Seven Morning Habits Which Are Highly Effective for This Person

Congratulations brave warrior. Your survived the Monday after Thanksgiving and if it was anything like mine that is to be commended.

The entire holiday weekend had several highlights but it was also looooooaaaaded with triggers as holidays often are for a lot of us. By Sunday night I was headed for trouble and by Monday, mid-morning I was....what they say..."a heated mess? A mess where heat is applied to it so that what once was a little messy is now very messy?" (name that line).  Look the reality is that shit happens to all of us, usually at inconvenient times. I think of overcoming PTSD as a project which takes up a lot of time and energy. But  even when you are involved with a project involving lots of past shit, shit can and does go down real time too.  It's the nature of living that we can't schedule our shit to suit us best. This is because most of the shitty life events are outside of our control.

And that can make us feel (and also be) completely out of control too. An out of control person in a crisis situation?  Well, look nobody wants to be that that person or be around that person or even know that person. You want a freaking pilot who is IN CONTROL when the plane starts having mechanical difficulties y'know? Not some freaking idiot who is shrieking about how modern planes are supposed to be able to fly themselves. It's just not an optimal thing.  I try hard not to be that person.

Yet there was no other way to describe me by Monday aternoon. I was Out Of Control and it was Not Optimal. And then as I scrubbed the walls and baseboards with soapy water, (the only productive thing I could focus on for any length of time whilst trying not to hyperventilate), it occcurred to me that because of the holiday weekend, I had completely slacked off on the careful daily habits I have cultivated over the course of my PTSD-ending Project.  And while I couldn't control the triggers and I couldn't control the shitty realities that had cropped up, I really can control whether or not I do my "Daily Disciplines" as I like to call them. And guess what else? They totally help me to become a competent pilot in the shitstorms of life.

I can also tell you that when my mornings are in control,  I feel pretty confident in my ability to keep my shit more or less together for the forseeable future..like, I feel pretty solid about the day ahead, come what may. Before I had these disciplines in place I felt really scared all the time. I couldn't count on getting through the day if it got too hard. That's not a cool way to live..and happily it's not how I live anymore. So long as I keep up with my disciplines. That's pretty powerful stuff. That's worth buckling down for a little bit isn't it?  For me it is. For me it SO IS.  So here I am to share with you what gets me and keeps me on the right track. Maybe all of these work for you too, maybe only one of them looks like something you'd like to try, or adapt to try. Disclaimer: daily disciplines are for everyone, if you have a mental health crisis in addition to this sort of thing you need to be working with care providers (which I do).

Here's what I'm going to ask you not to do. Not because it annoys me but because I want you to reframe the way you think about your life and its problems. If you are inclined to write to me and tell me how you guess you are just stuck with a sucktastic life because you can't do these things for xyz million different reasons then remember:  I'm not asking you to do these specific things.  I'm asking you to figure what disciplines you could employ to help you take control of your responses to what life hurls your way. So instead of putting energy into explaining why these things wouldn't work for you,  go ahead and put it into figuring out what will work for you! Deal? Deal! I'm bossy cos I love you. Without further ado:

Kirsty's Daily Disciplines.

1. Wake up early.
What?? No! I hate myself for typing those words. I am not an early bird. I don't understand people who love the early morning, I go to bed too late...blahblahblahblah. I need an alarm to get me up every single day. And it's dark and it's cold and I'm sleep deprived because I do like to stay up too late. And if I had to get out of bed early without some sort of accountability it's almost certain that I wouldn't. Because I am nothing against the power of a warm comforter and a soft pillow.  Which is why I have organized my life to have people expecting me and waiting for me and even paying me to get up early.  The sad truth is that successful people are almost always early risers. Dammit. Anyway, sunrises are really pretty and when my beautiful friend Stacey died in her 30's amongst
the words of advice she left were, "get up to see more sunrises". I like to think of her when I do.

