Tricks for treats...

Well she did it! Scarlett put on a costume and had a blast on her first true Halloween night of trick-or-treating! Whew! It came down to the wire really. But she did it herself with little coaxing attempts from mom and dad.

In a recent post I explained how Scarlett was flat-out refusing to wear any form of costume. Sure, she told everyone we came in contact with that she was going to be Mickey Mouse for Halloween but when it came down to it she had no intention of wearing those red pants or that headband. Tantrums were thrown, fits ensued. We finally dropped the issue, switched gears and took a more subtle approach - thanks to a few helpful ideas from our Facebook friends.

In her dress-up box that Grandma made for her birthday was a Minnie Mouse costume. Thinking that could be a last minute option we laid the groundwork. I randomly wore her Minnie ears. Gregg hung the sparkly Minnie dress in her room. We made comments like, "Oh look how cute these ears look on your bunny! Maybe we will take the bunny out trick-or-treating since he loves them so much!" Scarlett gave us the stink eye, showing her disapproval. Gregg began giving her lessons on trick-or-treating by closing the doors upstairs and handing her a pail. They walked down the hallway and knocked on the doors saying, "TRICK OR TREAT!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!" and (when wooden blocks were placed in her pail) "Thank Youuuu" - she LOVED it. Playing peek-a-boo was Gregg's idea - we threw her dress over her head saying, "Where's Scarlett???" and before you know it we were just inches away from getting that dress all the way on. Each afternoon I wore the Minnie ears for a while and then left them on the floor alongside Scarlett's toys. One evening I looked over and saw her trying to put them on, then wearing them around her neck. Masking my excitement, I casually said, "Oh do you want some help, let me help you put those on" and Presto! Minnie was born. That same night Gregg asked if she wanted to wear her dress and practice trick-or-treating in the hallway again. BAM! SUCCESS! She was ready. Awesome.

We only knocked on a small block's worth of doors but Scarlett loved every minute of it. "Let's do another one!" She chanted, dragging along her heavy bucket of goodies. She really had a great time - and so did we. She even had her very first lollipop.

spinnnn spinnnn...

As my favorite time of year approaches (eeeeek!!) I'm sitting here knotting up into a ball of stress. Why? Because I don't know what color dishes to use at Scarlett's 2nd birthday party or what costume to buy her for Halloween. Yes, really. 

That is my M.O. right there. I love love love thinking about all the fun that comes with the Fall and Winter season yet I can't get my mind to shut the hell up for twenty-five seconds. (Here is where Gregg would say, Because you're insane. And he means that in the nicest way possible). True, I cannot stop my mind from spinning - False, that I am actually insane. I am, however, a super obsess-or infused with fanatic and sprinkled with perfectionist. And I will gladly make fun of myself for being all of these things. 

I realize nobody is going to give a flying crap that the cupcake toppers I made aren't my favorite colors or that the circles are too big. I know that people are going to use their dishes to pile food on and their napkins to wipe their mouths and they will not give a hoot whether they are striped or polka-dotted. But it's the aesthetic. I have a vision of 'all things pretty' and it matters most to me. Not to my family or friends and certainly not to Scarlett who would be happy with a cupcake and a balloon. I'm not trying to impress anyone (but myself I guess).

As for Halloween. WTF. I thought this would be the easiest decision ever. Why are all the costumes either super babyish or kinda trampy? The cutesy animal costumes just look like pajamas, the older ones seem TOO old - like knee-socks/mini-skirts old. And the in-between costumes either have clunky shoes or hideous garbage-bag-like outfits. I don't know. I'm a little stumped. Of course all the ones that I have loved so far are owls. Because Scarlett was an owl last year. Dammit. Also, I don't foresee a hat staying on her head for more than .09 seconds soooooooo we'll have to factor that in. This is going to be interesting to say the least. She may end up wearing a shirt and sunglasses... Risky Business style. Stay tuned.