Every year I’m amped up for Halloween, plan the trick or treating in the building, and wait for the halloween parade.  But by the first party, which is always my husband’s office party in NYC, I’m left exhausted, fat, totally burned out on Halloween and wondering if it’s the 31st yet.  We are still 3 days out from actual Halloween and we have gone to 2 Halloween parties with the boys in full Green Lantern and Captain America costume and aren’t done yet.  (Muscles on both costumes by request due to a serious lapse in judgment last year when I tried to save a few bucks and skip the superman muscle costume and just go for plain old regular superman.  Lesson learned.)  Good thing those $25 costumes don’t start to fall apart until at least 5 minutes after you put them on.

So far these are the costume tragedies: (1) very berry juice box spill all over the very white Captain America star on the front of J’s muscle costume followed by the use of a black Halloween napkin to clean it up, which left the bright white star looking purple with black sticky residue; (2) the tiny velcro used to close up the one piece P.O.S. Green Lantern costume pulls threads of fabric off the back of the costume every time it snags, which is always.  This leaves the back of the costume stringy and shredding.  Thank you, tiny crappy velcro for ruining everything and doing nothing since the costume falls open all the time anyway. CRITICAL POINT: The shredding is in the back so B has no idea.  PLEASE make it to Friday.

Why invest in these $25 costumes you might ask?  Take a look at the picture above.  My best friend growing up, on the left, is a princess.   Notice the full princess wardrobe down to the pink jewels, gown and sparkly crown.  Yes, that’s me on the right.  Guesses anyone?  A bag lady?  An old grandmother?  A daughter from Fiddler on the Roof?  Nope.  A princess.  Yes I was a princess as well.  Mom and dad, are you reading?  Yes, that’s princess Hannah dressed in a handkerchief and dad’s old work shirt I believe.  Oh wait, what’s that under the costume?  My winter jacket with the clipped on mittens hanging off.  There ya go.  Princess all the way.  (What would you expect from the “raisin house” growing up?  Yes, we gave away raisins not candy.)   So I say, yes, it’s worth every bit of the $25 for the muscled-up superheroes so that my kids aren’t still talking about this halloween 30 years later like I am.

So far, these are the candy tragedies: (1) Out of 25 apartments that participated in trick or treating this year, just one (without kids) forgot to leave candy.  This means my kids in under 20 minutes hit 5 floors worth of apartments, no jackets, no running between houses, just knocking on apartment doors and grabbing candy out of a bowl.  Some weren’t even home so they just ransacked the bowl of candy that was left outside the door.  In 20 minutes they had so much candy they could hardly carry their bags.  The response from B when one single apartment didn’t answer the door?  “UGHhhhh.  That’s so weak.”  Yes, B, that’s weak. But do you think 24 other apartments worth of candy should cover it? Plus the enormous bag you brought home from Daddy’s work the day before?  Or maybe we should still officially trick or treat in town on Friday?  (2) Raisinets.

Is it the 31st yet?