5 last minute ideas to bring in da 'boo'

Happy Halloween! Did it sneak up on you like it did me? Whew.

We did manage to pull together a pink pony costume (thank you Pottery Barn Kids for having express delivery when the Bug changed her mind for the 353rd time), and I have a stock pile of Smarties and Twizzlers. {{I kind of halloweenied out on this one. I want enough candy to go round for the tons of little goblins that will be up and down our block, but I'm not interested in being the 'it' candy house.}} We pulled the "Trick or Treat" sign out yesterday and carved pumpkins, but I'll admit our house is lacking a sort of joie de "boo."

Thankfully, Google has come to the rescue. If you're feeling like your boo factor needs a last minute boost, here are five quick ideas to get your spook on.

what's up for the weekend: halloween edition

Looks like mother nature is playing one heckuva a trick on us (snow for Halloween? really!?!?). But it doesn't seem like a little icy rain and snow is frightening off all of the Halloween fun this weekend. Here are our spooktacular picks (and we'll keep you as up to date as we can about cancellations and reschedules on our facebook wall). 

FALL-O-WEEN at Port Discovery: Join Port Discovery for their annual FALL-O-WEEN Festival! Dress up in your favorite costume and enjoy fun and engaging activities and performances, including: Make a Tutu at the Tutu Fabulous Factory, Make Your Own Mummy, Wildlife Adventures, Halloween Drum Jam, Moonbounce, Cinnamon Bats with McCormick & Co., Inc. Performances by Mr. Norman and COMMOTION, and MORE! Saturday from 10 AM - 4 PM.

inspiration board: halloween snack ideas

So, I volunteered to bring the preschool snack on Friday. Kind of oddly excited about bringing preschool snack -- like maybe I'm a grown up? The Bug and I have been talking about her favorite things and what she might like to share with her friends. Then I remembered it was their last class before Halloween, so we should conjure up some spooky fun.

I chose a Friday to bring snack because I usually work from home on those days and don't schedue in-person meetings. It just so happens that this particular Friday, I agreed to present/facilitate a board meeting for one of my clients. A calendar fluke -- ugh. Enter mom guilt. And we all know that mom guilt manifests itself in overdrive.

So I've been scouring the web for some fun ideas that don't require going full-on Martha, and here's a collection of the best ideas I've found.

Because a spoon full of sugar helps the guilt go down-- right?

halloween costume inspiration board

When I was pregnant with the Bug, I had all of these daydreams about being the "perfect" mom. You know those daydreams -- the one where you get to be June Cleaver, Martha Stewart, Jennifer Garner and Sandra Day O'Connor all wrapped in one fun, "cool" mom. One such fantasy included making sure she had an amazing Halloween costume every year.  With the added illusion that I would make the costume.

Then reality set in. I don't sew.

{Insert eerie 'boohaaahaaa'  laughter -- it is Halloween after all}

Not to mention, my definition of 'perfect' has radically shifted. I'm just now thinking about Halloween costumes and it's how many days away?

With that in mind, here are a few fantabulous costume ideas I've found searching around the web. No mad sewing skills required. Pressure cooker deadline junkies perfectly ok.

national halloween costume swap day: two events near baltimore TOMORROW

Just 23 days until Halloween. Have your kids’ costumes yet? No? Consider swapping.

Green Halloween is sponsoring a National Costume Swap Day on Saturday, October 8th. According to their website, if half of American kids swapped their costumes instead of buying new at Halloween, landfill waste would be reduced by 6,250 TONS. Need a visual? That’s about 2500 midsize cars.

There are two swaps happening near Baltimore on Saturday:

• Baltimore Homeschool is hosting one at the Baltimore Homeschool Community Center from 11 AM - 2:00 PM. 
• The Town of La Plata Costume Swap is part of the Fall Community Yard Sale to be held at the same time on the grounds of La Plata Town Hall from 8 AM - 12:00 noon.

Find a costume swap near you or plan your own with friends and family! It’s not like that 2T ladybug costume from last year will ever fit the Bug again...

Image from Green Halloween’s Facebook Page

Cos-tutu Cute: Chic Halloween Threads for Mini Fashionistas

Public Service Announcement: It's October 8th. 23 more days until Halloween. Do you know what your cutie is going to be?

If the sea of plasticky Doras and acrylic princess dresses at your local Wal Mart is simultaneously over and underwhelming, cos-tutus by Happy Cakes Creations are a spooktacular alternative! Designed by Leslie Struzinski, the costume collection is both chic and practical. Personally, I love Leslie's modern take on the littlest witch. Who ghould be scared of such a sweet little thing? The fun 'n funky cowgirl is a costume that easily transitions from trick or treat to the playroom. It should come as no surprise to you that the lil ladybug is a favorite, too.

Not only are these costumes well crafted and adorable (Lila was a Jack-o-Cutie last year), they are easily layered for a chilly night of candy collecting. And the embellished beanies? Tres magnifique. Plus the hats pull double duty; Halloween night to your next apple picking.

You may remember Leslie's custom rainbow creation that the Bug sported at Wee Chic's Little Character event a few weeks ago. A definite crowd pleaser. In a sea of little girls dressed in pink and purple, our rainbow brite was easy to spot. Another great thing about Leslie and Happy Cakes. She's 100% amenable to custom orders - - just tell her what you need! Be sure to check out her celebrations line if you have an occasion coming up that wouldn't be complete without a special tutu.

For the full collection of costutus (yes, there are more!) and other things that will make you smile, visit the Happy Cakes Creations Website. And don't forget to tell Leslie that (cool) progeny sent you!