I want more!
Nov 1, 2009 All Things Charli, All Things X, Current Events, Family, Parenting, Wicked MOMMY Wisdoms
Halloween has come and gone. Autumn and the holidays are officially among us.
I. Am. Stoked. I love Autumn. LOVE. Crisp. Colors. Leaves. Pumpkins. 
Last night, we took Charli Trick or Treating. This is her 2nd official year ToT’ing but this year it clicked. Once she realized that all she needed to do was look cute and say “Trick or Treat!” some random person would give her skittles or a sucker or chocolate.
SHE. WAS. STOKED.
After every house … she would yell “I want MORE, MOMMY!”
Of course you do Charli.
One thing that I noticed while out ToT’ing was a group of kids out and about, no costumes … and grocery bags full of candy. They were also knocking on the door’s and saying “ToT!”…
No costumes? Really?
It reminded me of when I was younger. My dad used to love to scare the shit out of the ToT’ers when they would come to the door. But, if you showed up sans costume … he would tell you all about yourself.
So I vocalized it. Tarable pointed out that maybe they were too poor to have a costume. I said “oh hell no.” And this is why.
I was dirt fucking poor when I was a kid. Like, go’ment cheese poor. Cheeseburgers on white bread poor. MacNCheese at least 2 times a week poor. And not Kraft either. My point is that we always figured out how to get a costume together.
Like the time my mom made me a bag of jellybeans. Out of a clear trash bag and colored balloons.
Or the many times I was a hobo or a hippie. You don’t need $50 or more to put a creative costume together. You can really get a unique costume together without spending much at all. It just takes a little bit of thought behind it.
My most favorite thing about Halloween is the costumes. I love seeing all of the kids in their versions of things. Last night we saw a group of teenagers that all made up a fruit basket. There was a banana, a watermelon, an apple, and the boy was the basket. You could tell they made them. It was really kick ass, actually. That is what it is about. You can go to the store and buy a god damn bag of candy. The spirit of Halloween is to get dolled or spooked and experience each other in their creativity.
Not to put a hoodie on and grab a plastic safeway bag so you can get your free candy for the year. That is some bullshit. I wouldn’t give you a damn teeny tiny kernel of candy corn. Period. And don’t be friggen 16-17 either.
Now … Some of you may be asking yourself … where was Xavier?
Xavier was/is experiencing yet another installment of creative parenting. You would think that he would have gotten it by now. It being me not being the motherfucking one. Buuuuuuuut he hasn’t. So yet again he is a guinea pig of my creative ideas on how to let the punishment fit the crime.
In conversations about the book (if you aren’t in the know click and catch up), I have let it be known that the $10 that appeared out of nowhere was someones. Not his. It was someones lunch money. It was someones $10 for a book that he used for a book that I already told him that I would buy him.
Bottom line, it wasn’t his. But he couldn’t wait. Out of his mouth “I didn’t want to wait til tomorrow.” Really?
As you may know, we last left off at the ass whoopin’. Since then, D and I have come to the conclusion that Xavier is pretty ungrateful for what he has. Therefore, his belongings will sit in boxes in his room. He will not get anything new. For a long time. He has since been let off of restriction from his room, but that is about it.
We also came to the conclusion that he does not deserve a “Christmas”. Instead of getting presents this year, Xavier will be giving them. To less fortunate children at a women/children shelter. D and I will come up with a dollar amount that we would have spent on his gifts and that money will be used for them. He will pick out the gifts and hand them out. He will serve Christmas dinner.
In my opinion, Xavier has been spoiled with material things in his 9 years and it is time to make a life long impression.
I hope that it does. Truly.
How was your Halloween?
What was the most creative costume you saw this year?
What is your favorite Halloween treat?
Tags: autumn, candy, costume, halloween, teenager, trick or treat
November 1st, 2009 at 21:04
Well I had to work Halloween…but Matt won several costume sontests with his ‘NERD’ costume…I sat at work all night knowing my BF was out there somewhere wearing a pocket protector and a ‘Kick Me’ sign…
We had the gov ment cheese…we also had imaginations…Hope you had a great weekend, lady!
