Dress rehearsal...

I'm almost finished the costumes... this being my last day off before Halloween (I love that Halloween is on a Saturday this year, it's going to be so much fun, and so much less rushed), I thought I'd better try them on to see what else needs to be done. I think we're okay. I'm going to outline Spongebob's features in black, and maybe Plankton's eye, to make them pop out more. I am still working on Spongebob's hat, as the glue isn't holding for me. But if he has to go without a hat, he's fine with that. The masochistic over-achiever in me is tempted to drive to the city today to pick up more craft foam and PLASTIC CANVAS (thanks Teddi!) to see if I can make a Squidward and Mr. Krabs for Cory and I... but I think common sense might prevail and I'll put that off until next year.

So... here's our "dress rehearsal".

My little Plankton! She was NOT IMPRESSED that I had the audacity to try her costume on a week early, but I think that scowl lends authenticity to the evil genius character.

"Get me outta here!"

Okay, technically my Patrick Star didn't really want to be in his costume either... but Spongebob was happy as can be, because I let him be a Spongebob Leopard. He was wearing his costume from when he was 2. He won't believe me that it's getting too short for him...

So, in the spirit of trying on all the costumes in the house... here is what we are NOT going as this year! :)

"The Village People meets Thomas the Train..."

More Halloween Preparations

Okay... so today I continued to feel ambitious and now I have part of two more costumes made. I'm really pleased with how these have turned out, but the bodies still need some work. I'm going to have to put on my thinking cap to do the finishing touches on these.

Some more photos:

Plankton, his evil eye, unibrow, and oh-so-creepy feelers. These are going to be adorable on my sweet little daughter! :)

My Patrick hat... I am very, very pleased with how this turned out. I sewed felt on to one of those waffle-y type plastic craft thingys (no idea what they're called, obviously, but you know what I mean, you weave wool through them to create various items that people buy at craft fairs to store in their junk closets).Our costumes, thus fair, hopefully safely out of reach on top of the piano... but doubtful!Connor modelling his Patrick ensemble. Here's where I need to work on the body. Either looser, shorter shorts... or something other than a snowsuit. Not sure yet, but it's just not working for me.
And then, of course, modelling Sponge Bob (see, I fixed the eye!) and proving to me that it isn't "too big for me!"

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

Yesterday my Dad and I worked on a project together. Something that we haven't done in YEARS! It was a lot of fun and I think we did this idea justice, if I do say so myself.

Here are the initial stages of our Halloween prep. Dad built the body and I drew and cut out the face.


The hat still needs work and I have to glue the spots and belt onto the sides and back, also... we seem to have lost a pupil, so I'll have to repair that. But here's the efforts of a zany Sunday afternoon! :)

The next step, of course, is the sidekick. Every good hero needs a sidekick. Connor, being 2 and not yet indoctrinated into the sexist stereotypes he'll learn once he starts going to school, is perfectly happy to don his sister's pink snowsuit (she doesn't fit it yet), from which I'll fashion the cutest little starfish buddy ever! :) Stayed tuned for the finished Patrick and Spongebob's nemesis, Plankton (who's having her nap right now)... green sleeper, feelers, unibrow...

... and some video

It was really great... I felt guilty taking my camera out, but then right at the beginning of the concert Anthony instructed us to take as my photos and videos as we'd like... so... I did!!! We didn't actually bring our video camera though, so these were shot on my camera, so because of that, I kept them short.

The Wiggles Go Bananas concert

We declared today "Family Fun Day!" It was awesome (hmm... am I dating myself, using that word?). We drove to Prince George in the morning so that there would be NO chance that we would miss the concert due to construction delays... or worse, snow on the highway. I dropped Kirstin and Cory off at my parents' place to catch an afternoon nap, while I took the boys to McDonald's (their choice) for lunch and then some shopping at a place which I shall not admit to shopping at (hint, it has a McDonald's in it...). The boys were great! We had a really nice time, and it's fun to spend some one on one time (two on one, technically) with them. Everyone now has winter boots, a winter coat, new pants, etc. We're set to go!

