Halloween 2014

What do you do when 90% of the candy your child gets for Halloween is candy they can't eat due to dietary restrictions? Do something different!

 We went to trunk or treat with our local mom group earlier in October and while my boys had a blast when I was done sorting out what they could actually have since they are unable to have red dye there was about 30 pieces from 2 large buckets that were collected. My boys were crushed to have so much taken away. I knew I needed to do something else for Halloween night. So instead of going Trick or Treat we are having a party. A party with all safe treats for my little monsters. Thank heavens we decided this since it's snowing and extremely windy out.

Step 1- was picking out ideas for treats. I went to pintrest and put in the search parameters and let Jared pick what he liked. He now understands that red is bad for him and was pretty great at avoiding treats that he can't have. Then I took his list and made it more manageable for me.

Step 2- Find fun crafts that are easy for 2 young children to make for decorations. Again Pintrest to the rescue!

Step 3- The plan and grocery list. We had the hardest time finding the Ghost peeps and had to cut out one of the planned treats.  I made my list of what we were making and when. Since we home school we were able to take the week and have more crafting/cooking time. I love that flexibility!

Step 4- Start crafting/cooking! We had so much fun and boy was it messy but worth it. I had the party set up and ready the night before the party since normally Friday is full of errands, I didn't know it was going to be a weird weather day so I had to cordon off the party room from little fingers hehehe.

We invited our play date family for a time before the city Trick or Treat so they could still going Trick or Treating (again hello weather)

Spotify for music and lots of treats and we are ready. The boys dressed up because why not and I even ended up throwing something together since Jared was sure Mom needed a costume too!



Treats-

Sugar cookie cut outs
Skeleton Cookies - We used the sugar cookie dough instead of gingerbread
Popcorn balls with Goblin Snot - We called it Goblin Snot because the boys said it was more icky
S'mores on a stick - We found just enough of the Ghosts to make this.
Mummy Cupcakes - I used the candy coating instead of frosting and we didn't use m&ms since we avoid the red dye.
Dead Cow dip with Halloween chips-
      Dead Cow Dip (Moms party dip)

1 1/2 lb ground beef ( I used 85/15 because it's what I had on hand)
2 blocks cream cheese
1 jar salsa
      Brown and drain beef
      Add beef, Salsa, and Cream cheese to crock pot on low. Stir to melt the cream cheese and warm through. Put on warm and you have dip!


Decorations-

Fall color paper chain
Candy corn Banner
Ghosts- I used crepe paper streamers instead of TP
Bats
Painted pumpkin
Jack-o-lantern bottles 



Jared is C-3PO and Liam was supposed to be R2D2 but refused to wear it so Skelly Jammies and a little eye liner.


I'm a cat... fleece triangles on a headband some makeup and black shirt and pants. Done!

Playtex® Sport® Fresh Balance™

Guys Turn Away Here!!!!!











So I am not a tampon person and it has been a good 5ish years since I bothered to even use one. I have irregular and heavy periods and honestly tampons have never been a good fit for me, which of course this means when I go out to walk I am uncomfortable and anxious that my pad will leak. So I decided what the heck and gave these a try. I so far really like them. I was worried about them being scented because I have sensitive skin but so far no reactions. They haven't leaked as fast as I remember in the past and they are comfortable. I like the applicator and the package they each come in. Easy to open with the perforation and easy to insert. I think when I go for my long walks these will be perfect but for the normal heavy times like sleep I will still use my tried and true pads.

Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara

   I was really excited to try out this new mascara especially since my old one was about ready to hit the trash. I really like how easily this went on and the clumping was very minimal. When I blinked right after I didn't end up with those wonderful smudges under my eyes that I normally get. It lasted all day and my husband who normally doesn't notice changes in my make-up routine said that my eyes looked good. This is a huge thumbs UP for me and I am anxious to try out the other items in this line of eye makeup. Buy it HERE.

Kiss Everlasting French

The first item up for me to try from my Influenster Spring Fling VoxBox is the Everlasting French Nails. I am not a huge fan of the do it yourself nails normally but have high hopes since these are the real short length.
   They have 14 sizes in this box with 28 nails. I did have a difficult time finding a good fit for my thumbs but found a decent fit. To put them on was super simple with the glue on both the nail and my nail and the tab was nice not only for sorting but for keeping a hold of the nail when putting it on. I liked that the box came with a small file to remove the little plastic from removing the tab. They aren't as short as I would have hoped for being "real short" as normally I keep my natural nails to just over the tip of my finger.
  I have a very busy lifestyle with my 2 young boys so I am hoping they will last through more than one day like others I have tried in the past. The box says that they shouldn't chip and last 7 days with normal wear and tear. (do dishes, kid baths, laundry, and the normal scrubbing count as normal wear and tear?)


"I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."

Influenster Spring Fling Vox Box! Unboxing and Initial thoughts.

So after about 6 months I got picked for another VoxBox!  What's a voxbox? It's a themed box of items to try out and review and talk about from Influenster.com. 

In this box we have:
   *Playtex Sport Fresh Balance Tampons - Initial thoughts are that they smell STRONG! I am not sure how I will like these and as I am near the beginning of my cycle it will be a while before I have the chance to try them.
  *Kiss Everlasting French- Initial thoughts are that they are not going to work well for a busy mom. I am going to give them a whirl this weekend and see what I think.
  *Nivea Skin Firming Hydration Body Lotion- Initial thoughts are that the smell isn't terrible but we will see how my sensitive skin reacts.
  *Rimmel Scandaleyes retro glam Mascara- Initial thoughts are that a girl can never have too much mascara and a nice volumizing one will be nice. Can't wait to try it out side by side with my normal brand.
   *Peach Pie car air freshener.- I don't drive so I sent this bad boy with my Trucker husband to see what he thinks.





"I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."