Sunday, October 26, 2014

Halloween lunch idea

 
With Halloween nearing soon I decided to throw together a little Halloween inspired lunch for the kiddos. 

Here we have:
•Monster applesauce. The container actually contained 'boo goo' I washed it out and reused it. Inside is natural applesauce mixed with green food coloring.
•Piranha goldfish. I thought piranhas sounded scary since the kids think of a fish with scary looking teeth. 
•Pumpkin mandarin oranges. Just use a sharpie to draw on the face. I used no sugar added mandarin orange bowls.
•Witch hat quesadillas. These are just 2 flour tortillas with cheddar cheese in the middle. I cooked it in a skillet. Quick and easy.
•Halloween themed fruit roll ups. These are actually trick or treater sized.
•Capri sun

The kids enjoyed their lunch and was excited to share the idea with their friends at school. 



Friday, October 17, 2014

Power Ranger partial DIY idea


Last week was Charlie Brown, Sally Brown & Snoopy. This week I am bringing you Power Rangers. I don't know about you but I grew up watching this show I think the pink ranger was Kelly at the time and that is who I wanted to be. When my boys started watching Power Rangers I had no idea it was still on Tv but it was. 
 
Two years ago they wanted to be power rangers. I searched our local walmart and the only costumes available were very cheap and had no muscles built in and I did not want to spend my money on something like that. As a last resort I went online. They had the costumes for ALL the different types of rangers. As you can tell in the picture the costumes were a bit different.
 
Once that was taken care of I was left. I looked into just buying a shirt with power rangers on it but not for $20!!! People are crazy. Instead of buying something I decided to make something.
I USED to have a huge art stash but over the years it has been mostly used up, lucky me this was the year I still had it all. The only thing I HAD to purchase was a pink shirt which was only $5.

What you'll need: 
•long sleeve shirt
•acrylic paint 
•paint brushes
•cardboard box
•pen
•colored pants/leggings and boots (optional)



How to:
•cut card board box so the pieces will fit in middle and arms of shirt.
•lay out shirt and put in the card board
•get your paint and brushes ready
•get out image or pull up image on your phone
•use piece of card board box to make a strait line by using the pen. I used it on the arms, belt and the black thing in the middle (optional if you can free hand)
•flip over shirt and continue the line for the belt (optional)
•draw on the circle in the middle of the belt
•once you're done with that you may start painting following your picture or doing it however you'd like. Let front dry before doing back or the white and black outlines.
•after I let it sit for a few hours I done the outlines on the front
•let dry over night
•finish painting the belt on the back 
•after back is dry touch up any part you feel may need it

I then paired this with some things I had around the house so I could save money. I didn't have pink or white leggings but I had black skinny jeans. I wore them with black boots. There you have it!


Thursday, October 16, 2014

Monster & Ghost Pancakes

The other morning I decided to try another Halloween themed pancake idea so I chose ghosts and monster blobs. They turned out better than the pumpkins.


 
 What you'll need:

•pancake mix (I used whole wheat)
•water
•no stick skillet or cooking spray



 

Here is a video I'm how to make these. Keep in mind that you need to let the outline darken before filling in and once you fill in be sure to fill in as fast as possible. 
 


 



Tuesday, October 14, 2014

October baby/toddler photo idea

I LOVE taking pictures, if I had a big nice camera I'd NEVER have professional pictures taken of my kids. When I try hard I even get awesome pictures with my iPhone, so when I have a cute idea OR run across one on Pinterest I try my best to create a little space so I can't have a photo shoot.
 

A couple weeks ago my cousin sent me a picture of her little boy with a pumpkin butt!!! Cutest thing I have ever seen. I just knew I had to do this with Berran. Now the cousin is a toddler so it was a little easier for his mom to snap a shop versus a baby who HATES being on their tummy but I thought I'd give it a shot anyways.
 
