Mental health day

I was exhausted, lazy, and itchy all morning, so I stayed in bed until 3 pm. I did rouse myself to feed the children, shower, and blow dry my hair (to kill lice), but after the exertion, I retreated right back to bed.

At 3 pm, though, the poor kids were dying for an outing, and it happened to be a gorgeous day. So we piled in the van and drove to Gardner Village to see the witches. It was so fun that we went to pick Abe up at the nearby train station and headed back to Gardner Village–only to discover tonight was Witches’ Night Out! That meant that literally hundreds of women attired in full witch regalia descended on Gardner Village to shop, party, and parade.

It was soooooo fun! I have a new goal in life: To acquire my own witch costume. I want to be a witch next year at the event. But considering how elaborate most of the witches were, I will have to wait a bit before I can achieve this new life dream. I mean, there was one witch who had a remote controlled giant spider attached as part of her costume! Others had stuffed owls, staffs with crystal balls, and the most elaborate, fascinating hats I’ve ever seen. I want a hat.

Here are the pictures from the active part of our day. Before that, the girls and I were all cuddled up in beds absorbed in our iPads or eating. If I didn’t hate crumbs in the bed so much, we would have knocked out both activities simultaneously… Anyway:

A witch flying on her bicycle!
A witch flying on her bicycle!
A gardening witch
A gardening witch
A witch with a cat chasing a rat under her skirt.
A witch with a cat chasing a rat under her skirt.
Witches playing baseball.
Witches playing baseball.
Looking at the witches playing baseball.
Looking at the witches playing baseball.
A witch going potty!
A witch going potty!

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Taffy break.
Taffy break.
"Mom, it's a beautiful day today. It's a great day to sit here and rest." --Lydia, as she sat on this chair eating her taffy.
“Mom, it’s a beautiful day today. It’s a great day to sit here and rest.” –Lydia, as she sat on this chair eating her taffy.

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Lydia got her face painted!
Lydia got her face painted!

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Abe joined us. You can see the beginning of the witch gathering in the background.
Abe joined us. You can see the beginning of the witch gathering in the background.
Witches dancing!
Witches dancing!
Abe dancing with the girls in the middle of the witches.
Abe dancing with the girls in the middle of the witches.
I tried to catch some of the parade, but I also had to prevent Mary from killing herself. (She wanted to climb on top of the bench I was standing on and capitulate off the back. It was a twenty minute struggle, after which we decided to call it a night and head home.)
I tried to catch some of the parade, but I also had to prevent Mary from killing herself. (She wanted to climb on top of the bench I was standing on and capitulate off the back. It was a twenty minute struggle, after which we decided to call it a night and head home.)