'Tis Near Halloween

Caution: Witch's Parking

Violator's Will Be Toad!

I Heart Halloween!

I personally am one who doesn't enjoy dressing up. However, I love seeing everyone else dressed up. I love dressing my kids up. I love opening the door on Halloween and seeing all the kids dressed up.

I love all the good fun that comes with Halloween. I'm not one who loves the gore. But the pumpkins and witches and skeletons and spiders are a good enough scare for me.

I also love pictures books. I was a Reading Specialist for 4 years before I decided to do this mommy thing exclusively. So I have a special place in my heart for children's literature.

Recently, I came across this article in the New York Times that made me sad. What a shame to give up on picture books so quickly. Picture books are filled with rich high-level vocabulary. Plus the pictures help teach comprehension and meaning. But most importantly is the time spent together reading and enjoying a story. It can help build strong memories.

So when Halloween comes around, it's time to pull out all the Halloween decorations. And with Halloween decor comes the Halloween stories. I keep all our Halloween books packed away with our decorations. That way when the holiday rolls around, the books are fun and new. I put them in a basket in the family room and the kids spend all month reading the stories. I have a friend who is especially good at using the holiday story books as part of her decor around the house. I love it!

So my Idea I want to share today is to collect and keep holiday books. Store them with your decorations. And when the holiday comes around, reading is exciting.

You should see the kiddos when the Christmas boxes come out. They sit and look at all the books while I decorate. For my OCD decorating self, this is perfect for me!

When witches go riding,

and black cats are seen,

the moon laughs and whispers,

‘tis near Halloween.

(Thanks to My Auntie My)