To "Halloween" or Not to "Halloween"? Part 2

First, I want to thank everyone who left a thought or comment on my previous post. You all shared some great ideas and feelings on this matter.

This is the conclusion we came to:

Our youngest son is going to dress up as a fireman, and attend his class party. The situation with our oldest is a bit easier. His class is joining the 7th and 8th graders for a pizza and bowling party. This will not involve costumes, but will just be a fun time.

We're going to follow our tradition of the past by going out together that evening. (We usually go to a fast food restaurant with a play land...though our oldest is getting a bit big for that!) We'll come home and have family prayers, then play some games. The practice in the past was that whoever won the game got some candy. (I took in a pile of caramels one year! :o) ) We usually play Uno or something similar.

After seeing the crowds of children downtown last night, all trying to get their share of the candy offered by the merchants...I was once again thankful that we don't participate in the hullabaloo!

I have to add, too, that our youngest was quite perturbed recently, when he found out that their weekly time of praying the rosary is going to be replaced by their party next week. He didn't think that was right. I have to say, I'm glad he feels that way!

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A Little Global Warming Education?

If you're like me, it seems there is at least one article in the paper, one news segment on the evening news, or one item on my news homepage every day about global warming. It seems to have become the latest national and international crisis, if you listen to all they are saying, or read all they are printing on the subject.

Last week, though, I saw an interesting story on this topic on ABC's 20/20. It was on John Stossel's "Give Me a Break" segment. I'm including the link here. Read the article, and let me know what you think. Man vs. Nature

We definitely need to be good stewards of our planet. But do we need to throw the entire population into a panic???



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A New Picture of the Favorite Great Nephew!

Thanks for the Forwards

SUMMARY OF MY LAST YEAR ON THE COMPUTER--A Thank You for All Those Helpful Forwards!

Because of all your forwards...

I have to scrub the top of every can I open.

I don't have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny
Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

In fact I don't have any money at all, but that will change once I
receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me
for participating in their special e-mail program.

I don't have to worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels
looking out for me, and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible
mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like
a water buffalo on a hot day

Thanks to you, I have learned that my prayers get answered only if
I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five
minutes.

I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch
the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping
gas.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make
these product s are atheists who refuse to put "Under God" on the cans.

Also, I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet
stains.

I don't use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

And thanks for letting me know I can't boil a cup of water in the
microwave anymore since it will blow up in my face, disfiguring me for
life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be
pricked with an infected needle.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with
a perfume sample and rob me..

I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are
actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support
our American troops or the Salvation Army.

I don't answer the phone anymore because someone will ask me to
dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica,
Uganda, Singapore, and Uzbekistan.

I don't have to buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I
now have their recipe.

I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African
spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it
bites my rear-end.

And thanks to your great advice, I can't ever pick up $5.00 I find
in a parking lot because it was probably placed there by a sex molester
waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

I can't drive my car anywhere now because we're no longer supposed
to buy gas from any gas stations.

If you don't copy this and send it to at least 144,000 people in the
next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at
5:00 PM today, and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back,
causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it
actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's
ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician...

Have a wonderful day!

Another Way to Help Greensburg, Kansas

I received an e-mail today, telling of a recipe book a friend is putting together for people in Greensburg. If you would like to contribute, send recipes to jdrunner@gbta.net. Please note that she would like to have this ready before Christmas, so needs the recipes ASAP.

THANKS SO MUCH!

To "Halloween" or not to "Halloween"?

Our kids are ages 11 and 8. When our youngest was approaching his first Halloween, back in the '90's, my husband and I had a lengthy discussion about whether or not we should dress our little tyke in some cutesy costume...or let it go. Since our son was only a little over 1 1/2 yrs., we figured we'd let it go. Then the next year came along, and we just sort of ignored the day. Each successive year, it became easier to not deal with it. When our son started kindergarten, we had already pretty much made up our minds that we didn't want to celebrate the day.

