Non-Scary Halloween Part 2 -- Non-Scary Costumes

Disclosure: I was sent these items to review free of charge from Oriental Trading. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review.

Yesterday I shared some great products from Oriental Trading for a Peanuts themed Halloween party, non-food treats and a few dress-up accessories. Today I get to share Hazel's costume and some other great costume ideas and fun. Now Hazel spent quite a bit of time going through the available costumes at Oriental Trading. Being the sensitive child she is she does not want anything remotely scary. She got it down between two options the Mystical Genie Girls Halloween Costume and the Southern Belle Girls Halloween Costume. She finally decided on the Mystical Genie Costume. We had just seen Aladdin live at the theatre and the version had a female genie who was dressed pretty similarly. (She did ask for the Southern Belle Costume for Christmas from my mother-in-law and I ordered it for her.)

A Costume for Charly -- new picture book that introduces the fluidity of gender

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Gender identity is a hard concept for some to understand (and to accept). I know many people in my own generation and the generation before mine that struggle with it. I also imagine it could be a hard thing for young children to truly understand. Today I am sharing a new picture book that features a nonbinary character who is struggling to find a Halloween costume that truly expresses themself. The book is A Costume for Charly by C. K. Malone and illustrated by Alejandra Barajas. It is recommended for ages 4 to 12.

Halloween-Themed Books for the End of October

 

Disclosure: I was sent copies of these books in order to provide honest reviews. All opinions are my own.

Vampires, black cats, monsters, costumes and trick-or-treating! It is that time of the year that the spooky and scary things are out everywhere. When Hazel was young, we couldn't go into stores without her freaking out with all the Halloween products. She would get so scared. We were always on the lookout for Halloween books, activities, etc. that were not so scary. Today we are going to share three picture books and one early chapter book that are not too scary but have a Halloween theme. They have the vampires, black cats, monsters and more in them but are full of fun! The first book is actually more of an emotion awareness book, but it features a vampire! It is Vlad Is Mad! by Su Moon. It is recommended for ages 3 to 6.

Best Halloween Costume Contest

Ok, so I was thinking, wouldn't it be fun to share our kids' (or our own) Halloween costumes and pick our favorites. So here it is!

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All you have to do is link up the costume you want to enter. If you do not have a blog or a post with the picture you can use either your blog address or Crafty Moms Share for the address and then upload a picture from your computer! You can enter more than one (and they can be from the same post). Enter each costume separately. Then display the button on your blog either in the post or somewhere else and ask people to come vote for their favorite costume. The winner will get a homemade felt bat. We will follow my Giveaway Rules, however this is open internationally. A winner will be announced on November 15th!

Kigs Kigurumis Costume Review

Disclosure: I was sent these items to review free of charge from Kigs. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them.

Today I get to share with you a wonderful product. Rizzi from Kigs asked me if I would be interested in reviewing one of their children's costumes. When I saw how cute they were I knew I had to do it. I showed Hazel the choices of all the kids costumes. I figured for her to get full use; I should let her pick. She decided she liked the kangaroo outfit the best because it comes with the baby kangaroo. I liked the blue owl, but I couldn't persuade her. Her second choice was the pink rabbit--not a big surprise there. 

Hazel could not wait for it to arrive. When it finally came, she was so excited to try it on. She put it right on and did not want to take it off. She was excited to realize Ducky could fit in the pouch with the baby kangaroo. I got her to take it off to eat dinner so she would not get it dirty. The next night however she insisted on wearing it to the Chinese restaurant for dinner. I had to wash it after that since there was some fried rice in the pouch. She discovered the next day the button to keep the baby in the pouch. Sorry I did not get any pictures with it buttoned in. The first night we discovered the zippered pockets. Something Hazel loves!! You can see the zipper in the picture below.

She has loved this costume. I think I have convinced her to be a kangaroo for the next Halloween which will mean no sewing for me!! The costume is made of fleece and is nice and comfortable and warm. They come in one size for children, and they have an adult size as well. The best part of these for Halloween is clothes can be worn underneath them and Hazel could probably even get a jacket if it is cold and have the costume over it. This has been one of the dress up items she has worn the most and kept on the longest. 

A few days later we went to the zoo to see what they call Zoo Lights, and she wanted to wear her kangaroo costume. I let her, but with the snow and mud (since the snow was melting) she got it all dirty, so I washed it again. The tag says to handwash and not to tumble dry, but since it was fleece, I threw it into the washer (without checking the tag) and the drier on low and had no problems either time. It came out beautifully.

Baby Kangaroo is inside the jacket staying warm!

