You BUM!

***HALLOWEEN POST EVERY DAY IN OCTOBER -- DAY FIVE***

I think that boy costumes are so much harder than girl costumes. Girls plan ahead. They may change the plan 7000 times before Halloween, but at least they have a plan. My boys, they wait until the last minute (even though I pester them mercilessly trying to avoid the inevitable panic on October 28) without exception. See, they don't really care. Just as long as they don't have to dress like Prince Charming, they're fine with just about anything.

So here is an almost-last-minute costume on Thing Two. He's a bum. A lovely Hobo. Wig from the thrift store, hat from my Incredible Box o' Hats, thrift store jacket that has been "distressed" by the boy. The beard came from the grocery store Halloween aisle. Don't forget the wooden spoon. Why? I have no idea. But it seemed like a good idea at the time...

Speaking of bums, I have a story for you. See this adorable angelic face? That's Luke Skywalker at age 2.

I discovered that he is a bum. Remember, he goes to the high school? He's in that program that allows uber-smart 7th graders to hang out there instead of the Jr. High. So, he's the smallest, skinniest, cutest and most pitiful thing to walk the halls since the dawn of time, even all the other 7th graders are much bigger than he is.

 Screamapillar tattled on him the other day.

"Mom, will you make him stop embarrassing me at school?"

"What's he doing that embarrasses you? He's just a little kid. You're probably making a big deal out of nothing."


"Mom, he stands by the vending machines and begs for money. Puts on this pitiful face and asks people for quarters. Then he just eats out of the machines all day instead of eating his lunch."


"You're kidding. PLEASE tell me you're kidding."


"No, Mom, I'm serious. It is SO embarrassing. You have to make him stop."


And this isn't the first time. It all started at Halloween when he was 2. Ring the bell = free candy. He went ringing doorbells and asking for candy for weeks afterward. And he was so cute, PEOPLE GAVE IT TO HIM. One neighbor thought he was so adorable she would keep a big jar of red vines and give him one every day for at least a year. I had a good friend that worked in the photo lab where I used to develop film (remember film?) who would give him a quarter every time we came in so he could use the vending machine to get a treat. What did he learn from all this?


CUTE & ADORABLE = FREE STUFF


But how long can it last? He's starting to grow. His shoulders are getting wider, even if he's not getting much taller very fast. Soon he will be gawky and awkward and a lot less cute. And the days of free handouts will be over. Nothing lasts forever. Especially cuteness.
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