Down to the Wire

I've been procrastinating a little this year with the final touches of Christmas. I have all these presents to wrap, but then I remembered the world was supposed to end today, so I hated to put too much effort into anything. But then I woke up this morning and the world was still intact, so I guess I better get moving.

In all seriousness, could this week have flown by any faster? The husband has been traveling since Sunday morning, and he finally comes home tonight. I was really displeased that he had to travel this week, of all weeks. But, work is work, and work pays for Christmas, so I get it. It's been a busy week, and a pretty fun one at that. And now that Morgan finally gets home tonight, it kind of feels like the holidays will officially start this weekend, which is fun.

The week has been really fun, though. Last Saturday, we took the kids to see Santa. We only had to wait about three minutes. That was the best part. That and the fact that he's the best Santa ever, and just fabulous with the kids. As he should be.

Then there was a really fun party on Saturday night. Too much fun, judging from the bad case of cocktail flu I came down with the next day. Ouch. 

Ava and I saw The Nutcracker Tuesday night:

Not the best pic, but iPhones are not known for their flattering imagery. At least not for me.

Wednesday was a fun dinner with some old college friends, and I scored at our gift exchange with some awesome new pajamas. Perfect, since I really wanted new ones and neglected to tell my personal Santa about them.

Back to the to-do list, though. I do have lots and lots of presents to wrap. I wrapped ten last night, but I still need to do the kids' non-Santa items. Problem is that I'm generally to tired to do it when they go to bed. Plus, Ava was awake and reading in her bed til 10 last night (absurd - who are her parents?). So, I'm really hoping for an early bedtime tonight. I'd like to finally watch the finale of Gossip Girl, have some wine, and well, wrap up the wrapping.

Here's to getting it all done in the next 72 hours! Cheers!

What the Diva Wants

Ava's Christmas list was so girlie this year it's crazy. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since she has always been this way. I was just never into Barbies or dolls or dollhouses, so this is sort of new territory for me. However, I love that she's like this, and it makes shopping for her really fun.

Her list this year really wasn't all that big. The thing that cracks me up most is that she specifically asked for a "Costco" doll house.  This came about because she initially asked for the Barbie Dream House. I read up on it, though, and the reviews were pretty mediocre, most saying it was cheaply constructed. So, I sort of convinced her that it would probably fall apart. She had already seen the one at Costco, and changing her mind was pretty easy.

Costco sells the KidKraft doll house, which fits Barbie-sized dolls, and it's made of MDF rather than plastic. Plus, it was only $90, so much better than the $150 or so for the Barbie one.

via Costco

She also asked for McKenna's Beam and Bar. In case you don't have a girl aged 5-10, you probably don't know that McKenna is the American Girl's Doll of the Year, and American Girl has very kindly provided lots of overpriced accessories to go with the little gymnast. Ava got McKenna for her birthday.

via American Girl

I'm pretty sure I also got her a new outfit for McKenna. I need to go back through the loot and review the purchases. I'm losing track and trying to keep things even, which is hard. And yes, we do go overboard at Christmas. I'm the first to admit that, but I don't really buy them many toys throughout the year, so that's my excuse. Plus, it's just fun. 

Moving on. Ava also asked for a unicorn Pillow Pet (why??), some new Charm It charms, and some books. So, the list isn't that big. I love a good surprise, so I know she'll be thrilled when she opens this:

Yes, it's yet another American Girl doll. But it's JULIE! She's the one I  Ava has wanted for a while, and I told her that Santa was just not going to bring her another doll when she already has four of them. She was fine with that and said maybe for her birthday. So, naturally, I'm so excited for her to open this, and frankly, the hair possibilities are endless with Julie, so we will be styling away. 

I need to work on stocking stuffers this week. Time is running out faster than I'd like. I'm mostly done with big shopping, but there is a lot of wrapping to be done, as well as a trip to the post office, UPS store, etc.

Ava and I are going to see The Nutcracker tonight, and I'm excited for a Mommy-daughter date. Davis will be with one of his grandmothers for the evening (and a sleepover), so I really need to work tomorrow morning to the fullest and get it all finished up. 

The holidays are exhausting, but still so much fun.

The Delicate Balance

I was planning to blog about Ava's Christmas list today, but I feel like I have to address the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary school instead.

