40+ {Easy} Homemade Costumes for Kids

Keep this amazing list of over 40 Easy Homemade Costumes for Kids nearby because Halloween is fast approaching! There's something special and fun about homemade costumes that everybody loves. Nothings garners more oohs and aahs than a well put together DIY Halloween costume for kids. All of these homemade costumes are easily made…no seamstress skills or design degree needed!

Here's some costumes kids will wear all year round.

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40+ {Easy} Homemade Costumes for Kids

Kids LOVE Homemade Halloween Costumes!

• Before you look at anything else, stop and check out this DIY Glinda and Wicked Witch of the West homemade Halloween costumes. -via Simple As That
• Make homemade Halloween costumes extra fancy with some Face Paint Ideas.
• Easily make a Lego costume with an empty appliance box and some spray paint. -via Kids Activities Blog
• Cardboard boxes, aluminum foil and duct tape are the basis of this amazing robot costume.   From Small + Friendly.
• Have a kid that's gotta catch them all? Check out our easy no sew Pokemon Ash costume! -via Kids Activities Blog
• Have your kid go as a book character! Isn't this Charlotte's Web halloween costume so adorable?! -via Seeker of Happiness
• This red fox costume is made from an old jacket and a sweater along with a few other crafty materials.   From The Paper Mama.
• I am so making this lumberjack costume this year! I love easy homemade costumes for kids. -via Make It and Love It
• You are going to fall in love with this If You Give a Mouse a Cookie costume. -via Seeker of Happiness
• A big can of spray paint and a handful of thrift store items made this incredible toy army man costume from Wild Ink.
• Your kids will make a lightening entrance in this cute rain cloud costume. -via Fairfield World
• This Statue of Liberty costume is easy for you and your kids to make together.   From Milk and Cuddles.

You'll Have So Much FUN Making these Homemade Costumes!

• You probably already have most everything you need to make this Minion costume inspired by Despicable Me right at home! From Hodge Podge Craft.
• Here's a budget friendly Halloween costume idea — I want to eat this pizza costume right up! -via DIY network
• This Starbucks tall caramel frappacino costume gives me a "latte" joy! Just sayin'. -via Costume Works
• Use a roll of toilet paper to make a simple mummy costume! -via Kids Activities Blog
• Duuuuuuude. Here's a fun homemade hippie costume. -via Eat Sleep Make
• Beginner readers will adore this Olivia costume…and you will too! -via Seeker of Happiness
• Make your own mermaid costume by creating these simple, no-sew mermaid tails from shiny fabric, velcro and super glue. From Living Locurto.
• Butterfly in the sky…I can fly twice as high! Take a look…at this felt monarch butterfly homemade costume! -via Buggy and Buddy
• If you have at least a little sewing ability you can make this awesome Angry Birds costume. From I Can Teach My Child.
• Grab a pair of overalls and some burlap and make this easy scarecrow Halloween costume. -via Costume Works

So Many Homemade Costume Ideas

• If you have a little boy that is a Frozen fan, he will adore this incredible, no-sew Kristoff costume. From Mom Endeavors.
• You can make two incredibly awesome light up jellyfish costumes for under $30! I love this homemade Halloween costume! -via The Mama Mary Show
• This tutorial for a Buzz Lightyear costume is amazing and it requires no sewing!   From Fun at Home With Kids.
• This is such a great idea! Use a cardboard box and spray foam insulation to make this homemade popcorn box costume. -via Costume Pop
• Make a beautiful pair of wings for a ladybug costume with a little leftover cardboard. From No Time for Flash Cards.
• This UP old man costume is so stinkin' cuuuute! -via Brit & Co.
• If your kids love Rio, you can make this fun Blue costume out of felt.   From Mama Miss.
• This garden knome costume is a quick project using old clothes from home. From Adventure in a Box.
• Use empty soda bottles to make this adorable scuba diver costume for kids! -via Delineate Your Dwelling