2. Drink a big bottle of water first thing.  Life hack. When you are brushing your teeth every night, fill up a bottle of water, put it on your night stand. Upon awakening...drank. People. Dehydration. Is. So. Bad. It's bad for your body, it's bad for your brain, it's bad for your mood, it's bad for your looks, your weight control, it's bad for your breath it's bad. If in doubt, drink more water. FYI: Coffee is not water, milk is not water, soda is not water, juice is not water. Water is water. Herbal tea without caffeine is a closer substitute than the above things.  Water is not just good it's really critical for healthy functioning and so many things are going to start working better for you if you just buckle down and drink the right amount of water. Just Do It. Drinking room temp or warm water first thing in the morning is really good for your digestive system.  If I don't drink about 20 oz first thing, there's a good chance I'm going to keep on the path of dehydration all day which will lead to bad eating choices,  headaches, digestive issues and a super terrible mood. And that's just short term. If I do drink it first thing I just function better and I keep hydrated as the day goes on. Good things beget more good things. If you hate water  trick yourself into liking or at least in drinking it: imagine you are in the desert and the water is the oasis you have been dreaming of all this time and glug glug glug... or use a straw or buy a bottle you love (this battered Swell bottle is my constant companion, keeps things hot or cold for ages and it is really really sturdy. (I know because once I used it as a javelin off of my top balcony and it landed on my stone path and it's still being awesome). Anyway WATER. Drink more. Drink early and often. Life will get better for you. I promise.

3. Do yoga.  Yoga is a brilliant way to wake your mind and body up because it involves stretching, breath awareness and focus on the present. I can't possibly go into how many ways yoga is beneficial, you have the internet, look it up!  Literally everyone can do a little bit of  SOME KIND OF yoga every day. There are so many different poses and adaptations within those poses. I like the little ritual of playing  "Here Comes The Sun" to kick off my practice every day. I can't help but smile and feel comforted when I hear it. Even if you can only do one song's worth of yoga, you did it. It's so much better than nothing at all.  I chose this of my many yoga pics to share because I'm throwing down in jeans, with my jacket and my sunglasses off to the side on the way out of the door. Yoga doesn't require lulelemon pants and a fancy studio or a "yoga body". Just strike some poses where and whenever you can. They add up. A few sun salutations are an excellent way to get some truly beneficial stretches in and start your day off perfectly.

4. Meditate. Over the summer I practiced the very basics of basic zen meditation but with the school year being so much more busy and the weather not being as conducive and inviting to long practices outside in lotus position I turned to apps for help and variety. Head Space and Simple Habits both have very generous free trials to get you on your way (Simple Habits is currently 50% off for the yearly subscription), and they show how easy and accessible meditation really is. It takes no skill whatsoever. Exciting news! YES YOU CAN MEDITATE. Trust me, if I can do it, literally anyone can.  It's not about emptying your mind of thought and being some kind of levitating genius. Allow me to reiterate: Even I can do this. And I have the attention span of a gnat on crack ok? Meditation is not what you think it is, it really is a very simple process and what's more all the people you think are so amazing and calm and chill and accomplished probably do some form of meditation or another...try it out..it's powerful stuff, yo. I'm by no means a pro or an example to live by but when I found myself in profound distress on Monday I discovered my brain automatically switching over to some of the skills I have recently learned through meditation so...yes. It works.

5.Write in a journal. I write 3 pages in an A4 Moleskine journal with a lovely flowy pen every morning. Doesn't that sound so artistic and delicious?  Ah, I love Beautiful rituals! Someone taught me this "morning pages" concept about a year ago. And it's such a cherished, satisfying ceremony for me. But  then, I like to write, and I write quickly. If you don't you could maybe try to start with 5 things you are grateful for. Or write 2 intentions or top priorities for your day.  Since I've got 3 pages to fill, I manage to cover thoughts that are floating around, gratitude and intentions most days. But really, just the act of taking a pen and ink and putting your thoughts to page is the goal..at least for me

6. Make my bed.  I choose to ignore that study about how it's better not to make your bed,  but if you don't, there is nothing to stop you from smoothing your sheets, fluffing your pillow and pulling your covers back neatly so that you have an inviting place to return to at the end of the day. Creating order in the sacred space of  our room (I do consider our bedroom a sacred little sanctuary and I try to keep it beautiful and tidy because of that) is a very self nurturing and controlled way to start your day before you walk out into the chaos of the world. It's such a small but deliberate act of discipline which will signals to me that I am in charge of my day and that I'm capable of creating order out of chaos. It's a little thing that can make a really big
difference.