Like so many of you, I have a child who is the same age as those innocent children who were so ruthlessly murdered on Friday. Ava is in first grade, and on Friday morning, I went to Ava's school, where her first grade class was putting on a play. There were lots of parents and grandparents coming in and out of the school that morning, but it never occurred to me that we could really ever be in any real danger there. We're supposed to check in and out using the computer in the office, but frankly, it's pretty easy to just walk on in. And besides, as we know from Sandy Hook, there are some people who can not be thwarted by any security measures at all.

In all honesty, I have never given all that much thought to safety at our school. I realize now how much blind trust I have put in our teachers, our principal, and the rest of the school staff. If I've ever hesitated in dropping her off at school, the hesitation has come from my concerns for her happiness, not her safety. It's elementary school, after all. And the school is in a really good neighborhood. It's small. We all know each other.

On Friday, upon hearing the devastating news, I could not wait for Ava to get home. I felt anxious, ready to have all of my family together, safe in our house. Morgan called me and said that no matter what our kids' behavior that night, they got a free pass. We just felt so lucky to have them.

That feeling continued throughout the weekend for me, especially as more and more details emerged out of Connecticut. I felt like I just kept looking at Ava and Davis with newfound awe. I'm in awe of their innocence, and of the future that lies ahead for each of them.

Last night, we attended the Joy Gift Service at our church. This is a family service, and appropriately, no mention was made of Sandy Hook. However, I could not stop the tears when I watched Ava's choir - all first and second graders - and thought of those young lives that were so violently taken. I looked at the faces of our sweet children and wondered for the umpteenth time how in the world someone could do what Adam Lanza did?

I can't imagine what those parents are feeling now. I can't imagine how traumatized the survivors are. Kids are resilient, though, and their lives will go on. I was tucking Ava in last night and couldn't help but think of the poor parents who have to pass by empty bedrooms now. My heart is so heavy for them.

I suppose that if I had to look for a silver lining in all this, it would be the renewed appreciation for my children. Oh, I know it won't be long before they're making me batty again, but for now, I am reminded of just how delicate the balance of life truly is, and how lucky I am to have my sweet children with me.

Shopping from the sick bed

As I told you yesterday, we've been quarantined all week. Ava finally went back to school today, and Davis has preschool, so I'm doing a little happy dance about having the house all to myself. I still don't feel great, but good enough that I might be able to get out of the house for a couple of errands. Since I have not left the house since Monday except for a doctor's appointment and Davis' gymnastics class, the to-do list has really gotten lengthy. This week and next are kind of crucial. Davis' last day of preschool before the holidays is next Friday, so I have little time to get my act together and wrap up all my holiday shopping.

Also, holiday shopping = one for them, one for me.

Luckily for me, I have not been totally out of luck, thanks to my BFF, the internet. The UPS man and I are really good friends right now, mainly because he has been here just about every day this week. Also, I think we might be having a steamy love affair because one time when he delivered a new bag to me, I was really happy, and he said, "Yeah.....that's what brown can do for you." And he's African American, so I think there might have been a bit of double entendre going on there.

On Monday, I finished up my shopping for Davis using our trial Amazon Prime membership. Free 2-day shipping? Yes, please. So, on Wednesday, I got lots of boxes from Amazon, which included:

Melissa & Doug Blocks

 

Some Switch and Go Dinos

And a Transformer thingy

What's going to blow him away, however, is the John Deere Gator he's getting. Total surprise gift. We got kind of an amazing deal on it.

Oh, but back to the Amazon order. I got him a few books, too. And if you have some books that 3-4 your 3-4 year old boys love, let me know. He's not quite as into reading as Ava has always been, but his interest is on the rise. I can never resist a good book for kids.

I'll be back next week to share Ava's Christmas goodies. She's getting a fun surprise, too, although something tells me she'll love the Gator as much as her brother does. 

As a side note, I have caught a bit more morning tv than usual this week. So,  Kathie Lee and Hoda: if you ever need a third host to drink wine with you at 10am, I'm your girl. 

via

 

Never trust the flu shot

As I type this, I am sandwiched on my sofa between a 3 year old boy and a shih tzu. It's 3pm, and my 7 year old is in pajamas in the chair across the room. We are watching LazyTown.

I can't imagine the level of envy you must feel upon reading this, but please know that it's because the plague has hit my house. It started with Ava, on Saturday. She didn't feel well, ran a fever that night, yadda yadda yadda. I took her to the doctor on Monday, only to receive a FLU diagnosis.

