Giving Credit Where It Is Due

     I posted a few pictures on Facebook today of Mallory and Lucy in their costumes.  While I did make their costumes, the ideas are NOT mine so I cannot take one bit of credit.  I am one of those nerdy moms that enjoys making her kids' costumes.  The kids and I have a lot of fun deciding on costumes each year.  We peruse the Internet looking for inspiration.  What would I do without the Internet?!  My life's motto is, "There is no need to reinvent the wheel."  Pretty much anything I do in life revolves around this motto!  My secret is out.

     Last month as the kids and I were coming up with this year's costume ideas, I had a hard time nailing Mallory down to something reasonable.  I am not exaggerating when I say two of her suggestions were hair and a digital clock.  I think when I asked her what she wanted to be, she would just look around the room and tell me the first thing she saw.  When I saw this cute little owl costume created by the genius Alphamom, I talked her into it. 

(The inspiration)

     I raided my closet and found a few sweaters I wasn't using anymore and cut them up.  I didn't want her to have to mess with a mask, so I bought a regular sock cap from the dollar store and cut it up and refashioned it.  I love all the cute knitted hats, but sadly, I don't know how to knit.  I stitched the shapes on the hat and sewed it back into this creation.  I must say it looks darling on her.

     Grosgrain Fabulous created the inspiration for Lucy's costume.  It's so soft and warm and thrifty!

(The inspiration)

It turned out really cute.  The material came from a Goodwill sweater that worked perfectly.  Again, I took an existing hat and hand sewed the pieces on.  I'm not crazy about the mouth, but not annoyed enough to redo it.  :)  And Lucy is not crazy about the hat.  It just has to stay tied on at all times.  Sorry, Lucy!

     Our favorite costume that we've done in the past was inspired by this costume from my go-to website, coolest-homemade-costumes.com

(The Inspiration)

     Here is our adaptation.  It was so cool!  Obviously the head and legs belong to Ross.  We built a torso and arms for the mad scientist.  It was a lot of fun.

     Family Fun is another great resource for costumes.  This cute little mermaid was the inspiration for Mallory when she was two.  Any costume that incorporates a stroller is great in my book.

(The inspiration)

Mallory - age 2

;

     Another idea from coolest-homemade-costumes.com.

(The inspiration)

Drew - age 4

     We don't do blood and gore at Halloween at our house.  It gets kind of hard for bigger boys to look cool at Halloween with those rules, so we have to get creative.  When Ross was ten he was inspired by this man-eating shark costume listed on ebay.  I was a little daunted at his faith in me!

(The inspiration)

     Here is our take on the idea.

   

    When Mallory was a baby, I fell in love with the baby chicken costume published on Martha Stewart's website.

 (The inspiration)

     Six-month old Mallory in all of her feathery sweetness.

     Another Family Fun inspiration.

 (The inspiration)

Elizabeth - age6

     The kids and I have a lot of fun with Halloween, but I am no where near creative enough to come up with our ideas on my own!  Thank goodness for the Internet!

Origami

(The inspiration)

"Hey, Mom.  Here's my origami Yoda.  Nailed it."

This kid is a riot.

Crazy Things I Heard This Week

*I'm a vampire, and toilet paper is unbreakable to vampires.  (Mallory)

*These shoes look like potatoes.  (Elizabeth)

*I think there's a toenail in my eyeball!  (Mallory, crying because her eye hurt)

*I'm going to be the first pianist to play with his chin!  (Ross, after getting in trouble for jacking around during piano practice)

*Mom, that would be offensive to hobos.  (Elizabeth)

Crazy Things I Heard This Week

*I'm 60 years old.  They say I have dementia, but I don't think I'm demented.  (Random woman that struck up a conversation with me at a thrift store)

*Mexicans make good hamburgers.  (Elizabeth - eating at a Mexican restaurant)

*This candle doesn't taste good.  (Mallory)

*Elizabeth (talking a little baseball thanks to the excitement of the Cards making it to the playoffs):  They could put Pujols in Yadier's position
Me:  Pujols as the catcher?!?!
Elizabeth:  If it's the Lord's will.

9 Months

Lucy is 9 months old and as sweet as ever!  She is 19 lbs. and 14 oz.  Her top two teeth have made it through, but it was ROUGH!  I suspect her next two top teeth will emerge any day.

She loves to wave! 

 And eat- whether or not something is edible!  She's not too picky!

 She has the most beautiful, long and thick eyelashes.

 And it's getting harder and harder to get her to sit still!

 She doesn't stay in one place for too long.  She has places to go and people to see!

Candy Girl

Since Lucy is incredibly mobile these days, no one is safe from her scavenging.  If she sees or hears someone eating, she is there at lightning speed.  Earlier in the week Ross had a sucker in his mouth.  When Lucy noticed, she was like, "Roooosssss!  Buddy ol' pal.  How ya doin'?" 

Crazy Things I Heard This Week (And Crazy Conversations)

*Awwwww!  Baby slippers!!!!  (Mallory, upon seeing these hair removal pads)





*(Drew singing) Kumbaya, Lord. Kumbaya! Lady Gaga wrote that.

