literature day

I can vividly remember back when I was in kindergarten, walking through the classrooms of my elementary school dressed in my Halloween costume. Halloween was pretty much the highlight of my life at the age of 5, and I remember snaking around the desks as we moved from one classroom to the next, with the older kids clapping.

I had no idea until I had kids of my own, that many schools don't allow costumes on Halloween anymore. At the school we used to attend, Halloween was just a regular day at school. No costumes, no parties, no special treats or games. 

Last year we switched to a new charter school in our area, and they have a great way of celebrating Halloween. They call it "Literature Day" and they have the kids dress up as a character from a book they are reading. The teachers dress up as well and rotate into each others classrooms throughout the day to read the book they have chosen. 

In the morning, they have a serpentine parade where all the kids line up outside and every class gets to walk around and show off their costumes while holding up their book. My favorite part was how ALL the kids were involved, from the cute little kindergarteners to the big eighth graders, they high-fived each other and cheered as each class walked by. Most of the costumes were homemade, pulled together from things around the house, and it felt so much nicer to me than the usual store bought character costumes you see on Halloween.

Bee wanted to be Pippi Longstocking. We adore the illustrations in Lauren Child's edition. We happened to have a striped shirt and some striped tights and I cut a few squares of fabric and pinned them to her jumper for patches. A stuffed monkey made a perfect Mr. Nilsson, Pippi's pet monkey. 

The hair is really what makes Pippi unique. We took a wire hanger and bent it straight, then parted her hair in the middle and braided each side around the wire hanger. (It's a little awkward to work around the wire but you'll get the hang of it.) Secure with rubber bands and cut any excess wire at the ends. Then bend the wire up on each side so the braids curl up. Since Bee's hair is brown you couldn't really see the wire hanger at all. We drew some freckles on her cheeks with brown eyeliner.

C decided to go as Harry Potter since we were right in the middle of Book 1 last Halloween. Luckily his cousin had a costume already and all we had to provide was the shirt. (No weapons are allowed at school, but I guess wands don't count?)

Do schools around the country still celebrate Halloween? I am wondering this "no costumes at school" rule is just in Southern California? I understand that not every holiday needs to be celebrated in school, but I think this is a great way to celebrate reading and Halloween at the same time. 

gumball machine

When I was in New York a few weeks ago, my friend Sara Clifton was telling me about her daughter Lucca's request to be a gumball machine for Halloween. Sara had no idea how to turn her daughter into a gumball machine, but Lucca was adamant, and I was not offering any helpful advice (balloons? a plastic bag?).

Here is her brilliant solution:

1. Make a red skirt.

2. Add gumball machine components (like a coin plate, knob and hole) made from felt.

3. Buy a couple plastic bowls and plate from the dollar store. You'll need one large clear bowl to make the gumball bowl, one plate with the same diameter as the large bowl, and one smaller bowl.

4. Hot glue the small bowl to the center of the plate. This will help eat up some of the space in the large bowl, so you don't have to fill the entire thing with gumballs (which would be too heavy for a little girl to wear).

5. Fill the larger clear bowl halfway with gumballs, and then press the plate (now glued to the small bowl) on top like a lid. Hot glue them together.

6. Glue some red ribbon around the bowl and attach ribbon to help support the weight of the bowl. 

7. Add a red beanie for the lid of the gumball machine.

As you can see, Lucca was quite pleased with the final result. Hooray for handmade costumes! (And thank you to Sara, for sharing her how to with us.)

a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

There seems to be two constants in my sons life: legos and Star Wars. Other toys come and go, but he always returns to those two. So I wasn't totally shocked when C told me he wanted to be Luke Skywalker for Halloween.

We always try to make our costumes from stuff around the house. And if we do need to buy something, I try to make it something that will go in our dress up box after Halloween. The boot covers gave me a little trouble, but all in all, this was a pretty easy costume. We borrowed a karate shirt from a friend (a few sizes too big so it hangs down like Luke's), grabbed some tan cords we already had, and made some boot covers and a belt out of some tan felt.

The poses C came up with are awesome, I think he's been practicing these for a while.

My daughter Bee had specific instructions for her costume. "Princess Leia, but not when she's wearing a dress... like when she's a fighter." I can't recall Princess Leia actually wearing this outfit, but Bee thought it was perfect.