Hey, wait a minute. Flu?

But she got the Flu Mist. In fact, the whole family has been vaccinated this year.

Well, Flu Mist be damned, because the flu has descended upon us. That afternoon, I started thinking I was getting a cold. I thought so until last night when I was running a 101 fever, which has kept up, on and off, ever since. My doctor gave me Tamiflu, so hopefully that will help quickly. I have Christmas parties to go to this weekend. Sick is not on my agenda.

The first two days of Ava being at home were fine. I finished decorating the house. I did lots of laundry. I changed my sheets. All of that was, I suppose, good planning, since I'm now down for the count.

The funny thing is, though, that kids kind of seem to come through for you when you need them to. Yesterday, I had both of mine home all day because Davis doesn't go to preschool on Tuesdays. What started as a day I dreaded turned into a day of two siblings getting along and entertaining each other all day. I think I had to call them down once. Seriously. Once.

Ava even took some time to teach Davis some new shapes on the computer. Or maybe she was shopping online. Either way, they were happy. I would show you a picture but I have a new Mac and I can't get the picture to post. Must practice that a little.

So, I'm keeping Ava home again today. She's fever-free and feeling better, but I think one more day can't hurt. Davis and Morgan are still flu-free, and my fingers and toes are all crossed that they stay that way. Maybe I'll try to be productive and address our Christmas cards.

Real or Fake?

Sorry for the long hiatus. There's been lots going on, although nothing of huge significance. We did take our adults-only trip to Vegas, which was really fun. I would tell you about it, but you know, it's Vegas, so it all stays there. Not really, of  course. I am so wild that out first night there I went to bed at 9:30. My excuse is that I was still on East Coast time, and I had to get up at 3:30am to catch my flight out there. So, I was up for about 21 hours. That's the best I can muster at age 36.

Anyway, we did have a great time, and it was a much-needed getaway, just before the crazy fun of the Thanksgiving-Christmas onslaught. The wildest thing was that my sister and her husband just happened to roll into town the last night we were there, so we got to have dinner with them. And the day before that we randomly ran into some friends from Raleigh and had a fun night out with them. We had some ridiculously amazing meals, and I had a great time window shopping the multitude of high-end retail shops.

The restaurant highlights:

Okay, back to current time. Thanksgiving was lots of fun, and fairly relaxing, which is always nice. It seems that most of Raleigh decorated their homes immediately following the turkey feast. We, however, did not. I'm a one holiday at a time kind of girl. I don't like for the Christmas decorations to go up when there are still Thanksgiving leftovers in the fridge.

Also, I'm lazy.

We will decorate this weekend. But here's the thing: 2 or 3 years ago, we got an artificial tree. I swore up and down for years and years that I would NEVER do something so crazy. But then we got a really good deal on a pre-lit tree, and it seemed SO EASY, and we decided to purchase.

I have hated it ever since.

It's a nice-looking tree. Really nice, actually. But we have to haul it down in sections from the attic, which is annoying. Oh, and it takes up a ton of space in the attic, and storage is already at a premium in our too-small house. I can't find a good picture of it, but here's my best effort. Clearly, we need a tree skirt. This is from 2 years ago:

Then there are the lights. Pre-lit seems like a great idea. And it is, when the lights are all working. Ours, however, do not all work. So every year, the fake tree requires that we put a new strand of lights of 3 on it.

Plus, it doesn't smell like a Christmas tree. And I like that smell.

So, this year, I declared that the fake tree will either stay in the attic or go on Craigslist. A real tree will grace our living room, dropping needles all month, and we'll like it.

What about you? Do you prefer real or fake?

Death of a Fish (or three)

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, we were the lucky winners of a goldfish at the NC State Fair. I use the word "winners" loosely, as I really didn't need another being to care for. But, the kids were really excited, and I went the next day to get a small tank and some rocks for our new pet. Sydney was welcomed into our home with love.

Well, about ten days ago, I walked past the tank and noticed that poor Sydney was floating, belly up. Luckily for us, the kids were asleep, so Morgan swiftly flushed Syd with a prayer that the kids wouldn't notice the empty tank in the morning.

Luck was on our side - the morning was hectic, and we were off hook. I ventured to Pet Supermarket where I bought two fish (one resembling Sydney, and one to serve as Syd's companion). I also forked over some extra money for a filter, because the water that I poured from Sydney's tank smelled so foul I could hardly stand it.

