Ten things to do with all that candy...

Have you seen the size of the  trick-or-treating buckets at Target this year? The thought of that much candy makes my head hurt (and I cringe at the thought of the next trip to the dentist).

But what to do? Closely packed neighborhoods, which practically have a "no tolerance" policy for anyone who would dare give fruit or pencils to candy-seeking kiddos, now throw a sugar extravaganza on this night, with parents frantically stashing away gigantic bags of sugary goodness to make sure they're not  the ones who find egg on their house.

My kids, of course, are already buzzed at just the thought of all that sugar. Yay for me. And yay for you too. And I'm thinking, as I prepare to ration Sweet-Tarts and survive numerous sugar highs and lows for the next few days...what should I do with the rest of it? You know, all the candy the kids don't like or that I just won't feed them?

Well, here's my list, in no particular order..

1. Eat it myself. While at first an enticing idea, the thought of facing the scale over the next two months, even without inhaling excess Halloween candy, seems like a quick ticket to buying new clothes--a size up. So maybe not...

2. Take it to work, or playgroup. Yes, this option seems much more acceptable. Let someone else invest in a new, larger wardrobe. But I will have to contend with all my friends'/colleagues' misery. Hmmm....

3. Give it to the church. Yes, yes! Anything wrapped I'm sure they'll accept. Won't they? Yep, this idea's a possible keeper...

4. Save it. But then find it six months later, break a tooth on something completely stale and not delicious, and throw it in the trash. Scratch that!

5. Find a way to make crafts with it. I can see all sorts of fun ideas from Pinterest sparking a craft inspiration. Of course, the candy is still there, in full sight of the children. But I like this idea as well.

6. Hide it in my parents' suitcase. "What? There was candy when you got home? Well, I bet it was the three-year-old. That crazy kid..."

7. Throw it away. Okay, it's not like this isn't the end result of several of the aforementioned ideas. And if someone says something about starving children, I will tell them that I am sorry, but a bag of Gobstoppers will not solve world hunger. And then, because of the guilt trip, I will go online an donate to someone who can solve it. Everybody wins.

8. Give it out at a race. I've had enough people holding out plates of gummy bears--not wrapped--at races to know giving candy to tired, sweaty runners is not exactly frowned upon. Then again, I've never taken candy from a stranger...

9. Candy bomb my neighbors. Two questions. 1) Is it illegal to put wrapped candy in a mail box? 2) Do candy wrappers show fingerprints?

10. Send it to my brother. Because he's serving his country in the desert. Ding, ding, ding! Yep, that's the winner. In the interest of getting a head start on the season of giving, I'll give my extra candy (and even some of the good stuff) to someone who not only deserves a little extra thought, but will also appreciate it. (And if you'd like to give to a soldier too, check out Adopt a US Soldier.)

There, problem solved.

Don't be Martha, just be awesome -Part IV: Costume MacGyver to the rescue

So, you have an hour until trick or treating time, and all of a sudden, your "too cool for school" kiddo decides he/she needs a costume. You're not the most craftsy mom, and needles generally end up in your finger or on the floor, not to be found until you're stalking around in bare feet some dark morning. What to do?

Enter Halloween costume MacGyver (you know, the show from the 80s/90s; ugh, I hate it when I date myself!).

Anyway, super mom that you are, you want your kiddo to leave the house in more than a sheet-turned-ghost, especially since the only one you're willing to cut up has pink daisies on it. Never fear, because other options do exist.

First step? Take a look around your own house. You have some boxes? Make a robot. Toilet paper? Put a mummy on tap. Have black pants and shirt? Tape some paper bones to them and you've got a skeleton. Scarf, striped shirt, and boots? Your a pirate, matey! Argh!

But there's more, my friends. Much, much more. Take a look below, and feast your eyes on some truly unique ten-minute concepts. (Insert evil laugh here...)

Bring Paul Bunyan back to life...
Check out the lumberjack idea from Etsy.com, which is easy and cool enough for even your most peer-pressured kiddo. All you need is a beanie, flannel shirt, boots, and, um, well, maybe a plastic ax. Or you could use a toilet paper roll attached to a stick. This is about improvising, folks. As for the beard, washable marker really isn't advisable, but that's totally up to you. Then again, how about a little chocolate syrup?

Wahoo! Kick butt by being one of the most popular video game characters...
Parentmap had some great Halloween costume ideas, but this Mario one is so gosh darn easy, it makes me feel like I could punch through some brick walls! A pair of overalls, red shirt, and a slightly altered red hat and buttons is just the ticket.

