He looked great to start with, but as time went on, his bandages started falling of! Of course, it was the first time for 'Trick and Treat' for the rest of the kids but they all turned up with some kind of hat or mask, a couple actually had costumes on. One mom had made her 3 kids capes using black plastic bags, this reminded me of when I was a kid, our rubbish bags were black so Halloween costumes were almost always made with a black bin bag! It is amazing what you can make with a black bin bag :o)
The kids weren't sure what to do at first, but soon they had got then hang of shouting 'trick or treat' and then they realised that this equalled getting sweeties, so they were charging off to the next house to demand some more bootie! Once we had done all the houses we came back and played some games, one was dressing the daddy as a mummy - yes that old favourite of wrapping people up with toilet roll. There were 2 dads so guess who got wrapped? LOL. They all took it in good spirits. We finished off with 'What time is it Mrs Witch?' Which sent kids screaming down the street hahahha.
All in all, it was great fun, Ebi-kun is already planning for next years event. I have to say a big thank you to Tammy-chan for helping organise it all. Thank you!
Today we have a couple of friends over, we will play a couple of games and have a ghoulish lunch, they have no idea what they are letting themselves in for....
I am pretty sure some continents have either gained or lost land! He spent an age trying to pick just the right pictures. When he was working on it, I put on some world music, it was funny listening to his comments about the music, there were one or two tracks when he would say something along the lines of 'I am glad that has finished, it was giving me a headache' LOL.
Talking of monsters, well zombies....here is Mr Ebi looking stunning, yes, that is a combination of toilet roll and bandages, we ran out of bandages half way through so we popped into the drug store on the way, highly amusing!
Ebi-kun wanted to wear his knight outfit, one of the days had a chat with him...
Squirt a ring of mayo around the base of the egg. Then using the paint brush, paint circles onto the top of the egg. Make sure the egg is dry - dab it with a kitchen towel if you are not sure, if it is not dry the dye will run.
Next, use the red to paint of the veins, I found that starting at the bottom worked best. Also dab a bit of red colour along the mayo.
Final touches, use the black to paint in the pupil and a thin black line around the iris, you can add flecks or blue to the iris too if you like.
Then make 3 small cuts half way down, this will be the knuckle
Cut the onion into thick slices, the cut the slices into slightly triangular pieces, pop the onion and weiners into boiling water for a few minutes. As they boil the fingers will bend slightly.
Dip the bottom of the sausage in the ketchup, then put a little ketchup on the weiner where the nail with go, add a piece of onion and you are done!
Last year I used yellow pepper for the nails, the onion was easier. You could use green pepper for monster fingers. Enjoy!
He has been busy making a continent poster, it is almost finished, we will probably finish the last bit today (especially since we are going to be housebound, the weather is awful).
Parts of a frog, he has recently taken to getting out the animal/plant puzzles again, I can see some extension work coming up soon with those.
An oldie but a goodie, I'm not sure how much longer this cube is going to hold up. He often gets frustrated doing this work but the last few times he has stuck with it until he has got all the marbles on the tees.
And like every kid, we have been collecting acorns (and putting them in my bag, more than once I have pulled out my purse to pay for something and a pile of acorns have flown across the counter, I should change my name to Totoro). This was one of those times when I wasn't really paying attention to what he was asking, the conversation went something like this...
We are still in need of Australasia, South America and Africa swap partners, sign up to join the fun.
You are probably wonder why I have posted a picture of my toilet on the blog, well the topic for That Little Bit Greener this week is water. I think the Japanese have a great idea with their toilets and would like to share with you! For starters it has a two way flush, big one for number two's and a quick little flush for when you have had a tinkle. Now, when you flush the toilet, the water in the tank washes your business away and the fresh water comes through a tap at the top, which means you can wash your hands and the water you use doesn't get wasted, it goes into the tank for the next flush - BRILLIANT. It also gets rid of the need of those ridiculous teenie weenie sinks that you have to have in new restrooms.
This loo came as standard with the house and has a bidet and heated seat, I can live without it but hubby likes it. We do, however only turn it on when we want to use it, I know many people leave it on 24/7.
Here are some quick and easy Halloween scrap busting ideas, Sew Mama Sew are having a whole month of scrap using ideas, I already have several bookmarked.
Spooky bean bags
Ghostie Pops
Pop your lolly (wrapper still on) into the middle of the circle, gather it together and hold it at the neck.
Tie around the neck, being ambidextrous helps here, if it is a bit tricky ask a little person to hold it for you. Then ask a little person to draw on a spooky face.
And finally, a Halloween wreath.
Starting with the white stuff and going clockwise - cottage cheese, simmered pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots, pasta and orange jelly in the middle.
Top L-R roasted potatoes, roasted pepper, banana cake
The actually grounds of the yochien are really big, they have a nice big yard and lots of climbing equipment, the place is old but the equipment looks well maintained (although they would probably close it down in the UK due to the over zealous health and safety rules). There are two sandpits, one for the little kids and another where they have little wheel barrows and shovels to dig with. For rainy days there is a big hall with a stage and a large music room decked out with enough instruments so every child can play something.
There is a big emphasis on art, they have a clay room with real clay rather than play-dough, each year they have an art festival where all the kids work gets put on display and the kids are encouraged to paint on BIG pieces of paper.
We were invited to try the clay room out and have a look around the library. The library has 7000 books and the kids can check out 2 a week and there is a book club too. I had a look at the books, there was a great mixture, not just story books but books covering all kinds of topics.
In the grounds they have 2 small rice paddies where the kids learn about the cycle of rice, they also have a veg patch and various animals, including 3 peacocks and a carp pond. I think each class also has their own animal, a rabbit or the such like. There are some wooded areas, perfect for collecting acorns and catching bugs - kid heaven I imagine.
So, although it is not a Montessori school, I do like what they have to offer. Other pluses are that the kids don't have to wear a ridiculous (and expensive) uniform. They have shorts and t-shirt and a smock plus a class cap. The bus will come and pick him up and drop him off at the door, which is fab since I don't drive and it is about 15 mins away by car. I also saw no character goods apart from a giant stuffed Moomin in the library. Some of the kindy's here think that is a selling point so the yard is full of Anpanman slides and the such. The priest is rumoured to be quite strict and with it being a Shinto shrine there is respect for all living things, kids are expected to thank the garden god and the animal god every morning.
Once I was happy they went off to the testers, a special thank you to Jackie and Kim for all their help. Each pack comes with the doll pieces and easy to follow instructions. Just pin, sew, cut and stuff - simple! I don't include the stuffing - Why not? you ask. Well, I have yet to find a supplier of organic stuffing who sell it at a reasonable price for to me include it, it would bump up the costs considerably if I included at the moment. The other thing is, many people buy organic softies because of the child's allergies and although organic stuffing is usually better some people still suffer with natural stuffing such as wool. I have included some links at the bottom of the post for stuffing suppliers.
Unlike many printed dolls on the market, these little guys have printed backs too, they look cool which ever way you look at them.
They have, or course been tested for size and cuddle-ability and passed with flying colours. The finished doll stands approximately 16" high.
The fabric used is certified organic cotton by Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS). The fabric is printed with water based pigments rather that reactive or acid dyes, making the process more eco friendly. The fixing process requires only heat so the fabric needs no water at all and very few chemicals. The doll pieces are washed to remove any trace of chemicals before they are packed.
They are available in my Etsy shop or on my new website, remember to tell me which colour you want and if you buy before the end of the month and put FREE DOLL SHIPPING* in the message to seller box I will gladly refund the shipping for you.