Now don't make us out to be scrooges. We both celebrated Halloween throughout our childhoods. But when we were in college, the town was known for its "witches convention" and big, secretive gatherings by those who were into animal sacrifice. The females on our campus were even encouraged to stay inside on that night. Or, at the very least, not to be out alone after dark. It was a very real situation. It convinced me of the evil that takes place on that night. I could give more details, but that's sufficient.

Back to our kids. While in kindergarten, we told our son's teacher that he wouldn't be celebrating Halloween. They didn't force him to sing the songs, and he had the option of making different art projects, etc. On Halloween, we took him out of school for the day, as they were having an all-day party. Our church had a different type of celebration, with kids dressing as saints. Some of the parents in our church agreed with us, so that made it easier.

In the years following this, we have taken that night as a family night. We take the kids to some fast food place with a playland. We come home and play games, with the winners earning free candies, etc. I have gone to Wal-Mart and purchased sale-priced costumes for the kids to dress up in when they are just playing. We just didn't want it to be a celebration of the dark.

However, this year, our kids are not home schooled. They are in school. Halloween songs are being sung. Costumes are being discussed. There will be parties. We are in the very small minority of people who have never celebrated this with our kids. Most people think we're crazy. The Catholic church also celebrates November 1st, which is All Saints' Day. It is a celebration of the lives of those who have stood as examples of living a truly holy, Christian life.

So I'm asking for your thoughts. I really don't know what to do with this situation. Having told our kids all these years the reasons why we don't celebrate this...how do we reconcile that our church's school celebrates it? And should we just lighten up and let them do this...even though that is completely the opposite of what we've always told them?

Let me know what you think!
_________________________

*jack-o-lantern photo by Christopher Walters

For Your Friday Smile...

Redneck Medical Dictionary

Benign.........................What you be after you be eight.
Artery..........................The study of paintings.
Bacteria.......................Back door to cafeteria.
Barium........................What doctors do when patients die.
Cesarean Section........A neighborhood in Rome.
CTscan.......................Searching for kitty.
Cauterize....................Made eye contact with her.
Colic..........................A sheep dog.
Coma.........................A punctuation mark.
D & C.......................Where Washington is.
Dilate.........................To live long.
Enema........................Not a friend.
Fester........................Quicker than someone else.
Fibula........................A small lie.
Genital.......................Non-Jewish person.
G.I. Series.................World Series of military baseball.
Hangnail................. ...What you hang your coat on.
Impotent....................Distinguished, well known.
Labor Pain.................Getting hurt at work.
Medical Staff.............A Doctor's cane.
Morbid......................A higher offer than I bid.
Nitrates.....................Cheaper than day rates.
Node.........................I knew it.
Outpatient.................A person who has fainted.
Pap Smear................A fatherhood test.
Pelvis........................Second cousin to Elvis.
Post Operative..........A letter carrier.
Recovery Room........Place to do upholstery.
Rectum.....................Almost killed him.
Secretion..................Hiding something.
Seizure.....................Roman emperor.
Tablet......................A small table.
Terminal Illness........Getting sick at the airport.
Tumor.....................More than one.
Urine.......................Opposite of you're out.

Philosophy of Housecleaning

This really isn't my personal philosophy, but I thought it was cute...enjoy!

____________________________________________

I don't do windows because...
I love birds and I don't want one to run into a clean window and get hurt.

I don't wax floors because...
I am terrified a guest will slip and get hurt. Then I'll feel terrible (plus they may sue me).

I don't mind the dust bunnies because...
they are very good company, I have named most of them, and they agree with everything I say.

I don't disturb cobwebs because...
I want every creature to have a home of their own. Besides, what did that cob ever do to me?

I don't spring clean because...
I love all the seasons and I don't want the others to get jealous.

I don't pull weeds in the garden because...
I don't want to get in God's way. He is an excellent designer!

I don't put things away because...
my husband will never be able to find them again.

I don't do gourmet meals when I entertain because...
I don't want my guests to stress out over what to make when they invite me over for dinner.

I don't iron because...
I choose to believe them when they say "permanent press".


REMEMBER...