Halloween, but not really

Not gonna lie...Halloween this year is nothing special. Our ward had it's Trunk or Treat back on October 9th, so I had to finish the girls' costumes by then. Ours were pretty nonexistent*. So to us, Halloween was 2 weeks ago. I haven't decorated. Haven't bought any Halloween related anything since then. And our grand plans for Halloween? Go upstairs and play in the play room as a family so that we can turn off all the lights downstairs. You just fell out of your chair from all the excitement, huh?

I did, however, make trick or treat bags for the girls using leftover felt I had lying around.

Hand stitched for your enjoyment!

I sewed a loop inside so that it could go from wide-mouthed to cinched up, especially since the girls would put their arms down and the contents may spill otherwise.

And the only handles are one velcro closure loop to attach the bag to their wrists...

Like so.

All previous bags resulted in being dragged on the ground since the handles were never short enough for my kids to NOT do that.

Here's Lexi- the Butterfly

Back View

And Carissa- the Firefly

And NO, she is not a bee... I would have made her black and yellow STRIPED if she were...not that ANYONE made that mistake, or anything 

*whistles*

And this was the best part. 

I put a glowstick in a balloon which was put inside the Specially Contoured Bloomers™ and her bum lit up! Very few people paid attention to it, but those who did thought it was awesome...which it was!

Just imagine it was awesome since I had to turn off the flash to get it to show up :-)

*And we were unable to locate any root beer concentrate, nor could we find our cauldron, so the Homemade Rootbeer Tradition... also nonexistent. Maybe for the next 3 years. It's okay, you can cry with me :-(

Well, my marriage is safe...

This is a chart my brother emailed me a couple of years ago. I guess this is one good reason to marry a video game geek:

* but the fact that it says "change of cheating" instead of  "chance" also proves that video games do not help in the academic department. 

I'm just saying...

Sesame Street... you may have redeemed yourself...

Ok, so you remember this post? Even this post? Basically, since our TV reception is limited to only PBS, we don't watch much TV, and we haven't watched Sesame Street since then because I don't want to deal with mixing good educational stuff with brainwashing (hippie) stuff. We still do the occasional YouTube video, but even those have become shadows of the past. But this video a friend on Facebook shared reaffirms one thing: Grover, you have always been my favorite :-)

Now, this won't be funny unless you've seen the original Old Spice Commercial, which even I have seen and I just told you we don't watch TV channels, so if you haven't seen it, you probably live in a cave somewhere. I am sorry for you. So here you go:


Now see the Sesame Street version:


It's not quite enough to return you to our viewing list, but it still restores my faith in the show, just a smidge :-)

How to Make Chocolate Chip Muffins by Lexi

Step 1: Put on your apron

Step 2: Measure out dry ingredients. Spill half of them on the floor while putting them into the bowl. Remeasure those ingredients ;-)

Step 3: Sift dry ingredients while Mom is dealing with little sister who wants to help. 

Redeem myself by not spilling anything :-)

Step 4: See that Mom has distracted little sister with chocolate. 

Get in on the action.

Oh, and Stir in the wet ingredients and chocolate chips.

Step 5: Scoop batter into muffin cups

and maybe sneak some to myself and little sister...

"But it's Chocolate!"
Step 6: Finish scooping the batter into pans and top with crumb topping.


Step 7: Bake and clean up mess!

Step 8: Enjoy the fruits of your labor :-)

Wet

Today, as I look at my dampened jeans I am currently wearing, I would have to conclude that today has been a wet day. Let me give you an extremely short version of my day:
* It's been raining a lot in the last week. Which means it's humid. And makes me sweat.
* Carissa decided to dump out the water to Lexi's watercolors... all over the kitchen table and floor.
* Lexi had the hiccups. Bad. I was preoccupied with a messy diaper on Carissa. Lexi had a pre-filled cup of water in the fridge. I told her to go get said cup. She brings me the whole Brita pitcher from inside the fridge. I ask her to set it down and repeat directions to get her water CUP. She doesn't leave pitcher on floor, but attempts to put it on the counter. It's too high. She's too short. Shattered Brita pitcher. Scared, wet girl runs. Mom gives her the cup. She happily sits on the couch with it while I mop up with multiple towels. Good thing it wasn't filled to the brim...oh wait, it was :-)
* Lexi decided to not tell me she needed to use the potty... again.
* I did baths tonight. enough said.
* I hurriedly grabbed Carissa's diaper after the bath...2 seconds too late. Had to clean that up too.

And here I thought they were going to play in the pool today. No need :-)


(On a much happier note, I bought a replacement pitcher for only $1, thanks to a kind stranger who left a $5 off manufacturer's coupon by the $5.99 pitcher! :-D)
(And then I walked by the next store and saw Christmas trees for sale... really??...)

New Blog Idea

So I'm thinking of starting a blog and inviting all my friends who care to help with the purpose of sharing ideas for parents of little kids. I'd give a topic (or any other administrator...which could be YOU!) and have anyone give input as to something they do that works.
Example:
What kinds of ways do you have family home evening?
How do you keep your kids reverent in Sacrament Mtg?
What do you do on a Sunday afternoon/evening with your kids and family?
What kind of bedtime routine do you have?
What is a recipe that is always a winner with everyone?
What personal tips you have in regards to potty training?
What do you do to prevent fighting between kids?
What do you do for personal one-on-one time with your kids?
How do you get the kids to allow you to get the most out of Gen. Conference?

and much more.

It doesn't matter if you have just a newborn or 5 kids, I'd love to hear your ideas! If you're interested, leave me a comment below with an email I can use to add you on as an administrator (if you prefer more privacy, email me or facebook msg me :-)

Hopefully we can become better moms together or learn something new from each other!