LivingWicked Reply:
November 1st, 2009 at 21:09
I bet his costume RULED.
Meghan Reply:
November 1st, 2009 at 21:17
He’ll put it on facebook..its disturbingly geeky…he even added a kick me sign to his back!
LivingWicked Reply:
November 1st, 2009 at 21:52
Let me know when he does so I can see it!
November 1st, 2009 at 21:04
Ugh…tired fingers…costume ‘contests’!
LivingWicked Reply:
November 1st, 2009 at 21:09
November 1st, 2009 at 21:37
I love hearing about your creative parenting ideas.
And Charli was so dang cute for Halloween!
I think what drives me crazy at Halloween – besides the teenagers – is the parents dragging their baby around. I took Katelyn to a few houses where we knew the people, and then she stayed at the house we met our friends at to hand out candy with my friend Laurie while I took Ethan out with the group. But honestly, is that 3 month old as a pumpkin going to eat the 5 lbs of candy their parents collected? Really?? Grr.
I love fall more than Halloween. I think we have commercialized all of our holidays and we miss the point of the traditions and meanings behind the holidays. But who doesn’t like leaves changing color and frost and
Jen Reply:
November 1st, 2009 at 21:38
the dog apparently didn’t want me to type the rest of the sentence! I was going to say … and pumpkins and turkey and apples!
LivingWicked Reply:
November 1st, 2009 at 21:51
Oooh. Yeah I hate that shit too. It is like a baby costume fashion parade or something. Blah.
I love fall more than any of the holidays. I try not to let the over commercialized nature of the holidays affect my love for them though.
What I love most is the memories. The way the people that I love really find a way to bond with one another … life issues, problems and all.
Holidays don’t mean presents or propaganda. Not to me. They mean love.
November 2nd, 2009 at 00:54
Xavier will get it when he is older and when he sees Charli doing the something (if she does), He will either A)Sit on the side and laugh B)Warn her about your incoming wrath… either way it’s gonna have a positive effect.
Went to some Frat parties in Eugene
I saw many young ladies in various “slut” costumes…. I enjoyed it to say the least
And those Sour Apple/Caramel suckers are by far my fav!
LivingWicked Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 16:11
frat parties huh? How was that?
I <3 those suckers!
Tyler LB. Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 21:49
Frat Parties are great… I had some shitty beer pong partners though
and I’m glad you know wha suckers im talkin bout lol
LivingWicked Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 22:51
Those suckers rule.
November 2nd, 2009 at 05:23
How was your Halloween? My Halloween KICKED ASS…got to sit outside and watch my godson scare the shit out of grown folks!! LOL
What was the most creative costume you saw this year? Creative…….I don’t know….the cutest one was a little boy, about 1-2 that was all decked out in khaki and had a mini-fishing pole, he was toooooo cute!!! the BumbleBee costumes were pretty awesome too…..
Now for the adults at the ‘concert’ I went to Friday, there was Lara Croft and an overweight Spiderman that I liked!! LOL
What is your favorite Halloween treat? tootsie rolls…them and 3 musketeers are the only chocolate I eat!
LivingWicked Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 16:12
OMG I thought that I was the only one who loved tootsie rolls.
November 2nd, 2009 at 06:47
Girl, I can’t say it gets easier…my oldest son is 13 and the whole month of October has had no phone, no computer, no video games and grounded all month, I’m running out of things to take from him!! Just last week has been suspended from school bus for 3days so now I’m getting punished by having to wake up early and take him!! I can’t stand boys!!
LivingWicked Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 16:13
Fuck.
November 2nd, 2009 at 08:11
I used to dress up, play spooky music (theme from Halloween), and decorate the place like crazy for Halloween. I get maybe 20 kids spaced out over two hours. This year, I forgot it was trick or treat night (having no kids sometimes works in a person’s advantage) and not one kid knocked on my door. Not one. I think the dental hygienist next door with her treats of toothbrushes and dental floss have run the kids away from this block.
