Are you ready for Halloween?
by Rachel Sarah
Filed under Kids
Dr. Leah used to go Trick-or-Treating in the very neighborhood where she now lives. In fact, she trick-or-treated at what is now her own house. A rather elderly lady offered scrumptious homemade caramel popcorn balls as Halloween treats.
How could Dr. Leah possibly remember that? “Well, first of all each popcorn must have weighed three pounds,” she says. “And this lovely lady put her name and address inside each wrapper proudly.”
“It was a post Halloween ritual. My dad would get out a big knife and cut this massive popcorn ball in pieces to share. No matter how many siblings you had, no trick-or-treater got short changed. And no one ever remotely considered home-made treats as potentially tainted.”
“Things just seem so much more complicated now,” Dr. Leah keeps telling me.
Dr. Leah’s kids seem like they were . . . well, incredibly cooperative about their Halloween costumes. She dressed up one of her kids as a bag of McDonald’s French Fries. (How cute!)
Well, I had to admit to Dr. Leah that my fourth grader is going out this weekend as a Dead Rock Star. And, yes, last year she was a Dead Cheerleader.
That’s when I had to agree . . . “Things are more complicated now.”
Dr. Leah gets tons of eager Trick- or- Treaters. (I was stunned at how much Halloween candy the typically health conscious Sanity Fairy intends to dole out – wow!) Dr. Leah told me some kids trick-or-treat in groups with friends under the watchful eye of a parent. Other kids come to the door with their parents.
We’re curious:
What are your kids dressing up as this year?
Have any of your kids requested to be something dead, violent, or, perhaps, bloody? Or are your kids still in the “cute stage” of Halloween attire?
Of course, we’re interested in your Trick- or-Treat ground rules. Do you let your kids trick-or-treat on their own or do you stick close by?
And just one last word: As much as we wince at the environmental waste of glow sticks, we do think they’re a great way to keep your kids safe at night when they’re crossing streets. Speaking from experience, please don’t let your kids break them open and turn their skin fluorescent with that dibutyl phthalate!
P.S. One single mom blogger — Only Parent Chronicles — just turned us onto this very cool idea: a Halloween Candy Buy Back. Check it out!
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Twitter @ That_One_Mom
Halloween is the greatest holiday EVER!!! I used to not let the kids dress up as devils or killers or that type of thing, but this year The Girl wanted to be a little devil and who am I to stop her from embracing her inner spirit! Hahaha! The Boy is dressing as a caveman. Far more appropriate in my eyes.
This is the first year one of my kids has asked to make Halloween plans without me. I almost cried. To me that symbolizes how big he’s getting. It’s bittersweet.
That One Mom´s last blog ..What to Do With All of That Candy?!?!
My 8yr old is struggling in the land in between cute Halloween, Super Hero Halloween and scary Halloween. Poor guy was so frustrated that he decided not to trick or treat to solve the problem! But we came up with a design for his favorite video game character, Sonic the Hedgehog, when he turns into a Werewolf. Turned out pretty well, and he’s thrilled to be going trick or treating with friends (and parents) on Saturday.
We’re also doing the Halloween Candy Buy Back at our dentist on Monday! Great idea!
Twitter @ Singlemomindebt
My son is 13 this year and he is going this year as a zombie. Since he was around 7 or 8, he had moved from wanting to be a power ranger to wanting to be something scary.
That One Mom: Welcome to our Singlemommyhood community. It is bittersweet when their social life does not involve you. While you’re grateful for the show of independence, it is so hard to let go. Shed a couple of Halloween tears on that very issue myself! Thanks again for joining the conversation.
Twitter @ http://tsquest.blogspot.com
My little one wants to be the same thing she was last year: Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street. My 8 year old will be a witch. Mommy’s gonna be a horny little devil.
Surprised?
We’ll be trick or treating in our neighborhood with some friends. They’ll get to have their fill of candy on Halloween night but the rest I’ll dole out for another 6 months and then throw away! Our dentist loves us and I’d prefer it stay that way!
T´s last blog ..Going private
OMG, junk food concerns aside, that fresch-fry outfit is so adorable!!!!
My 3-year-old is going as Curious George and I’ll be The Man in The Big Yellow Hat. We live in NYC, and not in a high-rise, so not sure we’ll be trick-or-treating, but we have a party to go to.
Twitter @ http://www.singlemommindy.blogspot.com
I love Halloween! My annual tradition is to make a big pot of chili, have friends over and go trick-or-treating together then come back and warm up with chili and margs while passing out candy.
