Why I have not let my kids celebrate Halloween

My kids have never Trick or Treated, they don't get dressed up and go from house to house, and we don't turn our front lights on every October 31st.  This hasn't always sat well with my kids or my husband, but I have gone to the mat on this one because I really have a strong conviction about it. 
So why do I have such a strong conviction?  Isn't it just an innocent fun time?  It is really anything bad is it?

My issues with Halloween are 2 fold.  One comes from my Christian beliefs and the other comes from my concern about what it is teaching my kids. 

From the Christian standpoint my concerns are about celebrating a Satanic holiday.   Halloween is the Satanic New Year and is a high "holy" day for them.   If you don't believe me ask the police in an area near pagan groups.  When I lived in Warren, Maine, we would get messages every year just before Halloween to keep our pets (especially cats) inside because there have been animals stolen around that time.  There was a coven of witches in the next town over and many rituals were done around this time and needed cats.   I have played in the occult and paganism and know how serious it is.  My playing of Dungeons and Dragons and my immersion into pagan mythos, turned me away from God. For a long time I questioned if God existed and if He did, why would he want to have anything to do with me.   A short time after I became a Christian I burned my D&D stuff.  I felt much better after it was out of my life and I don't want to head down that path again. 
We have done the "harvest party" on the day but I have realized that is just something so that kids don't feel left out or weird.   Sorry folks, I don't buy it.  Many times in scripture God says we are a "peculiar" people, just like the Israelites in the Old Testament.  We are set aside.  We are to be different from the world. This is the same reason Santa is a fun make believe story at our house too.  If I have to make a choice between getting dressed up in a costume for fun or pleasing my Savior...I'll take the latter one every time.

From the "what does it teach my kids" standpoint, it teaches them extortion.  I know that is a strong word and I am sure folks are saying that I am going overboard, but hear me out.  The legal definition of the word extort is (from dictionary.com)

"to wrest or wring (money, information, etc.) from a person by violence, intimidation, or abuse of authority; obtain by force, torture, threat, or the like."

 That sounds like Trick or Treating to me.   I show up at your house in disguise so that you can't be recognized, demand you to hand me something that belongs to you and if you won't hand it over to me I will do something nasty to your property or person.  Any other day of the year people would be rightfully calling the cops if someone did that.  I never knew where the custom came from, but I recently learned its origin.  In Hiawatha, Kansas in 1914 the children would go out on October 31st and destroy property and wreak havoc.  One of the things that was habitually destroyed was Mrs. Elizabeth Krebs' flower garden. Just as it had for many years before. She was the leader of the local garden society and had worked very hard on that garden. She had finally had enough of it and thought that maybe if she told the kids they could come to her house for candy and a party they would not destroy things (especially her flower garden).  Well it kind of worked.  Many of the local children came, but a group of rowdy boys burned a cart and ran it down the streets.  Mrs. Krebs wouldn't be detoured.  The following year she asked kids to dress up and have a parade and party in the center of town.  She paid for this town party from her own pocket when the town wouldn't fund it.  It was a huge success.  The children came and there was no destruction.  So she paid the bribe to keep the kids from destroying property.  And every year since then all over the country we have continued paying that bill so that kids won't destroy stuff. It doesn't always work (see Devil's Night in cities like Detroit). So I was right, Halloween is all about paying protection candy.  Didn't they arrest the Mafia for doing stuff like that???  This is NOT something I want to teach my kids.  

 

I never liked Halloween as a child (I would trick or treat for UNICEF and would thank people even if they didn't give).   I never understood why it was fun to scare the living daylights out of people then laugh when they freaked out.   I am pretty sure I have NEVER left a haunted house when I wasn't in tears, even when I knew the people doing the scaring.  And that was when the things doing the scaring were make believe (monsters, vampires, zombies and ghosts).  Now a days the scary things are way too real: murderers, mutilation of people, blood dripping from terrible wounds, and stalkers coming after you.  If I want to see that kind of stuff all I have to do is watch the news (another thing I try to avoid doing).  

 

So that is why I have such a conviction about Halloween.   I don't ask anyone else outside my immediate family to avoid it so I would ask folks to be tolerant of my convictions.  

Starting up the family blog again

I have taken a few years off of blogging, but it is time to get back to the family blog.  The kids are growing like crazy and I have posted a lot on Facebook, but I don't have it all in one place.  This blog is meant to share the laughs and tears of our family.  Hope it brings smiles to people's faces.

Teasing only goes so far

Little Brother was doing what 12 year old boys do best...annoy their sisters. He was repeating everything Little Sister said and she was getting more and more frustrated. She started saying things like,"I am getting angry." and "You need to stop that."

Since she wasn't getting anywhere with those, she went a very different route and said, "I am a pretty, little princess." There was a short pause and then Little Brother said, "Not gonna happen."