I gotta say, I’m feeling for Xavier. Either he’s gonna learn his lesson or he’s gonna hold one hell of a grudge.
LivingWicked Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 16:13
I hope he doesn’t resent me. I really hate that I have to do all of this.
Buzzardbilly Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 17:16
I resented the hell out of my parents whenever they punished me. No one likes to get punished even when they clearly need to be. But, you know what, when I got to college around all those kids whose parents never punished them and never taught them how to act or how to be grateful or how to care about the well-being of others, I went back and thanked Mom and Dad for fighting the good fight and making sure I didn’t turn out like those other kids who got by with everything.
Just make the punishment fit the crime. No more, no less. That is what being a good parent is all about.
November 2nd, 2009 at 08:20
Halloween was fun. Friday night we did the Trunk-O-Treat at the school which is always fun for the kids – my daughters came and brought the grandbabies for that. Hectic night but at least I got to see them. Saturday night we went with some friends – they block off the streets in their neighborhood and each house (that participates – most do) is responsible for some sort of carnival type attraction or game. Some of the people get really creative. They string orange and white lights across the streets from tree to tree – house to house. There was miniature golf, basketball hoop shoots, bean bag toss, musical gravestones, etc. One house always sets up a display of some kind for posing the kids for fall pictures. The guy must be a photographer or something because they had all the lights set up. Last year they had hay bales and all these pots of beautiful fall mums with a fall backdrop. This year they had a spooky ghost backdrop with a creepy haunted-house-looking chandelier hanging from above. Pretty neat for those that want to have that “photo-op”. Each house hands out candy as you do the activities. We always take a big bowl of it with us to hand out while we’re there. They have popcorn machines set up and hot dogs cooking on the grill – total family atmosphere. Even had a costume contest for the different age groups. When we finished there I let Dill TOT through our neighborhood a little.
I love seeing all the costumes at Halloween and my favorites are the homemade ones. A couple of my faves this year – my friend’s daughter was mother nature. She took a plain green dress and embellished it with silk vines she bought at the craft store – floral candle rings around her ankles….a really cool little bird’s nest on top of her head. Another was the desperate housewife. Awesome costume put together but probably didn’t cost her a single dime. Hair all done up in pink sponge curlers – flannel pajames with a robe tied over them – fuzzy slippers, a “mug-shot” sign hanging around her neck that said “desperate housewife” – lipstick all askew.
You mentioned the jelly beans – we saw a little girl who was a bunch of grapes – garbage bag with purple balloons all over it, green tights and a big green bow in her hair. It was cute.
I never give candy to the big kids who tromp through the neighborhood without a costume and I detest it when they are still ringing the damn doorbell at 10:00 even though the porch light is off. Makes me wish I had a real spook to summon to run out and scare the living shit out of them.
I love chocolate but I don’t dig into Dill’s. It’s dang near all he can have – he has a dental appliance and can’t have all the fruity and chewy stuff. No gum, taffy, etc. I usually eat that stuff. Candy corn is my fave this time of year with tootsie rolls running a close second.
Keep at that creative parenting. It will definitely pay off – he may not be thanking you now but someday he will.
LivingWicked Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 16:15
Oooh. I wish a teenager would ring my doorbell past 10.
November 2nd, 2009 at 10:09
A) I love those Winnie the Pooh fall pictures, fo’ real.
B) Awww Charli sounds like she had a blasty blast
C) Seriously, the kids with no costumes got kicked out of my garage especially if they were over the age of 7
D)I like the idea of Xavier using his present money to give others presents.
My halloween consisted of carving pumpkins with my little cousin handing out candy and drinking a bottle of champagne with some chinese food.
The most creative costume was a girl dressed as the American flag.. she had a dress in the pattern and leggings and poofy arms and a crown and an apron all handmade. OR someone was dressed as double trouble half angel half devil that was cute.
