13 Nights of Halloween – The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

Great_pumpkin_charlie_brown_title_cardTonight is when it all begins! For the next thirteen nights my family and I will be watching some of the best children’s Halloween movies. There are many lists out there on the internet that list out many of these same movies you will see here, but hey this is a St. Louis Dad list and I am going to be listing these out one by one each and every night, for the next thirteen nights! So you know you will be getting some quality entertainment out of me. Some of these movies may be a little harder to find if you don’t have them recorded or on VHS. So good luck, be safe, and let the 13 Nights of Halloween begin!

Night One – The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

Our first movie we will be watching tonight will be The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. With the Great Pumpkin Patch Express still fresh in the kids minds I figured why not start off with this classic. Originally aired in 1966, this animated classic has been shown on T.V. just about every year since. Sometimes with You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown following afterwards. We won’t be watching anything related to an election tonight. Abby is extremely excited to see The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown tonight after dinner. Hopefully, Alex doesn’t fall asleep before the end. Check back tomorrow to find out what we will watch next! Got a suggestion or want to share your favorite Halloween movie comment below!

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Learning to Let Go – Childhood Independance

IMG_1669As my kids get older there is a part of being a dad that doesn’t want to let go of their constant needing of help. As a baby they need you to do basically everything. Then slowly as they get older they learn how to do it on their own. Which can be a good thing in some weird ways. For example, I am not a big fan of changing diapers. I’ve had my fair share of experience, so I will not miss that. What I will miss is helping them climb ladders, pushing on swings, catching them at the bottom of a slide and much more.

My daughter Abby lets me know that she can already conquer most of the playground by herself and doesn’t need her dad’s assistance. Alex thinks he has it covered as well but there is no way he is going at it alone without sustaining an injury. He is still too little for making his own adventures. So dad (or mom) is right there helping him figure it out. Soon enough they both will be riding bikes with friends which will eventually result in driving, and then leaving home.

IMG_1841It’s a little scary knowing that I am responsible for letting these two humans out into this world prepared for life. Will they be ready? Will the lessons that I am providing for them today be relevant to them in the future? I really have no idea, but I find a little solace knowing that I’m not the only one who feels this way. Practically every parent with at least one kid has got to feel at some point in life they do not know if what they are doing is the right way to do it. But as parents we make it, and our kids seem to turn out all right.

Independence doesn’t necessarily mean that I am looking to start free-range parenting. I don’t like that label. I don’t want my kids to run around the neighborhood at ages young enough to still need help cutting up their food. I don’t want to say that I am a helicopter parent either, but I want them to learn that they can do somethings on their own without dad or mom’s help. I think there is a balance that needs to be made. So I look at the best of all of the options available to me and I make the best decisions that will impact my children in a positive way. I am looking to build strong character in these two goof balls. I expect them to show respect, have manners, and intelligence. I know that I can’t do everything for them, but I will try, and I will learn to let go a little more each time.

I also know that if my kids are anything like me with my parents. They will always need some help. After they learn to ride a bike, after they start to drive, and even after they leave home. So maybe it’s not letting go, just making a little slack.

You’re at Union Station Charlie Brown!

IMG_0914This weekend we had the awesome opportunity to check out The Great Pumpkin Patch Express at Union Station here in St. Louis. You may have seen my previous post and tweets mentioning something about this event. The time came for us to go downtown and find out what was in store for us. We got the kids ready and packed up our diaper bag and were off down the highway. After a good 10 minutes we realized we forgot the diaper bag. So we made a quick exit and turned around to grab the bag. So now with the bag in hand we were off down the highway, again. I would probably suggest arriving 60-90 minutes before your train ride. This would give you plenty of time to check out all of the awesome activities available for the kids.

IMG_0887When you arrive you will check in with your ticket and get a wristband. This is nice because you can leave and go into the mall area or one of the other restaurants and grab something to eat if you have enough time. Once we got our wristbands we went in and started checking out all of the cool stuff. There was an awesome juggler who was getting groovy on camera for me. Abby and Alex both got a free balloon animal (flower and monkey). Children face painting was also available but we didn’t do that.

