
Happy Halloween!
👻 Shel 👻