Rationalizations

I keep thinking about things I could blog about, but then I remind myself that as a mommy blogger I must report on Halloween. Since I haven't done that yet, I can't talk about anything else. So my Proustian musings must wait for another day.

Halloween was stressful. I did way too much running around and I had too many things I was trying to take care of and not enough time to do it in. It definitely made it hard to enjoy the day. Everyone had costumes this year and we only spent $12 buying a ninja costume for Joshua who was quite happy with his store bought costume and not at all sad I didn't stress myself out more to make something.

Which is good, because Sarah came up with her costume idea at the last minute. She came out her bedroom the evening of the 29th and said, "I know what I want to be for Halloween." finally, thank you. "I want to be a Greek goddess. Maybe Aphrodite or Athena, but Aphrodite is the goddess of love so I don't really want to do that. Maybe Athena. What's she goddess of?" Because of course, we have to choose our dieties carefully, don't want to choose something potentially tease worthy. Athena is the goddess of war, wisdom, and industry, so we were safe with that one. (I think it says something about my daughter and the Greeks that they find those three areas logically connected.)

Monday morning I researched ancient Greek costume so I could historically acurate. We can't put a Greek diety in a Roman toga, after all. Thankfully, the Greeks weren't anymore up on sewing than the Romans were. A Greek dress (called a Chiton) is basically two rectangles sewn in a couple of places and belted. We found an old white bedsheet and cut it up for her dress. I sewed the shoulders with two inch seams so she had the little scarf thingys at the sleeve and we belted it with bronze colored decorator cording. We wrapped the cord at the sleeve too. Then we found some leather strappy sandals on clearance at Walmart for $5. We did her hair with a high bun for half the hair and ringlets for the rest. She looked very pretty.

Rilla was supposed to be Little Red Ridinghood except mommy somehow lost the hood. At the last minute we had to switch to Snow White using a dress that was missing it's yellow ribbon. We did still have the cape. (stressor number three.)

Libby's costume ended up being a last minute thing as well. I basically put her in a onsie and leggings and tied her tutu over it: instant ballerina. She refused to let me put her hair in a bun though. (Stressor number four.)

Matt borrowed his cousin's dragon costume. non stress. I needed that.

We spent the day at my mom's trying to help with doughnut making. I forgot my camera so I don't have good pictures of either the doughnut making or the kids. The plan was to leave Mom's in time to make it back for our church Trunk or Treat. We left late and I misrembered the time by 30 minutes, so we basically missed the entire thing. They got the dregs, but it was cold so they really didn't want to be out much longer than they were anyway.

Next year we will have to make changes in the schedule. It was too hard to do things that way. I know it doesn't sound like much, but there was a lot I'm not saying here. It wasn't a good day for me, but my kids had fun and that's what matters right?