... you know the ones.
Welcome to the first themed edition of Sincerely ‘Fro Me to You! {You can read the nitty gritty carnival details here}.
“Whatever it is, it’s obviously contagious!”
This is a popular week to Google Halloween costumes.
I’m hosting a Bring Your Own Pumpkin {BYOP} Party on Oct. 31st!
{important disclaimer: objects (rear ends, specifically) in blog are not actual size}
They say time flies when you’re having fun.
Feel free to grab the button and email me the answers to the following questions to join The Society!
Picture of the Week:
The Week in Review: My boy got his first shiner (black eye, not drink) and I am so proud. The funny story that goes with it? That’s what’s funny…there’s not one. He thinks he bumped heads with someone.
And now, I’m happy to introduce you to CanCan of Mom Most Traveled! She submitted this funny story as her THAT family moment!
5. Where can we find your blog?
http://www.mommosttraveled.com
We actually pinned the waist, but you could add a snap or velcro.
I got the little fabric poodle and embellishment for a couple of dollars at Wal Mart.
I found this really great article about Christians and Halloween. The author talks about our options, most of which are extremes. Here’s the part I like: “There’s another option open to Christians: limited, non-compromising participation in Halloween. There’s nothing inherently evil about candy, costumes, or trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. In fact, all of that can provide a unique gospel opportunity with neighbors. Even handing out candy to neighborhood children–provided you’re not stingy–can improve your reputation among the kids. As long as the costumes are innocent and the behavior does not dishonor Christ, trick-or-treating can be used to further gospel interests.I’ve always been afraid of scary things.
I can still remember the raw fear I felt watching “Nightmare on Elm Street” at a sleepover birthday party in the 5th grade.
I called my parents to come and get me.
Because that’s what chickens do. And because, Kujo was next on the movie list.
For weeks, lo months, the terrifying images from those movies haunted me.
My kids, especially my oldest have always been sensitive to frightening stories and images, so we don’t allow them.
And so, it might come as a surprise that I let my my children dress up for Halloween.
At least it was to an acquaintance of mine who berated me the other day for my unholy choice. Her words, “We avoid the day entirely. We shut off our lights and pretend not to be home because nothing about the day glorifies God.”
I must admit I felt some indignation rise up. And so I said, “Instead of hiding, why not use the opportunity to shed The Light on a dark day. It would be powerful to teach your kids that we don’t have to be like the world to live in the world.”
That pretty much ended our conversation.
But I couldn’t get away from it. Especially since I wasn’t exactly doing my brilliant idea.
I know there are a lot of Christians who share my acquaintance’s view. And I know there are a lot of Christians who let their kids dress up in fun costumes and participate in some way.
My kids love candy. They love dressing up. And even though we usually just participate in church or neighborhood activities, I wondered what they thought about Halloween.
And so, I asked them.
Some of their answers surprised me. And so we sat down and explained some of the darkness behind Halloween. My kids looked fearful. Not so much about the evil choices some people make on Satan’s holiday, more about the idea of us removing costumes and candy from their future. Like the TV.
So, here’s what our family is planning: My kids are going to don their homemade costumes (that I’ll be sharing at this week’s DIYP). We are going to stuff as much candy into our bags as we can at our Church Fall Festival the day before Halloween. And the next day we’re going to our community activities, to replace all the candy we will eat the night before. And on Halloween night, we will sit in our driveway and pass out the best candy we can afford.
Along with these little booklets that have a great Christian message:
We’re going to do our part to spread a little light.
Y’all know how to show a mom-business some love! Thanks for all the virtual shopping and comments. The winner of the $25 gift certificate to LynLivy’s ArtHouse
You want to read something classic? I had these adorable fall cards made at Wal Mart last year to send out to friends and family so they could celebrate our baby’s first autumn.
The other day, I followed a link that followed a link that led me to a happy place:
and 
The Red Hat Society stopping traffic at our local craft show.
Right now, at this exact moment, do you know what my family is doing?
I’ve thought a lot about life lately.
I love me a good porch.
For the sake of time, I am going to simply bullet the reasons I think our family is THAT family too:
§ People always STARE at our family . . . any place we go. I guess two adults, one teenage daughter and four boys under the age of six is not very common in our area.
§ When all seven of us arrive at our table in a restaurant the people seated around the table we are taken to seem to scowl. A
fter the scowl our family is watched with EAGLE eyes . . . I am certain people are on pins and needles waiting for the first child to make an outburst.
§ No matter where we go, someone has to pee or poo!
§ The UPS and FEDEX guys know us well enough to recognize us when we are at the gas station or in a store.
§ We tend to run late, a lot!
§ We are the ones that tie up checkout lanes at Wal-Mart! Yes, we are the people that purchase three cart loads of groceries EVERY time we shop. Our register receipt is THREE miles long!
§ I know the call nurse, reception attendant and the pediatrician on a first name basis.
§ The poison control center sent me an EMERGENCY packet because I had contacted them so many times. “Children’s toothpaste is not poisonous, but may cause diarrhea!”
§ When my children are on the driveway to play our yard looks as if it is a “yard sale!” People have actually stopped and walked up to see. My hubs think the boys have too many riding toys! Hmmmmm
§ I am the neighbor you hear asking her children if they want to be paralyzed. We have an in ground swimming pool . . . there are stairs leading into the pool on the shallow end . . . for some reason my boys insist on jumping close to those stairs. After many bouts of instructing and then telling them not to jump near the stairs, I finally deduced it might be easier to give them an example. So, I had one of the boys lay on the pool deck and not move a muscle. I explained that if they jumped in and hit one of the steps just right they could become paralyzed and that meant they could not move – they would have to lay day in and day out. The boys seemed to “get it” after that demonstration. During my “demonstration and talk” with the boys our neighbor from next door came over laughing and said, “You sound like I would have when my kids were little. That question probably would have come out of my mouth too!
§ We are the family that has a portable “Johnny” sitting on our driveway. (for the construction guys only!)
§ We are the family that has a huge garbage dumpster on the driveway as well. (construction)
§ If you come to the door you will feel as if you are being ganged up on by THAT family because every child and dog will be at the door to see who you are.
§ Three of our boys thought it would be fun to have a “PEE Fight in the bathroom one day! Mommy found “it” and was not at all impressed!
My list could go on and on . . . but I think you might just agree . . . we are DEFINITELY a THAT FAMILY too!
Thank you for taking the time and energy to do something good.
*UPDATED* Congratulations to 3 Cookie Day! You just won an awesome book. Thanks for leaving questions/answers. I wish I had answers to all your questions. I am learning to accept my kid’s natures more and to err on the side of grace.
| Q: | My kids get up 3 to 4 times after I’ve put them to bed. It’s driving me nuts. It takes me an hour and a half to get them to sleep. What should I do? |
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Raising Kids Who Turn Out Right For more great tips, visit Works for Me Wednesday! |
One Day to Give is this Friday! It’s just a few days away, but you still have time to make a difference in someone’s life!
