1. Winter is Coming

   November 1, 2026

   I woke up to the crinkle of candy wrappers.

   Photo by Nik on Unsplash

   I’m pretty sure somewhere Skittles are a food group - at least they are on the day after Halloween because HELLO did you SEE THE HAUL?

   I let it slide because that’s how I roll. I told her no more after and for the most part she was good. I may have caught her “testing” the the PEZ dispenser that she was given. You know – just to make sure it works.

   Later at lunch she asks me what’s the difference between mid-term and Presidential elections.

   What was I to tell her?

   Then she asked me why the midterms were in the middle. That one I aced.

   Then I gave her another bag of skittles, because I needed a distraction from all these questions I really didn’t have an answer for.

   I then sent her outside to play in the leaves and rake them up with a snow shovel because that’s what you should be thinking about - not elections.

   

   Her biggest decisions should be Skittles or Chocolate.

   Leave the elections and politics to the adults - your job is to hide the chocolate bars from Dad.

   Also, pro tip: If you’re going to swipe candy, go with the gummy bears - the packages make less noise.

   Until Next Time,

   TH and Co.

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2. We Came Home with a Bunch of Crap We Don't Need

   October 31, 2026

   Alternate title: Halloween 2026 Exploded on our Kitchen Table

   Her words, not mine. But also so true:

   the end

   OMG you guys, the candy.

   the beginning

   I have all this candy in 3 huge bowls. We’re going to have to give some away. I don’t know if it was the fact that she skipped up to every house or what but she made out like a bandit this year. She was loved by everyone.

   One house she got HANDFULS of candy thrown at her.

   

   She wanted to go all the way over to the end of the street where they have a ridiculous amount of decorations and we were not disappointed on either candy or atmosphere as these folks went all out.

   

   She loved, loved, loved Halloween this year and as much as I am not much into this holiday, I have to say that I had the most fun watching her have all the fun. :)

   The icing on the cake was the lady across the street. In the past she came back with a huge chocolate bar but this time you would think it was Christmas - she was given toys, stickers, a ball and enough sugar to make the dog sick for some time.

   It was just…overload.

   The costume was a breeze this year too. A dress and a magic wand and she was a princess and happy to be one, skipping down the street singing to herself.

   As she said to me: Best Day Ever.

   And I have to tell ya…I agree.

   7 years old is PEAK Halloween.

   

   It really was the best day ever.

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3. The 3 Lllamas

   October 30, 2026

   Today I had 3 llamas in my living room.

   

   The llamas were finished. BW worked really hard on this ridiculous things for well over a week, but she had a blast making them so that’s what matters.

   Next thing I know - all 3 were in the living room and ready to go out for a night on the town.

   First: the logistics. I had asked how she planned on getting 3 llamas in the car?

   “You figure it out”, she told me.

   We figured it out:

   

   We managed to squeeze into the car and off we went to the party to party like a family of llamas. ;)

   Everybody got a big kick out of them and then came the moment we were all waiting for: the awards ceremony!

   BW won for most creative costume:

   

   The award is now on her bookshelf. We are so proud of her.

   Until Next Time

   

   TH and Co. ;)

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4. The Corner Story

   October 29, 2026

   I thought I had had a moment.

   Photo by khloe arledge on Unsplash

   Everybody was occupied. BW was upstairs, and so was she. Both ladies busying themselves before dinner.

   I snuck down to my little grey recliner and fired up the laptop. I was going to do ....something on it. I forget because it didn’t happen.

   What happened instead?

   I got found.

   I’m in the furthest corner in the house in the basement with very little light.

   By theory I should be invisible.

   Instead? I was found.

   “Dad, move your laptop”. she tells me.

   I sigh, move it and she perches herself on my lap and then says to me:

   “Tell me a story”

   As I am apt to do, I wing it.

   There was a,.......girl in France named Suzette who did not know what cheese was…

   The rest of the story included cows, flies and pigs and a farmer and his wife.

   And a LOT OF CHEESE.

   The story isn’t important. I don’t think the ending even happened because the attention span waned before we got there.

   What matters is this story where I tell you a story about the child wanting to hear a made up story while sitting on my lap.

   That’s today’s story.

   Until Next Time,

   TH and Co.

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5. One Hot Tamale

   October 28, 2026

   I don’t like it

   Photo by Tai’s Captures on Unsplash

   That’s what she told us.

   Over and over again.

   “This is not a restaurant”, we told her

   She told us again she didn’t like it. We asked what she didn’t like.

   “The mouth feel”, she says

   THE MOUTH FEEL?

   It’s a Wednesday night dinner and since when do you not like tamales?

   Today, apparently.

   “How much do I have to eat?”, she asked.

   I told her the whole thing.

   We coaxed and cried and finally said that if you’re done making faces and not planning on eating it then fine then go to bed.

   We explained that she wasn’t in trouble per se, but there’s some times when dinner isn’t your favorite and you are left with a choice: eat or don’t.

   She chose don’t. She went to her room. I cleaned up the dishes.

   Later she was looking for a candy to wash down the medicine a bit easier at night but tonight I told her there was no candy.

   It’s a simple rule, I said. If you don’t eat dinner you absolutely don’t get candy later.

   “Then I won’t take the medicine” she told me.

   “I can cancel trick or treating this year”, I replied.

   She took the medicine.

   We’re still on for Saturday Night. :)

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