7. Have a nutritious easy to prepare/eat breakfast.  I give so much credit to my husband for preparing overnight oats for me since this spring or early summer. He's perfected the recipe for me over time and it includes so many amazingly

healthy things while still being perfectly palatable and delicious. If I skip my oats and coffeeeeeeee, things fall apart predictably around 3pm every day.  As I mentioned above, I am incredibly easily distracted, so having something pre-prepared, appetising, healthy and comforting to eat which will keep my blood sugar stable for many hours is a total game changer for me and probably for the rest of my family who don't have to deal with my irritability at 4pm when I realise I haven't eaten all day and suddenly am foraging for all the carbs, writing rants on facebook IN ALL CAPS and being super bitchy to all the people.

Well that's it for now. I actually have like 10 things but I'm out of time and the 7 seemed like a cool way to leverage off someone else's success so you get 7 ;) Tell me what your habits for being the competent pilot of your life are! I wanna knoooooowwww! Maybe I wanna copy them! Anything here you like that you think you might incorporate? Tell me that too. Tellllll meeeeeee!!!

You guys remember when I used to do Works for Me Wednesday?? Well it's Wednesday..these work for me! Ha! Nostalgia!

xox
k

5 humble things that are total game-changers

I wrote this beautiful, thoughtful, philosophical, photo rich blog post on Sunday night. There were links and quotes. It took hours. Just when I was dotting the final i’s and crossing the final t’s something happened and I lost it. All. No sign. Sadness.  Thought maybe I would try to recreate that today and maybe I will. However I had a few things I wanted to get off my chest just in case I don’t get it right. *editing at 9:44pm to say yeah that’s not going to happen…bygones.
So instead I present to you: 5 Things I feel are undervalued and need more praise.
1. Getting outside in the fresh air (preferable somewhere really pretty and natural but it’s not a deal-breaker if you’re just outside on the sidewalk) for a brisk walk or a slow jog. Here’s my facebook update from earlier if you missed it.
Today I was feeling a little bit melancholy and was really REALLY not feeling like going on my run...but after every run I make a point to tell myself, "you certainly don't regret doing THAT do you?!" so although I sooooo wasn't feeling it, I sat in my car for a minute talking myself into it, then I made a mellow yet uplifting little playlist and decided to at least walk. I was a bit sore from yesterday and figured that I would just get out and enjoy the pretty day. The minute my feet hit the forest floor I felt better. There is a reason they use the word "grounded" . Having your feet on a natural surface is good for your soul, people. I walked for a while, feeling a little better with every step. Then I decided to just do a really slow jog. I ended up having the best run I have had in ages and ages. I was able to run for further and longer than I have in ages and ages. By the end of my run I felt positively euphoric. All the sad cloudy thoughts were replaced with thoughts of gratitude and resolve. The outdoors + exercise are real, powerful antidepressants. If you are feeling sad or depressed, see if you can manage to talk yourself into putting on your shoes and just walking outside...start there. Put your arms over your head and take a few deep breaths....
Look at the views I was rewarded with today..
    
