What is so Creepy About Jeepers Creepers

I’ve watched a lot of scary movies throughout my life—movies with moments that make you jump, scream your lungs out, or even leave the room. Perhaps that's the appeal of scary movies: they push us to the edge of our imagination, scaring us in ways we can’t anticipate. But I think scary is only part of the equation. The creepy effect, on the other hand, has a more profound impact on people. It’s that unsettling sensation that lingers long after the movie is over. It’s the feeling that gives you goosebumps, making you suddenly aware of every tiny hair on your skin. Hair-raising? That’s just a normal reaction.

"creepy defined: causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or unease"

Years passed since we last watched a movie called Jeepers Creepers. It was definitely scary, but also deeply creepy. We remember watching it on a regular channel after 8 o'clock. An hour into the movie, the channel suddenly cut out. Was it done on purpose? Was it meant to push us to go rent the movie so we could see the creepy moments? Perhaps yes, perhaps no. Regardless, we ended up renting Jeepers Creepers that night. Not sure if it was curiosity that drove us to the rental store or if we just wanted to feel that creepy sensation crawling up our spines.

So, we watched the whole movie that night. The glitch didn’t stop us. The ending was okay—just scary. But the most unsettling part of the movie was when we saw this tall figure, supposed to be a man, with long arms. He wore a hat and a black trench coat, and he was dumping something in the garbage. That one scene really creeped us out, especially when the characters in the movie watched the creature with dismay.

Happy Halloween! May you have a hair-raising experience today.

Halloween and The Rain

The last few days, we’ve had amazing, comfortable weather, and we were all hoping it would be the same for Halloween. Of course, it never works like that. The clouds were already gathering, and the winds were bringing in the spookiest clouds ever. Wouldn’t that be fun for Halloween? Of course, it would!

Luckily, our little one still enjoys visiting only the people he knows. He doesn't really enjoy being scared by the creatures that emerge from houses, with people delighting in frightening him. Instead, he prefers seeing a familiar face. Plus, he knows that way, he can pick and choose his favorite candy.

He also loves giving out candy and seeing all the dressed-up children come to visit. At the same time, he’ll jump out to pose in his Spider-Man costume. Rather than collecting candy, which he can’t eat, he’ll be meeting all the scary, beautiful, and smiling faces at the door.

Happy Halloween, everyone!!! By the way, Happy Halloween here in Canada!

Mid-Night Snack

“Mom, can I eat some of your midnight snack?” Matthew asked.

“Absolutely not,” I replied.

“But Mom, I already had your midnight snack,” he said.

I’m not sure where he got the idea, but it seems he’s figured out that if he eats first and asks later, his treats are pretty much guaranteed. This isn’t the first time he’s eaten something and then asked for permission.‬

Copyright 2014 Anna Lozyk Romeo

How Do We Make Paper, Kids Talk

Throwback Thursday in words... Back in 2011, when Matthew was about 3 years old.

“Mommy, how do we make paper?” Matthew asked.
“You know how we make paper,” I replied.
“I’ve told you so many times,” I added.
“First, we kill a cow,” he began.
“No, no, that’s how we make meat,” I stopped him.
“Oh!” he laughed.

Copyright 2014 Anna Lozyk Romeo

What Happened To Me for Three Years

Yes, what happened to me? All I can say is, not much—just ventured out into other local community engagement activities that revolved around raising Matthew. Matthew is now over 6 years old. I just read my last blog post here, where I wrote about him being able to write the letter "M." Well, now he writes and reads; he’s even reading one grade above grade one. We’re so proud of him—he’s our very smart little man. From day one, I’ve loved watching him grow up and learn new things every day, and I continue to do so.

Last night, I revisited my blog and went through all the blogs on my reading list, one by one. I noticed that many of them stopped posting one or two years ago, though some are still active.

I’m very active on Twitter (@amlozyk) and Facebook now, but I realized last night how much I miss just spilling my thoughts every day here on the blog, like I did a couple of years ago.

I shall return soon, but let me leave you with a couple of conversations I had today with Matthew.

“Mom, can I eat some of your midnight snack?” Matthew asked.

“Absolutely not,” I replied.

“But Mom, I already had your midnight snack,” he said.

I’m not sure where he got the idea, but he’s figured out that if he eats first and asks later, his treats are guaranteed. This isn’t the first time he’s eaten and then asked. I believe he’s also feeling guilty, so he lets us know in any way he can that he helped himself to the treats.

Today, Matthew had a little accident at school. He collided with another boy from grade four. The impact was so hard that he fell face-first to the ground and broke his sunglasses. The school called, and we went to pick him up. After we settled in and everything was fine, I reviewed his lunchbox.

“Hey Matthew, how come you didn’t eat your lunch?” I asked.

“Oh, I was tired,” he replied.

“Oh, but you managed to eat your treats,” I pointed out.

“That was by mistake,” he said.

He Ate His Treat by Mistake, Kids Talk

'Hey Matthew how come you didn't eat your lunch?', I asked.
'Oh I was tired', he replied.
'Oh but you managed to eat your treats', I stated.
'That was by mistake', he replied.

Copyright 2014 Anna Lozyk Romeo

Surprise Me Sometimes and Buy Me a Toy, Kids Talk

“Mom, you should surprise me sometimes,” Matthew told me today.

“Like what?” I asked.

“You know, like buying me a toy or giving me some money,” he replied.

“I only have lots of cents, but not many dollars,” he added.

Copyright 2014 Anna Lozyk Romeo

First Wiggly Tooth and An Expensive Request to Tooth Fairy, Kids Talk

We found the first wiggly tooth today. In the very early morning, we told Matthew about the Tooth Fairy. After the initial disappointment of losing his tooth, he quickly realized the upside—the things he could buy. At breakfast, I had to remind him to discuss all financial matters with the Tooth Fairy because we don’t decide how much money he gets. Let’s see how long it takes before he starts negotiating again.

Copyright 2014 Anna Lozyk Romeo