Trick or Treat!!

Happy Halloween!  Be safe!!

Halloween

Ready.Set.Halloween!

Only two weeks until Halloween! I can't wait!

My son decided that he will wear his fire truck costume to school, and his tractor trailer costume at night (his idea, and problem solved!). We packed little celo bags with peanut free treats for his classmates, and we have a huge bowl of sugar snacks for the trick-or-treaters. (We never get enough trick-or-treaters!! BRING THEM ON!)  When can we carve the pumpkins?! We bought seven...five bigs, and two littles.  The bigs are from Loblaws 2/$5!

I also ripped up an old sheet and made this ghost garland...BOO!  I want to hang it outside between the gingkos in the front yard on the 31st.  It is scrunched up pretty tight at the moment, I think I can let it out enough to stretch between the trees.

I am pumped!       

ps. My 35th birthday is five days after Halloween - that, I am definitely not prepared for!
pps. Oh, and the baby turns one on November 10.  We are not doing much at our house, since his cousin turns three on November 12, and three is old enough to really get excited about birthdays.  My little guy will be happy with family dinner and something shiny.

the weird kid

When I was in grade school, I was the weird kid. I am still not over it!  Ok, that's probably the wrong choice of words...I am over it...but it's a part of me, inside...molded into the person I am today.

I can't help feeling like my son is destined to be the weird kid too.  Like he will inherit the crown... is dorkiness hereditary?  Let me explain...

Today was photo day at preschool and I completely forgot. Except, even if I didn't forget, we don't have anything fancy to dress him in. Still, I went home then raced back to change his yellow rubber boots and put a gap plaid shirt on him. I also licked my thumb and flattened his eyebrows.  I checked his nose for boogers... The other kids were looking pretty sharp!  Which gave me a pang of regret - does my son fit in? 

There's another reason for this 'weird mom' guilt trip.  I am building him a GIGANTIC Halloween costume. It's huge! He loves it!  But, it's not exactly playground friendly...definitely an oddball choice! And massive!!!! I have tried to talk him into a different costume for the daytime...no luck - he wants to be a Hot Wheels Highway Hauler. (I can't really blame him since it is wicked!)

No big deal, right? I am dressing him up as a trucker too...pot belly, hat, aviators, mustache...and that same gap plaid shirt!

So maybe he will, or won't be a little different than the pack...as long as he becomes the person he is meant to be, despite having a weird mom...




ps. I could have done a simple show & tell. My son really does love this costume, and he has no problem running around the house with it (well, except when he bumps into things)...what was I thinking?
pps. We have to do a lot of detail work on the truck...the big guy can help me paint designs on the trailer...and the wheels need to be glued on... 


UPDATE: The final costume + last year's fire truck costume.  My son decided to wear the fire truck again this year!  We will keep the Hotwheels highway hauler costumer for next year.

 

Happy Halloween!

After I click "publish post" we are going upstairs to change, then outside to grab the wagon and seek some big pumpkins...I have my mind set on carving 4 pumpkins today...I better start out by carving a small one.  (update: we carved two, one happy, one scarey)

Anyways, Harold the spider has been up for about a week...tonight is his big night!

Have a Safe and Happy Halloween!

Halloween Spider

How to make a Halloween garbage bag spider

Materials:
2 black garbage bags
1 elastic
1 twist tie, or piece of string/twine/yarn/pipe cleaner whatever
Newspapers

Cost: $0 

Step One: Cut your first bag into 8 strips.  Leave the seam of the bottom of the bag intact, so the legs are spooky long

Step Two: Turn second bag inside out, crumple the bottom of the bag together, tie an elastic around the bag (this is to make the front of the spider gathered).

Step Three: Turn bag right-side out.  Fill it with 6 or 7 crumpled newspaper sheets

Step Four: Hold the bag so the newspaper is all at the gathered end (the end with the elastic), and twist tie it off - not too tight.  Fuss with it a little to make the head sorta round.

Step Five: Fill the bag with 10-12 more crumpled papers so the butt is bigger than the head

Step Six: Tie the ends of the garbage bag together, and stuff the end pieces back into the butt

Step Seven: Grab four legs, open them (unfold them at the seam), tie them around the neck (where the twist tie is).  Grab the remaining four legs and tie them around neck as well.  YOU ARE DONE!  (If it is an inside spider, you can add some eyes...this bad boy will hang from our covered doorway outside, so that all the kiddies have to pass under him.  I will add a bunch of store bought white spider webs too)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN....10 Days! Have you decorated yet?

Halloween Costume

My son wants to be a firetruck for Halloween (or a butterfly)....so we built a fire truck.  He helped me paint the box red, and the bumper.  He also stuck the flashing lights on the top.  He was a big helper while I destroyed his small toy wagon (originally from value village) in order to salvage the wheels (actually, I can put the wagon back together later, it was a simple operation).

I know it's a bit hoaky...but my two year old loves it! That's what counts!


Materials & Cost: $19.67
Acrylic Paint & Brushes - on hand
Huggies box - upcycled
Paper towel roll - upcycled
Wheels - on hand
Basic fireman's hat and coat - $19.67 from Walmart
Suspenders to hold truck up around waist (not yet made) - duct tape/caution tape - on hand


If we have time before Halloween, and another box, I will cut out some butterfly wings and let him get down and dirty in paint.

Halloween House!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

fingers are freezing...pretty sure its NOT SUPPOSED TO SNOW TODAY people!!

We are handing out reese's (if there are any left by tonight - yummers!) and skittles and candy bracelets...

I am bundling my toddler into his pirate costume (willing or no) and taking him door to door ...I hope it gets dark early so we can go bother everyone at dinner time ;)

Have a safe Halloween (stay warm!)