The Great Pumpkin

For those of you who don't know it, owing to the fact you live overseas, tonight was Trick-Or-Treat night in our neighborhood. And I knew within 10 minutes of waking up it was going to be a long day. I had 4 cubs on my bed before 9 am, with various pieces of their Halloween costumes, wanting to discuss nitty-gritty details with me. Please wait until your mother has put her contacts in and had at least 1 cup of tea, before you expect her to focus, let alone be rational. And please check your swords and rapiers at the door.....

So later this evening came The Great Sortation. Did you know that tonight is the night The Great Pumpkin comes? Yes. The deal is this- the more candy you give up, the better the present you will find in your chair at breakfast tomorrow. The best giveaway ever has been the year #1 Cub gave away all but 6 pieces of candy. This year Small Girl Cub kept all but 14. The Great Sortation comes after the gathering/snacking, when they winnow out the Best of the Best, and put it in a Ziplock bag. My family room looks like it's been hit by marauding candy elves. But the sortation is all finished, all small cubs are upstairs, if not sleeping, and it appears The Great Pumpkin may have to make a Walmart run. Sigh. Whose stupid idea was this anyway?

By the way, the Cubs were quite creative this year- we had a Pie Rat, complete with pie pan shield and fork, a Tigger, a Musketeer, a Knight, a Fairy Princess, and the best- #1 Cub dressed in a pair of jeans with stars she'd sewn on them, layered t-shirts, blue stripes in her hair, mp3 player, and a sign that read 'Trick or Treat' on one side, and then on the other side, to answer the question, "What are you?" 'Bored Teenager.' Yup, just the best. She even has the eyeroll modeled to perfection.