With the ease of wearing it and the obvious comfort since she keeps it on and puts it on herself, I can highly recommend this product. Hazel absolutely loves hers. So stop by and check out Kigs, and you can purchase the children's costumes for $54.99 with free shipping in the U.S. here. 

I would love to know which ones you prefer!! Enjoy!!

Happy Halloween!

I will admit I really do not like Halloween. As a Christian it feels strange to celebrate it. Yet I see how fun it is for the children, so I celebrate it. I do love seeing the kids dressed up. Though I do have to admit since getting married and living in a neighborhood where the kids gets bussed in to trick-or-treat it has lost some of its appeal. (Literally we see people we have never seen before with cars following them through the neighborhood and go through at least 6-7 bags of candy before we turn off our light. Last year we gave out the candy Hazel had gotten because we ran out.) I find it even stranger that so many people put so much time and money into Halloween decorations. Hazel is still just beginning to get the idea of Halloween. She still does not like wearing her costume much, but at least this year we got her in it.

My Little Spoon

Craft at Party

Saturday we went to Hazel's school for their Halloween Party. It was a fundraiser for the eighth grade class trip. For a $5 entrance fee we got drinks and a snack and to play some games for prizes as well as do a craft and hear a story. Hazel refused to wear her costume when we got there. When we finally got it on her and got a picture of the two of us in our costumes and the party ended. However we had seen just about everything without the costume, and she had a great time.

Craft at Party

The craft was very easy and very cute. They had orange jack-o'-lanterns pre-cut out of paper so they would fold in half with a front and back. Using a glue stick they had the kids spread glue on the orange paper and then glue a piece of tissue paper (pre-cut in circles the a bit smaller than the pumpkin) on. They were given the choice of colors for tissue paper and could use two colors (one on each side). Hazel chose orange and yellow tissue paper.

Sunday we went to church. We skipped the Boo Breakfast due to the snow and a bad night of sleeping, but made it to church. Then we came home and had lunch and tried to get Hazel to nap, but she refused. Then we took her to some friends' houses and my mother-in-law's for trick-or-treating. She wore her costume somewhat to the first two houses, but refused to put it back on after that.
Then we came home and carved Hazel's first jack-o'-lantern. She helped me scoop out the seeds and goop. Then she used the scoop as a pretend knife and pretended to carve it. She looked so serious while she did this--I couldn't resist taking pictures.

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Today we have a busy day. Hazel is going to my mother-in-law's for their Monday playdate. Then I'm picking her up to take her to the special Halloween story time at the library (where costumes are expected since it ends with trick-or-treating at the various desks). Then after lunch and a nap I will take her to a few of our neighbors' houses. Since Steve got stuck working nights because of the storm again, I will than have to be home to give out the candy. Not sure how it will work to get her down with all of that going on, but we shall see.

The dish and the spoon!

What are your plans for Halloween? Hope you have a happy and safe one!! Remember to have your kids leave their candy for the Pumpkin Fairy!

Exploring Purim -- Jewish Holiday

Costume parades in the spring? What is going on? Halloween is in October and not in the spring. Well for many Jewish people costume parades and wearing costumes to synagogue in the spring (usually in March) is common. Why? Well they are celebrating a holiday called Purim. Purim is celebrated on the fourteenth day of the Hebrew month of Adar. The Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar so it changes from our days and months each year. It is a joyous holiday with much celebration. Why do they celebrate? To remember how Queen Esther saved the Jewish people in Persia around 500 B.C. Now Esther's story is a book in the Old Testament of our Bible as well and Queen Esther happens to be Hazel's favorite woman in the Bible. We know her story well and really wish we celebrated Purim as well. In fact she dressed up as Queen Esther for our Christian Halloween Party. 

Christmas Crafts & Sewing: Elf on the Shelf, The Christmas Story, and Frozen

Well with Christmas fast approaching, I thought I would share a bunch of the things we have been up to lately. It is amazing how fast Christmas is coming. Between Hazel and I getting sick I feel like we have not gotten everything done that I hoped. Now we are hoping Hazel's fever stays away long enough for her not to be contagious (she has strep and possibly something else) so we can celebrate with extended family. With my time I have been doing some sewing and am working on a quilt to review a quilt book hopefully later this week since I'm hoping to have the quilt as part of Hazel's Christmas gift.

Halloween Sharing Saturday Features!

Sharing Saturday will begin a couple of hours, but I wanted to share with you some of the amazing Halloween ideas that have been shared the last couple of weeks. I meant to do this Wednesday but somehow on Wednesday my only focus was on Hazel, pumpkins and trick-or-treating. So here it is.

