Halloween stories

Halloween is coming. I try not to read other people's blogs during this time of year. It makes me sad. I miss Halloween and Fall in the USA. While Jonathan cleans the kitchen and mutters "I'm just keepin it real, " to himself I mentally plan out all my kids' Halloween costumes. I may have my priorities really screwed up. What takes precendence? Putting my kids to bed or sewing some spider legs on the sewing machine? Clean my house or focus on my church responsibilities? Plan a decent meal or go to a playgroup? (Hector is only 9 months. Does he really need to go to a playgroup? or is it me?)
I try to do a little something for the kids each day. Today I went to the kids' school and read their classes some stories. I felt really good about it because a lot of those kids have no idea what Halloween is. So I did my duty and brought in a Halloween book. Atticus' teacher very convincingly ignored the obvious fact that I had brought in my own book to read the children. Since I was in her classroom I just read the story she gave me to read. But Sherman's teacher didn't seem to mind a little indoctrination. Maybe because she's from the USA too and probably loves Halloween too. All the children just ate up the story. Oh No! Not Ghosts! was a hit. They wanted me to read it again. Poor little Halloweenless children. I read a different story to Cinci's class. Mainly because I was afraid he would come up to me and tell me about each monster on each page. He likes to do that a lot. I didn't think it would work out too well if the other children were trying to understand the story. I really love going to their classes. My favorite part is seeing Cinci in his uniform with all the other tiny children. They are so cute!
Well, Jonathan is done with the dishes. I guess that's my cue to look like I'm doing something useful, like eat some of the delicious chocolate chip cookies he just baked. Excuse me while I go help him feel useful!
By the way, Jonathan says that Muslims in the USA believe Halloween is a holiday of Satan. So does my brother-in-law, Peter. But he still puts on his pumpkin hat every year. At least the Qataris hereprovide us a festive Halloween party every year.

Halloween 2009

We had a great Halloween this year. For some reason I just love Halloween. I love it. I think its my favorite holiday. Am I bad to like it best over Christmas even? Atticus likes Christmas better because he gets candy AND presents. I suppose if I were still little I would agree with him, but I'm not.
Our Community Support staff planned some great activities for the Halloween holiday season. At the Rec. Center they had a jumping castle/slide up for three days, Halloween movies showing, snacks and treats, and a treasure hunt. Then on the day of our Halloween celebration they arranged for the people in our two compounds to join together for a costume contest, pony riding and of course, trick or treating.


The kids got plenty of candy and didn't have to walk very far to get it. One of our neighbors loves Halloween too and set up a haunted house in their apartment. Jonathan took the kids trick or treating so I didn't get to see it until he got back to drop Cinci off. Cinci could only last a few houses. 5 pieces of candy is a big thing for a two year old.

Atticus is "Daddy Ghost"

Here's Jonathan running and jumping down a big hill with the kids.

Here's Mommy pigging out on popcorn with the kids.
As you can see, Shermy is the most terrifying T-Rex ever.

Here's Daddy Ghost atop a galloping steed.

Cinci wanted to be a "Baby Ghost"Here's the three of them before they went trick or treating.

Wanna know my secret to get the ghost costume to stay on their heads? Scotch tape. You'd think that I would be able to put together something a little more elaborate. Nope. And thank goodness that's what they wanted to be. I had to have Atticus choose something other than an F-16 fighter jet and what could be better than a Daddy Ghost?

First plant, first pet

So I've mentioned that we've done a lot of rock climbing lately. Well, the kids and Jonathan do. I just manage to keep myself alive as I stumble around below. I try to take pictures but we usually are there at dusk so we won't be scooped up by one of those massive steam shovels. Night falls and then I'm stuck with the flash and the difficulty of focusing my camera. Anyway, the kids love going to their mountains. Last time we went we decided to do some ropes courses of our own invention. Jonathan and I aren't so into the trendy sports such as real rock climbing, or any sport you would actually use a rope with, but we brought ropes anyway. It proved to be fatal. The cliffs there are very unstable, obviously, since they're made of rocks and dust. We were only successful in making several very cloudy avalanches.

Here's a picture of Sherman on his first day without training wheels. He's still going two weeks later although he needs help getting started still.

First plant and first pet

We've broken our firm beliefs in having pets while abroad. I never thought I'd give in but when I saw this cute little caterpillar I couldn't throw him away. Nor could I put him outside to bake. He'd never survive. I felt for him since he's probably from far away too. I found him in the snow peas that I bought at the store. He'd survived in the fridge for a few days too. He must have been freezing. So I've kept him in my old pickle jar. He/she started laying eggs shortly after and then hid among the scraps of vegetables that I'd put in there with him. I know he's not going to be a butterfly. He'll transform into a moth, which he's doing right now alongside an old carrot. I hope he makes it.

From the adventures of bunsy and her tumbleweeds

Here's him as a baby. Such a cutie!

