"There Aren't Enough Days in the Weekend."

I'm pre-blogging today. I know that tomorrow morning (Monday) will be too busy due to appointments, so weekend re-cap will have to happen before the weekend is actually over.

For those of you that asked, The Boy's middle school dance was, in the words of Austin Powers, a "smashing success". The Boy sported his ridiculous blue polyester suit, black glasses and fake teeth. His buddy had intended to be Mini-Me, but at the last minute, his bald cap would not cooperate, forcing him to make a costume change. He decided to be a thief. As I put the finishing touches on his black face paint minutes before we left, he jerked his head and gave me a fat lip. Had the two of them not looked so funny, it might have really hurt. The Husband took a couple of pictures, and we took them to the dinner. They assured me I didn't need to walk them to the door, but I embarrassed them and did it anyway. When they saw several parents mulling around, they relaxed a bit, and I think I even saw a quick look of thankfulness on The Boy's face when I greeted the mom at the door, but didn't go in.

Little One was spending the night away, so The Husband and I decided to enjoy a dinner out. We were both a little quiet, and I imagined he was feeling the way I was, hopeful that The Boy was having a good time. I was wrong. He was reviewing his weekend football bets in his mind.

A few hours later, The Husband volunteered to go pick up The Boy. I quickly accepted his gracious offer, enjoying my book and the peace of the house. But at the last second, I dove into the car, realizing that I might miss out on any conversation about the dance. The Husband just shook his head and stared at me. As we drove up to the school and got in line, we rolled down our windows and heard the music blaring from the building....Hannah Montanna's 'Party in the USA' (The Husband calls this a "teeny-bopper song"????? Isn't that the point?)....Michael Jackson's 'Pretty Young Thing'....and then a couple of slow ones. I felt a little nervous, once again hopeful that The Boy was having fun. The Husband was busy giving his critique of the music, the car line, the weather....etc.....Finally, the kids poured out, and there was The Boy, laughing and chatting away with his friends. As he climbed in the car, he said "Yes mom, I danced with 5 girls...all slow dances....only fast ones with the guys. It was pretty fun. Is there one in the spring?" Well, I was just so happy. It was obvious he had had a good time. I asked who he had danced with, and he listed the girls...some were by choice, some had asked him....and one was out of kindness. I wanted to hug him, but he was too busy making 'guy' jokes with The Husband.
When we got home, he actually said...for maybe the first time ever...."I'm actually a little tired." He sat and watched TV with us.....and all was right with the world.

The next day was all about Halloween. Little One came home from her night out ready to plan her costume. Would she wear boots or high tops? Would her hair be straight or braided? Would she wear one or two gloves?...so many decisions to make. Not so much for The Boy. His only decision was whether or not to wear the entire Austin Powers costume...or lose the glasses and teeth. I reminded him that those were the items that made the costume funny. "Who cares?...I need to be comfortable." The Boy had invited his good friend from last summer's baseball team to trick-or-treat and spend the night. We'll call him Z. Now Z is the star of his school's football team...so he came as...who else? Himself. He wore his football jersey and a big smile. The sight of he and "Austin Powers" was hilarious. As they left, I called out to them to stay in the neighborhood and stick to the sidewalks. The Husband gave me a look that said "Really, can you let them be boys and leave them alone."....So I did. Thankfully, it was The Husband's year to walk Little One and her friends around. This meant I got to clean the kitchen and hand out candy in peace. I wanted to dress up while I handed out candy...but Little One forbid it. The Boy, in all of his sweetness, said "No need to dress up...You can just be Hot Mamma". That's my Boy.

When they all returned (Little One was having a friend for the night too) they dumped the candy on the floor and began trading. The Husband has always insists that he gets a 10% cut, so he took his share. I chatted on the phone with The Senior who was filling me in on the exploits of the Tike, who had gone as Thomas the Tank....all was right with the world.

So this morning, tired after Halloween and the World Series...I decided to stay home from church. I asked The Little One and her friend to act out a passage from the Bible in lieu of Sunday school. They chose The Nativity Story...and proceeded to act out a precious rendition of the birth of Jesus, culminating in the birth our cat...The manger was a trunk, which accidentally crashed close and almost decapitated the cat.....and that was it for the Bible lesson...

That's it for the weekend...I'm filled with relief and thankfulness...and ready for the week ahead, which includes a zoo trip, play rehearsals and more baseball....

"Those Who Danced Were Thought To Be Quite Insane by those Who Did Not Hear the Music."

