10/29/18- Mason's Howl (For the 8th Annual Halloweensie Contest)

“I’m so hungry!” Mason shouted.  “I’m prepping the cauldron now,” replied daddy.  Snap, crackle, pop went the fire as water began to boil.  “How about frog’s breath?” daddy asked. “Yuck!” growled Mason.  “Slimy snail shells?” said daddy.  Mason shook his head side to side and declared, “no!”    

“Okay.  How about pickled rat?” asked daddy.  Mason shivered at the thought: “gross!”  “Hmm…” daddy thought, “I think I’ve got it…” Mason’s fang curled into a snare and with the word ‘no’ forming on his lips, daddy exclaimed “Candied spider legs!”  Mason’s snare changed into smile and licking his lips, Mason howled, “yuummmm!”

10/22/18- Halloween in Phoenix

I love Halloween, and all the associated activities that come with it!  And it seems like in the  year 2018 there more activities that we do with our children than I did as a child-- pumpkin patch, fall festivals/carnivals, trunk or treats, Halloween parades, Halloween decorating/large lawn displays, and making Halloween specific food, beverages and crafts, and straight up trick or treating. I only remember doing just trick or treating as a kid! And I remember how hot it'd get some Halloweens here in Phoenix, that you wanted to ask your parents if you could just wear your bathing suit to trick or treat in.

And when it's hot outside, sometimes it's hard to get in the mood for all things Halloween.  I love how great the winters are in Phoenix, but seriously, sweating (and possible dehydration) to death in your costume when it's 100 something out on Halloween night is just no bueno. It kind of kills your Halloween spirit: last year we hardly put out any decorations and just barely made it to the pumpkin patch.  It was 95 degrees last year when we visited the pumpkin patch!  At night!  Good thing the pumpkin patch served snow cones. 😅

However, this October for the PHX has been blessed by some rain storms that have lowered the temperatures, and we've been in the 80s as far as the weather goes!  So even though I just got back from Minneapolis, where the leaves turn color and there is frost nipping in the air (a real proper fall for Halloween festivities for sure!), I've definitely been more into Halloween this year.  Bobby and I have put up 3 blow up Halloween characters, flickering lights, gravestones, chains, and six pumpkins so far!  The last part, six pumpkins, is because every time we see a pumpkin somewhere, Jack insists we get one.  And since Bobby and I are both more in the spirit this year, I'm like, well you are right Jack, we do need more pumpkins! 

We've also been crafting the shark out of Halloween.  I may have a small habit with buying the Target dollar bin Halloween crafts, but there are some really cool crafts, like a mini wood pumpkin puzzle that you paint yourself or a string a shoelace through a black cat, that are perfect for young kids. We've also been doing some fun Halloween STEM experiments, like glow in the dark slime, mad pumpkin, and glow stick in a jar (coming soon to STEM Spark).  We're also reading lots of Halloween books, including Five Little Pumpkins.  And Jack is so into all of it!

It is so wonderful and special to be making all these memories together, but what I'm secretly pleased about is that he is back into costumes.  Last year he didn't want to wear a costume at all, and that was weirdly hard for me-- I think because I loved playing dress up so much as a kid, so I couldn't comprehend how he didn't have that exact same love for dress up?  But as I came to acceptance on this matter, he has decided this year that costumes are great!  He's most likely going as a super hero this year: most likely The Incredibles' Dash, Batman or Superman. He was Superman as baby, so *tear* if he dresses up as Superman this year.  I will be going as Margret Hamilton, STEM person extraordinaire, and if you also are thinking about a STEM costume this year, you can check out my post on STEM inspired costumes here.

In summary, I love Halloween and am so thankful that the weather in Phoenix is adding to the enjoyment of the holiday. Also pretty excited that my little one is really into it and wanting to dress up!  Tell me what is one of your favorite things about Halloween in the comments below, and Happy Halloween everybody!  May you have Spook-tactular one!
 

10/2/18- My Baby is Four (where the shark did time go?!)

Almost a month ago Jack turned four!  I have no idea where the time went, and I don't just mean these past four year, I mean this past month!  I was going to finally write up Jack's birth story (because it was kind of like one you'd see in a Hollywood movie), but time has just slipped away from me and now you just get this post-- the cliche where does time go; life is so busy?!

My current time management issues are my fault though because I've bitten off a lot; however, I think I can chew it all.  How did I get so busy?  Well for one, I finished the second Annie Aardvark book!  Yay!  Then I decided on top of family and my engineering day job that I'd also start a new blog, called STEM Spark.  Then I also decided it would be a good idea to launch the second Annie Aardvark book through a Kickstarter campaign right after launching the new blog!   

I took on all these things not because I'm crazy, but because I am just super excited and optimist about these projects.  I have been forced this month to be more efficient in the work I do, aka not spending so much time watching cute animal videos on the Internet! I also have the support of Bobby, which helps all lot in "balancing" it all.  Plus, now at age four, Jack is able to entertain/play by himself for short durations while I work (like 20 minutes is all you need to write up a Kickstarter thank you).  Watching him grow from a baby to toddler to pre-K child has been amazing!

I'm so blessed to see him grow-- he's spatial reasoning skills are something to be envied; his vocabulary and letter/number reading is expanding more and more; and he's able to dress himself, which as an adult you think isn't that hard, but watching Jack learning to put a shirt on, while you realize just how much practice and learning a simple skill like dressing yourself takes!  Of course in his quest for independence (again, yay for dressing yourself), he's pushing hard on the boundaries we have set for him, and the tantrum seem even worse/longer at age four than at age three.  But I know it's all apart of the growing process, and I hold onto hope that soon-ish we'll find the happy medium of Jack's independence and parents' boundaries/rules (she said naively).

I just have to also add that Bobby and I threw a pretty shark fin b-day party for Jack (if I do say so myself) in the middle of all these new projects... which is probably why we all had colds last week (kicking shark fin takes it out of you!). That and the"weather change" in Phoenix. We're no longer in the 100's!, although there's always a chance we'll have another 100 degree day in October, haha.  Anyway, we're all better now, so upwards and onwards!

No sleep till Brooklynn...well in this case, no sleep till the Kickstarter is done and the book is released!  I hope everyone has had a great start to their fall! Oh, and one day I'll write Jack's birth story cause it's pretty amazing (of course I'm biased, but for those who do know the story, it is not much exaggeration to say it's something out of a movie).  Happy fall!