Take Me To Your Leader

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about how I had purchased my daughter's Halloween costume (a penguin), instead of making it, and about how I had made several costumes for her. This is one of them. It was not for Halloween; it was for our local 4th of July parade a couple of years ago. Daddy made her spaceship and Mommy made her costume. The next day, she made the front page of the paper.

Any excuse to play dress up...

Jack-o-Lantern

Here is my 3 1/2 year old's jack-o-lantern. I carved it tonight - as per her instructions. She helped by scooping out some of the seeds, which I roasted with olive oil and a little sea salt at 350 until the house smelled delicious. She also used her little butter knife to "help." My daughter wanted circle eyes, a nose like her nose, and a mouth like her mouth. This is the best I could do. I must say, this year's jack was so much easier than last year's. Last year, she wanted octagon eyes, a square nose, and a toothy smile. OCTAGON EYES!!! But Mommy did her best. Tonight, Jack was too wet to put a candle in, so I solved the problem by putting a little flashlight in a Ziplock Baggie. And now, I'm going into the kitchen for a handful of pumpkin seeds...

Preschool Spider Craft

My three-year-old (whose favorite color is green) made this spider & web craft at the Natural History Museum on Sunday.

All you need are 6 notched popsicle sticks, 2 little pieces of double sided tape (or Mom can hot glue the sticks together) 1 pipe cleaner cut into fourths, and yarn.

Attach the popsicle sticks with the tape (as shown).

Starting from the center, wrap the piece of yarn around a notch, then go to the next stick and wrap around another notch. Continue until you run out of notches. Wrap around last notch a couple of times to secure.

Put the four pipe cleaner pieces together and twist. Bend each of the spider legs once. Put your spider on its web.

Trick-or-Treating through the Natural History Museum

We went trick-or-treating through the Natural History Museum this afternoon.

In the North American Mammals Hall, a woman playing Mary Anning introduced us to a juvenile triceratops (designed with Jim Henson Studios). My three year old was a scared of the triceratops and wanted to stand at the back of the hall; it looked and moved as if it were a living creature. (Mary Anning did not discover triceratops fossils, but the character makes a great narrator for the NHM's Dinosaur Encounters, and the woman playing her was excellent in that she interacted with the children very well.)

At the NHM's entrance

My three-year-old does not want her picture taken.

When my husband found the penguin in the Bird Hall, I of course wanted to take my daughter's picture with it. My daughter did not want to be photographed, as you can tell by her crossed flippers.

Her bones weigh 6 pounds.

Trick or treating in the Dino Lab

Seated on her feet in front of "Mary Anning," learning "She sells seashells by the seashore."

Daddy holding Daughter in the Spider Pavilion

Here is what they're looking at. (Orb Weaver Spider)

Mommy, still dressed as the mommy penguin, is holding Daughter's costume.

The pumpkin decorating table was set up in the NHM's Edible Garden.

Pumpkin decorating with foam stickers, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, and markers.

In addition to trick or treating, the NHM also had pumpkin decorating, mask decorating (which we didn't have time for - my baby penguin was worn out and fell asleep on the ride home), and a scavenger hunt (which we didn't do, but will in a couple of years). I really appreciate that the NHM made this event so kid-friendly.

The Things We Do For Love...

Some of last night's to-do list:

• stop at craft store on way home from work for "Duck" tape
• make dinner
• hand-sew seam of store-bought adult penguin suit (half of the head wasn't attached, seam had come apart)
• iron two penguin suits and feet
• reinforce penguin feet soles with penguin-print "Duck" tape

Words I Never Could Have Predicted Myself Saying...

"Okay, but just wait a minute while I iron the penguin suits!"

To Quote My Child...

"Mommy, I want you to pretend to be a trash can."