Knight (or king) and butterfly handmade Halloween costumes that are comfy (sensory friendly!) and fun for kids, plus ideas from other years.
Happy Halloween! I’m thrilled that my kids are loving their handmade king costume and butterfly costumes, and especially that they should see quite a bit of wear after Halloween!
October was pretty intense in our house. Mike was gone for nearly the entire month. I tried living in the moment, but definitely had moments of feeling overwhelmed. It is very nice to have both parents home again! I spent much of my free time unpacking (but not quite enough time to unpack all the boxes – there goes one October goal… The kids costumes came together beautifully, and we spent quite a bit of time outside – very easy to do when it doesn’t rain or get very cold!
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DIY Halloween Costumes for Children
November Goals
We are starting to feel settled in California. The kids were temporarily in three different schools (which I definitely do not recommend), but are now down to two. Lily is set for school, in a program I adore. I’m not sure what will happen with Johnny and Emma long-term, since we aren’t zoned for their current school, and it isn’t especially easy to get to from our home. They are making friends, though, and both like their teachers.
Goals for November:
- Make gratitude a focal point for the entire family. This is one I always like to do leading up to Thanksgiving, although I try to do it year-round as well. I’m excited to make a Thankful Thanksgiving Tree with the kids this weekend. Focus area: gratitude, simplicity, education, and responsibility
- Simplify – mainly belongings. We got rid of a lot of stuff when we left Massachusetts; now I’m looking to get rid of even more. I’m also looking to streamline chores as much as possible, and I are both trying to be careful about accepting commitments that take away from family time. Focus area: gratitude and simplicity
- Enjoy California weather!Because, while I miss many, many things about Massachusetts (including the rain, clouds, AND snow), I don’t miss the cold. Focus area: gratitude
Mike is officially starting his new job tomorrow, so time will tell how that plays out. I hope he loves it as much as he thinks he will!
What are your goals for November?
Do you have any handmade Halloween Costumes to share?
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MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
oH HOW i LOVE YOUR COSTUMES….AND i WANT YOU TO MAKE OURS NEXT YEAR! :) lOL!
I bet your girls could make these – they are pretty easy with LiEr’s tutorial!
I’m so glad Mike is back and you are starting to feel settled. I’m amazed that you managed to create such incredible costumes for all of your kids with everything else you have going on.
Thanks! It was a nice break from all the moving work!
I hear you on the simplifying. I feel like when we move I get rid of a lot of stuff. Then when I unpack, I think, “Why did I keep this??”
Exactly! Time to get rid of more stuff!
I always have a goal to simplify my life. Being pregnant helps with that. I’ve said no more times in the past 3 months than I have in the past 10 years. It’s great to know my limitations. I hope you come to a good decision regarding Emma and Johnny’s school next year We’re zoned for that school, but it’s pretty convenient. When J starts kindergarten we’ll have two drop-offs too, with an infant who won’t be able to bike commute (our preferred method of transportation) for a year. I hate driving in the area; biking is so much faster.
Hooray for saying no!
Oh, it would be fun having our kids in the same school! I think we will probably move closer, though. We are contemplating biking – do you have a route you recommend?
I have a great route! I’ll email you the route I take every day from work to get J from the same area. It’ll start to get (CA) cold and rainy by the end of the month.
Awesome! Thank you, Jessica!
I need/want to plant bulbs in November in order to get Spring flowers. It helps to get me through winter but I have yet to purchase bulbs. It’s high on my November goal list. And to work on gratitude. Glad you are settling in and have consolidated to 2 schools! Hope Mike has a great week!
What a great way to get through the long New England winters! I hope you get your bulbs purchased soon!
Their costumes are amazing! Nice work mama! Great goals for November!
Thank you, Christy! I was really happy with how they turned out!
The kids look great! We will be focusing on gratitude too.
Thanks! I love that Thanksgiving helps me remember to emphasize gratitude on a daily basis.
I’m swooning over those pictures of your four children! :) :) So much personality, cuteness, enjoyment!!
Well done surviving October with the school situation, Mike being gone, a new neighbourhood, and sooooo many boxes! I hope you find the decision-making getting rid of more stuff quite painless. I’m at the point where some things are out in the shed in a box and we’re not using them… but I can’t get motivated to get rid of them (what if we have another baby? I should really sell these but it’s so much work! etc etc). Maybe that’s my November goal, to ditch the boxes and remember I can buy stuff again if I need it! That and getting my blog back up… soon!!
Thank you, Elisa! They had so much fun dressing up this year!
I am getting better at getting rid of stuff, but I think I still need practice! I very rarely miss things I give away, so it is clearly worth it!
I hope you do get your blog back up soon. I miss it!
Wow kudos to you for taking care of FOUR kids sans husband! I think the longest I went without my husband was seven days and it was HARD… and that was with only one kid! I’m glad you’re starting to feel settled in California. I’m still pretty far from you but we do get gorgeous weather don’t we? Good luck to Mike on his new job! And happy halloween!
Thanks, Nina! I hope you had a great Halloween! California weather is definitely gorgeous!
I am glad that you are settling down. I hope your kiddos will enjoy trick-or-treating today. From what I understand, once you are in school, you are in even if it’s not your “official” neighborhood school, but perhaps it might make sense to move everyone closer next year, so they are together with their neighborhood friends…
That is my understanding, also, but I think we will probably move so we can be closer to home (and not drive on a main street in rush-hour traffic every morning). I need to call the local school to talk to them about it.
My kids had a blast trick or treating! I hope Anna did, too!
Surviving! Tara is getting married then, we have a vacation going on, bachelorette party, wedding clothes to make, and so much going on!
That is a LOT! I hope your vacation goes really well, and that the wedding is beautiful!
That backyard is reminding be so much of my father’s backyard in that area! The fence, the plants – everything! These costumes are amazing. I should get off the computer and finish my kids’ costumes!
It is classic California, isn’t it! What did your kids dress up as this year?
Getting rid of stuff is my ongoing, never ending goal. Continuous improvement. :) Moving definitely helps in a bigger scale. unfortunately, with my daughter’s birthday approaching there will be “receive more stuff” than we need.
Getting back to my workout routine and enjoying fall in Chicago are some other goals i can think of.
What are you doing in Chicago?
I’m anxious to get rid of more stuff before my son’s birthday, Christmas, and then Emma’s birthday!
We live in Chicago. I hope we can make another trip to enjoy the foliage before the winter sets in. Otherwise, we’ll keep playing with dry leaf piles in front of our house and the parks.
It’s hard when kids have birthdays around Christmas. Do you give gifts for all, combine? Hard decision.
I hear the leaves are incredible in Chicago in the fall!
Yes, I really struggle with the close-to-Christmas birthday! I try to have his birthday at least a little early to space things out a little.