2. Crock-pots. Seriously people. They are not sexy but they could not be more fabulous.  I feel like we just do not talk enough about how life changing and wonderful the humble crock pot is. It’s not that I actually hate to cook. I quite like it when I have a plan and time and ingredients on hand. I really rather enjoy it. But! There is nothing I hate more than figuring out a meal at 4pm when I am at my most tired, frazzled and domestically unmotivated. A crock pot is not quite what I consider “cooking” but it means homemade food for my family and it lets me get it all out of the way at 10am when I have a moment to think. More often than not,  it takes about 10 seconds to get something really tasty going. When you have 7 people going in 7 different directions at dinner time it’s another big plus. And truly, you can get pretty creative and healthy in there too,  you don’t need to use cream of something soup or velveeta if you don’t want to.  I am a great devotee to my crock pot and have never, not ever bought a block of velveeta substance. I refuse to call that stuff “cheese”. Sacrilege.
3. Laying out your exercise clothes, down to the socks and bra and hair tie before you go to bed. And your kid’s clothes too. Total game changer. Seriously can’t tell you how many minutes have been lost and swear words said trying to find matching socks or a running bra in in the dryer in the mornings. It’s amazing how much more in control you feel of your day just doing that one simple thing.
4. Canned pumpkin and boxed cake mixes.  You all know you can do this right? Just take a cake mix, (I usually use a spice cake) and a can of pumpkin and mix them together. No other ingredients. You can kind of almost feel ok about giving your kid cake for lunch especially if it’s baked up into a muffin shape.  That’s another thing. If you want to make banana bread or pumpkin bread but you don’t want to wait an hour to eat it, then make muffins instead. Bakes in half the time and portion control. Why do people make things in loaves at all come to think of it?
5. Good music.  Which may be defined differently by everyone. But truly.  Music. Just today it played a big part in stalling my downward cycle this morning by motivating me to get moving.  Later, as I was doing some boring/essential online shopping Ella came and asked me to put on the “Happy song” and then instructed me to follow her moves.  Which are a lot more challenging for me than for her. Had a brief bonding and blood pumping moment there.  Music is good. I recommend mixing up your playlist often and asking for ideas from a variety of people. I have found some of my all time favs in my teenager’s downloads. 
Ok so that’s my random hit list this week.  Happens to fall on Works for Me Wednesday so I’ll link up with that. What’s working for you today and what are your game/life changers?

Tomorrow is my birthday (and I’m shamelessly asking for gifts again).…

 

You guys.  I totes haven’t forgotten you. I’ve got the lurgy I have* (*to be spoken in a frail and plaintive cockney accent)  and I’ve been out for the count. Haaaate it. Hate! It’s been a total waste because I have been in such a motivated and productive mood of late,  rather than my usual state of inertia and laziness and so I keep hauling out of bed with a head and heart full of gleeful organizational intentions, only to be forced to take to my bed mere minutes later, like a delicate Victorian flower wearing a corset that is too tight, rather than a hardy South African Ohioan transplant in a pair of too big pajama pants.  So somewhat trying yet a great reminder of how good I generally have it.  I am so grateful for my overall health. So very very grateful.

Also this is impeccably timed.  I have fallen ill right in time for Sayer Sick Week. Much like Shark Week. Sayer Sick Week is an epic, thrilling, and sometimes gory event which falls over the first week of February every year and is a much cherished and embraced family tradition.

Not to be outdone by the kids who tend to wake me up on my birthday morning by puking in my bed,  I am proud to say that I believe I have contracted the F-word (as in flu). Sounds dire,  but fortunately due to my new-found freakish organization, I came upon my essential oils and made up a bunch of “flu bombs” just as I started feeling the Flu-ish Feelings and really and truly those things are the bomb!  I’m really so very much less badly off than I deserve to be. (I’ve also been rubbing them onto the soles of Ella’s feet since she showed signs of following me down that shady sicky path and what do you know…she stopped that nonsense, right in it’s tracks.  I am quite mesmerized. Who knew?) ANYWAY…where was I? Holy mother of a tangential ADD chicken…

Oh yeah..so my birthday.  So remember how I used to get all maudlin about it because it was All About Me and never lived up to my hazy undefined expectations and all that focusing on myself means I’d get even more self-absorbed and bratty than I usually am (which is..yikes, really really self-absorbed and bratty)  and the general effect was worldwide misery. And by world-wide, I mean misery for anyone unlucky enough to live with me, not least of all, myself.

And remember how a few years ago I decided that from now on I was going to make my bday about me thinking about other people instead, and doing nice things for them. And remember how since I hate to do stuff alone, I got you guys involved in the whole thing and you were total rockstars about it and ever since then my bday has been tons of fun and happy and delightful?  You don’t remember that? Never mind, that’s ok. 

