Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!!

These are the pumpkins my kids carved.

Today was DH’s day off, and I slept a lot longer than I wanted to – again. He did a TON of laundry, but was still surrounded by a messy house. It apparently got to him, cause he was in a grumpy mood even when we were looking at the Halloween costumes we had packed away. He loves Halloween. He was cheered up by the fact that his favorite movie was on tonight, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

When I get off work, I’m going to Walmart to get chocolate and Pringles and pie LOL. My co-workers were making me seriously hungry and talking about all those things.

In the morning (a few hours now) DH leaves for work early and works til 3pm. I have to take him to work so I have the van later. Gonna take the kids to Kmart and let the youngest pick out a new costume since she’s already worn the only one we can find here that fits her. And of course we need Halloween candy…. the chocolate is mine and the pie.

Then when he gets off work and we pick him up, we’ll come home and everyone gets dressed up (except me tyvm) and we go trick or treating. Even 16 wants to go this year.  12 however wants to go see a scary movie with her friends. We’ll see. I’m not wildly keen on that idea unless someone’s mom or dad goes along.

I hope everyone has a very happy and safe Halloween!

The Angel Tree

I remember back when DH and I were first married and our oldest child was a baby, we we so thrilled to be doing the whole grown-up and married thing.  So when Christmas time rolled around, a store had an Angel Tree set up. It had paper angels on it with age and gender of some less-fortunate child with a list of toys they wanted and clothes and shoes sizes etc. I was thrilled at the opportunity to help out such a child, but we didn’t make much money at all, and already had one child (our first xmas buying a kid presents).  We managed to get the bare minimum required for the child on the paper angel, but I always felt bad that we weren’t able to get them more. I figured if I’d left the name on the tree someone with more money might have been able to get them more. I never picked an angel off the tree again.

Subsequent Christmases have been increasingly difficult. When I was a kid, I got one gift from Mom and Dad and 1 from Santa plus a socking of stuff. Now a days kids expect and usually receive a TON of crap. Boxes and boxes of stuff for each kid. One year when 16 and 12 were still in the elementary school and 10 was still at home, we got a letter from the school that our family had been chosen to receive a gift and to please bring our car with room for stuff on a certain day.  When DH and I arrived, we discovered a local bank had partnered with the school and chosen our family to go overboard for Christmas.  The entire conference room table was covered in gifts for the kids and a disposable camera. The bank wanted us to take pics of the kids opening everything. It was unreal. We had boxes stacked taller than the kids’ heads under and around the tree. It was an amazing Christmas that year. They got all new everything from slippers to PJs to socks and underwear to winter coats and gloves to a ton of toys and school clothes. They even gave stuff to the (then) youngest even though she wasn’t going to school yet.  DH and I were certainly grateful, but how do you show your face again at school meetings after your family is chosen as the “poor kids”?

Soon, there will be an Christmas Tree in the school lobby with paper angels on it. The rich parents will pick off angels and go buy them a slew of cheap dollar store shoes and clearance prices clothes and a toy or two that might relate to what the kid asked for.  I know that’s what they get the poor less fortunate kids, because my kids’ names will be on paper angels. This year, just like every year since the huge bank sponsored thing.

Yesterday 6 and 10 brought home those envelopes we get every year. Sealed, addressed to The Parents of …. It’s always on red paper too.  “Your child has been chosen to be included in the Angel Tree…”  We can sign to accept or decline. We’re going to accept of course, because we need all the help we can get.  I filled out the sizes and what toys they want etc and sealed it back in the envelope and they’re ready to go back to the teacher.

Don’t get me wrong. I am VERY thankful for these gifts. Each year they help out, and last year which was really really rough, we had friends play Santa for us (they got them bikes and all sorts of expensive stuff!).  I know in my heart though that some day, yes some day we WILL be in a position to finally not be on the tree, and I will be able to pull off 2 or 3 of the angels and go get them good shoes and clothes- not ones from dollar stores,- clothes of brands the other kids at school wear, cool coats and gloves, and PJs and slippers and the most awesome toys.

Until then, we get to go to the school sometime before Christmas and hand in the paper that tells them which big black bags to give us, and we try not to look embarassed for the ??th year in a row.