Traces of a Smile

Monday morning, on the way to school, my oldest said,

"Mommy, we forgot to buy a pumpkin this weekend!"

I know. Mom of the Year. After school, I drove through New Tampa, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills, and Land O' Lakes and couldn't find a single godd*mn pumpkin. As I'm driving home and thinking about how I still had to clean the front of my house, kill a giant ant pile and move all kinds of lawn equipment from the back porch inside the garage - chores put off until the last possible moment - it occurred to me that jumping off the nearest cliff might be a plan.

I approached my house and noticed sister-in-law extraordinaire cleaning the front of my house. Brother was busting his ass moving all aforementioned equipment into the garage. In town for a visit, they also cleaned every window and the ant pile is toast.

This act of kindness allowed me to enjoy Halloween without a care in the world. My little Darth Vader and Skeleton reaped the benefits of a stress-free mommy.



And my mom came up clutch with a pumpkin before we went out trick-or-treating. Sister-in-law outdid herself by whipping up a scary carving in no time flat.

And she didn't even turn the knife on my dad, who stood by with the constant opinions, proving she's a keeper.

Thanks to my family, the holiday was a complete success. Now if only I could stop eating Butterfingers.