So it’s come around again, as these things do and I’ve been lying in bed all day thinking, “nooooo I caaaaaan’t do that tomorrow for alas I am tooooo sick, I will have to let it go this year and just be selfish and miserable”. But then it occurred to me that a) I might feel much better tomorrow b) if I’m not I can still do lots of nice things from my bed. Hello, internet!  So I’m doing it, I am* (*to be spoken in a determined and confident cockney accent).

I’m 38 tomorrow. I like 8 it’s a nice number, actually it’s my lucky number so I’m down with it. It’s going to be a good year. Hence, I would like to perform at least 38 acts of kindness or positivity or service or sparkly glittery unicorn fairy dust or whatever you want to call it.

I want to consciously do 38 things to make the world a tiny bit better tomorrow.  I’m going to do my darndest to get them all done myself but as always I would love to invite you guys to join, because.. the more the merrier, right? And last year..you guys BLEW ME AWAY.  You did SO MANY nice, inspiring, lovely,lovely things and by the end of the day I was crying happy tears.  It was probably the happiest bday of my life.

Being kind is its own reward of course, but as a little added incentive for your enthusiasm and participation, I will once again send a package of a few of my favourite things (especially tailored toward the winner) to a randomly selected participant. And trust me, I’m really quite good at making up little gift packages tailored toward the winner. You’ll like it. Now. All you have to do is post under this blog post tomorrow (or on facebook or instagram or heaven forbid, twitter) telling me what you did and you’ll be entered in the drawing. Do one thing or 40 things. I won’t stop you. It will be fun.  And maybe funny and it will make your day sunny. Truly. (Totally put in “funny” so that I could put “sunny” what with the deep freeze most of us are living in here).

Speaking of random drawings. Totes haven’t forgot about this one. I will announce the winner later this evening. I’m really really sorry about the delay.  Along with the lurgy it’s been a true challenge to get computer time (yep still sans computer)…silver lining to my inefficiency? This gives you one last shot to go ahead and enter. Hurry! Go!

See you tomorrow! I’m so excited!

Beautiful skin in 2014? Check! {SkinPro Review and GIVEAWAY}

So I promised a giveaway to kick off a new blogging year and this is a good one!
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Just before Christmas I received this sleek and chic package from SkinPro. I was so excited, it was such fortuitous timing. A couple of weeks before it was sent, I had been suddenly noticing with considerable dismay some unmistakable signs of…AGING around the eyes (nooo, say it isn’t so) and realized that my lack of careful skin care and hit and miss sun exposure was catching up with me. (Because I’m still in my early 20’s so it’s not that it’s actual age ;) I immediately made vague and panicky plans to DO SOMETHING and resolved to start taking care of my skin better, but I was discouraged because I didn’t know where to start.

I’m acne prone and I have always been so preoccupied with keeping zits at bay. In contrast, aging always seemed…well for old people..miles away .  So despite the fact that I have a mom who is incredibly fastidious about skincare (and it is paying off for her), I am lazy and easily bored with extras in the grooming department. I had no time for things like eye-creams and all those anti aging lotions and potions. Look, let’s be real.  At the end of the day it is all I can do to wash my face, brush and floss before collapsing, and being consistent with any extras seemed highly unlikely.  But suddenly I realized with regret, the folly of my ways . It was happening! O em gee! I was starting to see those little lines, the ones they show in the eye cream commercials! I was also insanely stressed and sleep deprived at the time (not to mention just plain insane) and suddenly I was having major puffiness under my eyes, and dark circles. Things I had never noticed or dealt with before. It was all very distressing.

So when I opened my lovely package that fateful day in December,  everything looked super exciting but I was most thrilled about the DNA Serum eye gel and I was resolved to use it diligently. The serum contains  Acetyl Hexapeptide-8. which according to the website is considered by experts to be the best needle free alternative to cosmetic injections and claims up to 30% reduction in wrinkle depth in 30 days.