We found some cream colored long underwear for $8 at Target, we made a cape out of some cream fleece and boot covers from brown felt, and I happened to have a white yoga belt that we wrapped around her a few times. We put her hair in buns, and handed her a Nerf gun.

Baby M joined the group as Yoda, wisest of the Jedi's. We already had a light green onesie and pants, and a brown wooly cardigan. I cut some ears out of green felt and sewed them to a light green pilots cap (a hand me down from Bee). I wish I had a photo I could show you.. the serious little faces Baby M makes were perfect for a wise Jedi master.

Just your average brother and sister team taking on the Empire. Happy Halloween!

potted pumpkin pies

My friend asked me to make little potted pumpkin pies for her witch party last weekend. They were super easy to make and look great in a big stack! I think these would be a nice addition at a Halloween party or to add a little twist to Thanksgiving dinner.

Make your favorite pumpkin pie recipe (I used this recipe from Everyday Food). I doubled the recipe which gave me enough filling for roughly 20 little mason jars. Fill the jars, stopping about 3/4" from the top. Bake at the usual temperature, but start watching them carefully after about 25 minutes since they won't take as long to bake as a pie. Pull them out when the center seems set (mine took about 35 minutes). Let cool for an hour or so, then throw them in the fridge while you make the whipped cream.

The whipped cream recipe includes a bit of unflavored gelatin, which you dissolve in some water and then fold in. I worried this would change the texture of the cream, but not to worry, the whipped cream was delicious and the gelatin helps it keep its shape so it doesn't fall the way ordinary cream would when left out for a bit. Spoon some cream into each of your jars, filling all the way up to the top, and screw on your lid. Return your jars to the fridge until you are ready to serve. These can be made up to a day ahead.

A few shortbread cookies or ginger snaps would be nice for a little crunch.

the witching hour

First, an apology: These photos don't do justice to this beautiful party. Everything was so lovely in real life, and I'm sorry that I couldn't capture it better with my camera (low light and I do not get along!).

My friend Aleisha has started a new Halloween tradition, a witch party she calls "The Witching Hour". The invite read "Leave your warlocks at home, don your most bewitching attire and come revel in an enchanting ghouls' night filled with a sinister supper and wicked company. Brooms and black cats will be checked at the door. A prize will be awarded for the most spellbinding hat." A baked potato bar was served for dinner. Friends gathered in the backyard around a glowing fire, decked out in black (think striped tights, pointy hats, and lots of black tulle!).

For dessert, I brought some little pots of pumpkin pie (served in tiny mason jars). There were delicious raspberry bars and marshmallows for s'mores to be roasted on the fire.

Little hand pies were left at the door as a favor "for the flight home".

halloween 2009

When my kids were little, I could always talk them into the Halloween costumes I wanted (which usually involved a cute part for Dad to play as well). But they're getting older, and who knew a 3 year old and 5 year old whould have such strong opinions! So although they already dressed up as Peter Pan a few years back, the kids had their hearts set on being characters from Peter Pan yet again. And the characters they chose made both my husband and I laugh. C wanted to be the crocodile, and Bee wanted to be Captain Hook. How could I object?

Luckily we still had a set of green pajamas that C could wear for his crocodile costume. Props to my husband for engineering the crocodile mouth, we always work on these costumes together and to be honest, he's really the brains behind the operation. The stuffed snout has a wire hanger sewn inside and is attached to a baseball cap so C could wear it like a hat. Add some crocodile eyes and some teeth, and you're all set.

For Bee's Captain Hook costume, we already had the perfect red coat and the black wig (from when her dad was Captain Hook). I turned her pink pajama pants inside out, added a feather to a pirate hat, and fashioned a belt out of felt to house her sword. Bee spent the night yelling things like "Wendy! Walk the plank!" or "I'll get that Peter Pan!" and correcting people who called her a pirate, "Um, I'm not just a pirate, I'm Captain Hook!" For Bee, Halloween is very serious business.

Another Halloween come and gone. Last night the kids were already brainstorming costumes for next year. "I'll be Willy Wonka and you can be Charlie!" "You be James and I'll be the Giant Peach!" I can't wait to see what they come up with next.

a homemade halloween

I was asking my son C last night as I tucked him into bed which holiday is better: Christmas or Halloween? Such a tough choice for a kid. Halloween was always second to Christmas in my book, but not by much.

