Monday, November 6, 2006

Halloween...

Yes I know its old news now....  I'll just have to edit the date I guess. We had a nice Halloween, Both kids had class parties at school. One Monday and one Tuesday. And Hubby was home to go Trick or Treat on Halloween Night. I was quite relieved I really did not want to go by myself with the kids just because doing all those kinds of things alone make me feel so "single-parent" - esqe and I don't like the feeling. Plus, I feel like Hubby is missing important things if he misses those things like trick or treating.

 

Our adventure began a few weeks before Halloween, when my oldest told me he wanted to be a Blue Peterbilt for Halloween, and the younger one just looked at me funny every time I asked him what he wanted to be. I began a search for cardboard to construct a Blue Peterbilt, the local appliance store gets their appliances in styrofoam and shrink wrap.. and the local gift store had none, I'd have gone dumpster diving for some except it had been raining for a week straight... so I did the next thing that popped into my head.. I called Dad He had boxes from just moving.  The night he and my Mom brought me the boxes.. the kids spent hours playing in them....

 

, and I started to wonder if they might want to be shipping cartons for Halloween....  That night Jamie finally decided he'd like to be Tow Mater.. from Cars. So.. Mommy the cardboard construction engineer.. went to work...

 

and on the Friday before Halloween I had the basic shapes done. On Saturday I was a little out of sorts all day...

 

We had to go to a bake sale and to buy duct tape and spray paint for the costumes. One of my favorite parts of this adventure was buying shiny duct tape... By Saturday night I was violently ill. And so I spend most of Saturday night trying not to throw up all over myself. Consequently I spent Sunday in the horizontal position on the couch vaguely watching my children through one slightly open eye, sipping water and ice... (And lucky me while ice was the only thing I could eat at all.. I broke a filling, on a lousy weak half melted piece of ice no less)

Monday morning as I dropped the little one aff at school, another parent mentioned coming back up for the Halloween party.. that I had forgotten was on Monday, not Tuesday (since there wasnt preschool for Jamie on Tuesday... And so... I raced home and slapped the wheels on Mater, and made the eyes for mater and attatched his hook. I rushed out the door with him only for his wheels to fall off and fly under the car..  flustered but not beat I found the wheels ran back inside and plugged the hot glue gun back in. glued the wheels on and headed out again once more.  to take Mater to a waiting and concerned preschooler, who was thrilled to see Mater...

 

I had to spruce Mater back up a bit at home, fix the hook it came off and reglue a wheel, and add his mirrors, but as the preschoolers paraded around the Junior High all the kids recognized Mater, and Jamie was a little star struck by being such a celebrity. LOL...  After School I began the task of putting together the  Blue Peterbilt.. I stayed up all night and At 5 am I decided I needed an hours nap, before our normal wakeup time or 6 am.. so I went to bed...When I woke Ian I told him to go check the kitchen, because his Truck was done, and he paid me the greatest compliment there is. From the other room I heard a delighted and awed 6- year old voice giggle and oh w-o-w this is the coolest truck int he whole world. Some days being a Mom is a great thing...

The object of 6 year old awe?

 

We took the semi to school where it was greated with much of the same kind of enthusiasm and appreciation from kids and adults alike. Dad's said "hey thats cool" and Mom's said " Thats cool, I wouldn't know where to start on that kinda thing" and kids just "ah"-ed and "cool"-ed..

And once again, I managed to Impress my husband. I've said it before, He is not regularly impressed by my creative antics. I can ear apart the car door to fix the power the window that has jumped its track, and he is not impressed.. but making a semi out of cardboard, spray paint and duct tape. That impresses him.

 

This is how I impress my husband.... lol

 

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9 comments:

  1. Those really turned out great! I can't believe you pulled it all together so well after being so sick.

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  2. Thank You :) I crashed on Wednesday.. it all caught up with me then...

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  3. Very cute! I love the 'Mater one.

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  4. Thi sis some awesome handiwork, I work with young kids at the local YMCA, & I made a lot of costumes for them this year. Let me tell you, it's easy to appease a child 6-8, but after 8, you better whip out a mechanical robot they can trail behind because they won't be amazed be your hot glue gun skills.Keep it up, be prepared for next Halloween!

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  5. Great project! And great exercise for everyone's imagination! Plaudits!

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  6. I am so impressed. First of all, there's someone else out there who feels single-esque sometimes. My hubby gets home at about 9:00 each and every night, and almost everything I do is as a "single parent." Second, I remember tearing apart our clothes dryer and putting the entire thing back together, including the drum, and MY husband was not impressed. I told everyone I ran into about that. I must say that I impressed myself, but not Hubby. So, I know how that feels too. Third, I thought I was doing good to go to the store and BUY my 8-year-old's Halloween costume! You rock!!

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  7. thank you all for the compliments. :) I think we will be keeping the truck for a long time, Ian wants to add lights and more to his semi... we maybe using it again next year..
    CJ - I think I'll start involving them so they can learn to make their own costumes, then if they want mechanics they can build them .. LOL

    Stedawa - Thank you.. If there is one thing that can really make me feel accomplished its using my creativity.

    Essy - I know all those feelings... My husband is gone all week driving truck so on one hand I feel single parentish but I stay home because I feel its important that I do, especially since Hubby is gone so much. Those mechanically minded fixes just dont impress my husband because he knows i'm capable of that kind of thing.... And LOL somedays going out to buy anything is an accomplishment.. sometimes remembering is the big accomplishment.

    Lauren - thank you :)

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