Seasonal Fun

Find a Sweat Suit to Transform into a Creature Costume

September 23, 2018 by Cassie

When it came time to make little Jack a doggie costume for Halloween several years back, I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it. That same year I had made an infant a bunny costume from scratch and it had almost killed me.

So I got creative: I would just skip the hard part and buy a little brown sweat suit and sew spots and ears on it. It was a dream to make and took me less than an hour to put it together. The moment I finished I thought “anyone could do this,” and a few years later I would finally launch my Etsy shop selling kits to turn sweat suits into creature costumes.

The beauty of making a costume with a sweat suit is that it’s comfortable, warm and your kid can wear it year-round. These days I don’t have as many kits in inventory but I am selling patterns. Both are easy ways to make it happen and some of the patterns require no prior sewing skills!

Step one though is finding a sweat suit to transform. Here is my go-to list and some new additions this year:

It’s on the more expensive side, but American Apparel always has tons of colors and sizes for kids and adults.
I also found a shop new to me, Primary, that has a great selection of plain hoodies, and the quality is really nice and definitely worth it for a suit your kiddo will want to wear a lot. (My daughter spent most of pre-school in a shark hoodie.)
H&M has a “Basics Shop” in their kids section that has inexpensive colored hoodies. (They also have adult choices too!)
Amazon has lots of choices (this year I got a Leveret suit and the quality is amazing; my kiddo will wear all year!)
Hanes has a good selection for older toddlers and young kids.
Target has a pretty good selection online and in stores.

Let me know if you find other great options!

Plan a Fun March Madness Menu

March 31, 2018 by Cassie

I love any excuse to make a fun dinner menu. You might not necessarily think that a college basketball tournament could be culinary inspiration beyond game food, but I think it is!

Not only are seasonal or event-inspired menus more fun to eat, and turn what could be a regular weekend meal into something exciting, they are really fun to plan.

Here are my starter ideas for building fun menus around March Madness:

The “madness” menu. There is a lot of opportunity here and it’s mostly repackaging a menu centered around one food and slapping a madness name on it. My favorite one of these that I have repeated a few times has been “mushroom madness,” where I featured mushrooms as the centerpiece of the meal. Starting with mushroom crostini or stuffed mushrooms, a main dish of mushroom risotto or one year a wild mushroom pasta dish, etc.
The “final four” menu. This could be anything from a four-course dinner to four dishes inspired by the final four teams. This is where as a cook, I love a challenge to come up with creative ways to incorporate a theme. Today’s matchups could be great inspiration. For example, how could you bring Illinois, Michigan, Kansas and Pennsylvania into your menu?
The “versus” menu. I haven’t officially decided but I think this is where I’m heading for tonight’s menu. For example, I could pick the Kansas vs. Villanova matchup and run with it: Kansas barbecue vs. the Philly cheesesteak? Or maybe just a two-course main dish that is one dish vs. another.
The “Cinderella story” menu. I have yet to do this one, but what a great excuse to take inspiration from some of the Cinderella stories this year. Whether you go full-on princess theme (peasant girl or fancy), or are inspired by a specific college, there is a lot of opportunity here. Bonus points for discussion of the teaching points on the value of hard work and believing anything is possible.

The best part is it you could make just about anything work and it could be a lot more fun than the standard Saturday fare you were thinking about. Take a shot!

Photo by Ryan Graybill on Unsplash

Give 14 Days of Valentine’s

January 31, 2018 by Guest Maker

This guest post comes from my friend Diana. I have seen her share the pictures and the delight on her kid’s faces, and asked her to share the love!

Back in 2012, when Pinterest was still new to me, I ran across a pin describing a fun way to countdown the daysfrom February 1st to Valentine’s day; the 14 Days of Valentine’s! I’m the type of mom who cuts her kids sandwiches into shapes that correspond to the season or holiday and I put jokes and notes in my kids lunch boxes. I’m always thinking of little ways to make my three kids feel loved and thought of. When I saw the idea from a blog called We Love Being Mom’s (so cute!), I knew I had to start this tradition.

Attach cute little tags with messages to a treat, snack, toy or small gift. I’ve had to alter what I use based on my kids getting older and what I can find every year. Most items can be found at dollar stores or the supermarket and are inexpensive. I also collect the tags and ribbons and reuse them every year. I hang a Valentine’s gift bag on the back of my kids’ chairs around our table and slip the surprise in after they go to bed. Even at 19, and nearly 16 and 14 years old, my kids still get excited for February 1st!