Saturday, November 1, 2008

Day after Halloween - sugar withdrawls

Halloween is now officially over, and I actually got some sleep last night so I can now type coherently.

First, I will describe the steps of my Halloween costume making process.

#1. Spend the entire year before Halloween trying to come up with really great ideas for a costume.

#2. Spend about three months before Halloween designing the costume and trying to figure out the best way to put the costume together.

#3. Spend the day before Halloween running around to different fabric stores to get the necessary materials to make the Halloween costume. Be sure to go to the grocery store and buy an entire case of Diet Dr. Pepper.

#4. Stay up all night making the costume.

#5. Move your kitchen table next to the wall so you can have more room on the floor to make the costume.

#6. Leave tons of fabric scraps all over the floor of the family room, bringing the total numbers of rooms covered in costume making crap stuff to three.

#7. About 4:00 in the morning begin wondering why you're doing this in the first place.

#8. Notice that the burns on your fingers from the hot glue are really starting to hurt.

#9. Decide that you are indeed crazy and should probably be committed. Preferably someplace quiet where you can relax and get some sleep.

#10. Finish the costume just in time to wake up the kids for school. When one complains that they think it's too early to get up and that they are very tired, say to them very sweetly...........








"DON'T EVEN TALK TO ME ABOUT BEING TIRED!!! YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT IT MEANS TO BE REALLY TIRED!! NOW GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF BED AND GET READY FOR SCHOOL!!!!"

#11. Notice that you might be getting a tad bit crabby and decide that it's probably a good time to drink another can of Diet Dr. Pepper.

#12. Notice the huge pile of empty cans of DDP on your counter and wonder if it's bad that you drank that much.

#13. Notice for the first time just what an incredibly huge mess you made all over the house while making the costume.

#14. Ignore the mess and take a nap.

#15 go to the school costume parade and get there just in time to see your kids run past you before you get your camera out of the bag.


I managed to get a picture of the costumes before the kids went trick or treating.



These are not my children in the costumes. They are paid actors.

The costume on the left is a tornado. It is not dryer lint. It's hard to see, but I glued little cars all over it. I wanted to put some little plastic cows on it too but all I could find were some little plastic lizards. I decided they could look like alligators. Brielle has a flying monkey doll (from the wizard of OZ) that I was going to use, but she couldn't find it. Next year I'm adding some small telephone poles and fences to it.
CJ wouldn't let me get a picture of him in his costume. He decided at the last minute that he would go trick or treating and threw a costume together himself. He combined his iPod costume from last year with his alien costume from the year before and went as an iAlien.

These are my darling little nieces.

Random things about this Halloween.

I noticed a big drop in the amount of Three Musketeer bars being handed out this year. What's up with that???
My kids know that the Three Musketeers are the ones that they are required allowed to give me.

We have a rule in our home that the kids aren't to eat candy out of their siblings buckets. However, if they leave the candy laying around it's pretty much understood that I'm allowed to eat as much as I want.

It really bugs me when my kids eat the candy and don't throw away the wrappers. Especially when I'm looking through their bag start to grab a peanut butter cup only to discover that it's an empty wrapper.

Last year, Max really surprised me when I took him trick or treating. I thought he would get tired and want to go home early, but after every house he would look at me and say "MORE CANDY! I GET MORE CANDY!" and on to the next house we would go.
This year after three houses he wanted to go home. He said "Why we are also going so long way from our house?" (we were one street away) I forced him to finish the street. When we got home he sat down to eat his candy and fell asleep. I guess it was really tiring to walk around in a crab suit.


In the last post, I wrote about how fascinated Max was with the moldy pumpkin. What I didn't mention was how he was making this annoying siren sound every time he lifted the lid.

