Homemade train costume!

Train Costume!

My youngest son (5) is really into trains,,, I mean obsessed with them! So when my daughter suggested he be a train for Halloween he was thrilled with the idea.
When making a costume I try to scrounge as much materials as I can from around the house. This one is mostly cardboard with some suspenders borrowed from my husband.

 Two cardboard boxes and a cardboard tube (you know, the ones used for concrete footings) were assembled into the basic train shape. I hot glued them together first and then went over each seam with paper mache. (a typical homemade recipe, 3C flour, 3C water) After than dried I was still concerned about the boxes falling apart so I reinforced the joints with duct tape, on the underside and inside, where it wouldn't be seen. Three holes were cut out for windows.

I cut two holes for the chimney and headlight before painted. The chimney is a scrap piece of vent pipe and the headlight is the top of a Pringles can. I used spray paint to give it a nice even coat.

Here's a closer look at the headlight. When the cap is removed a light can be put inside during Trick-or-Treating. We used a head lamp but a small flashlight or glow sticks would work too.




An essential of this costume was that candy be able to go down the chimney...

....by cutting an extra hole the candy can go down the chimney and into the box below. My son really loved this part!




My biggest dilemma with this costume was how to attach the suspenders to the inside of the costume. I was concerned that any holes I made would weaken the boxes and cause tearing while he was wearing it. What I came up with was this...

With my duct tape I created flaps on the inside of the box that the suspenders could be attached too. This held really well!

 Some cardboard wheels and Paper accents and this is the end result! We did have to add a small block of wood to the back of the costume since it's so front heavy.

 He loved it!! We got three uses out of it before a rainy Halloween started turning the cardboard into mush. But it lasted as long as we needed to so I'd say it was a success, and we got complimented on it everywhere we went!!

Fall activities: leaves, terrariums, and mini indoor moss gardens!

Fall is in full swing here in NEPA and our trees are at peak color. When the leaves start changing one of our traditions is to take a walk in the woods and collect some pretty leaves. We take them home and the kids and I paint leaf prints. They really look forward to this.

While we were walking I noticed we had quite a variety of moss and lots of it! So, I started collecting. My first project was a terrarium. I always had this idea in my head of one that looked like a little town in a jar. What I came up with was pretty cute:

After a few days I noticed a problem,, the buildings started to develop mold. I took them out so it wouldn't start causing a problem with the plants and I'm still trying to figure out how I can get them back in there without the mold problem. Hubby suggested soaking them in a salt water solution and then letting them dry before painting. (to deter the mold growth) I'll give that a try and see if it works.

With the left over moss my daughter and I put together some small moss gardens. I might like these even better than the terrarium! The are small clay saucers that I put a 2 inch layer of soil in before adding the moss and decorations.

In this one we added some small decorative rocks and some little painted buildings. (monopoly buildings) Since this isn't closed up like the terrarium is I shouldn't have to worry about mold problems. 

This one might be my favorite. I buried some smaller pots to add some height to the display. The same assortments of moss are used along with some rocks (one a painted welcome sign), and sticks.

This one is a mini Stonehenge. I made the stone pieces with this recipe for sand dough. Once dry they really look like stone pieces. I still need to add a clear coat to these. Again some small decorative rocks were added, they add just a little color.

Now, how do I stop myself from putting one in every room of the house?

Packing the kids school lunches

My kids use to buy lunch at school but my daughter frequently said it wasn't enough for her, she was still hungry. (she's in a growing stage and has quite an appetite) I made a connection to this and the frequent headaches she was having. We decided to start packing lunch so we could choose what and how much they were having.
First I bought these soft sided coolers in the sports section at Walmart. They have a ton of room and are only $6!
Then I bought these Ziploc lunch containers from Amazon and, lucky for me, they just fit into the coolers.

Last I had to get a little crafty. I made these reusable snack bags from a pattern I found on Pinterest. (LOVE Pinterest)

The kids then helped me put together a list of lunches and snacks. The three lists are: the main dish, a healthy snach, and a treat. Now we have a list to refer to, especially when grocery shopping for lunch ingredients, and I know I'm giving them healthy foods and foods they like.
I choose from each list:

main dish:

• sandwich 
• taco
• english muffin pizzas
• casadia, with sour cream to dip
• hot dog
• chef salad 
• sandwich sushi
• corn dog muffins
• PB & J (or PB and banana)
• apple sandwich
• hot thermos of soup or mac & cheese
• grilled cheese 
• meat and cheese roll ups
• tortilla sandwich wrap
• pasta salad

healthy snack (fruit/ veggie/ dairy):

• sliced apple (treated with fruit fresh or lemon juice)
• yogurt
• whole banana
• sliced kiwi
• cubed watermelon/ cantaloupe, or honeydew 
• baby carrots
• cucumber, bell pepper, carrot sticks, with dressing to dip
• side salad
• celery sticks w/ peanut butter
• hard boiled egg
• pickle
• grapes
• nuts
• apple sauce
• fruit leathers (home made)
• cherry tomatoes

treats:

• potato chips
• pretzels
• granola bar
• cookie
• fruit & grain bar
• pop corn
• crackers
• Cheez-Itz
• salsa & corn chips
• muffin
• fig bars
• apple cake
• graham crackers
• cracker/ cheese/ pepperoni
• zucchini bread
• jello
• pudding

casadias w/ sour cream, 1/2 a banana, pudding,
and crackers w/ pepperoni and cheese.

ham & cheese sandwich, carrot sticks, jello, and pasta salad

left: cherry tomatoes, apple cinnamon chips, granola bar, ham & salami sandwich, snack size M & Ms
right: cherry tomatoes, apple cinnamon chips, chef salad, and snack size twix

pizza,  bell peppers, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, 1/2 a jam filled
muffin, and apple slices (treated with Fruit Fresh)

Now my kids love their lunches. My son doesn't want to buy lunch anymore and my daughter is no longer having headaches!