I gathered some items to use as props; baby's 1st pumpkin, black basket box, fake fall leaves and used my car seat canopy to lay on the floor. Now I must say I had SEVERAL awful pictures and it took a few tries to get a good shot. I actually meant to save the fails to share but I accidentally deleted them! Luckily I did get 2 very cute pictures. One emphasizes the butt and the other the pumpkin. Thank you instagram for the quick and easy iPhone edits making us all THINK we are professional photographers. If you do this please share with me as I'd love to see your cute pictures as well:)
 

How we spent Fall Break

Sadly I cannot say that fall break was a blast but we were able to enjoy a few things. To kick off the weekend (last weekend) the kids and I (not Berran) were in my best friends wedding. I was lucky enough to be her maid of honor, the boys Braxton and Broox were the ring bearers.  It was a beautiful wedding and my best friend looked gorgeous. Unfortunately it was cold but we survived!
 

After the weekend was over I had fun things planned including a trip to the pumpkin patch, hiking at red river gorge, attending Medevil Times and do some arts and crafts activities. Mother Nature on the other hand, well, she had other plans that included RAIN! Bummer! We were able to make it to the pumpkin patch in between periods of rain but we just went there for about 20 minutes and picked out pumpkins.



Since we were unable to go hiking at red river gorge I thought I'd plan something fun in the house. We purchased items for s'mores and I figured we could roast In the oven or over the grill. Of course Berrac bought chocolate bars with almonds, no one but myself likes them. Braxton really didn't want to roast marshmallows and Broox, at least he enjoyed it even if he didn't get the chocolate and marshmallow s'more that he wanted. I on the other hand wanted to set up camp in the living room but that ended up being everyone piled in my room watching RL Stine haunting hour before bedtime. Not really how I pictured the evening but hey Braxton told us that we were COOL and FUNNY parents AND that he wouldn't want any other parents. That's a plus, right?! 
 
Friday we done some arts and crafts, hence the babys first pumpkin and the cute halloween canvas memorabilia decor. I'm very thankful I have a good friend who enjoys crafting as well. She helped me out friday and it was nice to have her company.
 
Sadly Braxton began running a fever Friday and Saturday it was still lingering around, the reason why I was unable to attend the football game. As of yesterday he was feeling better, just in time for school yesterday!
 
Although I was glad to have all the kids home I missed mine and Berrans alone time and I was a teensy weensy bit happy to send them back to school. Hope you have a good week:) 
 

Monday, October 13, 2014

Monster Door

Once again I'm back at the crafting. Last night I came across ways to decorate your door for Halloween. I didn't want to go out and purchase stuff so I used what I could find around the house. 

•tissue paper
•scissors
•tape

•cut strips of tissue paper for the hair
•cut circles out of 2 different colors for the eyes(plastic plates would be great but we didn't have anything sturdy enough to keep them up)
•used the black to cut out the mouth pieces and the eyebrows.
•taped the pieces together and then taped up on the door


This was basically free since I used items I already had bought for other reasons. The kids enjoyed helping me and they really liked the outcome. They liked it so much they wanted to take a picture last night but I told them to wait until morning when they were dressed for school :)

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Halloween Crafts

With Halloween right around the corner I thought I would share some of our arts and crafts projects. For the first two I would like to thank a lovely mama I met from the what to expect July 2014 forum and I now follow on instagram. She posted very cute canvas prints and I was all like OMGosh I have to do that!!!
 
 
These projects are good for a rainy October day or something fun to do with your kids any day. Pictured above is Braxton holding his painted pumpkin and the spider canvas we made. Now you can do this however you'd like but this is what we done...


•painted the canvas green and let dry
•painted black paint on hands and pressed on canvas for spiders 
•used the older handprints as the mom and dad 
•baby berrans hand prints were the baby spiders
•painted cobwebs 
•drew on the faces and glued on the eyes 
•on the back I put kids names, age, month and the year

Of course if you'd like you could use yours and husband/significant others handprint as the mom and dad and each kid as the little spider. Personalize it yourself using whatever colors you'd like. 
 