Halloween Costumes from the 1950's Era

Disclosure: Oriental Trading sent me these products in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Can you believe fall is already coming? Schools are back in session and the weather is already turning here. I know Halloween always sneaks up on us once school starts. I am always thankful to Oriental Trading for getting our minds focused on what costume Hazel wants. This year she has been into her American Girl dolls and in particular in the Beforever dolls. She loves Maryellen's poodle skirt. She saved her money and bought the doll outfit and crinoline. She does not have Maryellen, but dressed one of her favorite dolls, Chrysanthemum, in it.

Hatshepsut of Egypt -- Multicultural Children's Book Day Review

Disclosure: I was sent this book to review free of charge from Goosebottom Books. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to each item for your convenience but do not receive anything if you purchase them.

Today we are honored to review a book about a very strong woman, Hatshepsut. Have you heard of her? I hadn't, so I found this book fascinating. The book is Hatshepsut of Egypt by Shirin Yim Bridges and illustrated by Albert Nguyen. It is part of The Thinking Girl's Treasury of Real Princesses.

This is a series of books that share real princesses with girls. These are not your average fru fru princesses who wear pretty dresses and sit around waiting to be saved by a prince. These are women who had strength and guts to rule countries.

Christian Halloween Party

Disclosure: I was sent these items to review free of charge from Oriental Trading. All opinions in this post are my own. I did not receive any other compensation for this review. I am including links to the products for your convenience but do not receive anything if you buy from them.

 Now I have not been shy about my feelings about Halloween. I really hate the gore and how far people take it. Hazel is easily frightened and I can no longer take her into some stores because of the Halloween products. I have tried and regret it due to the bad dreams she has. When I was offered to do a post using Halloween products from Oriental Trading, I hesitated, but then remembered all their great Sunday School supplies. Hazel and I planned a Christian Halloween Party. Many of the parents at her school do not celebrate the holiday or take their kids to a church event on Halloween. Needless to say many feel like I do about the holiday. We started by sending out an Evite. We asked the guests to dress as their favorite Biblical character. Hazel wanted to be Queen Esther. I let her pick out the color of the Nativity Child Costume she wanted and she picked the Pink Nativity Child Costume. We made a handknit belt to wear with it and added beads to the ends. (Hazel ended up being the only one to wear a costume, but she did not care. She was really excited to be Queen Esther.)

Happy Halloween!

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Just thought I would share some pictures of Hazel in her costume. I made it from Simplicity pattern 2065. She will also wear the dress for her princess themed birthday party this year!

Needless to say, she loves it!

We also went to a small Halloween party at church the other day and she decorated some pumpkins with stickers.

For breakfast this morning we had pumpkin pancakes. We made them yesterday, but had plenty left over, so I arranged them on Hazel's plate and she recognized it right away as a jack 'o lantern.

Then she wanted to get started with her pumpkins. We had two relatively small ones to paint and a medium one to carve. I let her start painting while I finished up doing somethings around the house.

 For some reason I did not take pictures of the finished pumpkins. She also added stickers to them. Then we started carving the medium pumpkin. She helped scoop out all the gook. Then I found a Snow White pattern that I saved a few years ago from Disney Family and carved it. I have to admit this is the best carving job I have ever done. She loved it and that is all that mattered.

Then we had a quick lunch and got her costume on. We had a few errands to run and three of them were places where we know people so she wanted to show off her costume.

My mother-in-law bought her the ballerina basket that came with the pink crown. Then after our errands we did some trick-or-treating and friends houses that were too far to walk. Then we went to a few neighbors houses. We always go very early. The last two years Steve has been working crazy hours due to storms, so we have to get home to hand out the candy. Hazel loves handing out the candy. She was so over excited today. And for some reason this year we had probably a quarter of what we usually get. I guess it is because I went with cheap candy so less kids were out or perhaps it was because of the storm though last year we had an ice storm right before Halloween and the numbers were still high.

One small craft for you that I started in the dark the other night. I got the pattern for this felt bat from Super-Cute Felt by Laura Howard. I still have a bit of sewing to do on it, but it is almost done.

Before Hazel (and Steve) went to bed, Hazel sorted through her candy to leave some for the Pumpkin Fairy. This year the Pumpkin Fairy is bringing her a Rapunzel Barbie doll--not Waldorf, but she will love it and I bought it on clearance since I haven't had time to make much for her. 

What are you doing to celebrate Halloween?

Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party -- Book Review & Costume

Disclosure: Candlewick Press gave me an advance copy of this book free of charge to review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation.