It's Halloween season as you all know. Yesterday I hosted a toddler Halloween party at my house. It was a success except I'm exhausted. So for the next week I'm going to be lazy. No projects. No putting Cinci in front of the TV anymore so I can prepare. No more crappy meals. Can I even call baked hot dogs a meal? Or PB and J sandwiches. Poor Jonathan. Well, I think he's okay since I did have lots of leftover treats and things from the party. So I'm already Halloween'd out and its not even Halloween yet. I still have to make Atticus' costume. Ugh! Thank goodness he's decided to be a ghost. Well, Happy Halloween to all of you.

Ghosts

I can count the number of times I've been to Baskin Robbins growing up on one hand. We rarely went there. Then when I got married I still didn't go there. And whenever I'm in the States we still don't go there. But now that we're in Doha, we go there at least once a week. I can't believe that ice cream is now a single category in our budget. Gas, groceries, cable, car payment, and ice cream. Who would have thought?

Today I finished my assignment for my quilting class. I'm so proud of myself for actually finishing. The hardest part was actually cutting the fabric. I just sat there and stared at it for a long while before slicing away. I was afraid of messing up because I really did not want to have to go back to the fabric store, through all the traffic, seek the same fabric, and pay more money. But I didn't mess up.

I then felt the Halloween spirit come on as I stitched up this little family of felt ghosts. I also made a hand puppet ghost for each of the boys.

I love my sewing machine! Not because its the greatest but because it gives me something to do. Something that I love. I'm not an excellent seamstress. I'm not even good. I just love fabric and making things out of it. Especially things for the house and for the kids. I debated whether or not I should get one while we're here. Since the quilting class came up, I decided it would be pretty much impossible for me to participate in it without a machine. So that was my birthday present for this year from Jonathan and the kids. Thanks guys!

Spider School

From the adventures of bunsy and her tumbleweeds

From the adventures of bunsy and her tumbleweeds

So today they really did start school. sigh. They clad themselves in their crispy new uniforms, mommy took pictures, and we were off. This time we woke up earlier so that we might not be stuck in traffic. It didn't help. Boy was it bad! I've seen worse but unfortunately, there wasn't the option to get out of the taxi since we were in our own car. We spent a good hour getting there and back in the morning, and the same on the pick up end. But we all survived! The kids were still alive and so were their teachers. I guess we'll go back tomorrow

From the adventures of bunsy and her tumbleweeds

While the older two were in school Cinci attended his first day of school too. At home. We've decided to call it "Spider School" since he's obsessed with Spiderman. I know, he's two years old. And yes, he's seen Spiderman, but only because we decided to show it to Atticus. So now Cinci thinks he's Spiderman. I tried to convince him that the Superman cape we have is really a Spiderman cape but he's figured me out. He's complained that it doesn't have any blue on it like Spiderman's real costume.

In Spider School we do a lot of the same things that a kid would do in preschool. Songs, games, hand washing, art, snack time, story time, and I try to include as many grown up things as possible. For example, getting dressed in the morning. Choosing clothes, brushing teeth, combing hair, etc. He's kind of behind in that department. We also do a lot of climbing, like spiders. He climbs up his chair to get on it. We also jump a lot. Well, he jumps a lot, on his bed. We also eat other spiders during snack time. Today we ate spider snacks

From the adventures of bunsy and her tumbleweeds

From the adventures of bunsy and her tumbleweeds

I present to you Spider Baby. Look at those chocolaty eyes. Here he is contemplating Spider School as I thought up in my mind what exactly we were going to do for it. I hadn't planned on doing anything in particular with him while the boys were at school, but hey! Why not? It's October and he needs some last minute attention. Last minute meaning from now until this baby in my tummy is born.

On Halloween I brought the kids by my husband's class after I picked them up from preschool. I dressed them up in their costumes at their preschool. I let the staff there go crazy taking pictures with their cell phones and then made my way over to the high school. Talk about a riotous situation! With Cinci on his shoulders my husband was surrounded by at least thirty girls seconds after the bell rang for classes to switch. These pictures are only a snippit of how much these Turkish girls (and boys although not pictured) adored Cinci.

Halloween-Turkish style

I love Halloween!

I love decorating sugar cookies.

Last year I purchased a large white pumpkin at the local street market, but was not able to carve it very well, let alone display it like I would have wanted. This year I've been keeping my eyes open for something carvable. Today, walking around the Carrefour, I spied these round pumpkin substitutes.

Just the right size for my boys. I carved them today. It was so easy. If you lack pumpkins in your area, use these spherical squash (whatever their real name might be). My kids are loving them. We did our nighttime routine to the light of two mini Jack-O-Lanterns. They took turns blowing out the candles forever. I think my lighter is almost empty from relighting so many times.

On a different note, I just have to say how much I love my Shermy. Today, I waited in a crowded room of parents for my children to emerge from the changing room where they change from their clean shoes to their outside shoes to go home in. Shermy came out first and as he came up to me to hug me, he said,"Mommy, when I go home you need to clean my underwear because it's rewy diwty" Even though he drives me out of my mind with the light switches around the apartment I still can't help ruffling his hair, spanking his bottom, or hugging him so close that I can smell his bad breath (that's stinky and sweet at the same time). He has such a vibrant personality that has slowly been emerging over these last few years. He is literally the most popular kid in his preschool for his silliness. I love my cubicle baby. ( That was his nickname when he was born.)