Mom is Just a Nickname

Topher and I took our kids trick or treating tonight. Standard rule is that if you have your light on, we’ll knock on your door. We stick close to our kids to be sure they follow this rule carefully.

We understand there are people who do not celebrate Halloween, whatever their reasons may be. We respect their right not to participate in trick or treating.

We came to a house tonight that had its light on. The kids got excited to go up and ring the doorbell and yell “Trick or Treat!” There was a note attached to the door. The gist of the note was “Hi Kids. We don’t have any candy for you because we do not celebrate Halloween. God Bless.” And it was left to me and my husband to tell my kids that they could not ring this house’s doorbell, to answer their questions of “why not?” and to only be able to say that although these people do not want to hand out candy, they’d left their light on and tricked all the kids into approaching the door.

That’s one hell of a Trick for a 3 year old to understand when he’s expecting a Treat.

If they don’t believe in Halloween and don’t want to participate, they should have left their lights OFF. It’s cruel to the kids who are expecting a treat and they don’t understand one bit of why the people in that house did not play by the rules.

Anyhow, off my soapbox. Pictures of the kids in their costumes coming soon!

My other blog, wfg asks, has been renamed to Moms’ Show and Tell and I have a new interview posted! It features Lynn, a freelance writing mama with a blended family!

So, for years, Toph and I have talked about how funny it’d be for him to be a friar for Halloween one year. We’ve looked at buying costumes, but it never seems worth the money. So, this year, I said I’d make it.

I’d make it…me, the amateur seamstress, who is far more comfortable hand sewing than machine sewing. I swear, every time I use a sewing machine it breaks! And now I live too far from my father in law to call him up to fix it!! So, I hand sewed the whole thing.

Without further ado, I give you Friar Toph:

And of course, All Hallow’s Eve in America would not be complete without a Jack O’Lantern. Here, the children show off their creation:

I’ll get more pictures of the kids in their costumes later today. Guess it’ll be a “two blog post” kind of day!

Lynn is a freelance writer and mother of four.  She authors the blog called Virtual Wordsmith where she explores her experiences as a writer,  interviews other authors, and also reviews books.  She also has a blog, Family in a Blender , which explores the joys and challenges of Stepfamilies, also known as Blended Families. 

wfg: Describe your family life.
Lynn: I am a happily married mother of four children, a daughter - just shy of 18, a stepson - 16, and two sons - 10 and 5.  We have a yours, mine and ours dynamic, as three of the children are from previous marriages or relationships, the youngest child being “ours”.  We do, however, refer to all of the kids as ours. 

wfg:  What special joys or challenges accompany having your children’s ages spread between almost 18 and 5?
Lynn:  There are so many joys it would be tough to choose just one. 
 
One of my favorite memories is of my daughter, holding my youngest son in her arms when he was just a baby, and dancing with him.  He was sound asleep on her shoulder and she was singing to him.  I had this super-imposed vision of her dancing with him at her wedding, with her head on his shoulder.
 
The challenges are many.  Each child is unique, and alike, in that they are all strong personalities and leaders in their own ways.  We run into issues with bedtimes, because the older two want to stay up later.  I run into issues with the 10 year old, because he wants to do the things the 16 year old does, but he’s not quite old enough yet.  Committing the entire family to one activity is also a trick, because the older two already have their own lives, with friends and jobs. 

wfg:  How would you describe your parenting style?
Lynn:  My parenting style is semi-attachment.  I breastfed all of my babies (the first two for 6 months each, the last for 9 months), but did not co-sleep.  I have been a stay at home or work at home mom for what seems like forever.  
 
wfg:  What are your hobbies?
 Lynn:  I love to read.  Lately I’ve had 2 or 3 books going at once, which is new for me.  Cooking is one of my great passions.  I also love to hike in the woods.

wfg:  What kinds of things do you like to cook?  Will you share a favorite recipe?
Lynn:  I love to bake.  Cookies, sweet breads, cakes, candies.  I do not bake breads, though.  I leave that up to my husband.  Yeast and I do not get along.  I also love to do the “home cooked meal” thing - Pot Roast, Turkey with all the trimmings, Soups, Roasted Chicken, Lasagna.
 