Tonight is the first middle school dance. The Boy and his buddy will dress in costume, go to a pre-dance dinner (guys only) and then head over to the dance. Their costumes of choice? Austin Powers and Mini-me. The Boy will sport a blue faux-velvet suit with a lacy collar, thick black glasses and fake bad teeth. His friend will wear a faux gray leisure suit, bald cap, and scar make-up. Just the thought of it makes me laugh out loud. Now it took a couple of weeks to get The Boy to commit to a costume. Since you have to wear it to the dance, it put a bit more pressure on the decision. The Boy never puts a lot of thought into Halloween. When he was a toddler, I tried to dress him as a bear one year. He ripped it off within the first 5 minutes. The next year, I tried a dinosaur...he lasted about 10 minutes. The last few years, he throws on a rubber Green Bay Packers mask that he bought in Green Bay at a game a few years back. When I ask him what he is, he says "Who cares?" So you see where I am coming from. But finally, after mulling over many of my suggestions (No mom, lame. No mom, stupid. No mom, embarrassing.), he and the buddy settled on their decision.

The thing I like about the guys' decision is the lack of vanity. After hearing the choices of some classmates, I could tell that the goal of some was to wear something as neutral as possible, so as not to interfere with any "coolness". I was thankful that The Boy is still able to laugh at himself. When he tried on his costume (under duress) last night, there was a moment of hesitation...and an admission that he looked like a "doofis" (having never spelled that before, it could be wrong). But this feeling was quickly set aside with a "who cares"...and he was back to shooting baskets. This is very unlike Little One, who carefully measured every costume she considered, finally picking the one that looked the 'cutest". And indeed, the name of the costume is "Captain Cutie". The only thing military about it is the olive green color. It basically looks like a mini-dress, with an accompanying beret and finger-less gloves. Add to that her black converse high-tops...and she is definitely Captain Cutie.

But back to The Boy. I took the opportunity to have a chat with him about dance etiquette. His comment was that he was going to "ask someone nice quickly to dance and get it over with so I can relax". I totally agreed. And I know who he will most likely ask. The Boy has a great radar for 'nice-ness'. But I suggested to him that if the spirit moved him, maybe he should ask a couple of the girls who might not get asked a lot to dance. Now The Husband, reading about this now for the first time, is shaking his head. His suggestion would have been to ask the prettiest girl first before anyone else...and then proceed in order of prettiness. But The Boy has a big heart, and he actually listened to what I said. He named a few people who might not get asked to dance...and I could see his mind working. "I don't know mom...don't really want to slow dance. But may be this..." ...and then he proceeded to break into some kind of wild dancing that only a 12 year old boy with no inhibitions can pull off...

So tonight, as I attach the fake teeth on The Boy, draw thick eyebrows on the friend...and drive them to dinner, I'm sure I will be overcome by a feeling of melancholy....The Boy growing up...but that will quickly be pushed aside by the sight of these two goofs sporting accents and limps, creating their 'characters". And besides, The Husband will be along to take pictures and offer sarcasm....

So until next week, with Happy Halloween wishes to all....and the hope that The Boy dances the night away...and has a little fun too...

Clothes Make A Statement; Costumes Tell A Story."

When I was a little girl, Halloween was very different. As I said last week, one pumpkin on the front porch was the extent of decorating. This pumpkin was usually a family project, so it was crudely cut (no home self-help kits back then) with a candle stuck inside it. These days, if you don't have at least 6 pumpkins scattered along your front porch and sidewalk, with faces that look like they were designed by Michaelangelo, you are the "sad house".

My mother did not like Halloween. Deep down, she believed that it was somehow sac-religious, so she never really participated in it except for handing out candy. There were many years that we did not even have a pumpkin. As for the costumes, my brothers and I were on our own. Not that this was unusual or a problem. Most of my friends made their own costumes too, the only difference being that their mom's were usually helping. There were no halloween.coms to order from, or Party Citys to run down and pick out something, and even if there had been, the thought of spending $40 on a costume would have seemed crazy.
This meant that my costumes had to be cheap and simple. I was never one who liked "scary", so I gravitated towards something that could be made out of stuff around the house. One year I was a bum, the next a pirate, the next an Indian. All of these could be crafted out of old clothes and makeup. My absolute hands-down favorite year was when mom broke down and bought me a nightgown with a picture of Casper the Friendly Ghost on it. For those of you of a certain age, you will remember that Casper was an animated ghost..not scary or mean...but cute and sweet. This nightgown came with a little white eye mask. I was in heaven. I was so thrilled with my "store-bought" costume that I wore it every night for a year. I was devastated when I had a growth spurt and was unable to wear it the next year. (It just did not make the right statement when it only came down to my knees.)
I believe all three of my brothers went as army men every single year. This meant they wore some sort of green shirts and caps and carried a toy gun. I asked The Husband what he wore as a boy on Halloween...any Halloween... but he claims to have no memory of any costume. This could be because he and his brothers were hoodlums who terrorized their neighborhood...or it could be because I asked him while he was getting ready for work this morning and he was in a bad mood...)
I take more of an interest in my kid's costumes. Big Sis and The Senior were both princesses one year. Another year, Big Sis wore one of my old prom dresses and went as a bride. The Senior and I still die laughing when we see that picture...The Senior refers to it as "Scary Bride", but Big Sis liked it. I did break down one year on trip to Disney World and buy The Senior a Snow White costume. This has to be one of my all-time favorites...she looked adorable. The worst year is one that I have blocked out completely. Big Sis told me the other day that she and Senior had gone as Trolls. I told her she was wrong. I have absolutely no recollection of this. But she reminded me that Senior had been collecting them...and so I had actually bought "twin troll" costumes. I still didn't believe her....until she e-mailed me the proof. A faded, dimly lit picture of both girls wearing what appeared to be bad clown outfits....with strange blue troll-hair. Big Sis evidently had a growth spurt between the time I bought it and the time she wore it, because her pants barely passed her knees. But you know what? They look very pleased in the picture...and that is what counts. Even if I still have no memory of that year.

