Halloween in Wonderland

We fell down a rabbit hole for Halloween this year. For our 4th annual family theme costume we went as the cast of Alice in Wonderland, Disney not Burton--big difference.

Our tradition began in 2010 with Toy Story

Followed by Dr. Seuss

Then my personal favorite, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

This year we added another cast member to the group and Indy was a complete rock star in his Smokin' Caterpillar costume. He was a champ every time I strapped him in the Bjorn and hoisted the size 3T costume over his head. By the way, he loved the crap out of that hookah pipe (that was completely sterilized and WAS NOT OURS) For real, it was like the best pacifier EVER.

I look forward to our family theme all year long and I honestly can't imagine Halloween without our group costume. It starts in July when I begin narrowing down all the different ideas. Once I've decided on the theme, I begin my mission of carefully convincing the kids how great of an idea it is. Chance, god bless him will do anything I ask, my trouble lies with the girls. But this year everyone was on board!

I proudly introduce The Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat, Alice, Queen of Hearts, White Rabbit and Caterpillar Narciso.

The life size chess pieces that I bought Eugene for his birthday an eternity ago came in handy for our group shot.

  

Blue Gatorade in case you're wondering.

  

Thank you Ebay for this SCORE of a find for Mia--there's no way in hell I could have made that costume. 

His blue steel pose cracks me up so much here. And the fuzzy paws that cover his light-up Spiderman gym shoes seal the deal for cuteness.

He's become such a ham for the camera these days.

Mia radiated in her costume. Walking home on Halloween night she asked if we could be Alice again next year. I smiled because I knew she wanted to feel this way again. This happy. And pretty. Bless her heart.

Truth be told, I'm already thinking of next year. Only 11 more months away…….

Happy Halloween
2013

My Addiction

(deep breath. deep breath. here goes)

I finally realize it's a problem. It's always been there, for as far back as I can remember, it's been there. I'm sorry if this seems very unlike me and straight forward but I just need to get it out.

See, I've learned not to blame anyone but myself. What was so easily typed out just now, was actually a difficult and often painful realization. And the sad truth is that it's getting worse. I'm getting worse. And now I've got kids who watch me. Who watch my every move.

How do I look them in the eyes and tell them their mother is an addict? How do I admit that I can't seem to get enough? Of the candy corns and the pumpkin muffins. The acorns and the gourds. Don't even get me started on the mums, man.

Duuuuuuude, can you pass the Autumn? Mama, needs another hit. 

I AM A FULL FLEDGED FALL JUNKIE!

Eugene and I, in what can only be described as an all-out bender, got the ultimate autumnal high by taking the kids to Door County, Wisconsin for the annual Sister Bay Fall Fest.

It don't get any Fall-er than this!

 

We discovered Door County three years ago and vowed to come back again. 

  

We rented a two bedroom, one story townhouse that had the perfect amount of hiding spaces to keep the kids intrested. Can I jump on the bed Mom? Sure, why the hell not, it's not my house. God I love vacation me--so cool, so laid back. Can we make a fort Mom? Of course you can! Here's 43 blankets and an hour of time, go! 

The Fall Fest was just as we remembered, crisp fall air, warm apple cider, brats on the grill and corn on the cob.....

Zombie marching bands

and parade loot.

After the parade was over we got ourselves some local pumpkin beer (which was delicious) and took the kids to the park, which was smack dab in the middle of the fest. 

The sun was shining, Indy was sleeping quietly and cozy in the stroller, Mia was searching for ladybugs, Bella was lost in her imaginary world, Chance was lovin' the slide and Eugene and I just sat back, relaxed and got on the most amazing buzz. The kind of buzz that keeps you laughing. The kind of buzz that feels so wrong when it's 11AM but yet so, so right. It was hilarious. And fun. And it felt like college again. I, of course, got so paranoid that all the other parents were totally judging us, but we didn't care. Our kids were having the time of their life! It's not often that I take the kids to the park for an unspecified amount of time. They kept looking over at me, with a sad and desperate look like now mom, are we leaving now? only to find me smiling and laughing, a reassurance that playtime can commence. They played in that park FOR OVER 2 HOURS, which for us is like a playground eternity. And Eugene and I just sat back and watched it all.