WEEEEEOOOOOO WEEEEEEEOOOOOOOO WEEEEEEEEOOOOOO

And then he would run around the kitchen making the siren sound and then would stop for a moment to tell me that "THE PUMPKIN DID ALSO POOP IN IT'S PANTS AND IT NEEDS IT'S CARS TAKED AWAY BECAUSE IT DID ALSO POOP IN IT'S PANTS!!!! WWWEEEEEEEOOOOOO WEEEEEEEOOOO WEEEEEOOOOOO..........
In retrospect, I probably should have put him to bed earlier.

Here are the kid's Jack-o-lanterns. Left to right CJ, Aaron, Max and Brielle. Max drew the design and I cut it out. He says it's a mad pumpkin.

This morning, DH told the kids that he would take them swimming today if they cleaned up the costume making mess I made all over the house.
And the regular mess they made in the family room.

They are at the pool right now.

And every one of them have left their Halloween candy on the kitchen table;0)

15 comments:

b. said...

A to the men on the disappointing empty Reese's wrapper.

You are so talented! I love those costumes! I'm sorry you downed an entire case of ddp to make them, but way to go, jillybean!


word ver: unsin (don't I wish!)

M said...

So...I'm thinking next year I send you measurements, money for fabric and DDP and my children look way cuter with no sulking involved? FABULOUS!

Kristina P. said...

I thought you were blurring out faces!!! And seriuosly, these costumes were amazing. My coworkers were talking about them after you left.

You should have your own business or something.

TJ said...

Only 1 case of ddp?

Those costumes look like 2-casers to me! They're awesome.

Joanna said...

Awesome costumes! You are a way better mom than I am. My little one went to our Halloween party as "a 2 year old with too much energy". I can't believe you made the costumes with only 1 case of DDP. It would have taken me at least 3 of Coke to do that!

Jessica G. said...

Fabulous costumes! I love the tornado idea. :) How did the mermaid do in her contest?

And kudos to the hubby for a) having the kids clean up your mess and b) taking them away so you can nap!

Suburban Correspondent said...

Not enough Twix, either...

Me said...

You are amazing!! I loved the costumes! The kids look so cute :-)

Jo said...

Weeeooowwwweeeeooooo
I also think you are good at costumes, even if your timing is a bit, well, a bit.... lacking in sleep! Yup that is it.
word verification:ballsi

Tristi Pinkston said...

My children have the honor of giving me their Swedish Fish.

Totally cute costumes -- I painted my children green.

Mum-me said...

Did you really make those costumes in one night?? It takes me all night just to make one library bag!

The costumes are fantastic, and I loved the 'mad pumpkin'.

So ... did the naughty pumpkin that pooped it's pants ever have it's cars taken away?

Bonnie the Boss said...

So many comments need to be left about this post. They are all jumbled in my head while I sit here with a big grin on my face.
First: you are one might talented woman!!! I knew right away that was a tornado! Great job!!!!
2nd: I am guilty of leaving the empty wrappers in the kids bags because i am too lazy to find a garbage after every piece I eat.
3rd: I must not have paid close attention to the post about the pumpkin. I laughed out loud at Max! He is awesome! He is also so awesome about the pooping pants pumpkin!
Thanks!
I am the same way with Diet Coke!

MamaHen Em said...

Seriously? You MADE those costumes? WOW! Talented, I think!

My kids are going to have to be resigned to a life of store bought costumes and handing over every single chocolate candy they get.

Hey It's Di said...

My costume search involved one step only. #1- Go to Partyland where the kids pick out their costume & purchase. There you have it. I'm not very creative NOR do I get the satisfaction of cute costumes because of my hard work. I'm a dork.

BUT I do agree with the rules of the Halloween candy and how I pretty much get to dip in anyone's bag at anytime for ANYTHING! (Especially chocoate:)

Damama T said...

Great job! I love the tornado. The other two took sewing talent, but that one looks like it took some engineering talent, too! LOL! Never saw another like it. GOOD JOB!

GUMATIZ: The jaw affliction caused by habitual gum chewing. Related in nature to rheumatiz. (Look what you did! Now I'm addicted and I CAN'T STOP MYSELF!!!)