Skip to main content

Halloween Recap

I love Halloween. It really is my favorite holiday in the year. I'm not sure if it has something to do with it being my mom's birthday or not. I know it is fun telling people I'm the daughter of a witch. I mean after all all witches are born on Halloween...aren't they. Of course, my mom isn't a mean witch. She is one of the nicest people I know. Sometimes I think her parents got the wrong holiday to have her on. What do I mean?

Well when someone asks about my mom, I say, "She is a lot like Mrs. Clause. She loves to give little kids goodies, is round and jolly, and loud. I mean really loud." Of course, when you think about it...a lot of witches are round and loud, and the good ones do like to give out treats to little kids. So I guess maybe her parents did get the right holiday after all.

One thing my mom really taught me about Halloween is how to let your inner child come out. She always dressed up each year with me and really got into the whole spirit of the season. We even had parties so I could still enjoy the holiday and she could also see family and friends for her birthday. This started to change as I got older as I went out with my friends to "Trick or Treat" and she stayed home to hand out candy.

This year my mom was in surgery for her birthday to add insult to injury right? But we didn't want my mom's birthday to go unnoticed so the kids and I sent her lots of pictures with little messages about what we were doing to celebrate her birthday with the rest of the world. We had a lot of fun and she really enjoyed reading the text messages every few minutes as she lay in her hospital bed recovering.

She even shared some of her favorite childhood memories of trick or treating. I think my kids really enjoyed the one where she came home with a new little kitty. I'm not sure my grandparents were to happy about that. As we passed messages back and forth via text message I realized how many story ideas my mom was giving me for future books. Now to take all those memories from my favorite holiday and of course mom's birthday and share them with the rest of the world.


My mom really is a good sport when it comes to her birthday being on one of the busiest holidays of the year.

Popular posts from this blog

The Comeback of 2D Animation: Why We’re Craving Realness Again

There’s something happening in animation right now that’s worth paying attention to—not because it’s simply nostalgic, but because it’s deeply human. As someone who works in the mental health and creative storytelling space, I can’t help but see these conversations about art, AI, and hand-drawn storytelling as part of a bigger theme: our collective hunger for authenticity. We live in a time where AI-generated content is everywhere—convenient, efficient, and often soulless. It’s not surprising that artists and audiences alike are looking back toward something that feels more tactile, more imperfect, more human. That brings us to 2D animation, an art form that has shaped generations and now, it seems, might just be making a comeback. Here’s what Language of the Soul podcast host, Dominick Domingo, had to say on this trend: There’s been a lot of industry talk lately speculating about 2D/traditional ANIMATION making a comeback. Recent articles confirm that although Disney has not greenlit...

Guest Blogger, Author Kathy Stemke!

I am happy to be hosting Kathy Stemke as a guest blogger today. Instead of my ramblings, you will get to hear from a fabulous author like Kathy who has not only been published, but also has a passion for writing, the arts and all things creative. I have asked Kathy to share her story about becoming a children’s writer. You are sure to be inspired to keep on the road to publication. Besides writing, Kathy has been a dancer, choreographer, teacher, tutor, and an antiques dealer for many years. She is also a contributing editor for The National Writing for Children's Center. Hi, Virginia. Thanks for hosting me on your blog today. Here’s the story of how my blog lead to several children’s books, and a monthly newsletter. After I retired from teaching, I dabbled in article writing on Helium. I even sold several articles through their marketplace feature. Since I had taught for many years, I naturally wrote several education articles. I got lots of feedback and questions from other...

Interview Friday with multi-talented author, Cheryl Malandrinos

Cheryl Malandrinos is a freelance writer and editor from Western Massachusetts . A regular contributor to Writer2Writer, her articles focus on increasing productivity through time management and organization. A founding member of Musing Our Children , Ms. Malandrinos is also the Editor-in-Chief of the group's quarterly newsletter, Pages & Pens . Cheryl is a Tour Coordinator for Pump Up Your Book Promotion , a book reviewer, and blogger. Guardian Angel Publishing will release her first children’s book, The Little Shepherd Boy, in 2010. VS: Cheryl, I want to thank you for being my guest here on The Writing Mama today. I know being a parent and writer can be hard and I find myself asking if I am giving my three children enough attention throughout the day. I am sure you have been in my shoes from time to time. So to start here is the first question, how many children do you have and what are their ages? Cheryl: Thanks for having me at The Writing Mama, Virginia. I’m thril...