Is Halloween over yet? It’s only Friday afternoon, and we already have two parties under our wings, with two more to go. Hey, at least we’re getting mileage out of our costume, right? And it IS a cute costume:

Thank goodness for 40 percent off sales at the Disney Store. E. started telling us in July that she wanted to be Tinker Bell for Halloween and she wants a pirate birthday party (her birthday is in February). I have no idea where she gets these ideas. I don’t even know how she knew what Halloween was in the summer. Needless to say, there was no getting around a Tink costume this year.

Yesterday, we had her party at school. I volunteered to help out, something I never thought I’d be able to do. When I was pregnant, I always fully intended to go back to work full-time. It just didn’t work out that way, and some days I’m so grateful for that.

My mom was a single mom who worked incredibly hard (I seriously have no idea how she did it. There are days that I don’t know how we do it all as a two-parent home, but I digress), so she wasn’t able to volunteer at school events or be involved with the PTA and such. Believe me, I completely understood but I think every kid wants their parent there for certain things, rational or not.

I may not always be able to, but for now, I’m taking advantage of every opportunity I have to be a part of her life at home and in school.

Up first was the costume parade (and as you’ve learned before, there’s not much my little one loves more than a Harade). One of E’s best friends was dressed in the same costume. Of course, this was my first thought:

(SOURCE)

But my heart warmed when instead of engaging in a Kelly v Brenda-style smackdown, they decided to walk in the parade, hand-in-hand.

After the parade, it was gametime. I was put in charge of the Pin the Nose on the Pumpkin game. Jealous aren’t you? Let’s just say that it worked out much better for the 4-year-olds than the 2-year-olds. After making one younger toddler get teary-eyed by the mere suggestion of a blindfold, we just took turns identifying WHERE the pumpkin’s nose is and where one might stick a nose!

There was also broom races (yeah, try telling that to my little one. She insisted that brooms are for sweeping, not riding. Trust me, she didn’t learn that one from me!).

The broom racing also quickly devolved into a game of Fighting Over the Purple Broom with her best frenemy. Every day after school, I hear a litany of “Max is my best friend” and “Max took the ball from me today.” I saw their complicated relationship in action all day, and it is hilarious. They always want to be with each other, yet they fight over EVERYTHING. I predict they’ll be married someday.

One part of the day really left me puzzled though. There was a bounce house, which thrilled Tink to no end:

But here’s the perplexing part. The bounce house looked like a castle …

I’m guessing the dude on the right is a prince. He looked fairly prince-like, with a Renaissance-looking shirt. But the woman? What is she?

Is she Princess T-Shirt? Listen, I’m not a big fan of the Disney princesses with their damsel-in-distress, giving-up-their-actual-voices-for-men routines. But isn’t a princess that looks more like a modern mom going a bit too far? Am I just missing something? What the heck is she?? If they were going for the everywoman look, don’t you think they would have chosen a cartoon of a child since it is a bounce house?

But, who has time to break down some of the bigger questions in life? I’ve got a candy battle to break up. Step away from the baskets, kiddos.