Pumpkins, Treats, and a Cheesecloth Ghost

Happy Halloween!

I wanted to make our home look a little festive, so I hung plastic jack-o-lanterns in our tree with electric candles inside, and made a cheesecloth ghost that floated in the breeze (after I adjusted it half a dozen times to keep the cheesecloth from slipping off the wires).

After dinner we carved pumpkins.

Daddy carved a big, bright star on his pumpkin.  Daniel decided it would be extra creepy to carve a single eye in his.  Anna chose a spooky design for her ghostly white pumpkin.  Joy and I each went with our default pumpkin designs. Todd was a little young to be wielding blades (however small), so we left his pumpkin blank so it could grace our porch for a few more weeks.

At trick-or-treat time, Joy was a scientist, Daniel was a cat, Anna was a cat fairy, Todd was a math genius (they look like everyone else).  I wore the same Minnie Mouse ears I wore three years ago when I was waddling around the neighborhood with three trick-or-treaters, hoping the fourth wouldn't be born for at least a few more days.

We returned home an hour later with plenty of treats, and the kids went right to work trading for the ones they liked best.  I have fond memories of doing that with my sibs many moons ago.  I would trade just about anything for a fun-size Snickers bar.

Halloween Party Time

It's time for the ward Fall Festival!

My kids were really excited to be there.  No, seriously.

We slung marshmallows at Goliath . . .

. . . bowled over some ghosts . . .

. . . fished for treats . . .

. . . hung out in the black light room for a little while . . .

. . . and did lots of other cool stuff.  Thanks to everyone in our ward who planned fun activities for the kids!

Giving Drugs the Boot

This is Red Ribbon Week at the kids' school.  Each day has a different theme to encourage kids not to do drugs.

Tuesday was Crazy Outfit Day, because "You'd Be Crazy to Do Drugs."

Yesterday was Boot Day, as in "Give Drugs the Boot."  Joy decided to wear four boots for the occasion.

A Corny Outing

After chores today . . .

 

. . . we decided a local corn maze would be a nice fall family outing (and yes, that is a cast on Joy's left arm--she tripped a few days ago and landed hard on it, causing a minor fracture).

There were structures here and there in the maze so you could climb up and get your bearings before heading back down into the corn.

We actually found our way out rather easily, then Daddy and Joy went back in to explore more of the maze . . .

. . . while the kids played on the playground . . .

. . . which included an enormous tub of dried corn.

Spencer's Baptism and Ghost Town Bowling

We headed on down to Texas this weekend . . .

. . . to attend a very special event:

Cousin Spencer's baptism.

Afterward we joined Spencer, Aunt Alissa, and Aunt Emily for lunch at In-N-Out . . .

. . . then checked out a ghost town (which is probably younger than I am, but hey, it was still fun to visit).  It had a fort and lots of old buildings to explore.  There weren't many other visitors at the time we went, so it really did feel like a deserted ghost town most of the time.

Joy ended up in the brig for a little while.  I'll leave her infraction to your imagination.

I think the kids' favorite part of the outing was playing with this little plastic bowling set.

We wore Todd and Anna out today, and they fell fast asleep on the drive back from the ghost town.

A Green Smoothie and the Curative Properties of Watermelon

Todd and I headed out to the garden this morning . . .

. . . to harvest a little bouquet of kale . . .

. . . to put in a smoothie.

Mmm, yummy green goodness.

As I snapped a picture of Todd sipping our smoothie, I happened to notice in the background . . .

. . . a comic book Anna brought home from kindergarten this week.  It's about a girl named Clarissa who eats more than one cupcake at her birthday party and transforms into the nefarious villain Princess Cupcake, who pressures her guests to gorge on sweets.  Fortunately for all involved, Clarissa's friend turns her back into a human by convincing her to eat some healthy watermelon.  (Brought to you by the National Watermelon Promotion Board).  I guess that's yet another good reason to indulge in green smoothies instead of sugary baked goods--the smoothies won't turn your head into a cupcake.

Lunch Dates in the Cafeteria

The big kids' school lets parents come eat lunch with their kids, so Todd and I have started dining with one of the big kids each week.  It's a nice way to have some one-on-one time with them (since Todd doesn't talk much when we're ) and find out how things are going at school.

It was Joy's turn this week, and she was thrilled to see us, but less than thrilled when I pulled out my camera to document the occasion. 

Todd: "No seriously, Mom, put that thing away and eat, will you?"

At least one member of the party didn't mind being photographed (wearing my trendy School Visitor sticker, courtesy of the school's front office).

Me vs. Squirrels

My little garden is coming along pretty well.

The herbs are thriving, and lots of little things are sprouting up here and there.  There's just one problem: The squirrels keep digging holes in random spots and destroying some of the seedlings (especially in the back half of the garden where plants are spaced farther apart).

I researched squirrel deterrents online, and decided to try rubbing a stuffed animal on a neighbor's dog, then leaving it by my garden in hopes that the scent would scare the squirrels away.  I checked my garden the next morning and discovered that the squirrels hadn't found a dog-scented bear the least bit intimidating.  Back to the drawing board.

I then read several posts online saying that citrus peels deter squirrels because they dislike the smell.  I scattered some mandarin orange peels around the garden, and put portions of clear plastic bottles over some of the smaller seedlings to protect them in case the peels didn't work.  Those methods seem to be helping so far.

It's funny how gardening both brings you closer to nature and places you in opposition to it.  I feel closer to nature as I watch seedlings emerge through the soil, nurture their growth, and watch how they mature.  I feel opposition to nature as I struggle to keep the local wildlife from destroying the food I'm trying to grow.  I'm sure my antipathy for caterpillars and squirrels would be even stronger if this garden were a matter of my family's survival, not just a hobby.

Hunting for Pumpkins

Per family tradition . . .

. . . I took the kids to the store at the end of September and let them each pick out a little pumpkin for me to hide every night this month after they go to bed.  The big one is Joy's, the gold-colored one is Daniel's, the petite white one is Anna's, and the white stripey one is Todd's.

In the morning, they like to search the front room to find their little pumpkins peeking out from behind sofa cushions, or nestled on a bookshelf.  Todd's a little young to get into the game this year, but maybe he'll join the daily pumpkin hunt next October.

A Tent and Some Checkers

It's General Conference time!  I always look forward to the inspiring messages we hear from the Prophet and the apostles on Conference weekend every six months.

To get the kids into the spirit of things, I constructed a little tent reminiscent of the Nephite families listening to their prophet, King Benjamin.

I also invited the kids to play Conference Bingo with charts that had a variety of Gospel topics on them.  When they heard a speaker mention a topic on their card, they put a checker on the corresponding square.  After the session ended, they could bring me all of the checkers on their sheet and purchase prizes for four checkers apiece.  Prizes included little slinkies, bags of crackers, and coupons to choose dinner one night or skip chores on Saturday.  Only Joy played Bingo the first session, then when Daniel and Anna saw the cool stuff she earned they wanted part of the action in the next session.  I hope that as they listened for their Bingo keywords, they also absorbed some of the stories and messages the speakers shared.

On a side note, every time one of the apostles or a member of the First Presidency spoke, Joy wrote a take-home message from their talk in a special note page she created with her Khan Academy coding skills.  It would have been faster and easier to write it all on paper, but I thought it was cool that she made the effort to prepare a special note page for Conference.