halloweens past

"The days are long, but the years are short..." Gretchen Rubin
I don't think there is a better quote that describes parenting, or life for that matter, than this quote.  Each Halloween I try to recall my children's costumes worn each year since they were born.  My kids are now 14, 11 and 8 so it was getting a little difficult to recall.  And I found myself feeling a bit sad not being able to remember these joyful little moments.
When I stumbled upon these adorable cards last year by DoubleBravo, I was thrilled!  What a brilliant idea!  I immediately ordered three of them.  Of course, they then sat in my Halloween decor up in the attic for a whole year until I happily discovered them again.  So, I sat down with my kids and luckily we were able to remember each and every costume.  

You may be thinking "why doesn't she just look back at photos to recall these past halloweens?"  One could do that if one were organized and had placed photos in albums like a good mommy.  By the time we had our third child, Lily, well, you know how that goes (notice there are no photos of Lily in her costume the first few years; she'll surely be in therapy for that).  I did manage to scrape up a few old (and recent) photos to reminisce.

while my kids may roll their eyes at me for compiling such a list, I think it will be a different reaction in 20 years when they look upon these clever cards and just maybe i'll get a "thanks, mom!"
Enjoy these little moments, for they are treasures too easily forgotten...

Happy Halloween!

halloween favor: creepy

Yesterday I showed my daughter's "cute" halloween favor here.   Today is the "creepy" version for my 11-yr old son that he handed out to his class last year. vampire blood bags (original inspiration here)

you'll need: small brown kraft envelopes (found at Michael's) black twine (found here) vampire labels (found here) candy blood bags (found here) hole punch and/or awl

Punch a hole in the "hang" tag section of the label.  Use an awl to make two holes for a "vampire bite."  I used an awl instead of a hole punch for the "bite" to make it more realistic.

Place one bag o' blood in envelope.  Wrap twine around several times and add tag. So cute and creepy....perfect for 11-yr old boys!

Do you prefer cute or creepy halloween? Now if I can just figure out what this year's favors are going to be...

halloween favor: cute

I am well steeped into Halloween already and have been thinking about classroom favors for my children.  My daughter is in third grade and I tend to do something a little "cuter" for her class.  Although she and I both prefer things a little creepier.
I made these for her class last year.  I saw the original idea in Better Homes and Gardens.

 
Here's what you'll need:
favor bags (found here)
glassine cupcake liners (found here)
halloween stickers (mine are last year's martha stewart collection)
mini black clothespins (found here)
adhesive roller
assorted halloween candies, trinkets, etc

 

Flatten out two cupcake liners of the same color.   Scrunch one of the liners to make it slightly smaller than the other liner.

Glue smaller liner on top of large liner.  Add sticker to middle.

Glue cupcake liner to front of bag.  Fill with assorted candy, treats and trinkets. Fold over top of bag and keep closed with mini clothespin.

How cute and easy!!  Tomorrow I will show you my creepy version for my son's class.

happy halloween!

i have some friends helping me in the kitchen today...



have a spooky halloween!!!

mwahahaha!!!

i love halloween...it's my absolutely favorite holiday. yes, i like it more than christmas. my husband's birthday is on halloween and i love playing little tricks on my kids. look at these great bloody butcher organs i found at the dollar store (yes, the dollar store). what to do, what to do...hmmmm....i know! put them in my kids lunch bags on halloween! shhh, don't tell them and ruin the surprise.

brains, liver and heart


there's even a suggested serving...very hannibal lecter


look how cute those brains look in my daughter's adorable lunch bag


such a well-balanced lunch...one might say "brain food"

no cute little treat bags for my kids. they get blood-spattered styrofoam trays with plastic bloodied organs. yes, i am twisted. am i a bad mother? should i be worried that my 6-yr old daughter will try to eat the plastic brains and choke? nah, too much fun!!! do you play any halloween tricks on your family?

etsy halloween faves

i'm always on the look-out for unique halloween ideas for classroom favors and etsy is just the place to find them. here's a few of my favorites this year...

{images: 1. paper misfortune; 2. cootie catcher: 3. straws;
4. cones; 5. witches; 6. jack-o-lantern soap}