How to have a cheap, easy (and let's be honest--lazy) Halloween

Step 1: In a delirious moment, determine to craft your child a hand made Thomas the Train costume from scratch, using materials you currently have in your possession. (Cheap. Not easy. Definitely not lazy).

Step 2: Procrastinate making said costume. (Cheap, easy AND lazy).

Step 3: The night before Halloween utterly freak out since you have neither made a costume nor have you bothered to buy one. Fortunately, your kind neighbor saves the day, providing a darling dinosaur costume for your child to wear. (Cheap, easy and lazy. Perfect).

Step 4: Go to the ward Halloween party with dinosaur in tow (it turns out costume was actually a dragon, not a dinosaur, but try telling that to a determined two-year-old. Oh, how he loved that dinosaur costume. What joy it was for him to wear it). Attempt to take pictures before the party, but to no avail (Josh was absent), so give up and make do with this beauty--see below (cheap, easy and lazy. I'm sensing a pattern).

Step 5: Attend the neighborhood fire department party, complete with a parade, pumpkin painting, games, candy eating, etc., etc., etc., all while trying to carry your child during said parade, keeping all paint off borrowed costume, stopping your child from stealing everyone else's candy and helping that dinosaur onto every.single.fire.apparatus. (Cheap, not as easy, clearly not lazy).

Step 6: Don't take child trick-or-treating, since not only was Halloween on the Sabbath but also because said child was in bed at 6:00 due to lack of naps, too much excitement and an even greater amount of candy. Sit on the couch with your hubby, watching a movie, eating candy and turnyour lights off at 7, so that you can have some peace and quiet, for heaven's sake. (Lazy, lazy, lazy).

Step 7: Take pictures of your dinosaur-wearing child one entire week after Halloween, since it has taken you that long to recover (and for your child to recover) in hopes of getting some decent shots. Somehow, even with a helpful Josh, your child will still refuse to cooperate. Hence, the lackluster photos as well as one taken whilst dinosaur is upside-down. (Easier than doing it alone on Halloween night, but not as easy as one would think).

Step 8: Post about it on your blog almost a full month after the blasted Holiday because you are lazy, lazy, lazy.

Happy Belated Halloween all! Now bring on the turkey...