Hey Mama, you made it through the start of school. Good Job! Of course, it is never ending; especially with the holidays right around the corner. Let’s focus on one at a time. We love the fall season, but it has a very full schedule with Halloween and all the activities the beautiful weather the season has to offer. If Halloween is your jam, you go girl! Some of us could use a little inspiration, and possibly even relief to facing the holiday. Relief is what we hope to provide. Between the costumes, school treats, decorations, and handing out candy it becomes a full-time job just getting ready for the holiday. Here are some tips and tricks on making it a simple, stress free Halloween.
Do the Bare Minimum
Here is your permission slip to not be the Pinterest mom. It is easy getting caught up in how everything looks to everybody else, but to be honest nobody is watching. The people who love you don’t care and the people who do care are probably not your people anyway. So, take grapes and call them monster eyeballs for the school snack, grab grandpa’s cowboy hat for the costume, throw a couple of pumpkins on the porch, and hand out candy until you run out. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. As we said before if Halloween is your jam you keep jamming out. If it’s not, don’t put too much energy into it.
Let go of the Guilt
We just told you to tone it back if the to-do list for Halloween is just too much for you to handle. You are probably thinking “sure, that sounds easy in theory… but”, but what? What will the neighbors think? Are you being lazy? Is it selfish of you to cut back? Hey girlfriend all the questions hit us too. There is only one question to truly ask yourself, and that is, “Will my children have fun?” If they have a stress-free Mama that is actually looking forward to the holiday instead of dreading it, then the answer is a guaranteed yes. Your kids may remember the costumes and decorations when they get older, or they won’t. That’s okay. What they will remember is the memory of their Mom spending time with them and having fun together. Let them remember that mom and not the frazzled mom who is trying to make brain Jello and cover the house in fake spiderwebs.
There is Always Next Year
Time keeps moving so if you decide next year that you can handle it all, that’s great! You skipping one year to save a little bit of your sanity is not a sin. Maybe you skip all the years, that’s cool too! You need to do what is best for you and your family. From year to year it will be different so just play it by ear. It keeps the children’s expectations low (which isn’t a bad thing) and makes the little extra you do from year to year a surprise.
With the holidays hitting us quick, we thought it important to remind everybody to take a deep breath and go with the flow. A reminder that nobody is watching, you don’t need to feel guilty, and it can always change later. Enjoy the day with your family. Smile, laugh, have fun and most importantly make beautiful memories together that your children won’t forget.