DIY Costumes Make the BEST Kids Halloween Costumes

• Make this beautiful rainbow fish costume (no-sew!) from pieces of felt.   From Here Come The Girls.
• This no-sew supergirl costume is so much fun for a little girl!   From Mama Papa Bubba.
• Little boys and girls will cheer for this diy viking costume. -via Lia Griffith
• Easily make a fireman costume with this DIY air tank made from recycled plastic bottles.   From Crayon Box Chronicles.
• My Little Pony fans will LOVE this Rainbow Dash homemade costume! -via Grosgrain
• Star Wars fans will love this Rey Star Wars easy homemade costume with a very detailed tutorial. -via Galactic Glitter
• One of the easiest DIY costumes I've seen is this amazing scientist costume from Happiness is Homemade.
• A diy unicorn costume? I am pretty sure this homemade costume is MAGICAL. -via Craftaholics Anonymous
• This Diary of a Wimpy Kid costume is adorable and incredibly easy to make.   From Living Locurto.
• Words do not describe how awesome this Young Maleficent homemade costume is. -via Dear Lizzy

What costumes are your kids requesting this year?   If you have any more DIY costume ideas we would love to have you share them with us over on our Facebook page!

The post 40+ {Easy} Homemade Costumes for Kids appeared first on Kids Activities Blog.

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Sriracha Stem Pickles on Freshly Preserved Ideas

Those of you who’ve cooked from The CSA Cookbook know that I love to use the odds and ends of vegetables in my recipes — in part because I try to waste as little as possible in the kitchen, and because these “scraps” are vegetables in their own right, full of flavor and texture.

Chard stems are one such scrap that’s sometimes discarded or composted when recipes only call for the tender leaves. The stems, however, have a mild flavor that plays well with other ingredients and a pleasant crispness similar to celery ribs. If you find yourself with a good handful of stems, don’t toss them — pickle them!

The sriracha pickling brine in this recipe is spicy and tangy, but not so much that you can’t taste the food. It can also be reused for another round or two of chard stem pickles after you eat through the first batch. Best of all, they’re refrigerator pickles, meaning no boiling water bath is necessary, and beginner canners need not be intimidated. Just grab a jar and go! Get the recipe here.

This is the fifth and final recipe post in my summer-long collaboration with Ball Canning. I hope you’ve enjoyed the series, learned a thing or two, and felt inspired to try something new. If you missed any of my previous recipes, you can check them out at Quick Pickled Roasted Beets, Balsamic Strawberry Jam, Fiesta Peppers, and Chipotle Tomato Jam.

I can’t thank you enough for your support of this partnership and for your enthusiasm in raising money for charity on International Can-It-Forward Day. Let’s do it again next summer! Send your feedback to the folks at Ball Canning on Twitter or Facebook if you’d like to see me continue this series.

For more canning recipes and inspiration, head over to Freshly Preserved Ideas.

This post is brought to you by Ball Canning, for whom I’m a paid ambassador. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Garden Betty.

'Tis the season for beautiful summer produce! The CSA Cookbook will help you cook your way through a CSA box, farmers' market basket, or backyard bounty. Buy it on Amazon or get a personally signed copy directly from my online store!

More From Garden Betty

• Chipotle Tomato Jam on Freshly Preserved Ideas
• Balsamic Strawberry Jam on Freshly Preserved Ideas
• Quick Pickled Roasted Beets on Freshly Preserved Ideas

from Garden Betty http://ift.tt/2dPmGSU

10 Hardest Things About Being a Dad

Dear Moms… this one is for Dad.  Share this with him and let him know that you get it.  

Dear Dads… be the best dad that you can be.  You will make more of an impact than you know.  Yep, “Dadding” is hard, but worth it.

“Dadding” is one of the most exciting, yet terrifying journeys of your life.  You can be the best dad and you’ll still get those well wishes and misguided advice that will swirl around you.   Yep, a few key points are left off of the brochure to Dadland.