IMG_0881One thing we did check out was the mini-pumpkin patch there that the kids can choose a pumpkin to decorate inside at a craft table. Music played and a musician was playing the sax and showing off some awesome dance moves with the kids. There was free apple cider and cookies and plenty of photo opportunities, and we haven’t even stepped foot on the train yet!

IMG_0951The time finally arrived for us to board the train. We rode in the “Lucy car” which actually had Lucy from Peanuts in the train car with us! It was so cool and Abby and Alex had an incredible time. The train conductor was just as cool as Lucy. He was very friendly and asked all of the kids great questions. I was so impressed with how much Abby came out of her shell and participated by answering the conductors questions loud and clear. Conductor: “Who are you going to be for Halloween?”, Abby: “Queen Elsa!”. Conductor: “What’s your favorite candy?”, Abby: “Candy corn!”.

IMG_1021After we started rolling along the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown story was read and we got to see some parts of St. Louis like Busch Stadium (Go Cardinals!), the Arch, and the mighty Mississippi river. On our way back we rocked out to various Halloween songs. One of the best parts was when the Whip and Nae Nae song came on and Lucy, the train conductor, and even my little Abby got down to do the dance. It was so awesome to see Abby and Alex have so much fun.

 

Whip and nae nae on The Great Pumpkin Patch Express! #unionstation #peanuts #lucy #whipnaenae #stl

A video posted by St. Louis Dad (@dadstl) on

IMG_1086If you were thinking about going on The Great Pumpkin Patch Express but haven’t decided yet. I think you should go. It is a great experience for the kids. Plus downtown is beautiful this time of the year. We had so much fun and recommend checking it out. I grew up reading Peanuts in the Sunday papers and always loved watching the cartoons when they would show on t.v. The new movie will be out in theaters in November and the family is really excited to grab some popcorn and some nachos (my favorite) and see it!

St. Louis Dad was provided with these products as compensation in exchange for an honest review.  Check out the event on Facebook and visit STLPumpkinExpress.com to get your tickets before they sell out!

Check out more photos from our trip to The Great Pumpkin Patch Express in the gallery below!

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A Single Parent Weekend

IMG_0685This past weekend my wife went out of town. When I say weekend I mean she actually left Thursday morning, so it was an extended weekend, either way, I was left with the kids alone. I was in single parent mode. This isn’t anything I couldn’t handle. I am a responsible father. I can cook, I can clean. I’ve put the kids to bed and have given them baths before (not in that order of course). This was going to be different though. This was more than a night, this is several nights. It was time to get my game face on and become a super parent.

Thursday morning.

My wife, Destiny did not have to leave until later in the morning. So she was up and ready to give me a hand getting the kids ready to go to Nanners’ house (my mom). Because I work during the week I had asked my mom if she could watch the kids Thursday and Friday. She happily agreed and the Thursday morning hand-off went as smooth as could be. I even stopped at the gas station and picked up some donuts for the kids while we were on our way.

IMG_0664Thursday afternoon.

By now, Destiny is enjoying her extended weekend and I am on my way to pick up the kids. When I arrived at Nanners’ house Abby and Alex were both extremely happy to see me. Nanners said they were good, except they didn’t nap, or really eat much. I didn’t think much of it. I figured I would feed them dinner when I got home and then we can play until bath and bed. Boy was I wrong. Alex fell asleep not even 2 minutes after getting in the car. He slept for a good two hours. Abby fell asleep next to me on the couch while we were watching a movie. So I had two kids out for the count. I knew I should’ve kept them awake but I took this as an opportunity to finish my movie, the new Godzilla.

IMG_0706Thursday night.