*I wish I could meet Mr. Rogers in real life, but he's dead, isn't he, Mom? (Mallory)

*Ross:  (Grumbles about doing a writing assignment)  This is useless.
Me:  Bud, writing is something you will use for the rest of your life.  You will use it in your job.
Ross:  No I won't.  I'm going to be an MLB player.
Me:  Well then, it will help you with your English.  You need to sound proper when you are interviewed.
Ross:  I'll just pretend like I'm Dominican.

*Mallory:  Will you tell me the story of the Ugly Duckling?
Me:  (After I tell the story)  See?  We all have feelings, and we don't want them to be hurt.  We are kind to everyone.
Mallory:  Yeah, even ugly people.

43 Days

43. That's how many days are left until Halloween! That means it's time for me to start thinking about costumes for the kids. I'm one of those nutty moms that loves to make handmade costumes for her kids.  If at all possible, I try to steer them toward ideas that are outside the box.  I enjoy seeing them dressed as something other than the thousands of Spidermans and Cinderellas I see each year.  That's not to say we haven't had a child dress as Spiderman or Cinderella - we have.  I just enjoy coming up with unique costumes. 

My motto with everything in life is "there is no need to reinvent the wheel."  I live by it.  And with the world at my fingertips, I get a lot of ideas online.  Halloween costumes are no different.  All of our ideas from years' past have come from the Internet.  This costume of Ross's was our best yet.  We received many compliments and had a lot of fun.

This year, I've come across a few ideas on my new obsession, Pinterest.  Here are two Drew and I are considering:

Mario

A Despicable Me Minion

And I can't decide which of these two I'll be dressing Lucy as.  They are both darling!

An aerobic instructor

http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2010

Or a sock monkey

http://grosgrainfabulous.blogspot.com

Which one should I choose?

Crazy Things I Heard This Week

*This feels like your stomach after Lucy was born.  (Drew, said while kneading dough with me)

*Mom, that's so weird I don't even know what it means!  (Elizabeth, unappreciative of my humor)

*I can't fit my big toe in my nose.  (Mallory)

*Hey!  Did you know I can crack an egg with one hand?!  I would make a good amputee!  (Elizabeth)

*Mom, I want to call sleep "shut-off," okay?  (Mallory)

*Mallory:  Does Lucy have a brain?
Me:  Yes.
Mallory:  Well she doesn't know a lot of stuff.  She's not very smart.

Excercise is Wierd

Let it be known that I do not enjoy exercising.  (I know.  I know.  Looking at my figure that's pretty hard to believe.)  I have never enjoyed it.  I distinctly remember every year in elementary school the dread I felt when it was time to run the mile for the Presidential Physical Fitness Test.  I loved my PE teacher.  He is still special to me to this day.  However, lap after lap, as I ran with a stitch in my side, I remember muttering under my breath that he should have to run if we were being forced to.

I go through spells of catching glimpses of myself in full length mirrors and deciding I need to do better at getting in shape.  I'll get on a kick for a while then remember why I hate it then come up with excuses not to exercise.  I wish I was one of those people that runs and enjoys it.  I truly admire them.  But I simply cannot wrap my brain around it.  Running for fun makes about as much sense to me as people who enjoy taking part in the Polar Bear Plunge - you know breaking the ice to jump nearly naked into a pond in the winter.  I don't get it. 

I recently read that one can lose 1 pound for every 7000 jumping jacks.  Break that up over a week, and it's 1000 jumping jacks per day.  I can handle losing four pounds a month.  So I decided to give it a try.  I calculated that I can do 100 jumping jacks 10 times per day.  No sweat.  So today I decided would be day one.  "Ten.  Eleven.  Twelve..."  Mallory looked over and yelled, "MOM!  Stop it!  That's embarrassing!"  I immediately cracked up and stopped bouncing.  I said, "I'm just doing jumping jacks."  She whined, "That's weird!  Stop!"  Apparently my children think everything I do is aimed at embarrassing them.  I told her, "Just don't look at me."  To which she replied, "Just go in the other room.  I can still see you."

I went into the other room and began jumping again.  This time little Lucy crawled around the corner after me.  As she came in the room and sat down, she began cackling when she saw me!  Even a baby knows exercising looks unnatural on me.

Vote for Elizabeth!

Elizabeth has decided to run for Student Council at her school.  She needs to come up with one poster to hang up in her hallway for the campaign.  She has asked me to brainstorm with her.  We are having trouble agreeing on a slogan that is suitable.  I think her ideas are a little too bland.  She wants something like, "Elizabeth for StuCo.  Just Do It."  As with everything else, she thinks my ideas are weird and embarrassing.  We even asked my witty brothers for suggestions, but they were also embarrassing to her. 

I browsed one of my favorite blogs last night for ideas.  I came up with a few, and she laughed when she saw them.  But the thought of her peers seeing them mortified her.  I think they are hilarious if I do say so myself.

 She is a little more inclined to use one of these of Lucy.

I had a lot of fun doing these.  Maybe I should just run for StuCo myself!

The Only Thing Better Than An Ice Cream Cone...

...is enjoying it with your sister.