I'm thankful for

I am thankful for many things and after a not so great day yesterday I need to turn my eyes to what I have to be thankful for:

I am thankful for a God who loves me and His Son who was willing to die for me and that He gives me opportunities to share that.

I am thankful for my canary. For those that don't know, a canary is a bird who is very sensitive to changes in the air, especially carbon monoxide. So they would keep a canary in the mines and if the carbon monoxide (a deadly, colorless, odorless gas) started to build up in the mine the bird would die and the miners knew it wasn't safe to stay in the mine. One of my kids is the canary for my family. He is more sensitive to when things aren't as they should be and reacts in a way we can't help but notice.

I am thankful for friends who listen even when I am ranting and complaining. I am also thankful that those friends come along side to help. I am truly blessed to know many of these women.

I am thankful for my best friend. He stands by me even when the world is falling apart around us. I am blessed that God gave him to me.

I am thankful that God knows what I need even when I don't. He takes me where I am and deals with me. When I don't read His Word, He speaks to me where I am. I am thankful that even though He has no reason to love me, He does.

A life changing event

Seventeen years ago my life changed in an amazing way. That day a 7 pound 8 ounce miracle was born and part of my heart was now traveling in someone else's body. Before he was born I knew him. He was a quiet baby who would let me know he was around when I needed him to. He put me through the most intense pain I had ever felt, but gave me more joy than I could ever imagine.

It is hard to believe how quickly the years have flown by and how that tiny baby is almost ready to leave the nest.

Though he will be a man in just one short year, he will always be that toothless little face that I met 17 years ago today.

New templates

Since all the kids except #1 daughter (aka: Big Sister) is out and about this weekend, we decided to change the template for this blog. Please let us know what you think. We want to find something that will be expressive without being obnoxious.

Thought I had seen it all

Well there was a new one on me today. Big Sister would figure out any way she could to get out of doing math. She would do all kinds of things, but I don't remember her ever pulling her own teeth (thankfully it was already a little loose). Yes you read that right. Little Brother (who hate math more than Big Sister) wiggled his own tooth so long then finally pulled it out. Please understand that we have been at the same math page for 9 hours...yes 9 hours. I gave birth to him in a shorter time than that. The most obnoxious thing is that it is something he understands. He can do them independently and just won't. It is days like this that drive me crazy. Doesn't help that the weather is humid and I am not feeling too good.

Little Brother isn't a rock

Well we have proven once and for all that Little Brother is not a rock and that anyone, even someone as skinny as he is, is buoyant. He has been convinced that he would sink in the water so he would never go in for fear of sinking. While we were at the lake yesterday we convinced him to try floating. He was very nervous and wouldn't relax which didn't help with the floating. So how did we finally get him to relax enough to float? Pure capitalism. If he floated all on his own he could have a toy which cost up to $5. It was amazing how fast he was able to float after that. We have a contract for more floating including in water over his head well on his way to actually swimming.

What is a teenager?

Big Brother summed up what teenagers and kids on the spectrum perfectly the other day.

DH took the doors off the Jeep and asked Big Brother if he wanted to ride to the activities we had around town that day. Big Brother wanted nothing to do with it. Later in the day we talked about the boys driving up to the racetrack the next day and that DH wanted to take the Jeep with the doors still off. Big Brother was all excited about it. I asked him why he wouldn't ride in the Jeep around town going no more than 40 mph, but can't wait to ride in the Jeep going 60+ on the highway.

His answer:

"I am a world of contradictions".

Yes he is, as are all teenagers.

Spring has sprung!

Believe it or not, winter has finally left New England. With Spring comes new life, warmth and lots of bugs. It also means that we are always on the move.
Big Brother is learning that High School is harder than it looks and that you can't cruise through school. Regardless of how smart you are, you need to put forth the effort or you won't succeed. I am sure he will take that lesson to heart.
Big Sister had her first real part in a play. She played the mom of Martha and Dickens in "The Secret Garden". She learned to work in a team and put the needs of the team ahead of her needs.
Little Brother learned to read this year. He has dyslexia and a perfectionist streak. He has ADHD and I finally gave in on medication. Between that and finding the "Gift of Dyslexia" site he is reading finally.
Little Sister is just Little Sister. She is still doing well in her studies and being generally cute. She doesn't like being the youngest, but is learning to deal with it.
Life goes on and as the seasons change and the children grow up we see God's hand in our lives and pray that He will continue to guide us through the seasons yet to come.