 
Pictured above is Broox with the pumpkin he painted and our Frankenstein footprint canvas painting. Again, you may do this however you'd like but this is what we done...


•painted the canvas orange (I suggest black)
•painted the bottoms of feet green and placed on canvas
•older kids foot prints were used as mom and dad 
•Berrans footprints as the kid Frankensteins
•paint the clouds using white/black to make gray
•lightening bolts out of yellow paint
•paint the faces on the foot prints and glue on eyes 
•on the back I put the kids name, age, month and year

I do suggest black for the background of this one. My friend accidentally painted it orange instead but it still turned out well. Personalize however you'd like :) These make for cute cheap Halloween decorations and are awesome keepsakes. 





This craft I done on my own while bored at work. You can use any characters you want but I went with mom and dad pumpkins and their little pumplings dressed up as Frankenstein, Dracula and a ghost for Halloween. I used styrofoam cups for the pumpkins and then little plastic water cups like the kind you may have near your sink. I flipped them up side down, painted 2 coats of paint and then painted on the faces. This would make for a cute decoration or even a cute item for your child to play with (not good for a child who still puts items in mouth).

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Missing out

As a parent you never want to miss any exciting moments that go on with your child or children but sometimes you have no other choice. As much as we want to be apart of every unforgettable moment (at least it's unforgettable to us) things DO happens and things DO come up. 
 
Today was the second time in a row that I missed my child's football game and it weighs heavy on my heart. I do not want my kids to ever feel like I wanted to be absent because I don't and it means everything to me to be there and watch them play. I want them to always know that mom is their number 1 fan.
 
Last weekend I was the maid of honor in my best friends wedding. We live an hour away and I had to be with the bride getting ready early that morning which meant I was not able to see my sons play. May I add their team is small, Broox is their only extra player, as he is the youngest he doesn't normally play the entire game. It just so happened a player didn't show and Broox played the entire game for the first time AND they won 25-0! I was very sad I had to miss that game.
 
Then today I yet again had to miss a game. Braxton was sick, Broox was not so he went on and played the game without big brother. I wanted so badly to go but I had been up for 24 hours (thank you night shift) and did not feel that it was safe for me to drive alone for 30 minutes. I told Broox a million times this morning that I was sorry I could not go. It really hurts so bad when you know you're missing out on important moments but sometimes you have to remind yourself that it's normal, life is not perfect and things come up, you're not the first mom or dad to miss an event or an important moment so try not to beat yourself up. So, today that is what I'm trying to do, not let it bother me so much and looking forward to their next game!

Friday, October 10, 2014

Babies first Halloween pumpkin




I seen this awesome idea on Pinterest where you cut out hand and foot prints on a pumpkin. This is good for any young child but I thought it was a great idea for babys first pumpkin. 


To do this you may either free hand the prints because it is hard or you can trace them. I wanted it to be more personal so I decided to trace them. My crafty friend was over that day and it did indeed take two people to get the tracing job done.




After the tracing was done I cut it out as you would any pumpkin design and then I painted 'Babys 1st' on the pumpkin with acrylic paint.



Thursday, October 9, 2014

Charlie Brown, Sally Brown & Snoopy costume idea


Now I know this is not completely a DIY/craft project but part of it is and it is an awesome and cute idea for Halloween. One year Braxton was Charlie Brown, Broox was Snoopy and I was Sally Brown. Braxton and Brooxs costumes were purchased online. The Charlie Brown Costume could easily be made with a yellow shirt, black shorts and black paint. Why I did not do that costume myself I have no idea! I absolutely love the snoopy and I couldn't have made that myself anyways but it was well worth the purchase! As for me Sally Brown, that costume was made by me for around $6. Thank you local Salvation Army! 

The best place to start looking for stuff is your local goodwill or Salvation Army but start early because people will be trying to get their own items for their DIY costumes as well. I knew I needed either a pink or blue dress. I ran across a pink one ($3) and no it wasn't my size it was too big but I knew it would do. I really wanted one with polka dots but I would solve that problem later. I then picked out a pair of pink socks (.50), white shoes  ($2) a pair of white slip ons or keds will do and I found a little belt ($1) to put around my mid section so the dress would fit a little better. 
 
