All That Glitters

Mila is on Day 4 of her epic pre-Halloween sugar high, which is all and good except, well, this.

The kid has lost her fool mind.

I have spent the past few days just trying to keep the beast somewhat contained. I've given up on trying to get her to be a respectable member of society; I'm currently settling for alive. Because cars. The kid really, really likes to run out in front of cars. Her other hobbies include climbing to heights that are most decidedly unsafe, licking walls, and trying to convince strangers to kidnap her.

The good news is that I've survived these sorts of phases before. They are nearly always followed by a phase that includes Mila acting like the sweetest kid that ever lived. I mean, the kid can be SO sweet. The sweetest.

Until the pendulum swings the other way, Mila is a beast. She'll break out of this phase at some point, but first I have to survive. The good news is that I will be super sparkly while I wait things out!

About that sparkle ... it seems that Mila is going to spend the next week dressed in costumes. She has decided she is going to be either Cinderella or Rapunzel every morning and every night. She has literally been sleeping in costume. The internet has photographic evidence.

I didn't really care if the kid wanted to dress fancy all the time. It's not hurting anything for her to be a princess all of the time, except that IT IS TOTALLY HURTING SOMETHING. I didn't think about it until it was far too late, but do you know what happens when a non-glittered person hugs a glittered person?

CHAOS, THAT'S WHAT.

A few sparkles on her skirt have somehow multiplied faster than the Gremlins after midnight. A quick hug turned into me being covered with sparkles from head to toe.

Except that I didn't notice until after I was back home after a day at work.

Meaning, I went through the work day with sparkle all over my face. And hands. And clothes. And everywhere else. So, basically my co-workers now think that I'm moonlighting at a strip club because there is no other explanation for that much glitter.

Thanks, Mila.

Living Her Best Life

There's a part of me that questions why exactly we need to start with the trick-or-treating well before Halloween. That's a Western PA thing, yinz, and it befuddles me even 17 years after I first moved here. There's another part of me, though, that knows better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. There's a tax collected around these parts and it's about 30% of what the girls snag when they trick-or-treat. Sooooo, maybe they should do as much of that as possible. Just maybe.

Mila agrees, by the way.

It took her a minute or two, but once she remembered that THIS is the holiday that involves strangers giving her candy, she was all in. Mila will do just about anything for candy. So far that has included dressing up in an old Cinderella costume and spending a day wandering around dressed like Rapunzel. Every time she started to seem like she might be pissed about the whole girly dress thing, candy appeared and she was like, "I AM HERE FOR THIS! HUZZAH!"

Mila really super likes Halloween. That's my point.

After spending the weekend collecting enough candy to nearly fill a pumpkin, Mila was pretty darn happy. She's living her best life right about now, and it shows.

Tonight I ran into the house to do my usual kid swap. I drop off a Mila in exchange for an Alexis because the Alexis has three hours of dance class and I don't need three hours of saving Mila from herself, so she gets to hang out with the other adult. In with one kid, out with the other, but then as I passed through the basement so that I could take Alexis to said dance classes, I saw her.

Mila.

Sitting on the couch in the Man Cave. She had her trick-or-treat pumpkin in her lap (because she is a ninja and can always manage to get these things in her hands). There was a whole pile of lollipops hanging out of her face. Candy wrappers were strewn all about. I'm not joking when I tell you that whatever happened came together in a matter of seconds. And Mila was SO happy about it.

"I'm good! I'll just stay here!" she said to me as she realized I could see her and her giant pile of candy.

"No, really! I'm good! See ya!" she continued before diving back into the pumpkin filled with candy.

Mila is SO Here for this Happy Halloween thing. SO here.

Halloween Taco Dip

Mila and Alexis have independently harassed me into spending a good portion of this week making cupcakes. Between dance class having a little Halloween party and preschool having another party, shenanigans are definitely going down. There are spiders and slime involved, you guys.

It's going to be fun.

But on the same day that I'm going to have to have all of that pulled together, I need a dish for a Halloween potluck. Thus, I went digging for a quick and easy idea and HA HA HA. I've already posted the answer to my own question.

Alexis' Monster High birthday party a few years ago was full of good ideas, including this taco dip. Alexis will get to make it this time, and then we'll all be happy. Because taco dip. And cupcakes.

Man, I love the weeks leading up to Halloween.

Don of the Dead's Taco Dip

2 cans refried beans
1 package taco seasoning
1 package cream cheese, room temperature
1 small jar salsa
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 package prewashed shredded lettuce
1 small can chopped or sliced black olives
1 brown soft tortilla, cut into the shape of a tree
1 white soft tortilla, cut into several tombstone shapes

1. Mix the refried beans and taco seasoning together. You can use half of the seasoning if you want to cut some of the salt out of this pile of awesome.

2. Place the refried beans in the bottom of a dish. I used a 11" x 7" one, but you could get away with larger.

3. Spoon the cream cheese over top of the refried beans. It won't spread evenly, but that's OK. Just go with it.

4. Pour the salsa on top.

5. Sprinkle the cheese on top.

6. It's the lettuce's turn to join the fun.

7. Top with black olives.

For the tree and tombstones, cut the soft tortillas into the shapes and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes, or until crispy. They aren't for eating, just decorating, but use a black edible marker to dry on the tombstones just in case somebody decides to try eating one. (P.S. It's totally OK if you leave the tortillas in the oven too long and burn them. It will add to the effect. Really!)