Sunday, November 6, 2011

"Prewarding:" The Newest Thing at Our House

So I told you already that Ryan wanted to go as "fun" for Halloween, but "fun" changed each time we went somewhere.After she was "fun," she was (what she refferred to as) a "ghost bride." She wore a green and pink (BRIGHT green and BRIGHT pink) striped shirt, a pair of Addison's jeans (ie-two sizes too small) and an old sleeveless bridal costume that she got for her birthday two years ago. I seriously need to learn how to post pictures so you can witness her wardrobe! I also need to post their Halloween...creations...so that you can witness for yourself Addison's Batman/Snow White masterpiece or Brayden's Spiderman/Cinderella debacle. At least they are creative... We were pretty booked last weekend, which I liked. I love taking my kids AWAY from my house. Maybe it's because they fight at home. Maybe it's because they make messes. Maybe it's because I see ELEVEN loads of laundry and a food-covered floor that I simply refuse to clean staring back at me. Whatever the reason, my kids go out--A LOT! The Saturday before Halloween was a prime example. Addison's very best friend from school (and her mom) told us that our mall was having trick or treating on Saturday morning and a local glass-blowing museum (which is set up like the most adorable small town) was doing the same on Sunday. "Fun," 'Beauty" and Karate Guy ( before they "created" costumes, they decided to wear the costumes as they were intended--except for Ryan (who was "Fun"). Addison wore an old Belle costume and Brayden wore his Gi (Karate robe), tied a red rope around his head and called himself a ninja.) decked themselves out in their costume--ON THEIR OWN I might add-- to head out in the freezing monsoon that enveloped our town. I shouldn't complain about the weather--everyone else seemed to be fighting "Snowtoberfest--" we were lucky by comparison! We rushed from the mall to basketball practice with a pit-stop home to "lose" "Fun" and "Beauty." While at basketball, another friend called to remind me that her church was having a Halloween party-trunk-or-treat chili cookoff and they would love for us to come. VERY exciting. THEN ANOTHER friend (this story is making me look MUCH more popular than I am...) called to see if we wanted to go trick-or-treating with them at Walmart at four. Hmmm. As I was trying to figure out the logisitics, Brayden and I stopped at Shop Rite to find pumpkins. They were out, but luckily THEY were having trick or treating, so thirty dollars (and one excited boy with his own bag of candy that his sisters did not get) later (cider, donuts, pretzels, chicken...) we headed to a different store. I already complained about the price of the pumpkins in one of my last posts, so let's move ahead to when we got home. The girls were "counting" all of their candy from the mall. Brayden joined them and I attempted to fill my husband in on all of the events we may or may not be attending. Unfortunately, my children cannot be alone together for more than five minutes without fighting. As the arguments ensued, I found myself saying to my husband (seconds after I decided Walmart would be too much), "Maybe we SHOULD go to Walmart. If we stay here they are probably going to get in trouble and we may not even BE ABLE to go to the church party tonight..." I was lost in the thought when I noticed the look on my husband's face. "What?" "WHAT?! We are going to "preward" them now? Let them do something fun BECAUSE they are children who get in trouble so to prevent them from misbehaving we are going to take them somewhere fun?!" "When you put it THAT way..." I laughed. "And really," he continued, "how many times are they going trick-or-treating? WE went trick or treating ONE TIME when we were kids. Once. Brayden has already been TWICE, they all are going tonight AND tomorrow, AND IT ISN'T EVEN HALLOWEEN YET!" He makes a valid (if not uncharacteristically LOUD) point. When did this happen to me?

12 comments:

  1. Sounds like a loaded week for the kids. When I was a kid we went once too. I think now there's just a lot more things to do now days. We've tried the trunk-or-treat in years past but this year we also went to a haunted house so I guess we did more than just trick-or-treat. But the "preward", now that's a new one. Clever kids!

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  2. I get the whole Preward thing LOL I think it must just be in the "Parents survival handbook" It's the same as the many time I took Matilda out of her bed when she was exhausted because her crying was too much for me not her LOL...when I stopped she now peacefully passes out on her own. But sometimes we just do what we need to to survive right or wrong:)

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  3. HaHA!! Oh my goodness... I am totally guilty of prewarding too! I never really thought of it that way, and I'm certainly not going to tell my husband about that particular term, because he'll jump all over it! LOL

    On the infamous "potty accident" night that I wrote about, my husband told my son he had lost his TV for the next day for peeing on the carpet. I was like, great, but... um... I'm the one who is home with both the kids and has to entertain them and keep them from fighting and destroying the house, and you just took away my one guaranteed fix for when the kids need calming down!

    So, because I knew what would happen if the kids were home all day with no TV, I took them to Chuck-E-Cheese, and my son ended up getting something he wanted more than TV anyway! LOL

    Oh well. We do what we have to do to maintain our sanity--that's what I say! Thanks for leaving such a nice comment on my blog! Following you back (your GFC widget isn't showing up, so I followed by clicking the "Follow" link at the top of the page). Have a great week!

    Smiles, Jenn @Misadventures in Motherhood

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  4. Jenn--THAT is hilarious--and is SO what I do! Half the time I don't even realize I'm doing it until my husband asks me why I think my children don't listen to me and answers with, "Perhaps because they know if they DON'T, you are going to take them on a fun trip or give them candy! These are things I need to add to my "I'll NEVER" list from last week! Thanks for following--I love reading (and relating to!) your "Misadventures...":o)

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  5. prewarding! I'm so guilty of this! Just Stopping my from MBC. New follower here :)
    Come visit my blog.

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  6. Lisa, I know what you mean about the sleeping thing, though when it comes to sleeping, I think different rules apply! Check out MY kind of list--I think the sleeping situation made it on the list... Vicki, thanks for stopping--love your blog!

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  7. Veronica--I love the photos you posted--SO cool!

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  8. So kids go trick-or-treating at businesses now? My co-workers and I were wondering why kids weren't showing up at our doors anymore.

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  9. Yes they do! It's actually MUCH easier--we were in a big parade as we stopped by the door of each store at the mall. We were warm and comfortable and we knew no one put pins in our Snickers...or was that amyth my mom told me so that she could get her hands on my candy?!

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  10. Hello! Following back from MBC. I like the post. I am guilty of prewarding too--just didn't have a name for it until now! Love your posts and your honesty!

    www.twomomsalittletimeandakeyboard.blogspot.com

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  11. Thanks for the feedback, Mel! My husband gets the credit for the word, though I'M the one who is guilty of doing it all the time!

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  12. Stopping by to say hi,and thank you again for following my blog, here is an invite to Come enter the Valentine Baking Kit for your kids http://bit.ly/w4Tc3x
    Have a great Sunday!

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