A Halloween Rant

A’s going to be a cowboy for Halloween. J’s going to be a flower. In my usual way, I decided last weekend that I would make their costumes rather than buy cheap and cheesy ones from some store. I even thought that I would start making them last weekend. Yeah. So...fast forward to this weekend (OMG...it’s the weekend? How’d that happen so quickly?). The costume-making supplies are still in the bags from the store, right inside the front door (first thing you see when you walk in the house. FABulous), I’m no closer to even having any idea how to turn those supplies into costumes for the children, and I don’t see it happening this weekend either. It’s about this point in every crafty project I undertake that I realize I don’t have the hours of free time I used to have, and that it’s damn near impossible to accomplish anything with a 4 year old and a 14 month old (who, incidentally, will be walking within the week by my predictions). Then I realize that no one on the short trick-or-treat route A will be taking will even give one rat’s tail about whether or not his costume was homemade rather than purchased at Wal Mart. And J won’t even leave the front porch in hers!! Ahhhhh...

Anyway, the reason I decided to make their cosutmes myself is that I’m one of those people who thinks that Halloween should be about finding stuff around the house and turning it into a costume rather than going out and buying el cheapo nylon and styrofoam cartoon character suits. I don’t know. I guess I want my kids to look back and feel like I tried to do special things for them. But I was shopping today and I’ve been looking high and low for a standard, plain old, nothing fancy, run-of-the-mill cowboy hat for my boy to wear. The closest things I’ve found? An irridescent cowboy hat to go with a “Diva Cowgirl” costume, and several ugly looking foam hats that come in a kit with plastic spurs, guns, sheriff badges, and bandanas. Although I must admit I may end up going back to get the spurs, why is it I can’t find a freakin‘ cowboy hat, for the love of Mike? All I see are these costumes for ninjas, Star Wars characters, cartoon characters, and other things that require no creativity or thought. I thought that every little boy wanted to be a cowboy at some time or another, but perhaps I’m wrong. Anyway, I hope to get the costumes at least started tomorrow during naptime. Sitter’s out of town, so I have an unexpected day off. Of course, planning to start the costumes means planning that both kids will nap, which is really taking a risk in the planning department...