Speaking of sitting, everywhere in Sister Bay benches are dedicated in someone's honor--a detail that I found so endearing. For a brief moment I wondered who John Anderson was, since he "supported" us and all our goofyness that afternoon. Was he a father or even a grandfather? Did his family chose the bench facing the park for a reason? It was also facing Lake Michigan, which isn't a shabby view either. These benches say more about this town than any tourism brochure could ever do-- sit, relax and remember. 

Mark my words family, I want a bench someday.

I love that our weekend getaways have become almost a necessity for us. Getting away from our comfort, isolating ourselves, tuning out and turning off is just what our family needs. 

Jeez, I've spent 5 minutes typing about family and I'm already jones-in' to write more about Fall. First stage is admittance, Gina. Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. Truthfully, there just isn't enough time to APPRECIATE the fall season. If I were in charge I'd take an entire week (or 2) and just escape with my family like we did this past weekend and spend our days baking, and hiking and taking in every blessed color around us. It's a sin not to enjoy it. Until the leaves have fallen and the sky turns gray, I'm going to ride this high for as long as I can.

And sure, in two months when my buzz is killed and the snow brings on irritability, cold sweats and restlessness, I'll be comforted in knowing that my detox will eventually get better. I may have to wait 10 months, but the score will be worth it.

Note to my children-- if you're reading this years from now I hope to god you know what a metaphor is. If not, here's our vacation video to distract you:

All that Jazz!

You know what I'd really love? Some extra time to actually catch up on here. Don't think it's going to happen anytime soon. Soooo, something is better than nothing, right? I am committed to posting something every day, even if it's a picture. So, here goes.

Remember in the summer when the kids were in a week long musical theatre camp together? Well, here's a little montage of their show Jazz! A Swinging Celebration. They are SO funny on stage. Bella takes it SO seriosuly. Mia's a total ham and Chance is just happy to scream and shout!!

Chance's Potty Week

Dear Big Boy Chance,

You make me so proud.

This week we've all watched, cheered and encouraged you as you rocked Potty Week (our family's version of potty training, here's Mia's Potty Week). For the past 4 months I've been prepping you for Potty Week with talks about all the fun things we'd do, all the cool prizes you'd get and how we'd celebrate the end of the week with a potty party. You sounded pretty excited about it and I concluded every one of our talks with you'll know when you're ready and when you know, you come and tell us.

And so we waited until after Indy was born and waited and waited some more and then suddenly preschool started and I knew that all you needed was a teeny tiny push. Moms are good like that. So last Sunday I pulled out the underpants that your Nana bought you so you could "try" them on and wouldn't ya know,  you flashed the hugest smile (which melts me every time) shook your cute little tush (or as you call it buttfish) and ran around the house showing everyone your BIG! BOY! UNDERPANTS! Which come to think of it, I hope that's the last time I ever type that sentence  :)

When I went to take your underpants off, I was met with some resistance so I calmly reminded you that it's not yet Potty Week. And with a wave of my imaginary wand, I held my breath and waited for your reaction. Then suddenly you yelled  "But Mommy, I ready for Potty Week!!!"

Cue the choir of angels.

You woke the next morning greeted by a huge banner and you immediately knew it was yours because you spied your name (which was totally precious btw). It was the perfect kick-off to our celebration.

Prizes, outings and special gestures make up each day of Potty Week. It's a milestone that I want to honor the heck out of, because really, it's a big one. The last shred of infancy gone right before my sappy little eyes. Trust me, it needs its own week.  

Later that night Bella bestowed your first of several gifts and her big sister speech is just adoarable, see:

The next day I picked you up from school and had your lunch already packed in a little travel bag and you were THRILLED. I wanted to pull you aside and say "dude, it's only lunch in a bag" but nothing could damper your spirits.

So off to Target we went and you ate your lunch in the shopping cart like you were king of the world. It's here where we picked out your underpants. After a brutal 15 minutes in the underwear aisle you  finally decided on a superhero trio: Superman, Batman and Spiderman. Seriously Chance, you jump phases quicker than your sisters. All of a sudden Lightning McQueen is a nobody and Thomas the Train might as well be civil war toys.

But I digress.

