The Day After

I’m trying to love Halloween more. Or at least hate it a little bit less. Which presents a challenge when dressing up gives you hives and you’re uptight about things like your kids eating eight mini chocolate bars and a bag of Cheezies (be)for(e) breakfast. (Stop judging — like yours didn’t.)

So, I’m looking for small spots of joy in a somewhat stressful holiday. Like our lovely neighbours, who create special bags of candy just for the kids. Like finding my pumpkin-carving groove. Like how the kids get all relaxed and offer to share their candy when they’re not feeling threatened about having it somehow rationed by an uptight parent. Like salty salty roasted pumpkin seeds.

Like when Rowan said to me last night, “Mom! Remember how we sorted out all the Pokémon cards? Let’s do the same thing with the candy!” Nothing is better than organizing the candy — all the Coffee Crisps and one pile and the Smarties in another and all the Twix, and so on like butter — except maybe watching your kids do it together.

NaBloPoMo_November_large_0