Oh my gourd! How is it October already? Did we not just start back-to-school? 

Some call it spooky season, while others call it turkey time. I never thought of it before, but I guess October is perfect for alliteration. 

It’s also the fall, which means I get to swap my go-to white T-shirt for a chunky knit sweater and a spicy and oat milky pumpkin drink of my choosing. All with falling autumn leaves as my (Zoom) backdrop.

Allow me to introduce myself. Hi! My name is Lindsay Stokes, and I’m responsible for event programming at CBC Kids. 

We're just starting to get back into live events again, but if you’ve ever seen one of our characters IRL, you’re basically drawing back the curtain on Oz right now. Because it’s my job to be behind the scenes — and sometimes from miles away — making sure you’re having the most fun at everything we do.

Also, tiny flex: I’m close personal friends with Daniel Tiger, Gary the Unicorn and True — just to name a few. So if you do get to come out to an event of ours, there’s a good chance you and your family will make a new friend of your own (and grab a photo with them, too!).  

I’m also on a mission to connect classrooms with our CBC Kids at School programs. We have CBC Kids Book Club (Kindergarten to Grade 1), How Video Games are Made (Grades 2 - 4) and CBC Kids News in the Classroom (Grades 5 - 7) — and right now we're running a contest with CBC KN for Grade 6 classes! 

On top of everything I do, I’m also a mom of a gamer who is becoming dangerously close to being smarter than me. That means I’m constantly on the lookout for trustworthy, educational resources for kids of all ages to keep him and your kids engaged. 

How serious am I about this mission? I literally taught myself how to make video games on Scratch before we launched our latest CBC Kids at School season. Kids his age are learning how to code and now I know how too. 

When we need a break from Roblox, we turn to the super fun and educational games on CBCKids.ca. Right now, we're excited about the new Halloween version of Clumpy Cross Country Caper. Speaking of candy, this mom lives for candy corn — don’t come for me!  

My family loves Halloween, and this year we’re going as a Minecraft trio. I’ll be Reuben the Pig, my partner will be Creeper and our son will be the Diamond Armour Steve. I always try to go all out and make homemade costumes, but I’m taking a step back this year. 

Because here’s the thing, dear parents: I’ve gotten myself into a real situation. We’re hosting our annual Halloween party for the neighbourhood kids complete with old-school Halloween fare like pumpkin carving, mystery boxes and bobbing for apples — AND we’re also moving to a new home the day after trick-or-treating.

And if that weren’t enough to give you goosebumps, I’ll be spending Thanksgiving weekend driving to my mom’s place, where I'll cook our turkey feast in a kitchen I'm not used to because she has a broken arm.

I’m just going to pause for a second so you can send your well-wishes into the universe. 

I know it sounds busy, and it is, but October does give me a pretty big boost that’s going to get me through it and make magic happen. 

But we’ll need some distractions throughout the month — and I think I know just what they’ll be.

We’ll be curling up with our favourite episodes of Peppa Pig (on CBC Gem as of today!) with a dash of Hey Duggee. The perfect recipe for a cozy autumn afternoon. Someone pass the hot apple cider, please? 

Yeah, maybe by the end of the month, we’ll all have a British accent. 

But hey, it wouldn’t be October without a little bit of magic.