Take trick or treating to a whole new (big) level...as Jelly Bellies...  
I actually had a friend dress as this idea from the Childcare Network (number eight) a few years ago at a Halloween party. All you need is a somewhat see-through plastic bag and some balloons (okay, you may have to run to the store for this one.) And if you don't have the time (or patience) to blow up a cajillion balloons, what about using those balls from the ball pit (I have, like, a million)? This costume is sure to be a hit, but just remember one thing: sitting is difficult...

Because everybody likes tea, and it's easy to make...
And if you just happen to have a box of Lipton Tea (or something of that nature) and a white sheet lying around, this tea bag idea from ClevelandWomen.com (third one down) is always an easy one. However, I'm not sure it will be a big sell for kids, although parents are sure to get it right away... and maybe find themselves thirsty...

And when you just want to bring on the awesome...
Say it with me: "Last but not least..." We've got ourselves a creative genius winner from babble.com! Put your kiddo in rain gear and attach stuffed dogs and kitties to the umbrella! Voila!  It's "raining cats and dogs." And hey, it's okay if you don't tell someone you got the idea from the Internet. I won't say anything. But this clever little ensemble might just earn you the "mom who has it going on" title for your neighborhood.

Don't be Martha, just be awesome - Part III: Decorating Martha's way, or the easier way

I love my house. I really do. It's everything I dreamed about when I was living in a box--ahem, condo--in the Baltimore area just three years ago. And in the past, I liked the decorating aspect of making a house a home.

But I had kids when I got here...and table tops had to be clear (to be filled with Fischer Price Little People), plants and pictures had to be set up high or locked away, and drapes pretty much went the way of the dodo.

But in the autumn, I can't help but get giddy when I walk down the aisles of any craft store, and even though "crafting" just isn't in my DNA, I think how nice it would be to walk into my own house and feel like fall had arrived.

Enter my quest for the month of October--how to be like Martha, without being like Martha. Taking a note from the show Design on a Dime, in which they show you that rooms don't have to be expensive to be beautiful, I will show you my version, called Design with No Time, in which I take Martha's ideas and hunt down ideas that look just as good, but are easier to create.

Let's begin:


Autumn Flowers
Okay, so you can take on Martha's gallery of fall flower arrangements, which includes the ever so lovely (and complex) Autumn Palette, (striped dahlias, Chinese lanterns, and dill flower heads), OR, you can check out the pretty and petite, much less stressed out fall flower arrangement on Our Sweet Life. Both beautiful, but one will leave you with more hair...



Our Sweet Life

Candles
The idea of candlemaking always makes me think I should don some eighteenth century dress and a bonnet. Not going to happen. But I would like to at least contemplate the idea of making my candles look awesome. Martha Stewart's piece on candle molds claims, "You can use any whimsical three-dimensional object found around the house to create a rubber candle mold." Then the site used the word "finial" and I started to drift. So I found this much simpler, maybe-not-as-dazzling-but-cool, autumn design at Ideas for Home Decorating, no bonnet necessary.

Ideas for Home Decorating

Autumn Wreath
And finally, who doesn't love to drive up to a house with a swoon-worthy harvest display on their front porch. Aside from purchasing the requisite scarecrow and pumpkins from your local craft superstore, usually a door wreath of some sort completes the effect. Martha's "Autumnal Wreath" is lovely, of course. But I'm wary of wreath-making, so I think I'll try the kid's version found at The Frugal Homemaker.



The Frugal Homemaker

I just need to find some leaves...

Don't be Martha, just be awesome - Part II: Best (and easiest) of Halloween cupcakes

As mentioned in my last post, Martha Stewart I am not. Most days I have only a few goals, which include (and are pretty much limited to) keeping my house at a manageable level of mess, cooking a healthy if not altogether tasty meal, teaching my children simple life skills (such as, tackling is not generally acceptable in most social situations), and hanging on to a shred of sanity.

Enter the holiday season.

Okay you mothers with homemade costumes/three-layer cheesecakes/candles/sweaters/wreaths/etc. You exhaust me. You really do. Here's your round of applause (see my hands clapping in a circle). But I have decided, in the interest of finding success, to keep my holiday homemaking simple and fun. Last week I showed you some crazy easy fall crafts; this week, I'm taking on the world of cupcakes.

So, I figured I'd save you some time and find the easiest way to make your usual Halloween suspects--no cupcake wars necessary. I know--you're welcome.

For the hairiest, scariest spider...


celebrations.com

This simplicity winner from celebrations.com gets my vote. I reviewed several spiderific creations online before settling on this as my favorite. Although some of the others were creative and cute, this is doable, and I'm a sucker for anything with sprinkles (as are my kids).

Ms. Fox's Sweets

 For the easiest, breezy ghost...

You would be surprised (at least, I was) at the complex ghost cupcake designs out there. But then I saw this at Ms. Fox's Sweets, and I thought, "Hey, all I need is a dollop of whipped topping and two somethings for eyeballs, and BAM! Spooky cupcake."