The plan worked perfectly. The kids thought the new fish was Sydney, and they thought I was the best mommy ever for getting a buddy for their fish. The fish seemed really happy in their filtered water. Until a few days ago. I noticed that Sydney II was looking a little off. Swimming slowly. Not going after his food like he had. Sunday morning, I woke up to find him dead. Poor Sydney. Again, the kids were still in bed, so I went to get our net, which was resting in the sink. I got Sydney out, flushed, and when I returned to the tank, soap bubbles were pouring out of the filter and covering the top of the tank. All I can figure is that some dish soap got onto the net when it was in our sink.

So, I got fish #2 out (he never really had a name - Davis called him Davis, and Ava called him Frank) as fast as I could, rinsed him in clean water, and temporarily put him in a large mixing bowl so I could clean the tank. You know where this is going. After being exposed to those bubbles, that poor fish didn't stand a chance. He was dead within 20 minutes.

It took until that afternoon, but Ava was the first to notice the empty tank. I thought she would be crushed, inconsolable, beside herself. She is, after all, super-sensitive.

Nope.

She actually giggled a little at the news of the deceased fish. It might have been that kind of uncomfortable laughing-when-you-should-be-crying kind of reaction, I'm not sure. I do that sometimes. Inappropriate reaction. Her only sad comment was, "Awwww.....now  we only have one pet!" She's a bit of a hoarder.

Davis, on the other hand, burst into tears and sobbed uncontrollably for a few minutes. He wanted to know if the fish were ever going to see their mommies again. Or their daddies. He also wanted to know if he could just feed the empty tank. So, it's possible that his sadness came not from the loss of the fish, but from the loss of getting to feed something.

So, for now, there are no fish in our house. I really would like to keep it that way as long as possible, so I think I'm going to put the tank away and hope that the kids stop asking when we're getting more fish.

Weekend's here

I kicked off a gorgeous weekend  by getting my arse kicked on the tennis court this morning. So frustrating. I played with a new partner who's got a killer serve, and though we did manage a bit of a second set comeback, it was all for naught. The worst part is that our opponents were friends of mine. I would rather play a stranger any day, especially if I'm going to lose. This is pretty much how I felt:

via shutterstock

Post-tennis, I picked up Davis from preschool, whereupon he threw a fit because I wouldn't let him ride in the booster seat. That's a second kid thing. At age 3, Ava probably didn't even know what a booster seat was, and certainly didn't have a clue that it was an option. Davis, however, has ridden in one  a bunch of times once or twice, and, not surprisingly, prefers it over the prison of the 5-point restraint. Don't judge.  I did manage to insist on the safer option today.

On the drive home, D's little eyes were at half-mast. So sleepy. And once in the driveway, fit #2 ensued because I was making him go inside, rather than ride his scooter. I shuffled him to the sofa, turned on a show, and figured he'd fall right asleep. Silly me. So naive! Thirty minutes later, he's still awake. 

All this to mention a few things I'm looking forward to:

1) A glass of wine tonight (and believe me, there was a moment when I almost poured one a few minutes ago, before realizing drinking alone at 2pm is not really okay).

2) I'm getting my hair did this afternoon. Cut and color. I will be thrilled to see the distinct line between gray/brown roots and blonde highlights go away. 

3) This time next week I'll be in Vegas. With no kids. A grown-up trip is way past due, so I can't wait for it to get here!

This photo of Las Vegas is courtesy of TripAdvisor

And, we're staying here:

So, if I can just trudge through the next 6 days, I'll get some much needed downtime. 

Have a great weekend!

Fall So Far....

Just in time for Halloween, Mother Nature delivered some nice fall weather for us. There were a couple of days where it felt like we skipped fall and went straight to winter, but for the most part, it's been a nice week.

So, Halloween. It was pretty much the best October 31 we've had since becoming a family of 4. At age 3 and 1/2, Davis totally gets it. And let me tell you - that boy is a candy lover. So, combine the world's most outgoing kid with a chance to score a bucket full of candy, and you get a pretty fun night of trick or treating.

Here's a photographic montage of the night, starring a cat, a bat, and some of our favorite neighbors.

I carved that pumpkin. All by myself. The kids thought playing outside was better use of their time. Hmph.

