Halloween Photo Album Idea

My friend Jessica shared this idea with us on our "baby board". She gave me permission to share it here.

A friend with grown-up children told me about this great idea! It's so simple, but I had not thought of doing this...just wanted to share with other moms...Happy Halloween! This is our first year to really "do" Halloween with Soren, so I'm just starting it now.

Today I started a Halloween photo album where we'll put our favorite pics of Soren (and any future kiddos) during the Halloween season every year. I am not good about scrapbooking, but this seems really manageable! I picked up a regular photo album at Michael's and some cute Halloween scrapbook stickers to decorate it. I also bought a few orange scrapbook pages to cut out some backgrounds for typing a little note each year. I'm going to go back and print out some of last year's pics from 3-month-old Soren, as well. I found an album (40% off) that has places for horizontal and vertical pictures.I just know that Soren is going to love looking back at these pictures each year. (And me, too!)

On a side-note, this could really be done for any holiday or birthday. Great job, Jessica! It looks fantastic!

Activities: Silly and Spooky Fall Fun

I tore this page out of the October 2009 issue of Parenting magazine. It has some cute ideas - especially if you have kids! Here's the article:

Play catch
On a windy day, have everyone try to catch leaves as they fall, calling out the color of the leaf before grabbing it. The person who can score five leaves first wins the game. (If it's not windy, have a grown-up throw leaves in the air; little ones will love helping with this job, too.)

Leaf through it
Before heading inside, collect a pile of colorful, newly fallen leaves (dry ones will crumble) for these classic crafts: Make a place mat by arranging leaves between two sheets of clear contact paper; use scissors to trim the edges. Create stamp art by applying water-based paint to the veined (back) side of a leaf and pressing it onto construction paper. Or place double-sided tape on the back of your finds and let toddlers stick them onto a window.

Try a scary snack
Sustain hungry goblins with creepy centipedes, made by sticking crunchy chow mein noodles on both sides of a string-cheese stick. For a sweet spider, insert four two-inch "legs" of thin licorice pieces into the sides of a cupcake. Add Red Hots or M&M's to the frosting for eyes.

Liven up meals
Food that stares back at you shouldn't be a once-a-year occasion. Sliced black olives can turn a mini-pizza into a jack-o'-lantern; smiley-face peas can perk up mashed potatoes.

Have a ball
Create festive bowling pins by painting ten empty one-liter soda or water bottles with orange poster paint. When they're dry, use black paint to add jack-o'-lantern faces. Then line them up, grab a ball, and let the game begin.

Feed the birds
Tie a long string or ribbon around a pinecone and then slather it with peanut butter. Roll it in seeds (sesame, sunflower, pumpkin) and hang it up from a tree branch or clothesline. Watch the birds dig in!

Jokari Cool Cones

This was featured in the August 4, 2009 issue of Womans' Day magazine:

"Mom-Tested: WD food director Jackie Plant raved to me about Jokari Cool Cones, plastic ice cream cones with push-up handles ($3.99 for two; in supermarkets): When I cam across these, I thought, 'Why didn't I think of this?' It's such a great idea! You can use them to scoop out and serve ice cream or make your own healthy pops with leftover fruit smoothies."

- Terry Grieco Kenny

Design Your Own Lamp

Parents magazine featured this lamp in the May 2008 issue. I think it's so unique, and what a great way to display kids' artwork!

"Light Show: If you've run out of room on the fridge to exhibit your petite Picasso's latest creation, then check out Streamline's Design Your Own Lamp ($30; thespottedgoose.com). Just slide your child's artwork between the double shades and presto - you've got a personalized lamp. When he gets bored of one drawing, it's easy to slip in another, then another...and so on."

MizPee.com

Ok, I think this website is just cool - especially for all those germaphobic moms out there.

"Goody Tech: When You Gotta Go; This is the best thing since...well, we think this is the greatest thing to ever hit a mom's cell phone: mispee.com, a new website that helps you find the nearest, cleanest restroom instantly when you're out and about. Just download the site onto your mobile browser. Then whenever you're in need, enter your current location and a list of area loos appears."

But seriously! St. Louis is not a city in their list? Camdenton and Ozark, Missouri are? That just seems weird to me. Come on you germaphobic moms, let's get on this! My kids aren't potty training yet, but next year I might need this! :)

Featured in Parents magazine, May 2008

Bobo Glove

Parents magazine has a "Goody Bag" section in each edition. I just love all the unique stuff they find! The Bobo Glove was featured in the August 2008 magazine.

"Infant Toy: Play With Your Baby; Let's face it - entertaining a newborn 24/7 can get kinda tough. With the Bobo Glove, you've got hours of fun in the palm of your hand. Your little one will teethe, rattle, tug, look at herself, and more, all while boppin' on your lap. Workman, $18."

BabiePlates

When the boys got their trikes for their first birthday, I kept thinking of the little license plates we all use to have for our bikes when we were little. These totally remind me of those!

"License to Stroll: never lose your kid's ride in a sea of sameness again! A personalized plate gives your wheels standout panache. Just don't blame us if the stroller police give you a ticket for being too fabulous. ($40; babieplates.com)

Featured in Parents magazine, August 2008