SCENES FROM A WEEKEND

 

We all had a three day weekend (Columbus Day), and it was busy around here! A good busy though. I made mini pumpkin pies for a craft party I hosted for some of my girlfriends.

 

We had a great time painting mason jars to look like pumpkins.

 

 

I go to Trader Joe's once a month to stalk up on things that my regular grocery store doesn't carry. I always buy a bouquet.

 

 

I made this ADOREABLE onesie for a customer. 

 

 

The leaves are changing and it is glorious.

 

 An Ikea trip is always a happy occurrence.

 

It also means Swedish meatballs for lunch. Yes, I DO want gravy.

 

A local farm, Byrne Farm Market, had it's annual Jack-O-Lantern display this weekend! It was such a fun evening.

 

 

We loaded up on pumpkins while we were there. Dylan always chooses a goose neck gourd. I love the Cinderella pumpkins best.

And last but not least, we boo'd our neighbors! We love this fun tradition of leaving treats on your neighbors porch. The idea is that then they boo someone else, until you're whole neighborhood has been treated. The kids love to do this every year!

 

~Free printables here!~

 

Hope you had a lovely weekend! Here's to a great (short!) week.

 

SCENES FROM A HALLOWEEN

 

 

Halloween has seemed like a month long event around here. This week especially was Halloween overload. Our week was full of Halloween-y things: two parties, spirit week at school, a "Fall Festival", and the big show of trick or treating. Our week was full of sugar and costumes. Our week also had dogs in costumes and pumpkins : 

 

Vampire cookies for Cub Scouts.

Costume no.1

 



 

Bugs in his hair for crazy hair day.

 

 

Reading to the dogs that visit at the library story time, in costume no. 2.

 

 

 Pumpkin craving with Daddy.

 

A Wild Kratt with Bat Power, Tinkerbell (costume no.3), and Rosie the Rivter.

 

Let the Sugar Rush Weekend begin!

 

HALLOWEEN FOR EVERYONE

 

Last weekend, the kids and I flew home for a wedding. While I was there, I got to see all my girlfriends and their children.

My best friend's daughter, a beautiful, smart, vibrant five year old, cuddled up to me and with sparkling eyes said, "Auntie Michelle, I'm going to be Elsa for Halloween! I love my costume!"

The excitement of the holiday bounced off of her. She rejoined the other kids and they talked about their costumes and trick or treating.

Later in the weekend, when Halloween came up again among the adults, my best friend, the little girl's mother, sighed and said firmly, "I hate Halloween. It is the worst."

This is not because she is a stick in the mud. She doesn't hate fun, or costumes, or children. But her beautiful, smart, vibrant, five year old has a peanut allergy. And that makes Halloween with all of it's "fun" size Reese's peanut butter cups, peanut M&M's , and Snickers* stressful and, frankly, scary for their family.

 

Let me be clear: my children have absolutely no food allergies. I can honestly say that I thought very little about allergies before we found about my friend's daughter. Of course I had heard of them. You can't pick up a parenting magazine without it being mentioned. But I didn't think much of it. I probably at some point, in our life of not worrying about food labels and epi-pens, even might have had a passing thought that all this allergy talk was overdone. I certainly had sympathy for families with these issues, but it just wasn't part of everyday thinking.

But then, when my friend's daughter was diagnosed with her peanut allergy, I woke up. We'd go out to dinner or pick up snacks for a playdate, and I suddenly, sharply was aware of how hard it is for allergy families. It's not an inconvenience; it's, and I don't in any way mean to be dramatic, a massive health issue. Food allergies are hard, endless work for the people and families dealing with them.

 

In our non-allergy family, we have established a few rules that we hope help others who do have eating limitations due to allergies:

1. ALWAYS ask if someone is allergic to anything before offering any snacks or sharing food. Double check with their parents too.

2. If someone you know has food allergies, be kind. Put away all foods that they can't have in the cupboard and don't bring them out or ask to bring them out when they are visiting.

3. If we are taking treats to school, make sure to find out if there are any allergies in your class. Bring a treat that EVERYONE can share.

 

 

And since I see this as an argument all the time in articles about allergies, let me say, because we have always followed these rules since my son started school, my kids have never once felt "deprived" or "that things aren't fair" or that their "right" to eat peanuts/gluten/egg whites** has been taken away from them. They just feel they are being courteous to their friends and helping others stay safe.

 

This Halloween, we are participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project. We'll have candy to pass out, but in a separate bowl, we will have non-food treats for kids as well. We'll hang the pdf printout of a teal pumpkin (you can find it here) on our door too, so families can know they can ask for treats without feeling like the biggest drag on the planet.

I'm encouraging everyone to participate in this. Read this article and pick up some non-food treats. Let's make Halloween fun and safe for everyone.

 

Some fun ideas!

 

 

*Top three choices of Halloween candy last year. Do they not poll allergy families??

 

**In four years of being in a classroom structure, we have seen kids with these allergies in school with Dylan. Look around. I would bet that someone you know is working through these issues everyday. Be kind, be courteous and teach your children the same. And if an allergy parent is not kind or courteous back to you (another argument seen frequently on articles about allergies)? That is also a life lesson. Not everyone is pleasant, allergies or not. Don't allow a few people to speak for everyone with food allergies in their family. Another thing to pass onto your kids. :)

 

 

 

SCENES FROM A HALLOWEEN

 

 

 

 

 

LAST MINUTE HALLOWEEN: NO SEW KNIGHT COSTUME

 

 

So Halloween is less than a week away, you have no costume for your kiddo, and what's left on the selves at Target is sketchy. I have a solution! A no-sew Knight costume. Let's do it.

 

 

 

Materials:

1/2 yard white felt

Iron on reflector tape ( I bought a package that had three sizes)

Small scrap of felt, any color

Heat'n Bond or some other iron-on adhesive 

 

Iron

Scissors (fabric scissors work best, but any will do)

Pins

Animal of your choice silhouette

 

 

Fold the white felt in half. Using one of your child's tee shirts, measure a neck hole and cut it out on the folded side of the felt (you can eye ball this). Cut the bottom slightly longer then the tee shirt. At this point, you may want to try the piece on your child, to determine the width of the shoulder piece. Pin it up. Take it off your kiddo and cut the sides to your desired length.

Cut the reflector tape into strips and make a shield shape. Pin it down. Follow the manufacture directions and iron it down ( mine was about 2 minutes of heat). I also added thicker strips of reflector tape to the bottom on both sides.

Choose an emblem. My boy is really into bucks these days, so that's what we went with. I just Googled "deer silhouette" and found this guy. Iron on the Heat n' Bond or other adhesive paper to the piece of colored felt, following the manufactures directions. Trace your image (if you're using letters, make sure to trace them backward, so the adhesive will be on the correct side). Cut it out, place it in the middle of the reflector tape shield, and iron in on according to instructions.

BOOM. Done. No sewing required.

We added a cardboard shield curtosey of Dad,  gray henley hoodie, gray pants (these are from Target, but don't seem to be available any longer), and snow boots from last year. Fierce knight expression is up to you.

Bring it Halloween.