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Monday Diary

 August might seem a little early for Halloween shopping, but parenthood has turned me into an over-planner. Now, I won't see a movie if I spot one lukewarm review, and I won't drive to an appointment unless I have pre-rehearsed the route, by myself, at least once in the recent past.


Time is precious; there are just so many ways a thing, even a small thing, can go wrong.

You'd think selecting a witch costume would be simple, but Amazon offers witch costumes without hats. Who would dress without a spiky black hat? Additionally, there is an emphasis on text; a witch apparently needs to wander around with a breastplate that reads, "My First Halloween." No witch would actually do this, and also that word "first" really limits you, if you have a two or two-point-five year-old.

I know I have a small window in which to engineer my child's Halloween for her; I know it's just a matter of months before she is old enough to insist on her own bizarre costumes, e.g., "zombie Care Bear," "vampire unicorn." I promise I'll listen to her, when this day arrives.

Anyway, now it's time to start thinking about Christmas.

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