A few years later, The Senior and her middle school friends decided to go as cats. This sounded good to me, especially since they were "creating" their costumes all by themselves. Only later that night when they knocked on our door and shouted "trick or treat" did I realize that their version of cats was more like the Playboy-bunny version. I made a note to be a little more attentive the following year. (The next year she and her BFF dressed as twin devils...never has there been a more fore-shadowing moment.)

So that's it for today. I haven't even gotten to The Boy and Little One....so stay tuned for tomorrow when I will do a costume-preview. The Boy is attending his first middle-school dance tomorrow night and they must come in full costume.....this has put a little more pressure on the decision...

Until tomorrow....

'I Would Be Most Content if My Children Grew Up to Be the Kind of People Who Think Decorating Involves Mainly Building Bookshelves"

Yesterday was conference day, so Little One had the day off. (I'm hoping that it is pure coincidence and not bad news that my conference with her teacher was the only one scheduled for Friday instead.) Now unlike The Boy, Little One does not use these days as an opportunity to catch up on sleep. She stomped downstairs about 8:00 requesting pancakes. Now Little One has no patience for the fact that I might have other things to do, so seeing me on the computer, she repeated those 2 words that send chills up my spine when I am busy.."I'm starving!". Ok, I said, give me 10 minutes, to which she gave me the look that says "I may not make it that long." So I finished up the paragraph of the article I was working on and joined her in the kitchen. "Cereal?" I asked. "No." ....."Eggo waffle?"......"No".......I knew where this was headed. Chocolate chip pancakes were on the tip of her tongue, but I headed her off saying "How about biscuits?"........"The package kind or your kind?" Now, I knew this was a trick question, because she likes both...but I trapped her. "Which do you want?"......"Ummmm. Yours" .....Ok, fine. So I whipped up some biscuits. And for the next 10 blissful minutes, she sat quietly eating and watching TV while I worked.
After finishing her breakfast, she asked "What are we doing today?" ..."Well, I am going to finish some writing right now and then we will go out for lunch." ......This did not go over well, but she sat quietly and stared at me....an stared....and stared...."WHAT???" I asked. "Just waiting for you to finish.".....So I closed my computer and gave up. "What do you want to do?".......Well, she launched into a long diatribe on how we were the last pathetic house in the neighborhood that was not decorated for Halloween. "But it's not until next week!" I reminded her. "Mom! Look around! Everyone else is already done." I glanced out the door and down the street. Sure enough, every other house was decked out in full Halloween regalia. When did this happen? When I was little, you carved a face in your one pumpkin on the day of Halloween, and set it on your front porch. By 9:00, the teenage boys had busted it, and that was that. These days, the decorations rival Christmas......
Oh well. I decided to get into the "spirit" (no pun intended) of things. "Let's go get the witch in the basement" I suggested. "NO MOM. That is not even a real witch. Not scary at all!"....Well, if truth be told, I knew this. In fact, that is the reason I bought her. She was cute and chic...a very fashionable witch who looked like she had just been shopping at the mall....but she did have pointy shoes and a witch's hat. ....Little One described what she envisioned...spider webs with spiders and 'scary stuff".
In the end, we headed to the store, and with a set budget of $10, we compromised on some scary/chic decorations. Of course when we got home, the neighborhood kids were home from school, so Little One left me to decorate on my own, shouting "Make it Scary! Don't be Cute!"...ah, words to live by....

So on a beautiful fall afternoon, I wrapped sticky, fake webs all over the front porch and through the bushes...and added a few ugly spiders to the mix. But I also put out my chic witch...because life is all about compromise...

until tomorrow.....