Have you discovered The Princess in Black yet? I wrote about our discovery of this amazing series back in July. Hazel chose The Princess in Black as her prize for finishing the Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program. It had been a tough choice, but she was really glad with the outcome!! This became one of her favorite books ever. Then we discovered that a new Princess in Black book was coming out October 13th and from Candlewick Press--one of our favorite publishers. I asked for a review copy and they sent it right away. Can I tell you how excited Hazel was to have the second book in the series months early? Oh, my, she has been telling everyone about it. Anyway, today we are sharing The Princess in Black and The Perfect Princess Party by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale and illustrated by LeUyen Pham. 

UPDATE: The 12th Princess in Black book is a Halloween book full of people dressed as the Princess in Black and monsters!! It is The Princess in Black and the Trick-or-Treating Trouble.  Come check it out and our review of it. 

Halloween Children's Book Round-Up For the Easily Frightened Child with Crafts & More

 

October always has me thinking. When Hazel was young, we would avoid Halloween displays in stores. They scared her too much. It was hard to go anywhere, and the displays got put up earlier and earlier every year. She was easily frightened, and I had to be careful what I exposed her to. However, she loved dressing up for Halloween. (Perhaps this is why she wants to go into theater.) I have been thinking back to some of our favorite Halloween books and I thought I would share some of them and more with you! This round-up includes our favorite books and books we enjoyed when she was young and more recent ones as well as DVDs, costumes and some crafts and activities to go with the books. 

Sharing Saturday #43

Wow, I'm still catching up from last week! Then on top of catching up, sewing a Halloween costume Hazel once again got sick. This time with the highest temperature of her short life. She seems to be doing a bit better today though. Hopefully I will find some time to sew her costume today. Anyway, there were some amazing things shared last week. If you have not had a chance to check them all out, please go visit and leave some comment love since we all love comments. Today I am not featuring Halloween posts, but will later in the week (from this week and the last two), so stay tuned for those! If you are looking for some ideas there were plenty shared from costumes, recipes, gory decorations to cute ones and a party invitation. 

Also a huge welcome to everyone who joined us the last couple of weeks for the first time!! I have noticed several new blogs sharing with us! Thank you!! And enjoy!

We had a two way tie for most clicked:

From Adventures at home with Mum: Chill Out Corner--Positive Time Out (love this idea!!)

and 

From Making Boys Men: Painting with Cars (How fun!!)

A Few of My Favorites

1) From Art Club Blog: Pinterest Impersonation (A very scary true post about using her identity for a possible future scam! Thank you for sharing and warning us all!!)

2) From Everyday Mom: Free Form Mini Apple Tarts (Oh, these look so delicious!!)

3) From Happy Whimsical Hearts: Gnome Family (Ok, I admit I love this one because it looks like something Hazel would do. Dino Boy and Hazel are so similar--I love it!)

4) From Fresh Eggs Daily: The Float Test (How to tell if an egg is fresh or bad!! Something I know I sometimes need to know how to do!)

5) From My Little Bookcase: Millinery for Children (Oh,I so love the hat plus she shares a book to go with it!)

6) From Buggy & Buddy: Apple Tree Collage (Oh, I love their collage and another book to check out!)

7) From The Alchemist: Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cookies (Cookies for breakfast--not much better!)

And since I didn't get to visit all the posts at Sharing Saturday #41 until this week, here are a few of my favorites.

1) From Little Owl Crunchy Momma: Nothing was working. (A post that reminds you what every mother goes through at some point with a young child at home.)
2) From Life with Moore Babies: Fairy Potion (Ok, I love the addition of glitter to make it fairy potion!)
3) From Sweet Boutique Home: Mussels Wreath (Just gorgeous!!)
4) From PlayDrMom: Playful Activities to Teach Kids about Feelings (A great list of ideas!!)
5) From Taming the Goblin: Pirate Ship Cake (Oh, I love it!!)
6) From Hey Mommy, Chocolate Milk: Measuring with Dino Feet (Such creative fun!)

Thank you to everyone who shared last week!! I hope you will join us and share again!! If you are featured here, please feel free to grab a featured button to display proudly on your blog.

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From Your Hostess: Halloween Crafts: Ghosts & Others (including baby doll fairy wings)

And a History of Halloween!

 

Now for This Week's Party   

A Few Simple Guidelines:
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Hosts are Crafty Moms Share and Mama Mia's Heart2Heart. A reminder: Mia is taking a blogging break. Hopefully she will be back soon to host again!!

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All right everyone...This is a PARTY!! Have Fun!!