I'm Over the Clif

It's not abating, people. If anything, Halloween mania is getting worse.
And it's probably my fault.

Yesterday I made a lunchtime run to Whole Foods to pick up some things for dinner, and while I was walking through the isles (I had to do SOMETHING to fill up my 60-minute break, yes?) I stumbled upon the holy grail: Halloween-themed Clif bars.

They're nothing special really, just little 89-cent energy bars for kids. Basically "good for you" candy bars. But the wrapper. Oh, the wrapper. It's orange, for starters, and features the one thing in the world Cole cares about right now: a ghost.

So I bought three. And brought them home with much fanfare.

Cole just about lost his mind when I handed one over, and though I told him he couldn't eat it until lunchtime (it was intended as a lunch box treat) he demanded to "look at it." He held it up to his eyes, very, very closely, then gingerly set it down next to him on the table. He kept it there throughout his dinner, occasionally picking it up to stare lovingly at the tiny ghost and witch on the label.

After an hour or so, I suggested we put it in his lunch box together. You'd think I suggested we throw his light saber in the trash. "I'm still loooookin' at it!" he screeched.

The bathtub finally presented a roadblock that he couldn't overcome, so after much coaxing, he sadly put the bar on the counter. Then he caught a glimpse of the remaining two.

"Mama, I want to look at the other one!"