Halloween Forever

When I was in grade two I won a prize for my Halloween costume; with help from my mother who insisted I wear the gunny-sack clown outfit my older siblings had worn. I  remember thinking…well OK if I have to.  I can also remember being in shock and amazement when I won, my prize was a large children’s book, I chose the bedtime story version instead of a clown one? Seriously it was.

Halloween for me became a holiday legends are made of, a bit mushy you’re probably thinking…too bad.

My mom would pack my costume in one of those large paper shopping bags (with handles). It was quite the production traveling with it on the school bus, it meant everything to me. All the kids would bring their costumes, then we were allowed to dress up after lunch. The small elementary kids were allowed to dress in one of the furnace rooms, sounds creepy I know…to this day I can clearly remember toting that heavy bag and holding on to it for dear life.

Once dressed we had to parade through all the other class rooms…all of about four.

I’m not in this one, but you get the idea

It was a day from heaven; puffed wheat cake, rice krispie squares, assorted treats. (when I was in grade one my teacher, who shall remain nameless because she was a total bitch, made candy apples, I still remember them, so I guess she did one thing right.

 

                             

worst candy of all time

The only thing that made the day better was going home and carving pumpkins!

I can honestly say I was, and still am the most boring pumpkin carver on the face of the earth. I first learned to do the old triangle eyes and nose face, and still do it to this day, perhaps out of nostalgia more than anything.

a couple of years ago… told ya, lol

Trick-or-Treating as a kid… didn’t really happen. We grew up on a farm, so that made it a challenge, but it likely didn’t help matters any that my mom viewed it as begging. I did it once when I was about eleven … I stayed over night in town at a friends place. It was awesome. From that day forward I have always loved FREE, lol

I love horror movies, not the stupid gory crap, but the stuff that will keep you thinking and watching it over and over again. Anything supernatural is always a delicious creep out. Witches, ghosts, and zombies that run way too fast. One year I booked Halloween off so I could stay home all day and watch horror movies, it was fabulous!

In the 60’s I grew up watching Charlie Brown, he and I have a long history together.

I think about Halloween all year-long, it’s clearly the best holiday ever invented. In grade three I dressed as a witch and remember playing a stupid game where we were supposed to “sound” like what we were dressed as,  of course I began to cackle like a witch, at the age of eight, lol. I got funny looks and the teacher said”oh my”… dork. Every year after that I dressed as a witch.

The past few years I have volunteered at a local haunted house, acting of course, nothing better than making people scream and laugh all at the same time. http://haunted.missionartscouncil.ca/ If you live in my area check it out, it’s the best local haunt around.

These days zombies are the real deal, it seems to come naturally to me, not sure whether that’s good or bad.

The Mother Inside

The mother inside smiles a lot and hugs her children every day, and tells them she loves them. She reads them a story every night and sings to them quietly until they fall asleep.

The mother inside spends countless hours playing with her children; she will sit on the floor with them, at their level and pretend for hours, delighting in their laughter and silliness. She has never forgotten what it is like to be a child and has many fond memories from her own childhood.

The mother inside lets her children help in the kitchen when she is cooking and baking. She sets a chair beside the cupboard so they can roll out cookies and help peel potatoes. She loves having them at her side, and warms at the thought they will do this with their own children some day.

The mother inside finds joy in the small things, like doing laundry for her family, cooking, cleaning, because she knows that some day they will do the same for her. She knows that her children will appreciate all the things she has done for them while they are growing up.

The mother inside does not spank or yell at her children, but instead try’s to reason with them in a way they will understand. She is patient and kind, with endless hours spent reading parenting magazines and books,  becoming even more amazing than she already is.

The mother inside goes to every parent/teacher interview, volunteers for the school and drives her children to countless activities after school. She is never late with breakfast and loves putting little surprises in their lunch bags along with  homemade cookies and sandwiches.

The mother inside makes their Halloween costumes each year, and bakes goodies to hand out for treats.

The mother inside goes shopping with her daughter for a prom dress, they have lunch at a restaurant, and laugh about the movie they want to see together. She is proud and filled with joy to have a daughter so loving and kind.

The mother inside is radiant with happiness, as she attends the graduation ceremony for her children, and marvels at how grown up they look on the stage. They smile and wave at her, blowing invisible kisses that melt her heart.

The mother inside is there every time her son and daughter need a hug of encouragement or want to forget the terrible date they just had. She smiles and says, “everything will work out”, even after one of her children says she is stupid and a terrible mother. She does not cry because she knows they are saying it in a fit of rage, and it doesn’t really count.

The mother inside does not exist.