All the impressive science stuff aside, I’m a sucker for cool packaging and who can argue with something that says  it contains“ temple viper venom” on the package. Am I right?  It comes in this space agey syringe looking thing (except there’s no needle which is big bonus).  The gel is awesome, cool and light, not at all sticky or heavy. You just pat it around your eyes after cleansing twice a day and you’re done. No big deal. Gah! I should have been doing this the whole time!  This is not hard, Kirsty!

Anyway, whatevs… bygones. What counts is I am now a responsible skin caretaker and happily, I have already been rewarded with noticeable results. In fact I was so delighted with the almost immediate effects on the skin around my eyes,  that I started patting some of the excess (a tiny bit goes a long way) on my finger into the deeper lines on my forehead, and what do you know, they really and truly appear to be relaxing and smoothing out! I also noticed a definite tightening and depuffing around my eyes almost immediately. (I had been using one of those rollerball “pen” things with caffeine in them to get rid of the luggage under my eyes but it never seemed to make any difference).

Suffice to say, I am a total convert. As I said, a teeny tiny bit goes a very long way so I’m set for a long time but when this runs out, I will replacing it, stat.  The science behind the product is pretty fascinating and convincing and the proof is as they say, in the pudding, (or in the de-puffed, revitalized eyes).

I wasn’t asked to review the extra products I was sent from Bellapulse but everything I received from the line has been fantastic that I’m genuinely excited to share.  As I mentioned above, I’m always fretting about preventing or clearing up break-ups (ugh seriously, acne in your late 30’s? so not cute anymore. Enough!) and so I tend to ignore the products designed to keep you from looking like the crypt keeper before you are 45 because in the past they have ALWAYS made me break out . (Even in places I don’t ordinarily break out.)  But these products did just the opposite. They really helped to clear up an unusually bad break-out I was experiencing, and the tone and texture of my skin is much better too.

Aesthetically, the products are so pleasing. The rosehip cleanser which I use in the morning, smells most pretty and refreshing, and the exfoliating cleanser I use in the evenings is just gritty enough to feel “polished” without feeling like I’m tearing away at my face and scrubbing a few layers of skin off. It leaves my skin feeling smooth and soft rather than raw and tight.  The rotating/pulsing brush is also really gentle but super effective. I have tried a few different brands of these rotating/pulsating brushes and they all turned out to be disappointingly flimsy and feeble and broke easily. But this one has really impressed me. It’s very sturdy and totally comfortable to use. I love the easily detachable brushes (they are snap on and off), one for cleansing, one for exfoliating, one for moisturizing and one for massage. They all feel lovely on my skin, especially the heavenly soft sponge for applying the AHA moisturizer (although I learned when I was cleaning it recently that it will tear if you scrub at it. D’oh) .

The whole system is  just really easy and fun to use. For once, I actually look forward to the whole cleansing rigmorale at the end of the day. It’s just as simple as what I was doing before but it feels so luxurious and relaxing to spend a few moments massaging my lotion into my face rather than just slapping it haphazardly around and wiping the excess on a wash cloth.  I’m quite addicted to the whole system.

The AHA moisturizer itself is wonderful. It feels thick and rich going on and has kept my skin perfectly moisturized (despite the grip of the polar vortex: non-stop drying heat alternated with blasts of frigid wind..mmm yummy!) but it doesn’t leave my skin feeling the least bit oily or greasy. I use it on my neck and chest too which have always been hypersensitive to moisturizers and apt to break out whenever I put anything on them. But I have had no issues at all with these and the texture of that skin seems tighter and smoother.  When my brother was visiting from South Africa, his poor unaccustomed skin was suffering terribly and he used a little bit of the moisturizer after a shower. He was really impressed and specifically asked me what it was.. so apparently it’s great for dudes too.

Thanks to the generosity of SkinPro, I’m giving away a full size of the magical DNA Serum to a lucky reader who wants to freshen up their face this year. All you have to do is comment below THIS post with your name and contact info,  and I will choose a lucky winner on Friday.