To get the Sally Brown look I took a black marker and made polka dots you can't really tell in the picture but they ARE on the dress, any marker will do. I had a pink bow at home that was attached a metal clip. If you don't have one you can find them for $1 at most stores. I teased my bangs and flipped out the bottom of my hair. Just like that I was Sally Brown. As I said before this could even be a CHEAPER idea if you make the Charlie Brown costume. I only dressed as Sally at a Halloween Party and for another event. The other times dad and I wore snoopy shirts purchased at walmart for $7 each. Sorry these aren't the best quality pictures they were taken a few years back!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Pancake art; Pumpkins


To kick off the start of October I thought that I would attempt pancake art for the very first time. I can't say that it turned out excellent but it was fun and the kids really enjoyed them and thought that they were neat and delicious of course.

What you'll need:
•pancake mix (we used whole wheat)
•some kind of squeezable bottle (we used an old pancake syrup bottle)
•water
•non stick pan

Mix up the ingredients for pancakes to the correct serving you'd like. Check out the video on my instagram (to the right) or use the link.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Photo Booth Fun


















When your day goes bad


When your day goes bad your stress level goes up. The kids and I have had an extremely busy weekend and all I wanted to do today was rest, of course when you're a mother you might as well forget it. I was up at 6:30am. Berrac had to leave for work around 7:20am so I was thinking after he goes to work Berran and I would go back to sleep and since the other two children were up late they would sleep until about 9, NOPE! They were up at 7am ready for breakfast. Somehow I managed to lose track of time and burnt the cinnamon rolls, Braxton was in a bad mood about that. About 12:30 I told them I was going to take a little nap...NEVER HAPPENED. The rest of the afternoon was filled of brothers arguing, sneaking my phone and playing on it without asking, and me yelling. It's not that they were exactly being bad but more than anything I was just worn out and irritated so I sent them to the bed.
After I sent them to bed I decided I would turn this day around. They fell asleep. In the mean time I blew up a Matress and placed it in the living room, made grilled cheese, put on the movie 'The Little Ghost'. After we ate I made us homemade funnel cakes, we finished the movie, played around, made Berran dance, shared some laughs then winded down with another movie 'The Addams Family'. I must say we ended the day on a good note and really turned the day around. Sometimes you just have to take a moment to regroup and find a way to engage your kids and actually have fun with them. With that said I'm hoping we have an awesome fall break this week!



Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Happy, happy HallOctober


Hello there October! With the cool air making way and Halloween right around the corner I have began my 'fall cleaning' hoorah, hoorah. I have officially switched out all summer & winter wardrobes AND straitened out closets. I've went through and found items I no longer need and sold a bunch of stuff for extra cash. May I add so much for extra cash, right when I thought I had some extra to spend I was pulled over for speeding, how lucky?! That day was definitely not my day and I was so upset but anyways back to the POSITIVE VIBES! After I went through clothes, items and organized I wiped down my walls and baseboards. I'm sure any of you with small children know how little hands seem to touch everything and leave behind prints every where, so it was nice to get the walls looking clean again. Then last but definitely not least and the most exciting part of it all, I put up the fall/Halloween decorations and I purchased the boys costumes and our shirts to match! Yay! So exciting! Now just to wrap up the cleaning this week and I'll be on my way to RELAXATION (I wish). In the mean time I'm trying to come up with some fun stuff to do with the kids on fall break. Monday we are having pictures taken followed by a trip to the pumpkin patch with my mother and little sister. We had planned to take a boat ride that morning but sadly they were booked. Wednesday I'm hoping we can make it to Red River Gorge (weather permitting) for a little hiking, picnic and nature observing. October through December is usually filled with family activities so I'm very excited! Tis' the season may the ghosts and ghouls treat you nicely. Happy October!