Every fall, I vow to decorate the house for Halloween by October 15. Every year I promise myself to take the kids to a pumpkin patch, buy several pumpkins of different sizes and have a grand time carving them. Of course I want my jack-o-lanterns to look Martha Stewart perfect. I tell myself this will be the year I can get healthy candy prepared for trick-or-treaters ahead of time. I set out to buy a new costume for myself, and have my kids in matching outfits for the perfect trick or treating evening.
Well, guess what. It usually doesn’t happen that way, and it doesn’t look like it will this year either. It also doesn’t seem like I’ll be decking out for Thanksgiving or even Christmas, for lack of time and—mostly—energy! To my credit, at least I manage to put up the tree, take pictures of the kids in holiday hats, and get Santa’s list all checked off in time for the big day. But you won’t find my house marked in the local newspaper map of best decorated!
When I was single and childless, quite a few years back, I always carved a pumpkin to preserve the family tradition, which we kept alive even when living away from the U.S. When my children were babies I still found the time to prepare for festivities ahead of time, although they were too young to realize.
But as the years go by and both the kids and I get busier managing a bigger workload, more homework and extracurricular activities, long commutes as a divorced co-parent, complex blended family schedules and a new puppy, it just seems impossible to keep up with all the holiday prepping.
So while I devote my time as an editor asking my writers for content that will help other moms enjoy the perfect Halloween or Día de los Muertos, I feel I´m failing miserably at making the season memorable for my own family.
Where does everyone find the time to sew costumes for their kids, bake scary looking cookies and host beautifully catered Halloween parties? How can they decorate and redecorate for each and every holiday season and not miss a beat? I´ll be darned if I’ve got the answer.
Read Related: Halloween Costume Ideas for Pregnant Women
Thank goodness my eight-year-old is doing pumpkin crafts at school (thank you teachers!), and that we got her a cute cat costume a month ago when we happened to drive by a Halloween store. Praise the heavens that my eldest is content dressing up with whatever she finds in her closet. Good thing my stepson will be trick-or-treating with his mom this year.
Instead of carving pumpkins, this week I’ll be traveling to Houston to speak at LATISM12. My kids will stay with their dad and do their thing at school. I’ll get back just in time for trick or treating, and despite the lack of preparations and fanfare, I know everything will be just fine and we’ll have a blast.
Besides, I have something to look forward to! This year I gave myself permission to splurge on a new costume that represents my alter ego and I’m sure many mamis can relate. This Halloween I get to be Superwoman! I might not be able to pull it off all the time, but hey, I can pretend to be a superhero at least one day out of the whole year…