Letting them sleep was not a good idea on my part. They both woke up very cranky. So I did what any super dad would do. I put food in their bellies. It was delicious. The kids ate a lot and both had put the crankiness behind them. So we turned on the Cardinals game and played with some toys until it was time for bath and bed. While we were playing with toys Abby mentioned to me that some kids don’t have dads, and then she told me that some kids don’t have moms either. I told her that was right and then she told me that some kids have two moms. I said that some also have two dads, and she proceeded to ask me “how many… five… six??”. I laughed and told her I had no idea and she seemed happy with that answer. They got their baths and then went to bed without a problem. I would say that night one was a semi-success.

Friday morning.

This time I was on my own. I got up earlier than usual so I could get a shower without running late. After I got myself ready I grabbed all of the kids’ stuff to take to Nanners for day two. Once I had all of their stuff ready I woke them up and got them ready. Everything was going smoothly and we were out the door to Nanners. Once we got there I grabbed them and their bags and realized that I grabbed their bags of stuff but totally forgot my laptop bag for work. A little flustered I regained my cool and figured I could make it a day without my regular computer. And I did.

IMG_0696Friday afternoon.

So I picked up the kids and this time they both napped and ate so things were definitely better this time around. I had some plans that evening for me and the kids to stop by my friend’s house warming party but first we needed to pick up a gift and a few other odds and ins. An hour and over budget later we get out of the store and head home to eat dinner.

Friday night.

With dinner done and the kids ready we headed out to my friend Steve’s house warming party. We got there and the kids immediately started running a muck. Steve and his fiance’ were cool about it and the kids got a kick out of circling their house. It helped me out because it definitely wore out the kids. We left and headed home for bath and bed. Abby asked if the Cardinals were playing. I don’t think they were so we watched Jurassic Park instead. She fell asleep next to me again so I moved her to her bed and went and crashed into my own pillows.

IMG_0693Saturday.

The weekends to me are easier than weekdays. On the weekend as long as you have everything you need at home you don’t have to go anywhere. You can wear pajamas all day if you want. So Saturday was a breeze. The kids woke up, I made a gourmet breakfast and got Alex to take a nap without a hitch. I had picked up a pumpkin and some Halloween crafts the night before so when Alex was napping, Abby and I got to work on the pumpkin. We knocked it out in no time and Abby even dug through the guts getting out some delicious pumpkin seeds to roast later.

We also played with Magic Rocks. If you don’t remember these things, well essentially you take this gel stuff, mix it with water, put these “rocks” in a container and pour the liquid mix over them. After a few hours some stalagmites grow from the rocks. It’s a quick and fun project to do with the scientific curious mind. My problem with it is that for how quick the setup is the payoff isn’t as cool as the picture on the box.

IMG_0729For dinner instead of making the kids something I took them out to eat. I was nervous about how they would behave with me alone, but it all worked out. They both were great. So great we even had some ice cream to share. Since it was the last night they would be under my watch without mom I let them go crazy. I turned up the music (Alabama Shakes) and they were both bouncing off the walls and couches. We took a break to get baths and then I let them go at it again for a little while longer. I could tell they were getting tired when the jumping slowed to a bounce, and then the bouncing slowed to just sitting. So I got them in bed and enjoyed the rest of the night cleaning up.

Mom came home on Sunday early afternoon and I could not have been happier. I mean the kids could not have been happier. They were super excited to see their mommy again, and this dad, well he got to lounge around the rest of the day watching movies. I was still helping out, but I was definitely not on active duty.

So what does all of this mean? Well for starters it means that mom shouldn’t feel like dad can’t handle it. Sure we might screw up and forget our work bag, but it happens. I know my wife can forget a thing or two when she also has a million other things to remember. But as parents we make it through and the kids eat, they get their baths, and they go to bed happy. Another thing I learned from all of this is that I have a new found respect for single parents of multiple kids. It was a fun but difficult weekend. I love my wife and I wouldn’t mind if she went out of town again, because I know I got this handled, but maybe we can wait a few months before that happens…

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IMG_0713Oh you wanted to know how I cooked the pumpkin seeds? Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees C), wash the seeds in water, drain water, toss seeds in a bowl with a 1/2 stick of melted butter and salt. Then spread seeds on a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. You probably will want to flip the seeds around every once in a while.