Help!! I need Preschool Halloween Games!!!

I am one of the parents volunteering for my daughter's three year old preschool class Halloween party. I need to bring a game for fourteen three year olds to play all together or in groups. Does anyone have any suggestions? I would love some help! Thanks!

Fall

It's official, I feel like fall. Aside from the obvious changes, like the leaves starting to turn, the humidity and heat being gone, the corn turning yellow and rustling in the fields, and the pumpkins and mums everywhere, it just smells and feels like fall. I don't know what exactly changes in the air, but there is a definite shift outside and I love it.

I love playing in the leaves and pumpkin picking. I love hayrides and ghost stories around the bonfire. I love Halloween and costumes. It is just the best time of the year. And right after fall comes the holiday season, which is my second favorite time of year, so there's no let down to worry about after the season is over.

There are just so many things to do with the family this time of year. I can't wait to dive into a pile of leaves with my daughter and dress my baby boy up in his first costume. I loved fall before I had kids, but now that I get to experience it all with them, I love it even more!

Cheese and What?

I love picking my daughter up from preschool. I love hearing about what she did and how much fun she has. Today, she told me she had a great snack.

"I can tell," I said. "It's still all over your face. What was it?"

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "It was cheese and crappers."

Priceless.

Back from Vacation

We just got back from Las Vegas, and it was wonderful. But, I had missed my babies so much! The first night there, I cried because I wanted to be home with them. As the days went on (we were there for four nights), it became easier to be away, but they were never far from my thoughts.

I pumped my breast milk the whole time I was gone so I could resume nursing when I came home. Every time I brought out the pump, I got a little misty eyed, but it was totally worth it. I came home, and he jumped right back into nursing full swing. And, hearing my daughter yell, "Mommy Mommy, I missed you!" and run into my arms as soon as I walked in the door felt great.

All in all, it was liberating. I realized that life could go on without me. Well, for a couple days at least. My kids were fine and my husband and I had a great time. I'm in no hurry to leave them again, but it is nice knowing that someday, when I'm ready, it can be done.

Hurt Feelings

Calla and I always talk about her day while we drive home from preschool. Today, she almost made me cry.

"My friends said I couldn't play with the dollhouse. It hurt my feelings and made me very sad," she told me in a very pitiful little voice.

"Well, what did you do?" I asked her, trying to keep my cool.

"I was so sad, I just walked away. It hurt my feelings."

My heart broke. At three years old, there are already kids being deliberatley mean? If this is how I feel when a kid won't let her play with them, how am I going to feel when she's in junior high and kids really are evil to each other?

We continued talking about it, and I tried to make a little lesson out of it. I don't know if she got it or if she even cared anymore. After I gave her my little spiel, she looked out the window up towards the sun and said, "It's okay Mom, they didn't mean to hurt my feelings. It was an accident. And the warm sun is making me feel much better."

Ah, the resiliency of youth. Let's hope she keeps that trait.

Fundraiser Overload

With Calla starting preschool at a parochial school, I anticipated some fundraisers. But in her first three weeks of school, we have been asked to participate in five different fundraisers. That's right, FIVE! It's only September!

In fact, they didn't even wait till school started. At the preschool orientation they handed out fundraiser info. They hardly talked about what our kids would be doing in class each day, they just talked about how our kids could raise money for their school. It was ridiculous.

Don't get me wrong, I understand they need money since they don't get public funds. But seriously, we pay tuition, and a pretty hefty tuition for five hours of class a week. Are they that hard up that we need to have FIVE fundraisers before the first month of school is over?

Fundraisers are so awkward anyways, especially with kids this age. I don't want to ask all of my friends and family to buy overpriced junk, and Calla is too young to understand what she is asking them to do. I feel bad putting them out like that and guilting them into buying stuff they don't want.

Maybe I'm pointing fingers a little early. Maybe they get all the fundraisers out of the way early on so we can relax the rest of the year. Or maybe we'll just have to look into homeschooling.

First Dance Class

Calla went to her first dance class the other night, and she loved it! They did a half hour of ballet and a half hour of tap. It was so cute to see her in her tutu and tiny little shoes. She did pretty well, although she would have done better if there weren't mirrors in the room. She spent most of the time admiring how good she looked in her Snow White leotard.

After the class, she barreled out of the room and told me she wanted to do more. Luckily, she had her first gymnastics class right afterwards, so we headed to that. Again, she spent a large portion of her time fawning over herself in the mirror, but she's three. And, I don't blame her, she is pretty cute.

All in all, it was a fun time, but it made me nervous. We were at the studio for two hours total for both classes. At the age of three, it kind of seems like a lot. I can only imagine how our schedule will be in a couple years when she's doing T-Ball, soccer, dance, and whatever else she wants to try. Toting kids around to their extra curriculars can easily become a full time job. I'm not sure how I feel about that.