Trick or Treat

Pumpkin Carving
Is there another activity that I look forward to so much,
yet dread about 30 seconds after beginning?

The piles of candy around the house and the lingering spooky decor are signs that Halloween has now come and gone.  One thing that is not scattered around the house, candy wrappers.  Years ago, I implemented a strict house rule.  If I have to throw away wrappers, I will also throw away the uneaten candy along with them.  Now a simple, "Is that a candy wrapper I see on the floor?" gets the kids moving really fast.  This year we also sorted our candy right next to the garbage can.  If you have goods in your stash that you don't love, put them directly into the trash.  Unless of course it is something that Mom or Dad loves, then put them into our candy bowl!  And this year I had a brilliant idea that I was fearful would end in mutiny, I bought blowpops and glow bracelets to hand out instead of candy bars.  The bags of candy were in the house for a month, yet no one was tempted to deplete the supply.  I think this was the first time that I didn't have to re-buy candy.

Costumes this year were awesome.  That is awesome in the regards that they were super easy.  Paige, for the second year in a row, donned the same costume that Blake had worn the previous year.  Last year Blake was a vampire, this year Paige was a vampire.  The only thing I purchased for her costume was a pair of spider web earrings that I came across while shopping at Target.  Initially Blake had decided that he was getting too old for trick or treating and that he wasn't going to dress up.  I thought he should have at least one more year of festivities, so I suggested dressing like a nerd.  He was immediately on board due to the fact that one of his favorite songs at the moment is "White and Nerdy" by Weird Al.  I found him a pair of glasses while walking through Claire's, found a shirt on the clearance rack at Target, and the rest we scrounged up from around the house.

Every nerd needs a 'Kick Me' sign on their back!

We stuck to our tradition of trick or treating as a family.  I know we only have a few more years of this childhood tradition remaining.  I couldn't help but reminisce about our first years of going out door to door pulling a wagon and walking with/carrying the kids up to every door. Now we just stand at the curb and give the occasional "Watch for Cars!" warning.

And one more bonus this year, the weather was beautiful!  This year was also the 20th anniversary of the Halloween Blizzard of '91.  I can't believe that was t-w-e-n-t-y years ago.  I don't remember exactly what I did that night, but I'm fairly certain it included watching the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video on MTV.  That's right kiddos, way back in the olden days, the Music Television network used to show music videos.  And back then, Snooki was a toddler and not a Halloween costume idea.  Yep, that's me bringing it back full circle.