HoweEnterprise.com
October 28, 2019
Ideas for a fun, costeffective Halloween Hey Taylor I’m trying to keep Halloween fun for my kids 9 and 11 - and feel like I’m running out of Taylor ideas. All I can think of is buying Kovar an expensive costume and that’s the last thing I want to do for one night of trick or treating. Any ideas for a fun, cost-effective Halloween? - Marsha Hey Marsha - These holidays can get a little complicated, can’t they? You don’t want to keep setting the bar higher each year and wasting too much money, but you still want each outing to be special. I do have a few ideas learned from past Halloweens. Maybe one of these options will inspire you and also save you a little time and cash. 1. Create a costume. Most years, my kids tell us what they want to be: a vampire, a zebra, a mad scientist, whatever they hear about at school and decide is the costume for them. If you go this route, you usually end up throwing down for whatever you can find on Amazon or at the local costume barn. An alternate approach is to either raid your own closet or go to the thrift store and ask your kiddos to piece together their own outfit. You might end up with some outrageously mismatched attire, but some kids really love having the authority to pick out their own clothes and creating a character. Coming up with a costume based on what’s available teaches kids valuable lessons about being resourceful while still letting them have fun. 2. Host a candy swap. The end of the night can be a real downer, as kids crash from sugar and the passing of such a highly anticipated day. To draw out the festivities, have other kids over a
night or two after Halloween to trade candies (and other collectibles if they want). With two things to look forward to instead of just one, it takes a little pressure off October 31st and doesn’t require any extra planning or spending. If the kids want to throw on their costumes a second time, they can have at it. 3. Pumpkins forever. The fun of making a jack-o-lantern lasts well into adulthood, so don’t think your kids are tired of carving pumpkins. If interest wanes, it might just be time to shake things up a little and carve something new. You can get four pumpkins, carve a “B” in one, “O”s in two and an “!” in the fourth, spelling out “BOO!” There’s no shortage of games to play with pumpkins and, aside from the cleanup, it’s not too costly. If you set some loose guidelines instead of caving to your kids' whimsy, you can have lots of fun and not feel put out. Have fun Marsha and if you find yourself with extra Reese's this year, send them my way :) Taylor Kovar, CEO of Kovar Capital. Read more about Taylor at GoFarWithKovar.com Disclaimer: Information presented is for educational purposes only and is not an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. To submit a question to be answered in this column, please send it via email to Question@GoFarWithKovar.com, or via USPS to Taylor Kovar, 415 S 1st St, Suite 300, Lufkin, TX 75901.
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defeat Commerce.
from the their own 31 yard line to the Commerce 48 yard line where Howe faced a 4th and 5. Haley’s pass was skipped to Waldrip resulting in a turnover on downs and wrapping up the game for Commerce.
Living with children The Portal. It sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, the gateway to an alternative universe that lures, then John traps the unwary in its nefarious Roseweb of illusion, where things are never what they seem. If the previous sentence sounded to you like Rod Sterling intoning the intro to “The Twilight Zone,” then you too are old enough to thank your lucky stars that The Portal did not exist when you were in school. The Portal, for the blissfully unaware, is a website the techno-hip Twenty-First Century parent visits at least once daily to get the very latest updates on her child’s grades, upcoming and incomplete assignments, test results, and anything else the child’s teachers deem important, like “Billy seemed distracted today.” If you’re a parent and you’ve never visited The Portal, I have one word of advice: DON’T! One school’s Portal advertises itself as providing parents with “important, up-to-date information” concerning their children’s progress in school. No, the information in question is not important. First, in days gone by, when there were no Portals, kids achieved at much higher levels. Second, the best research into parent involvement finds that regardless of demographics or ability, children do best in school when their parents do NOT monitor and help with homework. But then, America’s education establishment pays no attention to research in education. The Portal either turns parents into micromanagers or pushes already existing parental micromanagement over the edge. Micromanagement is driven by anxiety, always. Parents who visit The Portal on a regular basis are not simply curious. They are anxious control freaks. They are also their kids’ (and their own) worst enemies. Micromanagement NEVER improves the performance of the person being micromanaged. It ALWAYS produces stress, an unwillingness to communicate, and various manifestations of pushback. Sometimes, the pushback is subtle, sly, Howe Commerce
Howe was playing without freshmen Carson Daniels and Matthew Bearden who were involved in an ATV accident. Howe will face Van Alstyne Friday night at home in the season finale. In order for Howe to advance to the playoffs they need to beat Van Alstyne, Lone Oak must beat Rains, and Bonham has to
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An unhappy Howe Head Coach Bill Jehling in the final moments of Friday night’s loss. Michelle Carney/Howe Enterprise.
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covert, and sometimes it is blatant, even belligerent, as in, “LEAVE ME ALONE! I’M SICK AND TIRED OF HAVING YOU LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER! GET A LIFE WHY DON’T YOU!” Yes indeed, the micromanaging parent needs desperately to get a life of her own. There is no emotional boundary, you see, between the Portal-obsessive parent and her child. To paraphrase The Beatles, she is him and he is her and they are all entangled. (And yes, I’m using the female pronoun purposefully because in probably nine of ten instances – and that may be a conservative estimate – the mother is the micromanaging, anxiety-driven, Portal-obsessive in question.) Over the past two generations, co-dependency in the mother-child relationship has become normative, and this is yet another manifestation. Being in a co-dependent relationship has nothing to do with being a woman, however. My mother was not in a co-dependent relationship with me and my peers testify likewise concerning their moms. This is all about the post1960s Good Mommy Club, which demands of its members that they be crazy about their kids (not crazy happy, mind you, but truly crazy) if they want to remain in good standing. Without any evidence that The Portal is working to do anything but transport mothers to a Twilight Zone where they begin to believe their real name is “Mom,” public and private schools nationwide are pushing Portal participation like it’s the next best thing to tablets (which the research also says are counterproductive). It’s as if they say to themselves, “Let’s build The Portal and find out later if it’s working!” Come to think of it, I did have a homework Portal when I was in school. It was called the “blackboard.” Family psychologist John Rosemond: johnrosemond.com, parent guru.com. John Rosemond has worked with families, children, and parents since 1971 in the field of family psychology. In 1971, John earned his masters in psychology from Western Illinois University and was elected to the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society. 0 0
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Rushing: 98 Passing: 110
Rushing: 385 Passing: 19
Rushing: Jalen Thornton 22-91, 1TD; Brandon Williams 3-14; Caiden Harmon 2 -8; Layton Elvington 1-(-1); Austin Haley 3-(-14)
Rushing: Xzay Basham 24-206; Dayton Dunbar 10-73; 8-72, 1TD; Kendrick Greer 4-34, 1TD
Passing: Austin Haley 9-15-1-105, INT
Passing: J’Den Wilson 2-6-1-19
Receiving: Caiden Harmon 5-46; Jalen Thornton 3-21; Kolby Windon 1-43
Receiving: Conner Smith 1-17; Ashton Seale 1-2
