Beware the ghost costumes of Halloweens yet to come.

I like to shop early the day after Halloween to snag the half-off deals on costumes if I can. (Dan's I got 75% off!) The downside to this thrifty technique is that the kids want to wear them NOW. (except Katie. She says she still wants to be a bat again next year. Bless her.)

We (me) just can't seem to let go of the best holiday ever.
I neatly arranged all the stuff the kids would need to make a haunted scene so that when they came home from school, I might not have to be constantly hissing at them to keep it down so Katie doesn't wake up.
I don't know why I expect her to stay asleep or that the other two be quiet. I need to accept the fact that her remaining nap days are numbered and that it's quite impossible to chill out after a behaviorally repressed day at school followed by a killer 40 minute bus ride giving them ample time to regroup before their assault on my eardrums.

Finally. This clever tactic was to give me a bit of time before I had to deal with all three of them at once.
And it worked.

For a whole ten minutes.

Shannon declared hers was a garden and Daniel's was a graveyard "where the skeletons eat out."

Then they wanted to eat them and Katie came down wondering where hers was. Oh well, I'll take what I can get.

Today the pediatrician firmly recommended that the kids eat their veggies. I wonder if I can do the same kind of project with broccoli and cauliflower? I wonder if I'll ever buy cauliflower? Yuck.

At least we do all quiet down for our new favorite show. I say "we" because I make them sit with me on the couch and sush or else I eat their Halloween candy.

It works.

And they like "Say Yes to the Dress."

Shannon not only likes to jump in with an occasional "needs more beading" or "the detail work on that mermaid dress is just gaudy" she's also fascinated by the skinny effeminate manager guy. I'm not sure how to explain him to her yet other than everybody's different. He bothers her a little but I reminded her that he is always the one to walk in and save the day. I'm not telling her any more than that for now.

She turns 8 tomorrow, I need to slow this sucker down.