For extra entries if you are so inclined…
2.“Like” Momedysketch on facebook , AND/OR
3. Follow @momedykirsty on Instagram AND/OR
4. Follow momedykirsty on Twitter AND/OR
5. Subscribe to momedysketch.com via email (sign up in the box on the right hand column of the blog). AND/OR
6. Follow Momedysketch on bloglovin AND/OR
7. Follow me on Pinterest
DARLINGS! PLEASE BE SURE TO MAKE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY so that it will count. (If you already “like” me and/or follow me, somewhere, great (and thanks!)-just add a separate comment for each follow/like so I can enter you in the drawing.

I was not compensated for my review of the Skinpro/Bellapulse products, but I was gifted with the products I used, and the serum I will be giving away.  As always, all opinions expressed are 100% genuine and my own.
Linking up to Works for Me Wednesday at We Are That Family, because this works for me!

Congratulations Claire! Email me with your mailing address! Your prize will be sent to you shortly. Thanks for playing and I hope you love it as much as I do :) Thanks again to SkinPro.

Epic Hallowe’en Recap-2013 Edition

Before Thanksgiving is upon us, I thought I would subject treat you to a epic, impressively redundant, minimally edited photo dump of Halloween related activities. Once again, because I did this over a period of days (because there were approximately 4, 5621 photos to work through),  this is going to be especially random. I could go through and cut and paste everything into chronological and related groups but then you would be able to tell when I put the same photo in twice, and also since my computer doesn’t like to cut and paste photos right now, it would take a long and annoying time and it’s already taken too long and caused me to pause for many uncomfortable seconds and ponder the photo taking compulsion and where it may come from and whether or not I should seek help for it or just embrace it as an adorable yet irritating quirk. Moving along.

I was a Headless Freudian Slip. Just kidding! No really, I actually did have a head but in order to see my costume I was forced to zoom in and cut it off. Which wasn’t a great hardship (really, really bad hair day). The Invisible Man (Benj) was at a US Women’s soccer game that night. It’s not like I would have let him get away with not being in that picture.  It’s me people. Snaphappy Mommy Dearest.

Trunk or Treat at the church and the after party were a good time, as always. Me with some of my fellow soccer moms. Not sure what’s going on here with the hoisting of Gabe but I thought Ryland’s eyes were impressively Halloweeny.

Aaron is such a tolerant husband. I do love that pumpkin.

Although Ella started out deeply skeptical about the trunk or treating she soon caught on..

 

Those little bloomers were SO cute but she very demurely insisted that they stay hidden under her dress .

On Halloween Ella made a few dozen cupcakes for Finny’s class. It was exhausting.

Finny and Ella went trick or treating at the Sorority houses on campus a few days before Halloween.  It was so sweet to watch Finny making sure she got her haul. And so sweet to watch how much she loved it.

Can I just say how much fun it is to trick or treat with a two year old? Well at least this one. I seem to remember my others being a little more whiny about it. But Ella was just so delighted with all of it. The ringing of the doorbells, the crunching through the leaves, the walking along the edges of retaining walls, the meeting of adoring fans and comparing of costumes, and of course, the CHOKIT.

Love her expression in the second photo here:
“Oh they wanted cute and they got cute. And what did I get? Not one but TWO Chokits. Oh yeah. I Nailed it”

Here she was literally clapping her hands and squealing in anticipation of chokit. Do you understand a bit more why I can’t stop taking photos? Because she can’t stop being cute? Do you get it? Ok great, thanks. If it wasn’t for Aaron holding her back,  she totally could have taken another block.  Dads. Sheesh.

Ringing doorbells was a real thrill. She might make a career of it.

It’s been 7 years but yeah I’m pretty sure that none of my former 2 year olds were this adept at Trick or Treating. Or confident about it. Ella does tend to be a bit shy with strangers, not terribly shy, but somewhat reserved.  However! Her passion for chokit totally inspired her to dig deep and do what she needed to do. She made eye contact, said “trick or treat”, ignored the cheap candy and went right for the chocolate whenever there was any, and even remembered her thank you’s. She was an old pro.

The quintessential Trick or Treating photo-excited little faces, spiderman making an appearance. I think it is so adorable.

She walked all but half of the last block. At least a mile. What a little pioneer. She was a cold and tuckered out little mouse by the end.

