Episode 138. How Halloween 2022 Actually Went: A Follow Up to Episode 136
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Episode 138. How Halloween 2022 Actually Went: A Follow Up to Episode 136

Episode 138

This brief episode is a follow up to Episode 136…if you haven’t listened to that one, I highly recommend listening to that one first, otherwise this one won’t make very much sense.

I feel like it’s really important to not just talk about ideas or make plans, but to take time for self-reflection after an event to see how you’re feeling—especially as a mom.

Mamas set the tone for their entire family and sometimes it can feel really out of control to create a plan only to have the day come and the plan go out the window. Halloween 2022 was no exception for us. There were frantic moments the day of Halloween with costume preparation and getting everyone out the door on time, but all in all, I’d say this holiday went well and my goals ended up being more of a guideline than a set in stone plan of action.

My Original Goals From Episode 136 Included:

  • Wean off of Halloween traditions (trick or treating)
  • Switch Witch
  • Harvest Festivals and parties over mainstream celebrations
  • Heirloom costumes (no darkness)
  • Celebrate with neighbors, make it clear we will use our discernment & leave if necessary
  • Talk openly about Halloween and spiritual warfare
  • Make pie instead of scary jack-o-lanterns
  • Be aware of sweets consumption and ingredients
  • Set a good example for our kids with either no costumes or innocent ones
  • Up our vitamin regiment, get good sleep, take care of our health

How Halloween 2022 Actually Went:

  • We’re still upping our vitamin regiment, getting good sleep and taking care of our health
  • Switch Witch went off without a hitch
  • We’re aware of sweets consumptions and ingredients—the kids asked about the candies they received and tried a few. They all agreed most of them were gross (green snickers, smarties, fire balls, etc). We let them have chocolates I bought at the health food store, let them keep just a few from trick-or-treating (they all chose less than 5 each!), and in general, candy was a non-issue
  • We set a good example with no costumes…truthfully, I just didn’t have it in me this year. I was not motivated to spend money on Halloween costumes for the grownups
  • The kids’ heirloom quality costumes were amazing and continue to be an everyday play hit in our homeschool. I’m really glad we invested in www.khepp.com and www.treasuresfromjennifer.com
  • We did talk openly about Halloween and spiritual warfare…although it was a bit of a dance. I was left wondering if we shared too much or in the right way?
    We did not make a pie with our pumpkins, we fed them to the chickens after we carved nice things in them at a friend’s Harvest Party (did you see that “Jesus knows your harvest parties are really Halloween parties” meme going around?)
    Our church’s Harvest Festival was a blast…so wholesome and well organized! We will definitely be going again next year
  • Are we weaning off Halloween? I don’t know. It was so fun doing an activity with our neighbors. I think it made me realize I want to do more adventures with them and it doesn’t have to be trick-or-treating
  • A word on Trick-or-Treating…I had a moment where I thought this is so picturesque! What’s the harm in this? And then we came to the creepy house…listen to the full episode to hear this part

Will we do it differently next year? I have no idea. I make it general rule of thumb in our house that we don’t make plans for something until that time is close. As an example, I don’t promise we’re going to go get ice cream on Wednesday after the dentist—because so much could go wrong or change between now and Wednesday, instead I present it as: “I’d like to take you to your favorite ice cream shop as a special treat after your dentist appointment on Wednesday. We’ll play it by ear…see how you’re feeling and see if they are open that day, but I’d like to do something special for you since going to the dentist takes a lot of bravery sometimes.”

There are hundreds of days between now and next Halloween. And we’ll all have grown and changed by then…so who knows what Halloween 2023 will look like!

I’d love to hear how your Halloween went. Upon reflection, how did yours go? Have you taken the time to reflect or are you on to Thanksgiving and Christmas? There is no right or wrong answer…I’m just curious how it went for other mamas! Hop on over to IG and leave a comment under this episode’s post on either my main page @loribethauldridge or my podcast page (which is really more of a space holder for easy episode reference) @elevatingmotherhood

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SPONSORS

Blossom & Root. Today’s episode of Elevating Motherhood is sponsored by Blossom & Root a nature-based, Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool curriculum company that has been gently guiding and supporting families for years! This thoughtful, age appropriate curriculum begins at the preschool level with options all the way up to 5th grade with more grade levels being released each year. Kristina Garner—the creator of Blossom & Root—also has beautiful unit studies she calls Book Seeds available on her site which are deep dives into beautiful, nature-based books. It’s one of my favorite things about her curriculum along with her incredible book lists for each grade. You can find out more about Kristina’s heart behind Blossom & Root in Episode 16.

Blossom & Root is one of the homeschool curriculums my family uses and loves! The information and ideas are easy to follow, fun, and engaging. If you’re new to homeschool or are simply looking for an inspiring homeschool curriculum to help you lovingly teach and guide your children, I highly recommend Blossom & Root. Using this curriculum has brought so much connection and joy to my family’s homeschool days—I love it, my kids love, and I think you’ll love it, too! Blossom & Root has generously offered a discount for listeners of Elevating Motherhood: use the code LORIBETH10 at checkout for 10% OFF your order.

For more information about Blossom & Root, head over to www.elevatingmotherhood.com/homeschool

Homeschool Explained. Today’s episode is sponsored by Homeschool Explained, an online course I created to help parents find their confidence as they begin their homeschool journey. This course is designed to save you time; no more maddening online searches for how to start homeschooling—this is me holding your hand and walking you through homeschool 101 in just under 3 hours. That’s it. 3 hours of video tutorial + a downloadable PDF.

I used to teach in-person workshops when I lived on Maui to help families gather all the information and resources they needed, answer all their questions, alleviate concerns, and help them get organized as they started homeschooling. Homeschool Explained is the online version of those workshops. I totally get it, starting any new journey can be really overwhelming…especially when it comes to re-thinking how your kids are going to get an education—and that you’re going to be the teacher. But don’t worry. There is so much support and freedom in homeschooling. It’s do-able. It’s fun. And it takes way less time than most people think. I put over 15 years of homeschool experience and insights into this easy to follow, easy to use online course that answers common questions, helps you work through worries, and saves you time. No more internet search overload. This is all the info you need to get started homeschooling today from a trusted, experienced source.

I show you what modern homeschool days actually look like—all while covering major topics like curriculum, homeschool styles, subjects to teach, cost, state laws, socialization and so much more. This course takes the guess work out of where and how to begin and leaves you with solid support and resources from day one. I would be honored to help you to start your homeschool journey with confidence! Find out more at www.homeschoolexplained.com

LINKS

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