The other big event this fall has been Ava and Morgan starting Y Princesses. You may remember it as Indian Princesses. Apparently, it is not okay to say "Indian" anymore. At any rate, here is Ava in the vest that she and Morgan sewed together. This is before the flair badges were added. It's pretty cute to see Ava and her Daddy doing something that's just for the two of them.

Other than that, it's just business as usual around here. Davis seems to have forgotten how to play on his own, so there is a constant barrage of, "Mommy, can you play with me?" That may SOUND cute, but really, it's kind of annoying. 

And, finally, going off Daylight Saving Time has had me up for quite some time this morning. Some people do not understand the concept of getting an extra hour of sleep. Appropriately, I came across this today:

No offense intended to my own husband, who was up at 6 like me today. 

Here's to a productive Sunday!

Target + Neiman's: A Match Made in Heaven

My son is currently pulling his stuffed puppy around on our real dog's leash. This is probably because I won't play Batman with him.

I just got an email from Target with a little sneak peek of their collaboration with Neiman Marcus, which launches on December 1. I'm usually lukewarm about the Target designer collections, but I do think this one could be great since there are so many designers involved.

Since you asked, here are my must-haves from the collection:

I think this Tracey Reese blouse would be perfect for Christmas parties:

The DVF jewelry box is cool, and would make a holiday gift:

If your daughter is attending a formal soiree, why not dress her in Marchesa? Ava would be all about this. 

I'm obsessed with both Tory Burch AND coffee, so this is a must-have for me:

And, I'll leave you with this little bit of political humor today:

When Winning is Actually Losing

Yesterday my friend Jill and I took our kids to the North Carolina State Fair. This is one of those things I say I don't like, but then really kind of do. I'll tell you - parking is a pain, the crowd leaves a lot to be desired (putting in mildly). And really, it costs a lot of money to go there and have any fun.

But, there are also things I do like about it. For one, it brings back lots of memories for me. My dad used to always take me to the fair in Greensboro when I was little. (I need to talk to my mom about how she finagled her way out of that event most years). But really, it was tons of fun. I got to eat lots of bad food and ride tons of rides. So, I kind of want my kids to have those same memories.

Anyway. We headed out there yesterday and got parked. What luck we had, because just as we were about to trek from the lot to the fairgrounds, a rickshaw came along! We decided it was worth the $5 to ride the six of us over there. How that poor boy on the bike pulled two grown women and 4 kids is beyond me. Great quad workout, though.

So, here are the kids enjoying the sugar high that can only come from cotton candy. The younger two were more cooperative than the older two.

They also loved the rides. What a long way Davis has come. In February, when we went to Disney World, he didn't want to go on many rides. He was too scared. Plus, he was too short for a lot of them. Now, 6 months later, he was willing to go on everything and everything. And, it seems that at the Fair, they don't really care if you don't actually meet the posted "height requirement."

And, the highlight of the evening? The kids played one of the midway games. This one involved trying to throw a ping pong ball into a small fish bowl. Neither of my kids won, but the game lady took pity on them and "awarded" them a goldfish anyway.

Friends, allow me to introduce our newest family member, Sydney Bruce:

Not only did we "win" the fish, but Mommy got to to out and purchase $30 worth of fish supplies today. Winner!! And we'll win again when Sydney Bruce goes belly up one day and Mommy gets to explain all about meeting Jesus. 

The silver lining of the night came in the form of deep fried Reeses Cups. The kids aren't even aware that we had them - Jill and I ate them all by ourselves. I'll be honest, though. They were super tasty, but maybe not quite as good as the deep fried Oreos I had last year. 

Seems that the carnie life suits me just fine, doesn't it?

The Single Mom Chronicles

Last week Morgan was out of town, so I was a single mom all week. I don't mean from Monday til Friday. I mean from Monday til Sunday. Sunday night. It was a looonnnnngggg week. Actually, I'll rephrase that. I was a long second half of the week. The first half was fine. The kids were being good, I was enjoying not really cooking, and all was fine. But then I sort of hit my limit around Thursday and was just ready to be done. My hat goes off to all the single parents out there - it's a lot of work. And it's funny, because Morgan isn't usually home before 7, so it's not like he's able to do tons during the week. But there's something about knowing someone else is around to help if you need it that's really comforting. All I can say is, thank God for wine. Seriously.

I did end up getting a sitter on Thursday night for no other reason except to have a night off. I spent a couple of quiet hours shopping, which was super fun. There may or may not have been a boot purchase which I wrote off as a 10th anniversary gift.

