Remember how we started celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving? I am not complaining, I love Christmas. But, at some point, stores started putting up decorations the day after Halloween, and radio stations switch to their 24 hour holiday music by the second week of November.

I could be wrong, but I don’t remember it that way when I was a kid. Now, this successful celebration technique seems to have spread. We are now celebrating Halloween for over a month. Which, again, I don’t mind, because we love Halloween too. But starting in September we are going to our first costume party, 

and then there is the school’s trunk or treat, 

and then there is the pumpkin patch festivities,

followed by the pumpkin carving, 

and then the neighborhood party. 

By the time the day comes to trick or treat, we already feel like we have squeezed this holiday for more than it is worth, and are playing with house money. 

(This Halloween, Grams joined us for the big day.)

We certainly don’t need any more candy, and we are already on our third costume. 

But, when you have the joy of a kid fueling you, there is no fatigue. Each one of these experiences is exciting and scary and fun. And for how many years will we have to bleed these holidays for every experience we can get? So, you can count on us to help stretch these holidays for as many days as we can.

On an unrelated note, our little play gourmet got his very own copy of Disney’s Ratatouille this weekend. He loves to cook, and he loves Disney movies. So, as one might expect, this has become his current favorite movie. 

Despite his adventurous palette (when he chooses), vegetables have become the least interesting family of foods to him. So, with this new found adoration for Ratatouille, and Grams in town, we went shopping for some eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, peppers, onions and tomatoes.

We proceeded to chop the peppers and onions and cook them down before adding some tomato sauce.

And once that cooked down a little more, we lined the bottom of a cooking dish with it.

I forgot to mention the laborious process of slicing all of the veggies, but once the slices were ready, it was time to fill up our dish with them.

And finally, apply some heat, and viola!

It is one of the most delicious and healthy dishes, but despite its beauty, still boring to a 3 year old. Oh well, the grown-ups ate all of this one.