Pinterest

For the hippest monster...

A few weeks ago, I let my two young kiddos put some frosting and eyeballs on some muffins. Voila! Monster cupcakes. But I thought, in the interest of scouting out true creativity, to give you something a little more interesting for your monster inspiration. You can thank Molly Davis on Pinterest for this one.






Edible Crafts

For the crackalackin jack-o-lantern...

It's not fall without a pumpkin, and it's not Halloween without a jack-o-lantern. But how to make one without being handy with the orange frosting? Well, this idea from Edible Crafts had me chuckling--a winner for sure. You can make it more complex or simple as desired.


For the mousiest mummy...


Spoonful

And last but, you guessed it, certainly not least, a fresh and preschooler-pleasing mummy idea from Spoonful that puts the mouse in mousarific. If I can get past the frosting part, then the rest is a piece of cake.

Hah. I crack myself up.

Happy cupcaking!

Don't be Martha, just be awesome - Part I: Spookily easy fall crafts

I have to say, I don't spend too much time worrying about my shortcomings in the homemaking department. That's probably because I've never had any Martha Stewart aspirations. Basically, if my house is clean when I entertain and the food is edible, that is a "win" in my book.

Enter the fall/holiday season. Suddenly, my friends are talking about Pinterest cupcakes and harvest porch displays. Mouthwatering, homemade baked goods are showing up, uninvited, to play dates (spooky). Several moms I know are already sewing Halloween costumes.

Hmmm. This is all a bit overwhelming for a seat-of-her-pants mom/writer who gets a gold star at the end of day when she hasn't thrown any temper tantrums (or toys). But I decided, in the spirit of maybe not being the best mom ever, but perhaps being a pretty fun one, I could try my hand at a few fall crafts with my kids.

Nervously, I entered the land of Pinterest, where "Halloween crafts" scared the Martha Stewart right out of me. But I got a hold of myself and instead typed, "quick Halloween crafts."

The results of my search, and my "craft-making trial" two days later, are as follows:

1. Because Q-tips are cheap. Okay, for my two kiddos, this Q-tip skeleton was the winner! Not only was it easy to make, but it involved no paper cutting. It used five items: Q-tips, glue (I like the Elmer's sparkly stuff, as you can tell), plastic eyes, whiteout (for the mouth/head), and construction paper. This made it to the refrigerator door's "Hall of Fame." 

From "The Chirping Moms"

Mom Around Town

2. Because drawing around your hands is fun (and tickles). Nothing gets my kids giggling like drawing around their cute little hands. That's why I was thrilled with the hand-spider I found on Pinterest. My older child spruced hers up with pom pom feet and a white-out smiley face, but all you need is the following: black construction paper, something to draw with, scissors, and glue. This also made the refrigerator door.

 

From "TishAndTrey"   3. Because seriously, no one had posted a ghost sock puppet on Pinterest. Really. I really wanted to do at least one sock puppet, and I thought, "Hey, socks look a little like ghosts." Can you believe I actually could not find one on Pinterest? Well, here's to finding one's own inspiration. Yes, the sock is dingy (maybe I should do a blog post on whiter whites, huh?), and no, it did not make the refrigerator's "Hall of Fame," but it deserves an honorable mention nonetheless! There's no supply list for this beside a (relatively) clean sock.   So have fun and be creative! Kids don't need Martha, they just want to have fun with you.

Mom Around Town   Mom Around Town

Training your kids to “feed the pig”: Teaching money saving skills from day one

Money. It may not be able to buy happiness, but it sure does make your world go ‘round. And it seems, more often than not, that no matter how much of it you bring home, there’s never quite enough.

That’s supposed to be one of the beauties of being a child. It’s a time when bills and other financial responsibilities are a distant thought, if even a thought at all. However, the truth is a little less idealistic, because let’s face it, kids become aware of money and what it can do at a very early age.

The other day, my preschooler saw someone on TV step out onto a balcony. “We need to buy one of those for our house,” she told me. And I realized, like so many parents, that I have a long, hard job ahead of teaching my kids to save and manage money. How to begin?

Well, I started by asking an expert in the money saving business. And I found the perfect financial-education whiz in Jill Castilla, Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of Citizens Bank of Edmond. Here are some tips she gave me that can give any parent a head start on teaching their kids about money, spending, and saving for what they really want.

Money talks. No, I don’t mean you tell your kids to start bribing restaurant hostesses, etc. What I mean is that you need to have some talks about money. Castilla suggests you discuss your own spending habits with your children and explain why you did or didn’t purchase something. If your children are older, educate them about credit cards and how mistakes can have a long-term negative effect. Show them what credit reports look like and what they mean (these days, a credit score can impact everything from getting a job to even purchasing a cell phone). Use whatever personal experiences you can to bring the message home.