Thankful for little things

We are so thankful to God for His provisions for Little Sister. She was so excited about Spring finally coming to the great white north that she had to go play on the swing. Though she has seen the Mythbusters where they prove you can't do a 360 on a regular swing, she had to try it anyway. When she swung very far back, gravity did it's thing. She fell flat out of the swing and hit the top of her forehead on the slide. She was shaken up when she came in and was dizzy. Until recently I probably would have put an ice pack on her head and told her to go sit down, but after what happened to Natasha Richardson, I decided to call the doctor just to be on the safe side. She seemed fine, but so did Natasha. The exam was normal, but Little Sister said she saw sparkles in front of her eyes. The doctor wasn't going to do any imaging, but since Little Sister was adamant about the sparkles she figured better safe than sorry. So we got to have a CAT scan on Little Sister's head. Everything looked normal PTL! The doctor sent us home and things seem to be okay.
Little Sister has been groggier than usual and a little grumpier, but I understand that's normal after getting your bell rung like she did.
We just Thank God that it was nothing serious and hug her a little tighter.

Still kitchen remodeling

When I first started this blog, I posted pictures of our kitchen remodeling. Well, we are still remodeling, but I think we are almost done. I am including recent pictures so folks can see our progress.





This is a potato, onion and garlic storage container that DH made along with "Mr. Fish" one of our 4 pets (the other 3 are hermit crabs).

This is the new sliding door leading to the deck we put on this summer.

DH took down the old chair rail and wallpaper and replaced it with wainscoting (forgive the spelling, and the shop vac).

Yes folks that is a real floor. We have been living with the luan since the project started and now we have a real floor!!!! Can you tell I am just a little happy about this.

Stupid teenage tricks

I know that the teenage brain is missing in action, but I wasn't sure just how much so till today. Big Brother (age 14.5) mows the lawn. I asked him to do that today and then put the tractor back. He mentioned that he thought tractors should be able to go on the road. I told him that he was not to take the lawn tractor on the road. He mows the lawn then everything gets quiet. I thought he had put the tractor back in the shed. No such luck. He decided that taking the tractor up the street was a good idea. No...I have no idea why he would think this was a good idea, but he did. So I took off in the van after him and found him pushing the tractor about an 1/8th of a mile from the house. It had died while crossing a neighbor's driveway. Not only had he taken it out of the yard, but he didn't check the amount of gas in it. He moved the mower out of the way and I brought him back to get the gas can. He refilled the mower and then drove it back home and put it away. He is rightfully embarrassed and I don't think he will do it again. I am going to be completely grey before I am 45 (and I turn 43 this year).

Can't argue with this logic

Little Sister has an interesting way of coming to conclusions.
This morning she asked me if she could watch "Little Einsteins". I don't have a problem with the show, but I think it is a little young for her (she's 7 1/2). I told her that she wasn't a little girl anymore and the following conversation took place:

Me: "You're not a little kid anymore"
LS: "Yes I am"
Me: "No, you're a middler"
LS: "But I'm not a large, I'm a medium which makes me small."

The conversation ended at that point and I told her she could watch "Little Einsteins". I can't argue with that kind of logic. :-)

Getting Fit on the Wii

We are an electronic family. When our XBox started dying last summer we wondered what to replace it with. We considered the XBox 360, but it didn't offer games that we could all play as a family. We pressed our luck and went in search of the illusive Wii. We figured almost a year after it was first released, it shouldn't be that hard to get. We were so wrong! I was amazed when in store after store (and on line too) I heard the same thing, "We don't have any and don't know when we will get any in". One day I was in the mall looking for something else and just for kicks I asked in the local Gamespot and they told me that they heard a rumor that EB Games in the mall had just gotten a shipment in. I rushed across the mall and asked about it. The folks at EB were shocked. They had only gotten 4 in about 10 minutes before and I was the second person to come asking about them. I quickly snatched up what I needed and began on a very interesting journey into Wii land.
Our family has had a lot of fun playing the Wii and now we are going to work on getting fit using it too. When I heard Wii fit was coming out, I made sure to be at the store when the doors opened. We got the game 2 days ago and have not been disappointed. From Little Brother and Little Sister up through DH and I, we all have burned more than a few calories on that little board.
We have done Yoga, run in place, checked our balance, ski jumped and put little balls in little holes, just to name a few. I would recommend this anyone who hates exercise but knows that if they don't they won't be healthy.
I only wish they had come out with something like this years ago. I would probably be in better shape if they had.

