Halloween in June?

So DD was invited to a Halloween birthday party tonight (A+ for creativity for that party mom).  And DD is of an age where costumes need to be "cool" and "dead".

yah that.

And there's nothing "cool" or "dead" in her closet.  What's a girl to do?

Mom's Idea # 1 - get out your plastic fangs and go as

Apparently, somebody else is going as a cool, dead, vampire.

Mom's Idea # 2: put on a sheet and go as

Apparently, dead but not cool.

Mom's idea #3 (we're running out here...)

Put on toga + wear a crown of leaves + put some celery in hair + run some red makeup down face (blood)

A bloody Caesar!  She didn't get the irony either...moving along...

Mom's idea #4 (this one I'm pitching to her after school - if she doesn't like it she better dust off those fangs)...

Get a cheerios box + tape a plastic knife to stick out of it + duct tape it to your shirt

Cereal killer.   (I would like to thank twitter for proposing this idea.  Twitter you're good people).

The take-away from this post: Moms get creative with tight deadlines.

Yummy Mummy Column

I try not to get too rant-ish in my writing...but I just had to voice an opinion over at my Yummy Mummy Club column.

Little Girls Should Not Look Like Hookers For Halloween

Ironic how the Dove Weekend for Self Esteem has just past - where we were to remind our girls how smart, beautiful and powerful they are (and forever will be). Ironic, because when I took my 10 year old daughter Halloween shopping...her costume choices looked very much like hoochie-mama streetwear. Little girls should not look like hookers for Halloween.

This is a picture of a real Halloween costume - on sale now - for 10 yr old girls.


Click here to read the full article

Halloween Playlist & Play

So for those of you who read Parent Club at work (we've turned off the autoplay feature for the songs). For all others interested in a little Halloween Playlist - we've put together some - Parent Club picked - not so scary theme music. Enjoy.

Découvrez la playlist Parent Club avec Calvin & The Chipmunk Rock Stars

And during your Halloween play remember:

• trick or treat with an adult
  
• trick or treat at houses that have their pumpkins out or porch lights on (if it's dark - most likely they don't want to give out treats - so don't waste your voices singing "...not too big, not too small, just the size of Montreal")
  
• Parents - look through candy before kids touch candy (look out for razor blades, opened boxes, nut stuff)
  
• Kids - trading treats with a sibling is fun (trading with your parents is even funner as they have privillege authority...as in "if I give you all my kit kats can I watch cartoons tomorrow morning?"

PARENT CLUB tip: Parents carry an empty bag whilst trick or treating. As your child's halloween bag gets full (and heavier) allow them to dump candy into your bag to carry. Specifically good in 'hoods where they give out cans of pop 'cause those get heavy!

Halloween Activities

Halloween activities...bah humbug. Apparently, some people LIKE Halloween crafts (me not so much)...

I also don't make costumes from scratch (except for that year Thing 1 went as "mommy in the morning" - wearing a housecoat, slippers, a pony tail, glasses {lens popped out} and carried a Tim Horton's medium coffee cup). Now, I also don't buy elaborate costumes...whatever is in the dress up box is good enough in this house.

However, if you are so inclined to partake in Halloween activities - here are a few good resource sites...

• http://www.freekidscrafts.com/ has a great assortment of DIY costume ideas/crafts. Follow on twitter at @kidscrafts.
  
• HGTV Canada has free printable pumpkin carving stencils as well as ideas for quick Halloween decorations
  
• Notes from a Cookie Jar over at everythingmom.com has a good recipe for Ghoulish Halloween Brownies

Hey Parent Club - if you have a Halloween link or resource to add to this list - share it with the club in comments.

Halloween at Parent Club

Good Ghandi - could someone please congratulate me on the Halloween Decorations for Parent Club?...or my house?...anyone?...

Halloween is a parental slippery-slope. Kids love Halloween but some of those Halloween decorations are down right creepy. Walking through the 'hood - I am taking mental notes on where NOT to trick or treat this year. Like the house with the corpse hanging from the scaffolding. See, that house, nope we're not going to that house...

When Thing 2 was a toddler - on Halloween night - a grown-up man (dressed as a corpse) jumped out of a chair when we trick or treated at his house. This was the one - and only - time in my life where I yelled at a complete stranger "What are you DOING? You don't scare TODDLERS?!"

The whole "creepy factor" of Halloween is beyond me. My prince calls me overprotective - but I'm not cool with my kids getting scared (to the point they won't go to sleep, won't go into the bathroom alone, ask if zombies really exist...)

This week's Parent Club theme is keeping the creepy out of Halloween...call me overprotective...

Halloween is a-comin'

Today is officially - 'decorate the house for Halloween day' - after many a Babes, Birthdays and Blessings this past weekend.

Surf over to Parent Club often to get Halloween activities, costume ideas and exploration of "scary" things for kids (have a good one about tv shows).

Have a Halloween tip, story or idea to share with Parent Club? Send us an e-mail...