Working Mom Lessons: Halloween 2016

Toddler, Halloween 2016

"Being a parent means rolling with the punches, focusing on what's important, and often losing a little money..." - Chatón T. Turner

Halloween has grown on me. I didn't grow up loving it as a kid. My parents were raised to be practical. So, making a big deal about costumes and candy wasn't really their thing. I actually don't have any vivid memories of my Halloween experiences until I got older. I recall my aunt Sherrie making my little sister a Bunny costume. I remember getting into it as a senior in high school because we wore our costumes all day as part of senior activities. I also remember me making my little brother a pretty cool M&M costume out of a trash bag when it was particularly cold and rainy.

My little sister on the other hand, perhaps because of that bunny costume, has always loved Halloween and has continued to celebrate big as an adult. Her costumes are epic. And because she's the best aunt ever, she starts to probe me early—like in August—about what the kids are going to be. I decided the kids were going to be Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. I was likely

My husband grew up going to pumpkin patches. So, we've incorporated that into our tradition as well.

This year, I decided to take off for Halloween so that my kids' Halloween would not be compromised by my work schedule.  That worked well, but things remained imperfect…

At the Pumpkin Patch

My family costume idea wasn't executed… Our son never donned his costume longer than five minutes without screaming and crying. I had a great plan for us to have a family-themed Disney Halloween. I bought our daughter a Minnie costume, our son a Mickie costume and me a Minnie t-shirt and tutu to go along with my bedazzled mouse ears that I got as a part of the Disney Social Media Moms conference. Well, my daughter pointed out that Minnie and Mickey are orphans and forbade me from wearing my costume when they were wearing theirs. Then our son, refused to wear his Mickey costume because, "I want to be Chase [from Paw Patrol]".

Okay…

The only time he was happy in at least a portion of the Chase costume

So, I went for Plan B. I decided to donate the Mickey costume to a more appreciative child and to get my son the Chase costume. After all, Halloween is all about the kids and I wanted our son to be happy! As I waded through an ocean of people at Party City on the Saturday before Halloween, and waited in the line from hell, I was confident that I would make our son's dreams come true. Well, on Halloween, he refused to wear the Chase costume too. He refused to wear it to daycare. From what I heard, he refused to wear it at daycare other than for about two minutes. He also refused to wear it for trick-or-treating. My husband put it on him. However, I quick grew tired of the screaming and crying and the demands for "Help" and the declarations of "Ouchy mommy! Ouchy!" (While he pulled at his neck). So, I took the costume off of him. Involuntary servitude wasn't exactly my idea of a Happy Halloween.

After I removed the costume he relaxed and was content in his jeans and t-shirt. I guess he wanted to go as himself.

Pinterest Perfection May Elude Me, But I Still Enjoyed Halloween!

So, what went right?

2016 will be the year that my daughter had crab legs for dinner, her favorite meal, and my son wore what he wanted and learned to say, "Trick or Treat". It will be the year that our daughter chose to be Draculaura from Monster High, which her dad bought her for her birthday, because she was fortunate enough to have a choice. It will be the year that I took off the day from work to devote to giving my kids a happy Halloween because I was committed to not letting Pittsburgh traffic interfere with their day. It will the year that we made it a "Halloween season" by going to the pumpkin patch, hosting a carving party that included our daughter's friend and decorating our house. 2016 will be the year that I was extraordinarily grateful that I was able to be with my family and to Facetime with my mom and to go to bed with the blessed assurance that everybody was where they ought to be.

Halloween Posts From Years Past

A Peek Into the Life of a Working Mom: Creating Fall Traditions: One of my favorite things to do in the fall is to pick out pumpkins with my daughter. It's not a tradition we had growing up. However, Andre got us in the habit of doing it and now I'm hooked!

Mommy Mondays: Preparing for Halloween - Chaton's World: Mommy Mondays: Preparing for Halloween. I consider sunny days in Pittsburgh akin to holidays. Today was a sunny day in Pittsburgh and I was thrilled! I greeted the day by seeing our jack-o-lanterns. They made me smile ...

A Peek Into the Life of a Working Mom: Halloween and ...: Thanks to Andre, now that I've become a mom, I no longer view Halloween as a day. I view it as a season. A few weeks ago we ventured to the pumpkin farm as has become our tradition. We walked around in the mud, took ...

When Halloween Finally Came to Pittsburgh - Chaton's World: On Saturday night Halloween finally came to Pittsburgh on Saturday night. Because of the rain and fear that accompanied Hurricane Sandy on October 31st, the City of Pittsburgh postponed trick-or-treating until Saturday, ...

Halloween Ain't Just for Kids: Sometimes you need a reminder that things don't have to be serious all of the time...