Give a little. Take a lot!

Not the title we are used to. Usually we say, "Give a lot, take a little." But not on Halloween. On Halloween it is the opposite, if you are a parent. Now wait, let me explain my comment before you run off saying that I told you to take the candy and run. Nope, not what I meant.

Halloween is my favorite holiday of the year. I love pumpkin picking, hayrides, haunted houses, cider and donuts and, most of all, dressing up in costume. For one day of the year we can be whatever we want - something funny, scary, beautiful. There are no limits on Halloween - the only rule is that we are not ourselves for the day, well not on the outside anyway.

On top of utilizing our creative energy to the fullest degree on the most spirited day of the year, we are encouraged to eat candy all the while. Usually, we skip the candy aisle in the grocery store. Usually, we tell our child to put down the piece of chocolate. But today we let them have it. We dress them up; we take their picture for the hundredth time repeatedly saying, "cheese, look at me." And, then we shove a piece of candy in their mouth. At the end of the day they are all sugared up and fall to bed, comatose.

Later, when the magic ends and the sugar dissolves into nothing we expect them to go back to their normal routine of putting the chocolate down and skipping dessert. "Yeah, right," our kids think. So the title of "Give a little, take a lot" comes into play. Go trick or treating and get as much candy as you want. And, at the end of the day let them revel in the sugar, a little and take the rest. Hide it. Destroy it. Give it away or save it and, once in a while, let them have a piece to remind them of the special treat Halloween brings only once a year.

Another long night

This is how it all went down. After a tiresome day with two non-sleepy children I went to bed early, 9:45 p.m. I was thrilled to tuck myself into bed and sleep tight until morning. I knew my 8-month-old wouldn't stir because she only slept five hours the night before and remained up all day, teasing me with cat naps. So, there I lay waiting to fall asleep. I finally fell into dream land when my husband came to bed at 11:45 p.m. He can't silently ease into bed. But, I pretend to be asleep, you all know why. So, anyways after he starts snoring I get up to use the bathroom for the final time. It's now 12:15 p.m and I fall asleep again; my REM sleeps takes off. Uhhhh, I finally retreat into a non-mom mode, in my dreams.

The red light blinks 1:30 a.m. when two tiny feet shuffle into my room. "Nolan, go back to bed," I repeat several times in a loud whisper. His feet turn and he heads back to his room. "Uhhh, that wasn't to bad," I think. Moments later, the shuffle returns. He doesn't say anything. He sneaks in the room, tries to climb into bed with us, without us knowing of course. Peeking at the clock, 2:05 a.m. "Go back to bed, Nolan."

He turns and returns to his slumbering spot to return only 15 minutes later. Still, no words escape his lips. Finally, dad gets up and takes him back to bed. Dad never returns. Uhhh, finally.

And, so I doze off, dream plenty and wake to my 8-month-old at 4:25 a.m. "Holy Crap." I peel myself out of bed and somehow make it upstairs, I had yet to open my eyes. She is howling, now. But as I pull her up and hold her tight I can't be mad. She is my precious girl with big poops in her pants. I change her diaper and head back to bed. 4:45 a.m. shines bright.

5:20 a.m. blinks in my eyes as another howl yelps out of the baby monitor. I'll give her 5 minutes. If she is still crying I'll make a bottle. She is sound asleep in 4 minutes. The clock now reads 5:25 a.m., then 6:05 a.m., then 6:25 a.m.

Finally, I get up to go to the bathroom and then proceed to the coffee maker. Without caffeine I would fall flat on my face and die. Well, I wouldn't die because my kids would have too much fun climbing all over me and pulling my hair saying, "Giddy up, mama, giddy up." I'd have to get up to save my hair.

My husband is a faker

Last night was not a good night. My 8-month-old was up all night long. She must be teething, again, because nothing could soothe her and no one could comfort her but me. Although, I was the only one trying. It always amazes me that I am the only one who hears a crying infant at night. Or, is it that my husband pretends not to hear. He is a faker: his eyes are shut tight, he faces away from me and all snoring stops. On most nights, he is in my face sawing logs. His snoring causes such disruption that I have sworn to send him right to the sleep lab for tests. His snoring has gotten so bad that I have cried at night out of pure frustration, or we spend most nights playing musical beds. So, get it together hubby. You don't fool me for a second.

Up Close and Personal

Why not run?

Does the cost of Halloween costumes got you spooked?

Before running out the door to purchase your kid's Halloween costume, run right back inside and get on your computer. For months, Nolan said he wanted to be Clifford the Big Red Dog. I had visions of making his costume - a tall red dog made out of chicken wire and felt. He had to be big, right? I envisioned shaping chicken wire into a dog and extending it into the sky, to make him tall. Later, I would attach red fabric or felt around it. I wasn't sure how I would attach it. My creativity is prematurely stunted when it comes to sewing. My mom and sister Sarah got that gene. In the past I assigned them the task, but since my extended family has grown I can't expect them to make costumes for four children. Lucky for us all, my attempt to make him a hand-made costume failed when my husband found a costume on Ebay for $3. I was off the hook!

It arrived in the mail yesterday. It is perfect. He doesn't stand up tall in the sky, but his smile was wide and my wallet is full.

Exercise at 7 a.m.

At 7 a.m. this morning my three-year-old son asked me to dance. "Right now?" I replied. "I havn't had my coffee." A jolt of caffeine does wonders for a sleepy mom who is up throughout the night with a teething 8-month-old. I wanted to say, "Do we have to?" But how often does a handsome young man take your hand, look deeply into your eyes as if you are the most beautiful creature in the world and, despite your spicy morning breath, say, "lets dance." And, so I did. I knelt down, picked him up, twirled him in circles and danced. I couldn't think of a better way to start my day. Now, where is my coffee?

Let's Get Physical

I am not going to break out in Olivia Newton John's song from the past, "Let's Get Physical." I am just curious as to what you did today to get physical. Every move counts, you know. Here is what I did:

I chased my dog down the street, in bare feet and in the rain
I chased my son up and down the stairs, bribing him to sit on the potty
I carried my 8-month-old daughter and my 3-year-old son out of the drug store
I tried to teach my son how to ride a bike
I took my dog and my two kids on a jog / walk
I ran out of gas and convinced two guys to push me into a gas station

So, what did you do?