Straight From the Bottle

He looks JUST like Hal in that picture! I remember getting freaked out when my own parents got dressed up- mostly because they had always just been mom and dad. They weren't supposed to be anyone else. I'm sure he will look back and laugh!

I've been living in Virginia for the past 17 years now but the "like totally" still sticks with me till this day. =)

Wow!  Your hubby is HOT with the long hair.  Keep us posted when KISS calls him to go on tour.    

I laughed reading your post ... Archer is just too cute & Fable is adorable.  Luv your bloggy!!

Smooches,

The Tart

;  *

my parents never dressed up and we haven't dressed up since the baby was born but I think it's awesome that you did and I admire the way you handled it. You are a good mommy.

It's great for kids to see their parents having fun. I took my kids to a Halloween party and the parents had more creative costumes than the kids. Parents are people too! (not just kid handlers...) You're doing a great job!

Who's the extra kid in the background of that last picture?

That's our friend's babe! We were at a Halloween party for the kids. (And for us.)

I don't have any children but I just wanted to comment on that last photo. It is so awesome. I love it. Black & White photos rock. ;D And I know you'll cherish it as a badass Halloween to go down in history. ^o^

So the teaser photo from the GGC post?  Looks like a page right out of "The Mysteries of Harris Burdick." Archer may be a little young yet but in a year or two? That is a fantastic read. I've thought about having a couple pages framed. Also you and Hal are fantastic.

we haven't dressed up before, save for a wolf head/hood thing i put on this year. i put all of my energy into making the kids' costumes.

btw - finn would live in pjs if i'd let him & we got an ear-fucking-ful from my husband's nan about how inappropriate it is, blah, blah, blah. thing is? he was hanging out at bubbe & zeyda's all day when she complained about it. whatevs. and he had on the same nick & nora pjs

pjs rock!!!!!

In china they walk out on streets with pjs on.

have a great day

My mom used to go around the house talking in a weird voice, using "words" that weren't real words at all. She was being silly and I HATED IT! I can still remember the fear because I wanted my mommy back, where was mommy??!! She'd take a short break from her weird vocabulary and say "it's still me, I'm just being silly". Even though she wasn't in costume, just talking like she was an alien, it was hard for me to understand that mommy was still "mommy". Pretend is hard when it's not in your own mind. But, I'm 30, I haven't had years of therapy and I had a FABULOUSLY healthy imagination as a child. I think it's important for kids to learn to be silly and except things that are out of the ordinary without flipping out.

A friend of mine is a teacher, so all during the summer when she dropped off or picked up her 2 yo from daycare (for partial days while she cleaned or ran errands and to give him somewhat of a normal schedule) she was rarely showered and groomed like the other parents going to work. One afternoon she picked him up, make up on, hair down (not the usual ponytail) and wearing a skirt. Her son's first words to her? "Mommy, you look weird!" Hahahaha! Gotta love 'em!

First of all, the black and white photo is exceptional.  It should be hanging in a gallery--modern americana.  

I think all kids are different when it comes to this subject.  I remember being REALLY FREAKED OUT by the smallest of change in my parent's appearance.  My dad had this crazy long beard and wild hair (it was the '70's and he worked undercover) and one day he went and cut it off.  And I wouldn't go near him.  In fact, when he shaved off his moustache I sobbed. My mom once went and got a spiffy new hairdo.  She waltzed through the door and I fell to the floor and had a full on tantrum. How could she have done this to ME?  

So this Halloween my husband wanted to wear his silly mask--it is a freaky looking dude face and a hat.  I HATE it. It looks like a serial killer to me. And whenever he puts it on I freak out.  So when he wore it this year, I was convinced it would scare the baby.  But instead to my delight, she just laughed and laughed.

We dressed up. At first, when we tried on our costumes, Joey, my 2 year old son, hated it! He kept saying, "No! No ma!", there were spiders on my hat.

His dad wore a huge wig. On halloween we dressed him up as a monkey. He kept making monkey noises. He loved it. He wasn't afraid at all. Of anyone. It's like he knew we were dressed up and pretending just for that day. It actually was alot of fun and much better than I expected it to be.

my husband and I dress up with the kids...we've so far been able to all do themed costumes.  Like this year the kids and hubby were dalmations and I was Cruella Deville.  My 1.5 year old got really into it pretending she was a puppy, wagging her tail and barking, but didn't seem to notice that her parents looked any different.  My 3 year old knew it was pretend and didn't mind at all.  She is more likely to forget it's pretend when she sees a scary costume, like the man who was the scary pirate.  

Wow you guys went all out with the switcheroo.

Up until a certain point in their lives kids can't tell the difference between what is real and what is pretend. This is why you shouldn't discredit their imaginary friends. I just hope Moanna doesn't bring him an imaginary friend with bad behavior when the time comes.

Oh, my 3 guys did not like mommy wearing "elegant witch" one bit.  The wee one burst into tears!!

I'm 61 and my 31 year old goes weird at the thought of me changing my appearance.  The mere mention of cosmetic surgery (not look different- just better) was enough to freak her. Is she worried about the risks, the emphasis on looks, age-ism.  No.  "But you won't look like my mom."

I used to flip out on my mom when she would put on facial masks (like, the kind you use to tighten your pores, or whatever, not halloween masks) and cry and scream until she washed it off. When she told me about it, it didn't make any sense, but now that I've read this, I get it. I must have thought she was an alien or something. LOL.

Brilliant costumes, by the way!

For a zombie parade this year, I donned black lipstick and my toddler insisted I take it off. I thought "oh, man, if black lipstick alone is bothering you, wait until you see your dad." My husband was downstairs applying full "dead" make-up of grays and greens and browns. So I warned my son that Daddy would have on even more make-up. But he wasn't bothered at all by Daddy looking dead. He just didn't think Mommy's lips were supposed to be black.

I also think Archer looks just like Hal in the first pic!

Totally, Linsey. I think so too!

That's funny, no comments yet. I think your costumes were hilarious.

Halloween, 1983.  I was about 5 and my brother and sister were 3.  Our elderly neighbor's brother (who lived with her) had recently died, and she was lonely.  She spent alot of time at our house.

This particular night, we had come home from trick-or-treating and Stella (the neighbor) was watching my bro, sis and I take a bath together while my mom was washing the dishes.

Our other neighbor, who was also my friend's dad (hence, someone we saw on a daily basis), stopped by on his way to a Halloween party.  Thinking we would get a kick out of seeing the costume, my dad sent John into the bathroom to show it off.

John was dressed as a vampire.  When he walked in the bathroom, Stella started screaming, "Oy! Oy! It's the ghost of Jimmy!" (the dead brother).  (Looking back, and having discussed this with my parents, I am fairly certain Stella really did think this was her brother's ghost.)

Needless to say, my brother and sister and I were totally freaked out.  My brother hid behind the shower curtain, my sister tried to climb out the window and I'm pretty certain I peed in the tub.

26 years later, this story is hysterical.  At the time, though, it took my brother, sister and I, several weeks to be able to look at John the same way.

Well, we don't celebrate Halloween, so we've never dressed up, but the other day, I got this clay facial mask and put it on. It made my entire face white. My boys ran in, chasing each other, stopped dead and stared at me. The 2.5 year old got a very shocked look on his face and ran out of the room. The 3.5 year old stared at me and said, "What happened to your face?"

A few minutes later, the little one was crying when I walked by and yelled, "SCARY MAMA!" And then they decided I was a monster and proceeded to shoot me with fake guns. Good times.

My mother chased me around the house with a green facial mask on cackling like a witch.  I was 3 years old.  I can remember the terror like it was yesterday.