This is how Halloween Began for my cowgirl and Little Audrey Hepburn a la Holly Go Lightly

Happy Halloween!  Are you all still enjoying the Halloween candy hangover? My girls are still floating high on that sugar and I’m afraid when they come down they are going to crash and burn. I really don’t understand why the day after Halloween is not made into a national holiday so that kids can stay home from school and sleep in. It’s only right. It’s not cool having Halloween on a weekday, especially one so close to Thursday. Find me a politician who promises to make it a holiday and stay the hell out of my reproduction business and I’m voting for her.

The last couple of weeks have been a blur. Tomorrow, I can finally exhale. Good thing too, since I’m pretty sure that my back has gone out ( again). That’s what I get for walking around the neighborhood in the dark, cold and rain. But then again, what won’t we do for our kids…and a Heath bar?

We love Halloween, it’s the one day of the year that ,no matter your age, station or socio-economic rank, everyone can dress up like someone else and pretend in good fun. This Halloween, we attended our first zombie parade which was surreal to say the least. It may not have been the smartest idea considering that our children are 5 and 7. I say this will all certainty because both girls have been in our beds every night since seeing the zombie walk in our downtown Halloween celebration.

Not the Brightest Halloween Idea for kids under 10

For Halloween, we had decided months ago that the 7-year-old would be Jasmine and the 5-year-old would be Cinderella. It was going to perfect, except than life happened. Being Jasmine for Halloween in the Midwest, is like having the bright idea to wear flip flop to climb Mt.Everest. It’s not gonna happen. So in the past week that Halloween costume got scrapped and my 7-year-old decided that she wanted to go as Holly Go Lightly from Breakfast at Tiffanys. How could I ever deny my child to want to go trick-or-treating as the amazing, Audrey Hepburn? I couldn’t. We made it happen.

My 5-year-old decided that if her sister was changing outfits than of course she had to too. Halloween  is just not Halloween without at least 3 costume changes. So, Cinderella ended up being a cowgirl ( just like last year. Oh wait, last year she was Jesse from Toy Story but this year she was the world’s MOST adorable cowgirl. I’m serious I have documentation.)

Why a cowgirl you ask? Because my 5-year-old has a pair of cowboy boots that she is in love with and she built her entire costume around that pair of shoes. A girl after my own heart. Halloween was hectic and crazy, and my kids were wired on sugar and adrenaline, while I happily maneuvered the streets of our new neighborhood meeting all of the neighbors alongside my sister-in-law, while the Big Guy and the Big boys (and grandparents) hung back and made chili, had a campfire and handed out candy to the plethora of children begging for candy all throughout the neighborhood. It was brilliant and will be even more awesome if I don’t die of pneumonia from it.

We came home, all a little wetter and more exhausted than when we were when we left but there is nothing quite like hearing the laughter of children, while sitting around enjoying chili and conversation with family on Halloween.

All in all, we had a blast. After a crazy end of the month for mommy, who had the bright idea to organize both girls’ school Halloween parties (don’t try this at home folks, it’s not as easy as it sounds) and then invite the entire family over the night of Halloween and try to mingle with the neighbors, it ended up just perfect. For the first time in 3 years, the girls, the Big Guy and I were in our own house, surrounded by neighbors, family and friends and , in the end, home is where the heart is and my heart is wherever the Big Guy and our girls are at. How was your Halloween?

What did your kids dress up for on Halloween? Please share all the Halloween costumes on my Facebook page, I’d love to see them.

Happy Halloween 2012