Boo

The mornings around here resemble a split personality. They start off very quietly (and darkly, thanks to daylight savings time for a few more days) and then manifest to full blown chaos in a sudden, blink of an eye, transformation.

Today was no exception. Well maybe a *bit* of an exception as it's the day before Halloween AND Edwin's birthday. On the days that I don't crawl (slowly) out of bed to go to the gym for spin class, I take advantage of a little lie-in and usually shout wake up calls to the various kids. It goes something like: Wake-up (smiley face) "OK mom" I hear from Julia. Colin is, of course, already awake in the kitchen reading the sports section - so he just grunts so I can hear him. Wake Up! (a little louder) then WAKE UP!!!! AIDAN GET OUT OF BED. Mumblings are then heard from that area of the house. This is quickly followed by EDWIN!!! Get DRESSED!!! Then the bickering starts. And yes, Aidan starts it all. NO TALKING!!!! I shout. (I have had a "No talking" policy for many years now. Say what you will, but the less talking = the less whining/fighting/complaining I have to listen too. They are, of course, allowed to talk *to me* - but only after I've had a coffee.)

But today was different. Today they were all excitedly up. Today is some kind of "dress up" day at each respective school. Dressing up is a rite of childhood. One that should (and is) enjoyed and looked forward to with as much anticipation as Christmas eve. So much so that dressing up now needs more parameters. The high school principal sent out a message earlier this week urging parents:

*PLEASE* make sure the teens were dressed appropriately for the Halloween dress up day on Friday. Yes, students may come dressed up, but please leave the "sexy ________ (nurse/pirate/cop/doctor/fairy/princess)" outfits at home. Students violating dress code will be loaned clothing or will need clothes brought to them by parents.

Obviously, this has been an issue in the past. And given the state of what they wear on a daily basis - I can only imagine the costumes. So Colin is dressed up like a Yankee player (Posada. I know this because I ironed on those letters last night in between making birthday goodie bags and decorating the puppet for the first grade project, all while getting myself dressed for Taekwondo) He looks great. What doesn't look so hot are the Addidas warm up pants that now say "New York Yankees" written messily down the legs in white out. Sigh. Oh well, points for him for wanting to be completely decked out.

Aidan didn't go for the costume but instead got up EARLY AND ON HIS OWN to paint his face ghoulishly white and black. The theme for his school is "dress up for 'Say No To Drugs Week'" Seriously? What kind of no fun dress up day is *that*??? He worked hard and is artistic (mom crows proudly) so the face turns out great. He's just wearing a black shirt and shorts - no costume needed for him. What is needed is a minor adjustment to the make-up, because when he comes out to the kitchen (after many LOUD requests to GET IN THE CAR NOW!!!) he is sporting a bloodied bullet-hole in his forehead drawn with the carefully applied face paint. AIDAN!!!! GO TAKE THAT OFF RIGHT NOW!! "Why???????? Ugh!!!!!!!!!" He stomps off. HURRY UP!!!! I shout.

Meanwhile, I'm making an egg (his favorite - fried with salt and pepper please) for the birthday boy who himself is dressed up for "Clash" day. (No, sadly, *not* the band - but how cool would those costumes have been?) "Clash" day is miss-matched day and Edwin did his plaid/stripe/color combos very well. He definitely clashes, and takes delight in it. The other thing he delights in? His birthday. He must have mentioned it about 15 times yesterday in class his teacher told me after school. Yep, that happens when you are 7. I will be bringing him a very specific lunch to school as a special birthday treat (he has placed his order with me every day since I brought Julia *her* birthday lunch 16 days ago....) He will be bring goodie bags for his classmates today because it's now against the "law" to bring food to celebrate birthdays at public schools. Some teachers turn a blind eye. Others don't. We settled for donating a book to the class library and pencil/eyeball bouncy ball goodie bags. Because nothing says 7 year old boy more than an eyeball bouncy ball.

Now we are in the car - heading toward the school drop off route. Colin first. Then Aidan sans bullet hole: "Aidan, there is a one word reason why you can't go to school with a bullet hole in your head. Do you know what that word is????"

"Columbine." he mutters. He's miffed about ruining the artistic rendition on his forehead, but (Thank God) he gets why it's inappropriate.

Finally off the to elementary school where Ed is chomping at the bit to get out and start his birthday at school. Julia is decked out wildly for clash day: neon green and black striped tights; brown boots; purple and grey plaid SHORT skirt; tye-died t-shirt; polka dotted sweatshirt and pink polka-dotted head band (after *much* deliberation, the hair is left down today) She watches Edwin leave the car and then horrifically asks me,
"Mom, are you SURE it's 'Clash' day???" With the jackets that kids are wearing as we watch them walk up the hill, we don't see anyone else dressed up. Uh-oh. "Let me call the office right now and check, Julia" I answer her. I call. I check. It IS "Clash" day.
"Yes, Julia it is." I reassure her. "But MOM, NO ONE ELSE IS DRESSED UP!!!" she cries. As in, she's crying now. Hysterically. And won't get out of the car.
As much as I know that there will be some kids at school dressed up, I realize how Julia will feel if she's one of the few. (Part of this dilemma stems from "Clash" day being announced just the day before in the parent bulletin that goes home. It wasn't mentioned around school: no posters, signs, announcements were made. And not many parents actually read the bulletin that may or may not make it out of the child's backpack...) So I call my friend Lori over to the car as she's walking by and we ask her opinion of what to do. "Go home" she says. "Let her change." Yeah, that was my gut too. So we pull an illegal U-turn in the school zone, almost get hit by another car zooming down the hill, and speed home for Julia to get normal clothes. Changed and back in the car, we zoom back up the hill and she gets out - visibly relieved. I make her take the "Clash" clothes in her backpack so she can change back later "just in case." I hope she does. Dress-up at school is part of being a kid.

And that was the full blown morning end to the chaos that is Ed's birthday/Day before Halloween. All before 8 AM. Boo.