Annoyed

Why are so many sexy Halloween costumes being marketed to little girls? I just took the girls to Target to look for costumes, and after 30 minutes, we left empty-handed.

I understand that many adult women like to get glammed up and sexy for Halloween- especially those in their 20's who are out having a good time. I'm fine with that. Whatever. But why does society find it necessary to completely sexualize little girls? My daughters are in SECOND GRADE. So NO- they aren't allowed to be the "Diva" whose costume looked like a female pimp, complete with large purple feathers. Neither will they go out with the Brat's pirate outfit, complete with short, short skirt and fishnet stockings. Some other choices? Gothic cheerleaders or sexy cleopatra. Seriously? Seriously.

This year, Grace wants to be a kangaroo and Emma wants to be a Toucan. I know those are off-the-beaten-path choices, but I'm going to have to get creative enough to make it happen. I am DEFINITELY not the Martha Stewart type. I mean- I scrapbook and decorate my house for Fall. I make Pumpkin pie and spicy cider. However, I do not sew, nor have I used my sewing machine more than twice since I bought it three years ago. My mom, another non-Martha Stewart, used to pull out all of the stops for us at Halloween. I was a yellow bunny when I was five, a gypsi numerous years in a row (all you needed was bangly jewelry and a head-scarf and you were SET.) My moment of glory was my sixth grade Halloween costume. I was a tube of Crest toothpaste and my best friend Heather was a tooth. We won first prize at school that year. That was back when parents could still bring homemade cupcakes to school and classrooms could have thematic parties just for the heck of it- before our schools were so test-driven that these things became enormous wastes of time, or "a waste of instructional minutes." (But that's another tangent.)

Back to the Halloween costume issue. Don't people think anymore? Let's see- I think I'll get my little girl dressed up in a sexy outfit and have her knock on strangers' doors asking for candy.

These are some examples of costumes being marketed this year to girls. NOT teens...young girls.

Hootchie Pirate (my name for it...)

Gothic "Come Hither" Geisha

"Showing off my Torso and Angry at the World" Cheerleader

Pretending it's Fall

The foothills of Oak Glen.
Pumpkins on a pumpkin
Josie in the praire cabin
Doesn't Emma looked excited?
Yesterday, we imagined it was Fall and went apple picking at Riley's Farms in the nearby foothills. Riley's Farms is owned by the Riley family, and hosts a mercantile, pumpkin fields, apple orchards, a cider press, horses, goats, log cabins, and other items that made us think of "Little House on the Praire." We picked apples in the orchard, picked out the perfect pumpkins growing right off the vine, sipped cider and tested pumpkin butter at the mercantile, and viewed a log cabin that would have made Ma and Pa proud. All the while we wished that it was just a bit cooler...we missed the crisp, Fall air and instead trudged around in 90 degree heat.

Here in Southern California, we pretend it is Fall. We decorate our houses with Fall leaves from Michael's craft store. We bake pumpkin bread and go apple picking...but deep in our hearts we know it's just a farce. We could easily pull out our swimsuits and heat the pool for a little leftover summertime. The seasons melt into each other as we go through the motions, hanging on to traditions so that time doesn't blend together and make one long season of summer.

Praire Emma Hanging the Wash

A Bit of Torture

Homecoming

No one was coming home...

...but in the spirit of Homecoming, we all put on red and went to school for the football game. The theme was "fairy tales" and each class had a float. Two of my AVID students were on homecoming court, and my favorite custodian was the grand marshall. This year had a more homey feel than any other year because Megan is a freshman on the dance team, and they performed at halftime. (She was absolutely beautiful, but the highlight of her night was not about looking for cute boys, but finding out that a small pig from one of the floats was for sale...it was love at first site!)

I'll never forget football games in Bishop--the crisp, Fall air with the smell of cozy fires, wearing three pairs of nylons under my cheer skirt to keep warm, buying hot cider at the snack bar, watching for that certain boy on the football team or in the stands. Well, now instead of being a Bronco, I'm a Nighthawk (and have been for the past six years...longer than I was even IN high school...what a trip! Even worse? I've been teaching for over eleven years...yikes!)

Overall, even though I live in Southern California, I still felt such a small town, cozy, HOME feeling being at that football game (and seeing many former students as well as all the current ones brought the small town out even more!)

The silliest part? I didn't really even watch the game. :)

TomMen, Littlehood, and Waitin' for a Lady

Emma and Grace at their Fourth Birthday "Cowgirl" Party
The Gang

Cowgirls- The closest thing to "TomMen" I can think of.
The Real Deal

I just love the way kids think.

Lately, I've been telling girls "When I Was Little" stories when I put them to bed. I've told them about the girl who wanted to beat me up in 5th grade, about the time I peed my pants at school (sniff sniff), and about accidentally getting on the wrong bus in 2nd grade. The girls are absolutely enthralled with my crazy storeis, and now when it's time for bed, they ask me for "Littlehood Stories!" Tonight I asked where they got the term "Littlehood" and Emma said, "I came up with it. I forgot it was called childhood and started calling it littlehood. Now it's what we call it."

Later, tonight, the gals had a bath, and I noticed that while Emma was toweling off, Grace was still in the tub. I told her to get out of the tub. Grace informed me, "I can't, Mama! I'm waitin' for a lady to come with a towel to dry me off!"

As I was recovering from laughter over Grace's comment, Emma told me that when she and Grace grow up, they are going to be called "TomMen." ??????????? Huh? She explained. "Right now, Grace and I are tomboys. When we grow up, we're going to be TomMen."

Where did these people come from?