Halloween

Yes, it's mid-September, and already the "Halloween Superstores" are sprouting up, like mushrooms after a rain, in empty storefronts all over the Bay Area. Can pumpkin patches be far behind? At any rate, there are unique challenges for parents of preschoolers and the whole costume-shopping experience. First: You will go to one of these Halloween shops, whether you like it or not. It's unavoidable, unless you keep the kids blindfolded in their car seats so they remain blissfully unaware of the store's existence, which, come to think of it, isn't a bad idea, since it makes those McDonalds signs pretty hard to spot, too.