My favorite recipe is Guinness Pot Roast.  You can find the recipe here.

wfg:  Are you living the life you thought you’d be living?
Lynn:  I am living the life I envisioned, in many ways.  I always knew I’d have at least 3 children, I’d hoped to be married to someone who was my best friend and partner, and I wanted to raise my children in a small town.  I have achieved those things.
 
I didn’t expect to be living in the Mid West, raising a step child and only seeing my parents and siblings once every 5 years or so.

wfg: You said you didn’t expect to live in the Mid West:  What’s your favorite thing about living there now?
Lynn:  My favorite thing about living here now is the land.  Rich, dark fertile soil, beautiful and varying scenery no matter which part of Minnesota you travel, the power of the Summer storms, the quiet after a 12 inch snowfall.  If I had to live anywhere other than where I grew up, Minnesota is the best place I could have ended up.

wfg:  Describe your average day.
Lynn:  My average day begins with coffee and checking emails.  Then, I make sure the kids are up and out the door to school with everything they need.  Once the kids are on their way, I take a shower, wash dishes and prep things for dinner.  I do a couple of loads of laundry a day. 
 
The remainder of my day is spent reading, writing and researching for my blog and freelance writing.  I have surrounded myself with words, in one way or another, and I am loving my work!

wfg:  How did you decide to become a freelance writer?
Lynn:  I became a freelance writer because I’d read through magazines and think “I could’ve written that.”  I love words, I love playing with words, and I love sharing my thoughts with others.  I describe it as a compulsion. 
 
wfg:  What do you find most satisfying about being a writer?
Lynn:  As an avid reader, I find myself educated, entertained and moved by other people’s words.  If and when I accomplish those same things with my writing, I am elated.  I also love the research part of writing.  I am perpetually curious, a life-long student and writing gives me an outlet to discover information and then share it with others.

You can find out more about Lynn from her website and from either of her blogs. 

 Thank you, Lynn, for finding the time to talk to me about your interests and family!

Oh. I forgot a word. CANDY. Halloween CANDY is evil! I think I bought 6 bags of chocolate candy and none of it has survived to this day, and it’s not even Halloween yet! The same thing happens every year. I buy chocolate candy with the bestest of intentions: to hand out the good stuff to the trick or treaters. And then the day or two before trick or treating, I discover that I don’t have any candy! So I go out and buy a few bags of the non-chocolatey stuff out of guilt. How could I take away all of those kids’ chocolatey treats?

Oh, it gets worse though. I’ll dig through my kids’ bags after trick or treating and find the good stuff. That becomes mine too! hehe.

Is it any wonder I can’t lose weight? bleh!

Halloween is actually kind of special to me. It falls exactly between Jillian and Sullivan’s birthdays. It’s also right in the heart of one of my favorite seasons, Autumn. Autumn in Florida is a little different than Autumn up North though. By this time of year in Maryland or Ohio, we’d be wearing heavier clothes by now. Jeans and sweatshirts most days. Down in the Sunshine State, we’re finally cooling off to highs in the 70’s. While that’s a vast improvement on the upper 90’s that we live in from April to mid-September, it’s still not cool enough for me! I miss the crisp mornings, the smell of the leaves that have fallen, the warm fall colors on the trees and in gardens. Chrysanthemums are one of my favorite flowering plants and they just don’t seem to do as well in Florida as they do up North. They survive, certainly, but I have yet to have any of my mums thrive down here!

Anyhow, this morning felt like fall to me. This afternoon feels more like summer. Such is life.

Halloween’s almost here, and there isn’t any chocolate in my house…I really wish I had some chocolate right now!