Discuss your own spending habits with your children and explain why you did or didn’t purchase something.

Sweeten the pot for your own children by matching the money they put into their savings account.

Open a bank account early (and maybe play a little 401(k) with them). Castilla encourages parents to open bank accounts for their children as soon as possible. That way, when kids receive birthday or other special occasion money, parents can discuss the benefits of putting the money in an account and saving for something bigger versus blowing the money on a toy that a child may not really want (an impulse buy—who does that?). Castilla sweetens the pot for her own children by matching the money they put into their savings account, a strategy that will have kids thinking about investments long before they land that first job!

Lead by example. And last but not least, Castilla emphasized the importance of teaching by example. Whether you’ve always practiced good money management or you need to turn over that proverbial new leaf, it’s never too late to watch your spending and start saving. Thinking through big purchases, resisting the urge to always buy on credit, and setting financial goals is as important for you as it is for your child, and you will establish a pattern of smart-money behavior that your children can model for years to come.

Setting financial goals is as important for you as it is for your child.

For more money education resources, check out the Parent Money Manual from the American Bankers Association or Feed the Pig.

Putting America to work? How 'bout them kids?

I remember my first job. Knowing that I'm female, you may be able to guess what it was. Ding, ding, ding! That' right. Babysitting. And I hated it. I was proficient enough to get called back frequently, but I often found reasons not to go, having decided that whatever I was saving for could not be worth several hours of toddler snot and baby poo.

Man, how my life has changed. :)

But anyway, my point is that kids are going to start thinking about ways to make money early on, especially when they see their friends with cool gadgets and whatnot. Next week, my blog post will cover how you can help your kids learn to save and manage money, but this week, I'm going to feature a few ways those youngsters can get more moola beyond the "Happy Birthday Princess" checks from grandma.

First off--the law. Quit your snoring and sit up. Here's what the federal government and the State of Oklahoma allow:

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets 14 as the minimum age for most non-agricultural work. However, at any age, youth may deliver newspapers; perform in radio, television, movie, or theatrical productions; work in businesses owned by their parents (except in mining, manufacturing or hazardous jobs); and perform babysitting or perform minor chores around a private home. Also, at any age, youth may be employed as homeworkers to gather evergreens and make evergreen wreaths.

Okay, so my little guys are probably not going to be making evergreen wreaths anytime soon (is that for real?), and I haven't had any television agents come calling (and Miley Cyrus really isn't making the case for my kids to have a future in entertainment), so let's talk about some of the top jobs your kids can do BEFORE they reach the magical age of fourteen.

Babysitting and mother's helper. This is probably going to be your child's--especially a girl's (sorry, it is what it is; at the present time, girls still do more babysitting)--best opportunity to make decent money per hour. However, a few things to mention. First of all, he/she needs to set a rate to avoid being taken advantage of by stingy parents (by the way, it is downright despicable to underpay your babysitter, so don't do it!). Also, check into baby certification courses. Oklahoma does not have a minimum age for babysitting, but you know your child and what he/she can handle. If your child is watching your younger kids or someone else's kids, and they are under fourteen, make sure someone close by is available to help them and that they are aware of what to do in an emergency. And starting out as a mother's helper is a great way to get experience for babysitting. (See more babysitting info on an earlier blog post.)

Landscaping etc. Weeding is an excellent source of income for any youngster (and bonus points for getting a hyperactive kid to spend that energy on something useful!). Raking leaves and other groundskeeping activities are good jobs as well. As for anything involving machinery, do your research as to what is legal and go with a "better safe than sorry" approach. I do not want to see a nine-year-old with a chain saw in my neighbor's yard. Just sayin.'

Cleaning. I'm not talking about your twelve-year-old going to people's homes alone and doing a floor-to-ceiling housekeeping. But if an elderly person or overwhelmed mom (or you!) needs a little extra help with household chores, this is an opportunity for your child to not only make money, but to take care of a home--something both girls and boys need to know before heading off into the world.

Neighborhood watch. Hah! You frowned when you read that, didn't you? I don't mean the real neighborhood watch. Instead, I'm referring to opportunities to help neighbors who are out of town feed the cats, clean the litterbox, tame the plants, collect mail, etc. And this is a great way to build strong relationships between your neighbors and kids.

Finally, what this all comes down to is making a parental decision about your children's level of responsibility and maturity. If they will be performing a job outside your home for a neighbor, let them practice it at home. Keep tabs on payment and job satisfaction (both for your kid and the employer), and not only will your child build up that bank account, but they will learn skills early on that will help them be the kind of people (and workers!) you want them to be.