My Little One will be a witch this year, my 11 y/o is going to be 1/2 fall, 1/2 winter and my 15 y/o (she says this is the last year) will be a cowgirl. Good times!
MindyMom/Single Mom Says…´s last blog ..Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh
Twitter @ tailgatingtimes
Sadly I will setting up for a trade show on Halloween and the show is the same week every year so most of the time I miss the holiday. My kids will be Darth Vader and Princess Leia and they’ll trick-or-treat with their mom. Shopping for their costumes was a shock. One store had 4 aisles of costumes for kids and 3 of them were boys costumes while only one of them had costumes for girls. Another store seems to think that 8 year old girls should wear the same costumes as a 20 year old. It was very depressing to me. We went to 6 stores and ended up ordering the costume online.
I’m happy to say we got it in time and both kids were very happy to wear their costumes to a party last weekend and they’re excited about this weekend. I’m hoping the timing will work out one of these years for me to be home for Halloween.
Steve: Wow – kids in the 1970’s were dressing up as Darth Vadar and Princess Leia – it’s so amazing how these characters continue to fascinate. Good for you for checking costumes online and, of course, sorry you’ll miss the fun.
MindyMom: Sounds delicious and so much fun!
My little Bambino is going to be a Tiger – it’s his first Halloween where he’ll dress up!
I’m not going as anything but I will be wearing a hot pink shirt with a skull on it. Wondering what kind of message I’m sending out…;o)
Have a happy Halloween lovely ladies (and kind gentlemen..)
Restless Mama´s last blog ..With a click of a heel
Twitter @ martinimom
My son’s eight, and goes back and forth between scary and cute. He was a ninja last year. This year he wanted us all to be dead rock stars (he was going to be Cobain), but he changed his mind and decided to be a beaver. In the past, we’ve almost always had coordinating costumes (the best was the year he was Mario and I was Luigi), but my original idea to be a dam to match his beaver seemed too complicated. He let me off the hook, and instead I’m going as Yoda.
Martini Mom´s last blog ..Martini Mom as PTA Mom
Twitter @ http://littleskoolgirl.blogspot.com/
My daughter has never liked cutesy things. I tried princesses, but she hated it. She’s gone as Buzz Lightyear, and Darth Vader (she loves star wars) – it is only this year she’ll be a girl character, still it has to be a girl superhero.
We’re doing Violet from The Incredibles, and she’s going to a friends Birthday Party where we’ll all go trick or treating afterwards.
My daughter is still young – 4 years old – so trick or treating with her is a must! It’s going to be fun watching her with her friends though!
StudentMama´s last blog ..The ick
Twitter @ http://www.singlemommyhood.com
@Martini Mom: That is just TOO sweet! Your son ditched the dead rock star… for a beaver costume. We love it!
@Student Mama: Here’s to girl super heroes. Yeah!
Single Mom Seeking´s last blog ..Are you ready for Halloween?
Twitter @ BigLittleWolf
My boys – and their female friends – went through the dead everything phase. Seems to me it was around age 10 to 14, when they pretty much stopped trick-or-treating. Amazing how many variations of dead something kids can come up with, and still come home with a pillow case full of junk… that the “mom” ended up eating.
Pass the pepto bismol, and glad now they just go to Halloween parties. And don’t bring home their treats.
BigLittleWolf´s last blog ..Parenting tips: when kids are ready for “home alone”
We alternate between trick or treating and going to the church carnival down the street. I always go with her.
She wanted to scary from about ages 8-12 after years of being a princess. This year, she is going to be a kitty cat. Right now, it is a cute kitty cat…but I can see it leading to the sexy kitty in the not too distant future.
As for candy, I let her pick 30 pieces that she gets to keep. The rest get donated to the office candy bowl. The candy she keeps is up to her. She is pretty good about saving it and making it last.
chai_girl: What a great idea about how to limit the Halloween candy consumption. So cute – a kitty cat. Have fun!
Twitter @ http://avigail74.blogspot.com
My eight year old is going as a witch—somewhat deadish–white face with dark circles under her eyes–and this mama of hers-is dressing up as her pet kitty!
We do very little trick-or-treating–she seems okay with that—luckily she doesn’t count her candy because I actually, do throw away a few of her candy. I hope that all her trick-or-treating will be supervised…but my rules seem to change as she changes.
Avigail74´s last blog ..Gypsy Family