Brothers. Super Mario Brothers.

One of my favorite parts of the year is choosing and making the boys' Halloween costumes.  But this year, they decided that they wanted to go as Mario and Luigi.  I spent hours thinking about how I'd make their costumes -- how much do a pair of overalls cost?  felt for the hats?  accessories?  And it was adding up to a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money.  And I knew I could get these costumes (not as cute, not as detailed, not as "I'm a good mom"-y) for about $20 a pop.  And I decided to give myself permission to let this go this year.  I ordered the costumes and they arrived one evening while I was off at my writing circle.  When I came home, the boys were asleep and David told me that they loved their store bought costumes.  And then, he showed me this series of photos that they staged. 

1.  Hello sir!  We are Mario and Luigi!

 2.  We hear you have a plumbing problem.  Not to worry!

 3.  Here it is.  Here is the problem.  My sink does not work!

 4.  Aha!  It's this pipe!  I'll use a screwdriver to repair it!  (Alternatively, Look at this mess!  Doesn't your wife ever clean the counters?)

 5.  We'll just tighten this . . . and replace that  . . . and . . .

 6.  Ta-da!  Good as new!  That'll be $794.

 7.  See you later, paesano!



Call me King

It's been a rough, rough week.  Matthew has been sick all week long, and I am exhausted.  There's been a lot of laying on the cough and watching TV this week and, since it's Matthew, that has meant watching the same football games over and over.  We also broke out More than a Game, the documentary about LeBron James, just to mix it up a little.
One afternoon, Matthew said to me, "Mommy, you're just like LeBron James except you're a girl." 

It's true.  I get stopped on the streets all. the. time. with people asking for my autograph or complaining about how I betrayed Cleveland.