Words To Live By:

"The block of granite which was an obstacle in the path of the weak, becomes a stepping stone in the path of the strong."




October 29, 2010

Halloween Then and Now

As I was trying to go to sleep last night, I started thinking about all of our Halloween activities over the years and how easy it use to be with one or two children and how far we've fallen in the fun department.

Then:  We'd carve elaborate pumpkins with the cool patterns and tools that come in those kits.

Now: Free hand "scary" faces onto the pumpkins and make it up as we go.

Then: Cute and creative costumes planned and shopped for well ahead of time.

Now:  Throwing together whatever the kids decide they want to be totally last minute and convincing them "it looks great".

Then: Elaborately decorate the outside entrance and walkway of the house.

Now: Wreath, pumpkins, call it good.

Then: Halloween night was a party. We'd have lots of finger foods and treats and it was a super cozy fun night. I'd hand out candy while Riley took Kendle around to a few houses.

Now: Riley takes the kids all over trick or treating because he wants a share of all the sweets. Halloween is usually a crazy chaotic night. Kids are tired and cranky.

Then: We'd watch all the Halloween specials and movies as a fun family night.

Now: Oh, were they on? Did we forget to DVR them?

Then:  Fun and cute crafts with the kids and cute treats to take around to friends.

Now: Here, go color this coloring sheet I printed off the internet.


I'm hoping by next year my Halloween mojo will be back in full swing. Halloween used to be one of my favorite holidays and I usually love all of the fun and festivities that go along with it. The kids are excited for our ward Trunk or Treat tomorrow. I hope I can do Kendle's scary vampire makeup justice. :)


P.S. Anyone else out there love the show Community on NBC? If you missed it it's totally worth watching here. Their zombie episode last night was awesome. Speaking of zombie's here's a little Halloween flash back picture from a few years ago:



Have  a Ghoulishly Great Halloween!

5 comments:

PRP said...

My mom called me last night to remind me to DVR The Charlie Brown Halloween Special and I still didn't get it done....my "now" is in full swing!

Happy Halloween!

tharker said...

This rings so true to life once you have a handful of kids. I didn't buy a single costume this year. The older three are wearing cowboy/indian costumes that grandma made for our family reunion last summer and Eva is wearing a sunflower costume from Lindsay. Love it!

After not making treats to take around to friends the past several years, I decided to do it this year. So, Tuesday night I stayed up until 11pm baking pumpkin cookies with the express purpose of delivering some Halloween fun to friends the following morning. Then Jake woke up puking...and well you can probably guess that those cookies never made it out of the door.

Next year...

Anonymous said...

"here, go and print off this coloring page..." so funny Sarah!!! Things have changed but it's hard for us all to keep up that productivity and creativity every year! Some day, maybe when your children are grown and experiencing trials of their own, they'll be grateful for their many siblings and not concerned about the tv shows they missed or the last minute costumes! :)

Kris said...

I loved this list. I laughed at the "Then vs. Now" too. I have felt the same way, or even worse. No pumpkin carving for us! I saw the Charlie Brown Pumpkin on the schedule last night, and there was 5minutes left. Didn't mention it to the kids. Gonna have a fun weekend, but ready for November! YAY!

Cajsa said...

I am just glad to hear that I am not the only one who has slacked off a bit. I feel so much relief when they want to re use old costumes. Happy Halloween!