November :: Leveling Out Those Jeepers Creepers

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Hands in the air if you’re happy to see October go!?

Anyone…? Oh, is it just me?

Well, I have a love/hate relationship with the month of October. I love the weather, pumpkin patches, Halloween costumes, and obviously the candy. But, being the chicken that I am, I cannot handle the scariness that rolls out with October. Halloween TV promos alone are enough to give me nightmares. It never fails, when scanning through channels, that I always manage to stumble upon Night of the Living Dead or The Pet Cemetery.

Can anybody pinpoint the exact moment you began needing therapy?
I can. It was after I watched those movies as a kid!

My family, fully aware of my possible PTSD, loves to scare me, especially my kids. My heightened sense of fear hits defcon during the Halloween season and my little creeper children use it to their full advantage. It doesn’t help that our current house just so happens to have a “quaint” historical graveyard right outside of our back fence. It really adds curb appeal. 

Sometimes after everyone is asleep, I will make a small cup of cereal and watch some TV. One night, unbeknownst to me, my precious son Nixson decided to sneak into the living room. He has a deep raspy voice, and that low-pitched fella belted out a loud “Heeeeeeeyy!” Sending this scaredy cat into cardiac arrest. Now, I’m not a screamer, but the scream that I let out could have cracked glass. My snack catapulted into the air landing on my face, lap and couch. I froze – paranormal activity!
Convinced a ghost from the backyard cemetery was coming for me after throwing out scraps over the fence. “The bacon grease and apple cores were peace offerings, please don’t kill me!” It wasn’t until I heard his hearty laughter that I realize I had been pranked, and this was not an angry colonial style ghost. Once my heart rate was back to normal and I felt like I could breathe again, I dissolved into laughter.

Fast forward to a few weeks later. Again, everyone is asleep, and I am finishing up laundry and walking down the hallway when I hear a faint, “Mama.” I freeze – paranormal activity! Because at this point, that is the only obvious response to have. Nixson and Lily do not call me Mama, and Amelia only babbles. Who the heck just said that?

I didn’t sleep for several days. (Amelia may have been a partial culprit.) I know I heard something. Could this have been another weird mom brain moment?  After asking my kids, no one seemed to know what I was talking about. The unidentified voice still remained a mystery, and I was thoroughly freaked out. My husband insisted that all of the Halloween horror movies playing on TV had me on edge, and I needed to relax.  I had no idea who called out to me, but I tried convincing myself nothing was there. It wasn’t until I began writing this post that Nixson came clean. He came clean with lots of laughter and a very triumphant, “I got you good Mommy!”

So it goes without saying, I am one happy mom when my calendar flips to November. While I know the mischievous pranks will not stop on October 31st, my jeepers creepers will hopefully level out just by packing away all my trauma inducing Halloween horrors.

Hello November! You have never looked better!

 

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Lindsay D
A native to the Birmingham area, Lindsay is a retired professional ballerina. She spent her time training and performing with prestigious dance companies around the country. Now, she is holding down the fort in Alabama, Lindsay lives with her loving husband, Ian and three children Nixson, Lily and Amelia. You’ll find Lindsay sharing her love for dance, as a ballet instructor; and in between the delicate in’s and out’s of being a wife and mother, she manages to squeeze in some time to sweat it out on her yoga mat. An active member of her church, Lindsay lives her life with unwavering faith and love for the Lord. Hoping to spread a little joy and laughter, Lindsay likes to share her life journey and stories from a comical point of view. Striving to live life fully by finding laughter in the chaos.