The 10 hardest things about “Dadding”

1. You will have to go from good cop to bad cop in 0-60, so buckle up, Buttercup. The joys of discipline. We all want our kids to do right and eventually enter the world as strong, responsible, and moral adults. We want to impart lessons and be respected, all while being able to have some sort of a friendship with our children when they are adults. Basically, the goal is to raise an adult you would actually want to spend time with. Yet, none of us wants to be the dad whose kids hate them, or have nothing but memories of a strict upbringing and lots of yelling/punishments, which leads us to the next difficult thing about being a father…
2. Practice walking on a tightrope, now. The balancing act that today’s dad faces isn’t the same as what our fathers’ or grandfathers’ 9-5 schedule meant for them. Many of us work multiple jobs to make ends meet, and the toll of living in the cyber age is a pricey one to bear. Smartphones make it hard to put work away when we are home, so finding that work/life balance isn’t easy. Find time for your kids.
3. Focus on Quality vs. Quantity
   The key here is focusing on the quality of time spent vs. quantity. This is made even more difficult for the single dad, whose children might not be with them every day. Making every minute count, and establishing a strong line of communication with your kids are both important.
4. You can’t duct tape them into bubble wrap suits. Here’s the thing… each stage seems like it’s the hardest yet, and at the time, it is. But try to appreciate each step, because eventually, it won’t be the fact that they aren’t sleeping through the night and you’re exhausted… it will be that you’re up waiting to hear that key turn in the door, hoping you were able to teach them how to make smart choices and protect themselves. As dads, that’s our thing.
5. Be the protector… and then let go. We are the protectors, but in this day in age it is harder and harder to do, especially as they grow. Gone are the days when the bully only harassed kids at school or on the playground. Thanks, again, to the age of technology, we have cyber bullies that kids cannot escape.  Talk to your kids and teach them what to watch out for.  Teach them to COME TO YOU when they need something and to talk to you.  Don’t judge them – just listen and try to understand before you give your advice.
6. How can you help give them their best chance education-wise, when the homework is pretty much too hard from second grade on? We live in strange times, when a college degree doesn’t guarantee job security, but a strong education is still a major door opener. How can we compete with video games and the fast paced/ short attention span era our kids are growing up in?  Talk to your kids – that’s how.  Play with them.  Get outside and do something with them.   Your attention is easily the winner over a game – try it out and see for yourself.
7. Homework can be a bonding time.  Homework is happening a lot more these days… more hours of homework when you are just getting home for the evening and you still have to fit in dinner, bath time for the kids, and get out a tiny bit of family time before falling into bed for the night and starting all over. Do what you can to make homework time fun, be there, providing support, help instill good study and research habits. Find educational apps to add to that brain-building bonding time, and end the night sharing a story. This is the stuff they will remember.
8. You won’t want to let them down, but also won’t want to end up with a bratty kid. As you are probably starting to gather, the running theme of the hardest aspect of dadding, is balance. Kids are growing up in an age of entitlement. There are nine-year-olds walking around with newer iPhone models than I have. Don’t let them be entitled. Teach the to be grateful and talk to them about that. Don’t buy them everything, even if you can.   Teach them the value of hard work.
9. Give them more – but not more stuff. Yes, I want my kids to have more than I did, but at what cost does this come, and where do we draw the line? How do we provide what they need, as well as some of what they want (teaching them that important difference) while instilling a good work ethic.
10. Savor each moment, each milestone, each fight as they strive to break away and become independent, because your child will morph from demanding “my first” when feeding themselves into holding a hand out for your keys, in what feels like one breath. One day, you will be sitting there, wondering where the past twenty years went, wishing you could go back and do it all over again.

 

Check out these projects for kids to do with dad for a little more “dadding” time.

The post 10 Hardest Things About Being a Dad appeared first on Kids Activities Blog.

from Kids Activities Blog http://ift.tt/2dgMmJu

10 Hardest Things About Being a Dad

Dear Moms… this one is for Dad.  Share this with him and let him know that you get it.  

Dear Dads… be the best dad that you can be.  You will make more of an impact than you know.  Yep, "Dadding" is hard, but worth it.

"Dadding" is one of the most exciting, yet terrifying journeys of your life.  You can be the best dad and you'll still get those well wishes and misguided advice that will swirl around you.   Yep, a few key points are left off of the brochure to Dadland.