Stupid Kid Tricks

Well, Big Brother, my 14 year old son, has been having trouble lately with doing things before he thinks (typical 14 year old boy). Today he was mad that I was making him show his work in Pre-Algebra course. He is a good math student and it has come very easy to him. I know that he will have to show work when he takes Algebra at co-op next year so I wanted to get him used to it this year. He was being stubborn and took his book to copy. I let him go do that because I knew that it wasn't going to make any difference because he was still going to have to copy the problem and show the work. What I didn't count on was that he was going to think sticking his middle finger into the hole of a cast iron reloading set up that we had to move into the downstairs' living room when we put in a new window in the back hallway this weekend was going to be a good idea. The finger went in well, but didn't come out. He was complaining that it hurt and that is was getting cold.
The reloading set up was connected to a small stand and the hole was on the top, so the blood was rushing to his finger, making it swell. I tilted the table over and unbolted the piece from the table. I then held the piece upside down (holding the solid metal shaft that is designed to go into the hole his finger was in) trying to get the blood to drain out and shrink his finger. I got mineral oil (we had tried baby lotion and soap already) and poured it by the finger. Finally it came loose enough and popped out. I was not fancying calling the doctor to tell him that my son was a real redneck and that I was coming in with a reloader stuck to his middle finger. I wonder if he said "Hey Y'all watch this" before he did it????

Bad News, Good News

Bad News: On Friday morning I went to the dishwasher to get some clean dishes out. Much to my chagrin, the dishwasher hadn't been set off the night before, so I closed it and pushed the start button. Even more to my chagrin, nothing happened. I tried closing it again, but still nothing. This was not what I wanted to see with a family of 6 on Easter weekend.
Good News: I called the company that has our extended warranty (Thank God for those extended warranties).
Bad News: They told us they could schedule someone to come out on Monday. I was totally unthrilled about that prospect, but it was what I expected.
Good News: Later on I got a call from the local company and the nice lady told me that they could get someone out that day. OH JOY!! I would have my dishwasher for the weekend, or so I thought.
Bad News: We had no idea what the problem was and thought it might be that a mouse had bit through the cord. When I mentioned this to the lady from the local company, she said that wouldn't be covered by the warranty. Oh well, I didn't have a choice but to have it fixed so I told him to come over anyway.
Good News: When the tech arrived, he took apart the front of the dishwasher and found that it was a problem with the computer in the touch pad and would be covered by warranty. I was glad that it seemed like a small problem that needed a piece replaced. I am old enough to remember when a repair man would come with all the parts he needed to fix the appliance in his truck. He would figure out what piece wore out and he would fix it. With today's appliances, there are so many parts and there are so many different brands that it is impossible to carry all the parts they need, thus leading to...
Bad News: He needs to order a part and it won't be here for 7 to 10 days. UUGGHH!!!

Good News: I have 2 older kids that can clean, dry and put away dishes by hand, so it isn't all bad :-)

We all have our talents

The other night our next door neighbor's daughter was staying overnight. After dinner I told the girls to do the dishes. Our friend offered to help Big Sister. Little Sister wanted to help too.

Little Sister-"What can I do to help?"
Big Sister- "I don't know. Stand there and look cute."
Little Sister- "Oh Great!!! That's what I do best!"

This is ridiculous!

I am a born and raised New Englander and can handle snow, but this winter has been dowright ridiculous. Concord, the official measurement place for New Hampshire, has registered over 102 inches before the snowstorm we had last night. Where we are usually gets about 1.5 as much snow as they do. If they get 5 inches, we usually between 7 and 9, so I bet we have had 150 inches.

Here are some pictures to give folks an idea of what it is like around our house

Here is a picture of how high the snow is next to the driveway. The van is a 15 passenger and about 8 feet high.

This is our Jeep Wrangler which has been in the yard all winter. Yes, the snow is up to the bottom of the door windows.

This is a frame for a archery target. The target is 3 feet square so the frame is about 5 feet tall.

This is the top of a tomato plant which we planted last Spring. The plant is in a 5 gallon pail with the tomato racks around it.

This is the "Magic Garbage Box". I put bags of garbage into the box and every Wednesday it disappears :) The snow on the top is just since last Sunday. We are hoping to dig out the front since if you can't get the door open the garbage elves can't take the garbage away.

This is our mailbox. It is a white box on a black metal post. Can't see it??? Neither can I.

Can you see the big green cover it? We haven't since the middle of December when it collapsed. Under the tarp is a boat that we hope is still in good shape when the snow finally does melt.

I am very glad that no one was near the barn when the snow came crashing down. This must be a huge weight of snow.

Our kids have a tree house which is 10 feet above the sand pit. The railings are 3.5 feet high and the floor is slatted. This is how much snow has stayed up there.

I can't believe how much snow we have gotten this year and they are saying more snow is coming. Thankfully we should have a couple of days that are in the 40s and most of this should melt. I can dream can't I?????

From the mouthes of babes

We have often thought that Little Brother was born for comic relief and today was no exception. He isn't feeling well (he has a cold) and wanted to eat lots of bananas (one of his favorite foods).
Little Brother: "Mom, can I have another banana?"
Mom: "How many bananas are left?"
Little Brother: "A bunch!"