I had to show this because, darn it, it was just too cute.

Here’s is Ivy’s school Halloween/Harvest costume. They had to go as farm animals today and so I shamelessly ripped this idea off from Martha Stewart. I LOVE how it turned out!

Get your lollipop off the window.

That little minivan is for Barbie to sit in, not YOU!

Just tell your feet to talk quietly please.

No, you can’t change your mind and be a French Fry for Halloween.

Stop brushing your teeth with mashed potatoes!
(this one is my all time favorite. don’t ask.)

I swear this girl has a comfy bed to sleep in…

For more Wordless Wednesday, head over to 5 Minutes for Mom!

Expecting a baby with a 2 and 4-year-old in the house presents plenty of challenges. But, one of the easiest to fix has been answering their curious questions about what exactly is going on in mommy’s tummy.

Obviously, there is a great deal we don’t/can’t share with a two and four-year-old, but I have found a way to allow them to be involved without freaking them out too much.

On my first visit to the dr. I got the requisite package of freebies and giveaways designed to convince me to buy a certain brand of formula/maternity magazine/etc.

Generally, I toss those things before I even get home, but I decided to take it this time and create an “Our Baby This Week” poster board to show them how our little one is growing and changing. I keep it displayed on the family lockers in the kitchen so they never miss any new developments with our little one.

It was pretty easy to do (I just cut out the pictures for the appropriate week and the description) and replace the previous week’s pics on the poster each week. The girls love it because they can’t wait to see how the new baby is growing and I love that it keeps them engaged in the pregnancy. It’s a win/win for everyone! And, I’m thinking it might actually make the wait to meet their baby brother a little less frustrating since they get to see all the ways he is changing and growing.

For those of your pregnant with baby #1, this is a great way to keep a dad-to-be in the loop, too!

So, that’s what is working for me this week. For other cool tips from moms across the blogosphere, check out Shannon’s Dryer for Works for Me Wednesday!

Want me to be totally truthful today? Here you go.

I am SO over politics right now.

Not shocking I know but, people, I am done. Done, done, done.

I don’t blog political things here because I just don’t feel like it. It might lead some people to believe I don’t have anything going on upstairs or that I don’t care about important issues. I do. But, I am not so ridiculous to think that anyone who reads my blog is doing so to find out what I think about hot button issues.

You’re here to listen to me tell stories about frightening children with livestock, right?

Yeah, I thought so.

But, today I have reached my limit in political posts, tweets, Facebook updates, etc. I am ready to move on past this. I’m ready for our country to STOP arguing. I am ready to stop sitting in front of TV news while surfing news sites on my computer. I am ready to stop obsessing over this news story or that featured article.

And so, tonight, I am going to vote. Then I’m turning off political news, chatter, articles, etc. I’m going to take my responsibility to vote seriously and then I’m moving on to something really important.

Like, you know, Halloween…

Dear Honda,

Let me start by thanking you for making perhaps the greatest mommy van on the planet. The Odyssey’s ability to withstand such preschool art materials as crayons, markers, pudding, etc. is just fantastic. Who knew a headliner could be so resistant to chocolate pudding stains? And giving moms a carpet that can absorb both orange juice and jello simultaneously while maintaining that lovely shade of grey is just heaven sent.

But, might I add one slight improvement? I think a pane of soundproof privacy glass between the front and rear seats might be just what the Odyssey needs to ensure it’s place in the “History of the Best Inventions for Mothers.” It could take it’s place right under the epidural.

And, you know, I’d be happy to test that improvement for you. Consider it market research. I won’t even ask that you give me credit for the idea.

Friendly Tip of the Day: Always assume a pregnant woman is not as far along as she looks. And NEVER argue that she must be closer to her due date than she says. Really, it’s for your own personal safety.

Over the last week or so, I’ve heard:

• So, are you due, like, any day now?

• I’ll bet you’re ready to have that baby by now.

• Wow! You really are big for 5 months!

• Yeah, I knew when I saw how big you were that you were having a boy.

• Your doctor must be wrong. Mark my words, you’ll be having that baby in January.

–
I’d like to note that these things were said by 5 different people on completely different days. And, also for the record, I have lost 17 pounds this pregnancy and I am still wearing my regular jeans. Which I am saying only to make myself feel less like the huge pregnant whale I apparently resemble.

Though according to my husband, I look less pregnant now than I did before I was pregnant to which I say, Gee, thanks?

Sarah Lyn and Kelly Mac!

I’ll be dropping both of you an email to get addresses and you’ll be getting your Everybody’s Nuts Pistachios in the mail soon. Prepare to be addicted!

Thanks, Thomas for sending this my way. Check out the site here.

Okay, so Martha Stewart I am not. ‘Cause I’m guessing she wouldn’t be caught dead decorating for Halloween with pipe cleaners and googley eyes. But, then again she doesn’t have a 2-year-old and 4-year-old to decorate with, does she? So, geez, stop being all judgy Martha. We can’t all be super human creative geniuses.

(P.S. Martha, you’re still my hero so give me a call sometime. I’ll introduce you to a whole new world with pipe cleaners. I’m just sayin’.)

Anyways, we got bored last weekend and decided to make use of these funky gourds we bought at the pumpkin patch last week. I had a million cool ideas that I found in a certain someone’s awesome Halloween magazine, but my girls are a little behind in the carving skills department so we opted for something a little more preschool.

So, cue the googley eyes. We let the girls use q-tips, Elmer’s glue, pipe cleaners, and eyes to make these bumpy, crazy gourds into bumpy, crazy monsters.

I’d give you a how to, but it’s pretty self-explanatory so I won’t insult your intelligence. But, if you’re looking for a fun and easy way to let kids make some unscary Halloween monsters this might be right up your alley.