This Week at Our House #44 October Ends

The dying leaves from trees unfurl

every morning they dance and whirl

wisps of gold, scarlet and brown

from the treetops they circle down

in autumn storms, fierce gusts hurl

they delight to prance with a little girl

shining brightly like elegant pearl

twisting around her princess gown

the dying leaves

when at night, they blow and swirl

sporting with owls, a cavorting twirl

embellished like a child's crown

blown on puddles sure to drown

in the earth and mud they furl

the dying leaves

October ended this week. The year is coming to a close, and the kids are excited for the upcoming`holidays and their school break.

Two years ago we decided to stop the celebration of Halloween in our family. Year three, and we mostly have not looked back. I buy the kids candy because we like candy. I still cook pumpkin five or six different ways, but we have let go of everything else. When we were married we said that we thought Halloween was fine as long as we stayed away from the gruesome, then it would be innocent fun.  We were mostly successful, but not as careful as we should have been.

A couple of years, our Utah ward had a haunted room, and it was quite gruesome. I let our kids go in, but never felt good about it. I justified it because it was being done at church. In the end, we started only attending the trunk or treat part of the ward Halloween party and not going into the building for the party or the haunted house.

Our first two Halloweens in North Carolina are what really convinced us that we needed to turn away from it. The first year, in my mothers posh neighborhood, we took our kids trick or treating but came home early because there were several groups of teens standing around smoking marijuana. The second Halloween, at our rental, there was a domestic dispute with a gun across the street from our home. Both neighborhoods were normally quiet and free of crime and drugs, and at the end of the holiday, they returned to normal. That convinced me that Halloween is not just innocent and neutral. So we quit going out, and for the third year in a row, I feel like that is the right decision.

No one trick or treats in this neighborhood, so that has not been a problem. Plus our driveway is 400 feet long.

I know people who don't celebrate it because they say it is a part of the accult and pagan worship and devil worship. I haven't looked into that and I don't really know, but that is where we were at.  These people usually celebrate other holidays on the same day. I have not done that either. I am not sure if we will try other things moving forward.

This year, I bought the kids $30 of candy. They made bunny hats and hopped around eating candy and carrots. Then they buried a bunch of their candy and played pirates and treasure hunting. I thought that was awesome. They had a good day, and I was lax about what they had to complete for school. We mostly read books.

Friday, it grew cold, and Saturday, I switched out our summer clothes for our winter clothes. I have never been so glad  that I have a huge storage of clothing for my kids to grow in and out of. They have plenty to wear, and we have not been in need that way.

I wrote this down about Gideon earlier in the week: Gideon sitting outside. I asked him if he liked it outside. He looked up to the sky and opened his mouth in awe.

Susan's second tooth has been loose for a long time, but she would not touch it and her adult tooth is growing in behind it. Today, the tooth is barely holding on and Susan said, "Look mom, my tooth is broken," as she tried to set it back into place.

On the whole it was a good week. We have 3 more full weeks of school and then we will have completed semester one. The first few days of vacation will be yard work days. Besides the final mowing and weeding, I have 2 big yard projects. Since it is a 6 week vacation, I don't need to feel too guilty about it.