This picture is hazy because I took it right after we got inside and my camera fogged up. Just shows how FREEZING it was. And Ella INSISTED on going sans gloves, sans coat and sans hat from the very start of trick of treating at 6:30 and took her last piece of candy, still unsuitably dressed for the cold, as the town clock was striking 8pm. She outlasted every one of her siblings and their friends but at least a half hour. She was a MACHINE out there.  A chokit gathering hardcore machine. A really really cute red-nosed chokit gathering machine. On a related note: why won’t my children wear warm clothing? I find it so disturbing.

I was so happy to bump into my handsome little hero as he ran past us.

Dancing (beauty) queen at the Trunk or Treat after party. And in case you were wondering what the Fox says….there it is. Don’t you love his expression? That’s a kid who just loves having his picture taken. He’s so happy to have a paparazzi mother.

The quintessential Trick or Treating photo-excited little faces, spiderman making an appearance. I think it is so adorable.

Some of our Halloween décor this year.

‘Twas the darkest Trick or treating we’d ever had. Halloween proper was washed out and rescheduled for November, the day  daylight savings ended. Dark dark dark….appropriate I suppose but made for difficult picture taking and what is this all about really? The children? Please. The PICTURES. Keep up!

The kids are getting too quick for me to take photos of..there they go

Hooray for photo editing, I got to zoom in on this one. Not exactly an inspired shot but every year I get a photo of Finny and Mateo in action and I couldn’t bear not grab the traditional shot. For posterity. And sentimentality. Really I have a problem.

Perhaps it is because this was the first year Benj did not trick or treat. His choice. I am all for them continuing well into college. He and Keller manned the cauldron on the porch. And now if you will excuse me as I take to my bed and kick off the beginning of my mid-life WHY DO THEY GROW SO FAST? crisis. Omigosh. I honestly have a lump in my throat. It goes so fast. Why does it go so fast?  Happily they were really stoked and super animated about their new role so that was a comfort.

Bumping into my little super hero again on our slower route with Ella. Gosh he is a handsome little hero isn’t it?  And look! I even saw the Gaber. He was thrilled. What a fox.

The sleeping beauty taking off.  She went with friends to another hood.

And here for your viewing pleasure the funniest photo I have ever taken. You are welcome.

The girls unwind after a hard night on the beat. Gracie sorted candy, Ella wrote in her journal about the experience.

And Ella in her leotard and tights inspired me to enroll her in dance class. Because really. Thighs.

On the Monday before Halloween we had a little pumpkin carving party with the Richardsons.

Which means the kids hastily scrawled on their pumpkins, and ran off to play leaving us with the scooping and the carving.  And the posing…

Only the shadow knows..

Here’s the sinister group now..

A sampling of our family’s offerings this year.  My favourite was the first one. He who must not be named.  Sadly the photo doesn’t adequately show his nose slits. But they were there. And they were chilling.  I was also rather fond of my leaf.

Our primitive rendition of “mimi mouse” , some trendy triangles and a pumpkin suffering from anxiety.

Anger issues, more anxiety and a daylight shot of Voldermort er He who must not be named, so you can see his natural features better. Isn’t that the coolest pumpkin ever? The raw material I mean. He was born to be bad.

Evolution of a jack ‘o lantern. Ella was very into the drawing part…

Lobotomy, surgery, and illumination. That pumpkin had a really rough day/night. No wonder about the anxiety. Since I am on my way to being a mental health professional I’m going to go ahead and diagnose him with PTSD

Some more pictures of Ella. Bet you didn’t see that coming.  She spent a LOT Of time in front of that mirror preening and posing and admiring herself after we got her all dressed up. And I took a LOT of photos of it. (Bet you didn’t see that coming either). I almost cried at how cute it was. I think I actually did get a bit teary.

I posted this collage on my Come Back Manic Epic Post but I feel it bears repeating. Because, I mean really. It does.

And last but not least look at these amazing pinteresting cupcakes my friend Tiffany made us.

Halloween scenes from days of old:  2012,  2011, 2010, 2009,  2o08, 2007,  2006 and before, (just my kids in those, sadly).