I loved Bottle Caps
LivingWicked Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 16:16
I like the angel devil idea.
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:44
1. It was good. We took my nephew around. He was Peter Pan, and he wanted to walk into everyone’s houses and look at their lights.
2. My nephew’s. It made me want to be Peter Pan next year.
3. I <3 milk duds, lollipops, whoppers, almond joys, mounds, anything with coconut or caramel.
LivingWicked Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 16:17
MILK DUDS ARE SO BOMB.
November 2nd, 2009 at 17:48
My kids got their entire candy stash confiscated as we went along. They each got one small pile with identical items put back into their bag and it is being doled out on the 2-3 piece basis. Two of them will not be recieving candy beyond that, as they have stole from MY PERSONAL CANDY STASH and THIS IS THEIR REPLACEING OF IT.
It pisses me off too when kids don’t find SOMETHING to wear. Put a fucking white garbage bag on and call yourself WHITE TRASH. I don’t give a shit. Personally, I spent around $30 to outfit three kids. Two of them got costumes at ValueVillage and the third got a brand new costume that was already 50% off at Kmart. They were happy and cute. Additionally, In the neighborhood that we go to, if a parent dresses up and takes the kid all the way to the door for safety purposes, the parent is usually given candy also. It’s NICE.
We had a funny Halloween. My back hurt. My pelvis hurt. My feet hurt. And I contracted most of the way, but the god damned baby is still safe inside there with his head pressing on my bladder. I rocked and squatted and hid under my golf umbrella, but I DID NOT ONCE COMPLAIN. Dan left his smokes in the car. I bummed one off my sister so we didn’t have to go back to the car….and then, my pet koala shit his pants. He was soooo INTO ToTing that he didn’t want to stop and mention that he had to use the bathroom. We all laughed till we had tears. Then we came home, cleaned up, lit our pumpkins and the boys went to bed early while Dan, sis and I stayed up and watched The Orphan.
I didn’t really pay attention to what other people were wearing. There wasn’t that many people where we usually go because it was raining. Party poopers. (good news, it doesn’t usually rain in CA, and Dan said he’s NEVER had rain on Halloween before! WOOT!)
LivingWicked Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 23:00
You said “party pooper” and didn’t even realize the pun in that from the original story. heh.
November 2nd, 2009 at 18:05
Still no word on where that $10 came from… will you ever find out?
LivingWicked Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 23:09
He is sticking to the “blowing in the wind” story.
November 2nd, 2009 at 19:55
our Halloween – pretty good, I was exhausted and felt like ass but did the good parent thing and sucked it up. The fact that this first trimester thing makes me piss at least every 5 minutes didn’t help, I was almost in tears before I finally was able to relieve the pressure. And with 8 million rugrats around, copping a squat wasn’t happening. But all in all, good night.
I really can’t recall a costume that stood out, but one thing that goes along with the teenager BS – 2 little boys, probably around 8 or 9 came up to us and asked if we saw a teenager wearing a jumpsuit and carrying a shovel because he had…get this… HIT THEM WITH THE SHOVEL AND TRIED TO STEAL THEIR CANDY. one of the boys was almost in tears. Jim said he hoped he ran into this fucker. The cops were out looking for him, but I hope some kids dad found him first. go to a store and buy a bag of candy you worthless piece of shit. Traumatizing some kids on Halloween, not ok.
oh and we kept running into a dad that drove his 2 kids around to every house, he just cruised along with them and neither of them were wearing a costume. And they were probably like 10? He was driving a Cadillac Escalade so I’m willing to bet they had the means for a costume or 2.
I <3 all fruity candy. Don't get me wrong, I love a good snickers, reeses PB cup and Baby Ruth but I swiped all Haley's Dots and Mike and Ikes. ok, and her 100 Grand bars, cause those are little pieces of heaven and baby wants some chocolate.
LivingWicked Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 23:10
oh man 100 grand is the business.