“Mommy, can I…?” My son asked for new mittens today. “Why today, honey?” He replies matter of fact, “well, you know, it’s Fall now mom”. We live in San Diego and October is that famous time of year when the Santa Ana Winds come. Hot wind, cold ocean, stinging sunshine. It might reach 80 degrees today, but who’s counting. Definitely not my seven year old.

So on this October afternoon, I am driving my son, my daughter, and our dog to the vet to figure out why she is peeing all over the house randomly and licking her privates all night long waking my husband and me up, over and over again. Don’t forget I am talking about the dog. My kids sleep peacefully through the night. Irony. Meanwhile the kids are on “fall break”, two weeks off from school, my toe is broken and my husband is on a plane to Dallas for another week away on business, I cut my bangs that I hate and I am trying to decide whether or not to have another baby.

Yesterday they begged me to take them to the Halloween decoration store because we need to make our house SCARY. This has never been a conversation before in the house since I am not that into Halloween. So, we don’t really decorate for this weird, kind of and kind of not holiday. After a lot of work, a few time outs and a “do over” we made our own hanging white sheet ghost outside. Yea, I know, everyone does this, right. But, this is a big step for me, since the only thing I do worse than cooking, is crafting.

My motivation for being crafty is the fact that I have been in Party City, our local party supply store, three times in the last week. That is way too much for me – hold on, my dog is licking herself again and the vet says that is not good- ok, all set. Anyway, my daughter’s birthday, my husband’s birthday and our anniversary all fall on the exact same day. Seems like a giant coincidence, but in reality it is more my fault than any ones’. That is another story.

So off to Party City I went. One day to buy Halloween costumes (remember, I am not crafty), party supplies for her 5 year old party the next, and finally one more trip the day of the party to buy the obligatory balloons and piñata. My husband is picked up the obligatory wine for the mom’s who decided not to “drop off” their child at my home and instead to stay, chat and hang out. Most times they are more work than the children.

I can’t stand Party City. I don’t hate it as much as Bed Bath and Beyond or Linens & Things, but nevertheless, I hate it. Just so much stuff. As a mom, I am overwhelmed with stuff. School stuff, holiday stuff, extra stuff, stuff they need, stuff they want, stuff they don’t use anymore but still want, stuff that is old or broken, stuff left around the house, stuff left out in the yard, stuff inside their backpacks, stuff they made, stuff they used to make more stuff, stuff stuffed inside of stuff. Get what I mean? In reality, it is managing stuff that really wears me out, and as I contemplate having another baby, it’s the stuff that is making me nervous. I have now given myself a final couple of days to think seriously about what I have been thinking about for three years. Two more days and I have an appointment to take out my IUD. Out at dinner the other night, my husband mentioned he is up for another child, but why. I can’t figure it out so I made the appointment and told him to really think about it this week and we would talk. I just didn’t realize we would be talking on the phone since is doesn’t get back from his trip until after the appointment. Ugh.

So, given all that, I told my son “we will think about mittens another day”, because at the end of the day it is just more stuff.

Now I hear the garage door open, skateboard wheels on our driveway…the kids are out, so I am going out to watch them. My toe hurts.