Halloween

The pumpkins are dark and the candy bowl is empty and Halloween is over for another year.  We did get 102 kids tonight, but it was all over by 8pm.  The sounds of fireworks can still be heard every once in a while, but the porch lights are off and the kids are in bed... I hope. 
Today was a blur of activity today at school.  We started with a SOAR assembly and then my class headed in to carve pumpkins.  I bought 5 pumpkins and the kids decided on names, estimated how many seeds were inside and then collaborated on a design for their pumpkin creations.  On Friday I wasn't sure that I would be able to do it, as only one parent volunteered to help.  Luckily 3 more parents came through last minute and then a 4th to help clean up.  We had those pumpkins carved and cleaned up by 10:30, in time for recess.   The smell of pumpkin was in the air, and I realized that it's not a smell I like.  It's better than farts, but still not a favourite smell of mine. 
When the day was done, and the last student out the door, I realized that I had a pounding headache and really didn't feel well at all.  I was completely done in.  There were a thousand things that I could have been doing in my classroom, but I was exhausted and was not interested in any of them.  We packed up our 9 pumpkins and came home.  We didn't get anyone at the door until around 5:30, but they kept coming after that.  Chris was down in the basement watching the Blackhawks, but came up during intermission to help give out candy.  I like that the last kid and my 102nd trick or treater was from my class. 

I have spent the rest of the night baking the billions of pumpkin seeds so that we can take them into class tomorrow for a snack.  Baked pumpkin seeds is a smell I like.