Growing up I learned that Halloween meant homemade costumes. I know that a lot of my friends had store-bought costumes and loved them, but I love loved my homemade costumes.My mom was a mostly stay-at-home-mom, but worked convenient hours as a nurse and then as a nursing instructor. In my memory, she was around a lot and had great ideas for fun, easy and creative costumes. After we went to bed my mom would toil at her sewing machine for hours on our mice, cats and robots that we needed to be for the Halloween party the next day. The pictures of these glorious costumes showcase just how happy we were the next day with our tails just so, a medallion of homemade (cardboard) cheese hanging around our necks. We loved them. We loved our mom for making it perfect.
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Welcome to 2009. I still have the notion in my head that homemade costumes are better than store-bought. I know that store costumes can be wonderful and creative and downright perfect, but somehow, I still want to make them. You know, I stay at home with my kids, I have six (gulp!) bins of fabric in my stash that could be the perfect start for a costume. I love to sew. I love a deadline to force me to prioritize my life around projects. I was ready.
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This year, my kids all wore hand-me-down store-bought costumes. Was I bummed? Of course. Did I try to suggest thousands of other homemade costume ideas? Definitely. Am I disappointed that they didn't heed my suggestions? Not a bit.
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You see, this year I finally got it. I've been working on some home organizing and home improvement projects as well as helping out on some projects at Carl's school. Frankly, I didn't have time to work on their costumes. And, they LOVE the costumes that they wore. Carl as a Zombie, Gus as a Power Ranger and Louise as a fairy, or is that a fairy godmother? Instead of bribing them to wear something that I thought they would love, they wore something they chose. And they were free. Yep, I didn't have to spend a dime.
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Next year will I once again drag out the costume box brimming with ideas for a little homemade fun? You bet.
4 comments:
I think your pretty much cooler than the average mom and clearly your kids will benefit from the homemade costumes and all the one on one time.
love ya, miss ya!
I can really relate to this. I had such a hard time with the costume thing this year. (lots of handmade/ homemade costumes in my past too... plus all the gorgeous ones all around blogland...) Like you I realized that what I was holding on to was what I wanted for them and what I thought would be just right for costumes. I also realized that my kids were happy with what they had. My son asked a year ago to be Spiderman... and Spiderman he was. He already knows that he wants to be a knight for next year, or maybe Captain America...
Ooooooooooooo! The kids are way too scary - so glad we had the house closed up! Too much for old people to take.
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Kidding of course - they are very, very cute - and I agree with your friend - you're pretty much cooler than the average mom.
your kids are SO cute!
nicola
http://whichname.blogspot.com
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