Speaking of anniversary, ours was Friday. Number 10. That's a long time, right? If  we were in Hollywood, we would be in the running for Most Successful Marriage. The decade has seriously flown by. Flown. But then I look back at how young we looked, and I realize it really has been 10 years:

We were just babies back then. Ten years and two kids later, I think I'll keep him. Especially since he didn't outwardly balk at my new boot purchase. AND he sent flowers. Keeping the wife happy is the name of the game.

Davis is out of school today and is begging me to play Batcave with him. Trust me, this is not as fun as it sounds. 

Ta-ta for now, my friends.

Making Hard Choices

I'm taking a break from being outside on this gorgeous fall day. My car was looking like something Oscar the Grouch might live in, so Davis and I have spent the last hour cleaning it out. He was helpful, except for the climbing in and out of it with his dirty shoes. Typical.

This week we got a little taste of winter. Temps were in the 50s - brrrr. I just chose to ignore the fact that I don't really have any new clothes and just wore my workout clothes all day. Doing it again today, in fact. Of course, today, I had planned on running, but then got a lunch invitation, so running didn't happen.

Anyway, the cooler temps reminded me that I really need a new pair of boots this year. I exercised an astonishing amount of restraint last weekend when I didn't take advantage of the Tory Burch Friends and Fans sale, where I could have received 25% off my most coveted boots:

 I went to a store and tried on four different TB boot styles. I hemmed. I hawed. I put them in my shopping bag on the website. I entered the promo code. But I couldn't pull the trigger. Yes, the price was part of it, but the bigger problem was that the calf of the TB boots is pretty slender. I could get them on, but they were tight at the top. I didn't think I could wear them with my skinny jeans. (Then again, the boots have me thinking my calves are just fat and maybe I have no business wearing skinny jeans at all.)

Anyway, it wasn't worth the cost for me not to be able to make them my primary boots.

So, moving on. I've got Frye cowboy boots and I love them. I've had them for 4 years now, and they have held up great. Now I'm trying to decide between the Melissa Button boot or the Paige Riding Boot. And, lucky me, I received a 20% off coupon from Belk in the mail yesterday where Frye is actually not one of the exclusions. Yay!

The Melissa - perhaps a bit more casual than what I'm really going for.

And Paige:

Honestly, there really isn't much choice to be made. I'm 99% sure I'll go with the Paige. Just can't decide if I want the brown, like the ones in the photo, or these gray ones:

This sort of hard decision making reminds me of just how difficult my life is sometimes. Oh - but just so you know, it IS our 10 year anniversary on Friday. So shopping is allowed. 

And - one last thing. I need a good new book to read. Who's got suggestions for me? Fiction, please.

Halloween (or my least favorite holiday)

Halloween is fast approaching. I know this because all grocery and garden stores are overrun with mums and pumpkins. Then again, they are also overrun with Christmas decorations, so who knows what season it really is. Also, Ava keeps reminding me that we need to decorate for Halloween. She's right, but I just  don't really like leaving our giant spiders and synthetic webs up much longer than I have to. I'm kind of a Halloween Scrooge that way. However, I do love candy, and anything Reese's in particular. My antidote to the Scroogi-ness is just to stuff my face full of peanut butter and chocolate.

Even I have to admit that this is pretty cute, though:

via here

Ava decided sometime last year that she would be Rapunzel for Halloween. I kind of thought that might pass. Not to say that it's exactly babyish - it's just not really what I would have expected my 7 year old to choose. But when Ava decides on something, her mind does not easily change. So, apparently, Rapunzel it is.

My search for a costume turned up this gem:

image via

Which, believe it or not, is sold out. Damn. There go the plans for matching Mommy/Daughter costumes. 

Davis started out saying he was going to be Kick Buttowski:

Now he says he wants to be a bat. Not sure which I prefer. However, my "children's bat costume" search on Google came up with this beauty:

via Target.com

Is it just me, or is this a little too vixen-like for a child? Maybe her mom is wearing the Rapunzel costume from above. The only cute boys' bat costume is the one from Pottery Barn Kids, and I'm not spending $50 on it. Plus, it appears to be made of fleece, and if this Halloween is like most in NC, it will be about 80 degrees, which will rule out all fuzzy attire. 

via Pottery Barn Kids