You proudly showed off your underpants to the cashier and exclaimed loudly "It's Potty Week" but instead it came out sounding kinda like Sloth from The Goonies and I swear she thought you were moaning "my body's weak" cuz she shot me a look like I should take better care of my child. Hmmmph.

Once home, you meticulously layed out your underpants in your new designated underwear basket and fell asleep for naptime with a smile on your face.

The next day your surprise came in an edible form. I busted out my small alphabet shapes and spelled your name in cheese.

Your excitement slays me. In fact you said, "that is sooooo awesome mom" like a total surfer and I couldn't have been happier. I sat at the table and just silently watched you eat, smiling with you as you crunched your Sun Chips, and chewed your cantaloupe--marveling at how happy you make me and how grateful I am to have you as my child. I hope your sweet innocense stays with you forever Chance. You can be happy with the smallest of gestures. MAN, I LOVE THAT ABOUT YOU.

Oh look! You found the hidden green Skittle :)

 The following day you came home from school and your surprise was an HD Nature movie all about birds. Sidenote, you freakin' love large birds; eagles, hawks and seagulls just to name a few. But this movie blew any other Wild Kratt show outta the water because this movie had video cameras ATTACHED TO THE BIRDS. We were both blown away actually!

It also had some savage and gruesome deaths by a lion and a tweeked out baboon....but the birds were sure fun to watch.

Later that evening, Mia gave you a gift for doing so good. His name is Bongo.

Welcome to the family, Bongo. You'll probably be wiped with, spit on, thrown around but trust me, you'll be loved, even by our littlest of members.

And as promised Chancey, we ended the week with a Potty Party. Good food, great desserts and a roomful of people who were proud of you! Not a bad way to start the rest of your life, eh?



I'll love you forever buddy! Great job@!

Mommy
xoxo

Back To The Future

From deconstructed tacos to antique musket balls this certainly was an adventurous weekend! We started Friday night with another awesome meal at ING. We've been there once before for their Nightmare Before Christmas Menu and was equally impressed with their newest menu, Street Foods.

The food was totally inventive and explored famous street dishes from all over the world! What a great night with friends and to be out of the house without kids was definitely something I needed. That zombie drink you see below helped too!

Check it, they garnished the drink with a gelatinous brain and accompanied it with a syringe filled with "blood" that I needed to add to the drink. So cool!

On Saturday, we stepped back in time and got our fur trade on...

A River Thru History is a re-creation of life in the Des Plaines Valley during the Fur Trade Era, where traders would barter supplies with local tribes. This "rendezvous" would sometimes last as long as two weeks, where they'd meet to socialize, dance, sing, eat, drink, fight and race canoes. Sounds like a bender!

Bella, who has become quite the expert on this time period (and pretty much every major historical event because of the Magic Treehouse books) was in major awe.

The participants were hardcore with their costumes and my kids ate it up! Literally.

She loved the apple butter. 

I always poke fun of those who participate in re-enactments and I realize it's because I've never actually been to one. I gotta admit it was so intriguing to watch from afar. 

Dude, they shot a cannonball.

With the utmost curiosity my kids learned about life without Crayola markers.

And marveled at the ruffles and capris. 

On men.

And listened to the tunes of our history...

They each picked out a souvenir.

Um, yeah, I think Mia missed the boat when she went for the CHINESE UMBRELLA, HELLO???!!!

Chance's wooden King Cobra. Trust me, it's a lot better than the rifle he was eyeing. 

Ahhh, the good child. Rock out with your pan flute, girl!

I wondered what type of pioneer mom I would have been as I pushed my stroller past tent after homemade tent. Sure, the whole churning my own butter would annoy the shit outta me, but I also wouldn't have Facebook taking me away from my kids either. 

Childrearing of the past was mainly centered around a work-based approach, 

which let's face it, isn't my strong suit. Life would have been a lot harder back then, that's for sure.

But for a VERY brief moment, I envied those participating--I mean I have to give them credit for the committment factor. As a young girl, I'd spend hours dreaming of what life was like in a Laura Ingalls Wilder book. My 9 year old self would have totally rocked that bonnet and fetched a pail of water. 

But I do know this, whether its 1813 or 2013, I would have loved just the same.