Oh, heavens, it's that time of year again...
One of my closest friends and I have a running joke about the self-inflicted torture mother's engage in when it comes to doing crazy things in the name of loving their children.
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My friend's particular poison is birthday goodies. She doesn't spoil her kids -- far from it. She's not spending a pile of money on bouncy houses, but she's dedicated to giving the kids a party where everything is homemade and positively perfect. Starting a couple of months before her son's first birthday party she pulled out all her little Wilton's tips, made a cake and diligently mixed frosting so she could practice decorating the cake. That doesn't seem sooo neurotic, right? Would it seem more neurotic if I said she did it something like three times before the ACTUAL birthday cake?
(<--- Bitty's first Halloween! My little sweet pea.)
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Yeah, well, I'm not throwing stones. A) She's basically my sister-separated-at-birth and I love and admire everything about her dedication to raising amazing, godly children, and B) I'm sort of outlandishly neurotic myself when it comes to Halloween costumes. I don't know how it happens, but I always end up with way more money sunk into these toddler-equivalent-to-wedding-dresses than I mean to.
(---> Big Boy's first trick or treating experience at the United States Air Force Academy. He went as Route 66. I hadn't quite gone insane yet: His costume didn't cost much and the most labor-intensive part was hand-tacking the cars to the front.)
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Yes, it would make total sense for my youngest to wear the oldest's costume from previous years, but you see, I have a psychological condition that causes me to see this as some sort of injustice bordering on child abuse. I don't see a problem with hand-me-downs for everyday cloths. My kids generally live on others' lovingly-gifted castoffs and thrift store finds. Don't ask me to explain the contradiction here. Seriously. I wouldn't know where to begin.
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So this year I am gearing up once again for the circus that defines every October...(or at least the last few days of October, because I always fall hopelessly behind and end up stressing like a mad woman until the bitter end, even putting final touches on accessories during the car ride to trick or treat). This year, Big Boy wants to be a shark and Bitty wants to be Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon. I found some great pictures and tutorials to inspire me, and a friend even found a cool site that makes fancy Toothless hoodies already. (Though it will be a great reference, it sort of bummed me out to discover this isn't an original idea.)
(---> Begin the insanity...Bitty's second Halloween I made him a chef costume that turned out to be the cutest baby costume EVER. That year Big Boy got his own tailor-made scrubs and surgical mask, worn with Gran's stethoscope. Simplicity 3650 for both of these.)
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M-MaNQOTr-o/UHNebhVjKvI/AAAAAAAABNs/V3eSBrW3jLs/s400/batboy.jpg)
I do have some modifications to the Toothless Hoodie in mind, because Bitty's delicate 3-year-old sensibilities took offense to the hoodie's lack of big green eyes on top like his favorite dragon. (Sigh.) I also want his tail, which will be loosely based on Train to Crazy's dino tail idea, to have a red flap on one side and black on the other, like at the end of the movie. (WHAT AM I THINKING? HOW WILL I EVER GET THIS ALL DONE IN TIME?) Though the process photo below shows padded sleeve accessories with straps, I've changed my mind yet again and I think I've found a simpler approach for that bit of the costume.
(---> Last year Big Boy was Bat Boy. He was verrrry proud. McCall's M4951)
![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p2xxX_Pcgjc/UHNeiOBlVsI/AAAAAAAABOU/MBh_4NxrVCk/s400/posh+pirate.jpg)
(<--- Bitty played the Posh Pirate to a tee. The little pants came to his ankles, but he kept playing on the floor and causing them to ride up. The coat was legit velveteen to the tune of $18 a yard. I'm all about being frugal, but that sensibility seems not to extend to my costume ventures. Simplicity 2561)
Anyway, I recently took Rossie's Process Pledge, and I'm going to make a better effort to let you in on my projects -- at least the ones that go on over a period of time -- at the beginning of the process. So here goes!
First, sticking with Bitty's Toothless deal: So far I've purchased him a black hoodie, some loose batting to fill the tail and the most amazing fabric for skin on all the Toothless-specific embellishments. This stuff started somewhere in the neighborhood of $35/yard and I got it for $7. (I should go back and get more.) It feels like heaven and looks very high end for a reptile skin knit. I realize that sounds like a contradiction in terms, but I promise you it's not. It's amazing stuff.
I've sketched out a rough list of things I need to put together to embellish his hoodie and to make the tail. I haven't even touched the "wings" yet. I need to get started with the list I have so far and get back to those in a few days.
I haven't done one of these for Big Boy's shark costume yet, but I'll tackle that this week, too. When all this is said and done, I'll put together a tutorial and let you know what worked (and what didn't), for me.
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-whcbBlR8zQ8/UHNefskQCtI/AAAAAAAABOE/CcAWAW6MLXs/s640/dress+up.jpg)
(---> It doesn't have to be Halloween for this yahoo to play a little impromptu dress-up.)
What are your kids going to be for Halloween?
What's your motherly neurosis? (C'mon, if you have kids, I KNOW you have one!)