Happy Halloween!

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Scary Good!

Okay, I'll be the first to admit, I don't really enjoy cooking with my kids. There, I said it. It's not that I don't enjoy spending time with them, because I do. I can just think of 1000 other ways that I would rather do it! It's not the kids that make it unenjoyable, it's the actual cooking itself.  Heck, I don't really even like cooking without my kids! I hate the preparation but even more than that, I hate cleaning up my mess!  I'm not a "cooker", never have been.  I do enjoy baking, but even that manages to stress me out if done in large doses! 

 But, I thought in honor of Halloween I'd suck it up, put on my Perfect Mom costume and do a few fun and easy Halloween cooking projects with them!  We found a couple of recipes online and got cookin'!

Hot Dog Mummies

(Makes 10) 

These were so stinkin' easy!  The kids literally did everything themselves.  All they really needed me for was to get them in and out of the oven and Hannah probably could've handled that if I had let her.

Ingredients

1 can of refrigerated breadstick dough

10 Hot Dogs

Mustard (optional)

Directions

*Separate the dough into individual pieces. 

*Use scissors or a knife to cut each raw breadstick into 2 strips

*Wrap the strips around each hot dog, starting at the bottom, to cover the hot dog like a wrapped bandage.

*Leave a small area unwrapped at the top (this will be the “face”).

*Wrap a final piece of dough around the end of the mummy in a turban fashion.

*Place the wrapped mummies on a cookie sheet and bake at 350° for 15 to 18 minutes until the dough is golden brown.

*Let cool for 3 or 4 minutes, then use the mustard to draw a face on the exposed area of the hot dog.

 Mummy in your tummy!

Tombstone Cupcakes

Makes 20 - 24

These were more work than the Mummies but the kids had so much fun making these!

Ingredients

*1 box cake mix

*16 ounces chocolate frosting

*3/4 cup chocolate cookie crumbs (we used oreo’s)

*Milano Cookies (or any oblong shaped cookies.  We used some vanilla sandwich cookies and pulled them apart.  We scraped the frosting out of the center and we got 2 “headstones" out of each cookie.)

*Black piping gel (you can find this at almost any grocery store.  Wilton and Betty Crocker both make it)

Directions

*Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions for cupcakes.

*Lick the beaters and crumble up your cookies while you are waiting for your cupcakes to cook.

*Once they are out of the oven and cooled completely, frost them, and cover generously with the cookie crumbs.

*Use the piping gel to write "RIP", Mom, or the names of every person in your family, like my kids did on each cookie.

*Stand each cookie up and push down into the top of the cupcake to create a headstone. 

Enjoy your Graveyard!

Eosino.........what?

In case you were wondering about this picture from yesterday's Wordless Wednesday post.........

It is Ethan in my bed with his "barf bowl" on his head.  It was taken on Tuesday evening after a long day spent in the hospital getting blood work and IV fluids to get him rehydrated after a week long bout of nausea and vomiting, likely due to an ugly beast............ 

Eosinophilic Esophagitis

  It's a mouthful, but this is the disease that Ethan lives with every single day. Thankfully, right now his E.E. is pretty well maintained but for a couple of years he was a very sick little boy.  Ethan was finally diagnosed almost 2 years ago after suffering for far too long.  Throughout everything, he always seems to have a smile on his face and a positive attitude.  There is no cure, only strategies to deal with the symptoms.  Luckily, Ethan doesn't have many flare ups but when he does they are doozies and they are heartbreaking for me to watch as there is virtually nothing I can do other than comfort him.  He is fully aware of the foods he can and can't have and although I know he feels isolated when he can't have the ice cream, cheese pizza and peanut butter sandwiches that his friends are having you will rarely hear this kid complain.

Wordless Wednesday!

Monday Moans...........

What better way to start the week than having my car and my hair begging for attention!

Yes, those are gray hairs poking up off the top of my head. No, I'm not happy about it.

It's Monday, enough said!

What's your Monday Moan??

When life gives you lemons..........

Make Lemonade!

That's exactly what Hannah and some of her friends did this past Monday. They decided to make the most of their day off of school and learn the value of hard work by setting up a lemonade and cookie stand!

I have to say I wasn't too optimistic. Truthfully, I wasn't sure they'd even break even. Well, I was proven wrong pretty quickly when barely and hour after they opened I got a phone call that they were out of cookies! So, I spent the next 4 hours running back and forth from the grocery store to the oven to the Lemonade stand keeping them stocked! Those girls gave me a run for my money I tell ya!

They had to be convinced to shut down for the night at around 6pm. They had a taste of success and they didn't want to quit!

The girls had such a great time and more than tripled their investment! Several of their friends came by and hung out and they even put some to work! They already have plans to do it again in a few weeks.

Tricks or Treats?

Ahh, Halloween is upon us. I have to say, I have a love/hate relationship with Halloween since I became a parent. I LOVE seeing the kids in their costumes and running door to door filling their bags with goodies. I LOVE watching them get so excited to get to stay up past their bedtimes so they can dump their loot all over the floor as they marvel at what they have collected!

What, I HATE is all of the hooplah that occurs in preparation for the big day! I always find myself stressing about costumes, accessories, etc and end up putting it off until the last minute. And the fact that they charge $30 for a costume that looks like it was made out of crepe paper and hot glue just adds insult to injury!

This year I had the kids start looking early. I was determined not to do my usual procrastination dance. We made several trips to the local Halloween store so the kids could get an idea of what they wanted. Once they made their decisions I got busy looking online for a better deal! I gotta say, I'm pretty darn proud of myself this year! I not only got their costumes early but I saved nearly HALF of what I would have paid at the local Halloween store! Plus, all three kids costumes fit, which is always a concern when ordering online.

It feels so good to have it done and just be able to look forward to trick-or-treating!

Now, lets see if it carries over to Christmas shopping! I'm not counting on it!