Now that I have children of my own, I love coming up with their costumes each year. Like my mom did when I was little, I try to find things we already have around the house that can be transformed into costumes. Or if we do buy something, I try to make it something we can use after Halloween. Here are a few of our costumes over the years.

2004: tiny blazer + red ribbon shaped into a bow tie + doll wig = ventriloquist dummy

2005: C: long sleeved onesie + white tights + white bonnet + felt wings = Hedwig the owl

Dad: black graduation robe (he'd just gotten his master's degree) + Hogwarts sticker = Harry Potter

2006: C: brown long sleeved pajamas + brown hat + brown sock tail = Curious George

Bee: white long sleeved onsesie + yellow felt + Chiquita sticker = banana

Dad: yellow shirt + yellow pants + very tall yellow hat = the man in the yellow hat

2007: C: green long sleeved pajamas + green felt hat = Peter Pan

Bee: borrowed costume + homemade wings = Tinkerbell

Dad: red velvet pants + white ruffled shirt + long coat + black wig = Captain Hook

2008: Bee: denim skirt + blue shirt + white tights + cape = Super Bee

C: blue pants + red shirt + cape = Super C

We'll share 2009's costumes tomorrow! We've got too much going on today between cookie decorating, pumpkin carving, soccer games, and trick-or-treating with the cousins. Happy Halloween!

super kids

Once upon a time when we were living in Brooklyn, I made up a story for my kids about two superheroes: Super C and Super Bee. We were probably riding the train or something and I needed to entertain them for a minute. The Adventures of Super C and Super Bee have continued since that day.. The stories always take place somewhere in New York, and have involved saving someone from the top of the Statue of Liberty, or helping a stranded seal at the Central Park Zoo, or a runaway bumper car down at Coney Island. These super crusaders have powers of course: Super C can run lightning fast, and Super Bee can fly faster than a jet plane. (There is sometimes a Super Tate, who was C's best buddy in Brooklyn, and he is super strong).

So when I started talking about Halloween this year, the kids decided collectively that they wanted to be Super C and Super Bee. (But what about our family costume tradition, I cried? How about Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, and daddy can be the woodcutter? No, they cried. We want super powers!! We want capes!!) 

I finished up the capes before I left for Houston. Thanks go to my talented friend Katie who had given C a fantastic cape for his birthday last year, which I used as a template... I'm sure it saved me hours of headaches. I love that the capes will get played with all year, not just tossed aside after a few hours of trick or treating. 

While I was away, my husband sewed the shirts and pants so the kids could attend a weekend Halloween party. He even used zippers and bias trim with piping (things I never would have attempted). Did I mention my husband has skills with a sewing machine? (it was one of the things I discovered early in our courtship that made me think, hmmm.. maybe I could love this guy. That, and his subscription to Dwell magazine.) Thank you JR for not sending the kids out in just their skivvies and a cape.

how to light a jack-o-lantern

Lighting a jack-o-lantern can be tricky business. It's easy to burn yourself as you try to hold a match to the tiny tealight you've placed inside your pumpkin. 

I picked up this tip during my time at Martha Stewart. Instead of reaching your hand into the pumpkin with a lit match, light a piece of spaghetti instead. It will burn very slowly, and serves as the perfect tool to light your candle without burning yourself in the process. I realize you can also use glow sticks or touch lights in your pumpkins instead of candles, and not worry about burning your fingers at all, but that's cheating in my book. Half the fun of a jack-o-lantern is seeing it flicker and glow by candlelight. We lit ours tonight and they look beautiful out on the porch. Happy Halloween!

cousin boxes

My family is spread out from one coast to the other, so we've gotten in the habit of mailing out surprises to all of Bee and C's cousins.. sometimes for Valentine's day, or to celebrate the beginning of summer, or for Easter or Halloween.. we try to mix it up so they truly are surprised when they open their mailbox. 

This year we gathered a few things (eyeball candy bracelets, candy corn and other treats, halloween stickers, glow in the dark spiders, chattering wind up teeth, twisty straws, and a jack o lantern bell) and packed them up in my new favorite wrapping trick.. a plain white pencil box (available for about $1 at our local craft store). Slap on a sticker label to close the box, and you're off to the post office.

Clarification: You still have to put them in an envelope to mail! I love these boxes because they fit nicely sideways in a Priority Mail envelope.. Please do not attempt to mail these boxes on their own!