After picking up the other 40% of our family, we headed over to the Multiplex to finally see the Wiggles live, something we've been eagerly anticipating for weeks now. Now, I should explain that my kids do not merely like the Wiggles, the LOVE the Wiggles. Which means we LOVE the Wiggles. The Wiggles can calm a tantrum instantly. The Wiggles can make a long, stomach churning, car ride very calm and mess-free (when Connor watches DVD's, he doesn't watch the moving scenery). The Wiggles can buy me 25 minutes in which I can get supper made. The Wiggles rock!!!

Turns out, they're pretty amazing entertainers for us, too! We had a blast at the concert and I'm grateful that we got the opportunity to see them live. It was so much fun! The start of our adventure...
Trying to entertain the kids while we wait for the show to start. I (apparently the "Family Fun Day Dictator") ensured that we arrived 30 minutes early to find parking and our assigned seats.

Wow... they look like brothers here! Both have the same goofy grimace.

Sam Wiggle - he's not Greg, but he's an amazing singer and did a fabulous job, maybe we'll give him a chance after all! :)

Jeff and Anthony Wiggle

Toot Toot Chugga Chugga Big Red Car... (Alex wanted to know if the Wiggles had a Big Red Plane they used to fly to PG in?)

Wake up Jeff!

The closest I've ever been to a celebrity... Murray walked right down the aisle and stopped right beside Cory and Kirstin to say "hello".

There' this is a slightly clearer shot... I was a bit more prepared with the camera.

My personal favourite... Captain Feathersword!

And Henry the Octopus... Connor seems to have gotten over his dislike of Henry. He used to bring me the remote control to change the channel whenever Henry was on t.v.

Dorothy the Dinosaur

Kirstin intently watching her favourite band.

Wags the Dog - some children actually brought bones for him... too cute! The thought never occurred to me.

Fruit salad...

Yummy, yummy!

Actually, he kind of reminded me of Violet Beauregarde from the old '70's version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory...

Another fruit in the salad...

Twinkle, twinkle little star

There's the whole gang!

The finale... the streamers floating down from the ceiling looked really cool!

The concert was amazing, and the kids did really well. Kirstin lasted about 45 minutes before she was squirming to get away. I bribed her with some licorice, spread out over the second 45 minutes and she stopped crying and watched the rest of the show. Connor fell of his chair onto his face, at one point, and Alex was too shy to stand in the aisle with the other kids so he could see better. Other than that, the afternoon went flawlessly!

After the concert we did a little more shopping and let the kids burn off some energy running down the fairly empty halls at the mall. Then we wrapped up our family day with a dinner at Jake's Steakhouse, and called it a night!

Tomorrow, is a stay home and recover day! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

One month later...

Well, it's been 61 days of Wii Fit now, so I thought I'd post a quick update. First... not updating my 5 readers daily has meant that I am not nearly as motivated to work out as I was in August. There is no accountability... no one to 'fess up to... and no public humiliation. Apparently, I work better that way! (Hmm... maybe I should post "before" photos of my house in an effort to embarrass myself into cleaning it... or post our monthly budget... or the scrapbooking I am NOT doing... so many goals, so little determination)

Having said that, I didn't do too badly. In the past 31 days, I skipped 6 workouts. So, to put a positive spin on that, I worked out 25 of the last 31 days! Yay me!

Two months into Wii Fit, I still think it's a neat tool, however I must admit I'm getting a tad bored of doing the same excercises every night. But, since I know my husband is one of my few blog readers, I'm sure this is a blatant enough hint that I would love a new game for the Wii Fit for Christmas.

I am definitely developing better balance, whether that's all it's cracked up to be, or not. I'm getting better at some of the exercises, and I can run faster and longer than I did at the beginning. I'm still no fitness guru, and a marathon would do me in, but I'm not competing with anyone else, just me!

This month I lost 2.4 pounds altogether, and have seen my BMI decrease by .33

Slow going. At 2 pounds a month, I'll be slim and trim, sometime late in 2011! I guess that's not a bad thing. Apparently the slower you lose it, the easier to keep it off? At this rate, it's never coming back! :)

Just a beautiful autumn Saturday...

Yesterday was cool and windy, but cloudless. I shirked the housework that I usually spend all day Saturday and Sunday doing, and got my priorities right. We declared it "Family Fun Day" and after a stroll to the playground, we ordered pizza and snuggled up to watch "Monsters Vs. Aliens", which is a surprisingly good show!

So... some photos of my kids before the snow sets in and I have to bundle them up in kid-obscuring layers of padding.