The 10 hardest things about "Dadding"

1. You will have to go from good cop to bad cop in 0-60, so buckle up, Buttercup. The joys of discipline. We all want our kids to do right and eventually enter the world as strong, responsible, and moral adults. We want to impart lessons and be respected, all while being able to have some sort of a friendship with our children when they are adults. Basically, the goal is to raise an adult you would actually want to spend time with. Yet, none of us wants to be the dad whose kids hate them, or have nothing but memories of a strict upbringing and lots of yelling/punishments, which leads us to the next difficult thing about being a father…
2. Practice walking on a tightrope, now. The balancing act that today's dad faces isn't the same as what our fathers' or grandfathers' 9-5 schedule meant for them. Many of us work multiple jobs to make ends meet, and the toll of living in the cyber age is a pricey one to bear. Smartphones make it hard to put work away when we are home, so finding that work/life balance isn't easy. Find time for your kids.
3. Focus on Quality vs. Quantity
   The key here is focusing on the quality of time spent vs. quantity. This is made even more difficult for the single dad, whose children might not be with them every day. Making every minute count, and establishing a strong line of communication with your kids are both important.
4. You can't duct tape them into bubble wrap suits. Here's the thing… each stage seems like it's the hardest yet, and at the time, it is. But try to appreciate each step, because eventually, it won't be the fact that they aren't sleeping through the night and you're exhausted… it will be that you're up waiting to hear that key turn in the door, hoping you were able to teach them how to make smart choices and protect themselves. As dads, that's our thing.
5. Be the protector… and then let go. We are the protectors, but in this day in age it is harder and harder to do, especially as they grow. Gone are the days when the bully only harassed kids at school or on the playground. Thanks, again, to the age of technology, we have cyber bullies that kids cannot escape.  Talk to your kids and teach them what to watch out for.  Teach them to COME TO YOU when they need something and to talk to you.  Don't judge them – just listen and try to understand before you give your advice.
6. How can you help give them their best chance education-wise, when the homework is pretty much too hard from second grade on? We live in strange times, when a college degree doesn't guarantee job security, but a strong education is still a major door opener. How can we compete with video games and the fast paced/ short attention span era our kids are growing up in?  Talk to your kids – that's how.  Play with them.  Get outside and do something with them.   Your attention is easily the winner over a game – try it out and see for yourself.
7. Homework can be a bonding time.  Homework is happening a lot more these days… more hours of homework when you are just getting home for the evening and you still have to fit in dinner, bath time for the kids, and get out a tiny bit of family time before falling into bed for the night and starting all over. Do what you can to make homework time fun, be there, providing support, help instill good study and research habits. Find educational apps to add to that brain-building bonding time, and end the night sharing a story. This is the stuff they will remember.
8. You won't want to let them down, but also won't want to end up with a bratty kid. As you are probably starting to gather, the running theme of the hardest aspect of dadding, is balance. Kids are growing up in an age of entitlement. There are nine-year-olds walking around with newer iPhone models than I have. Don't let them be entitled. Teach the to be grateful and talk to them about that. Don't buy them everything, even if you can.   Teach them the value of hard work.
9. Give them more – but not more stuff. Yes, I want my kids to have more than I did, but at what cost does this come, and where do we draw the line? How do we provide what they need, as well as some of what they want (teaching them that important difference) while instilling a good work ethic.
10. Savor each moment, each milestone, each fight as they strive to break away and become independent, because your child will morph from demanding "my first" when feeding themselves into holding a hand out for your keys, in what feels like one breath. One day, you will be sitting there, wondering where the past twenty years went, wishing you could go back and do it all over again.

 

Check out these projects for kids to do with dad for a little more "dadding" time.

The post 10 Hardest Things About Being a Dad appeared first on Kids Activities Blog.

from Kids Activities Blog http://ift.tt/2dgMmJu

Sriracha Stem Pickles on Freshly Preserved Ideas

Those of you who've cooked from The CSA Cookbook know that I love to use the odds and ends of vegetables in my recipes — in part because I try to waste as little as possible in the kitchen, and because these "scraps" are vegetables in their own right, full of flavor and texture.

Chard stems are one such scrap that's sometimes discarded or composted when recipes only call for the tender leaves. The stems, however, have a mild flavor that plays well with other ingredients and a pleasant crispness similar to celery ribs. If you find yourself with a good handful of stems, don't toss them — pickle them!

The sriracha pickling brine in this recipe is spicy and tangy, but not so much that you can't taste the food. It can also be reused for another round or two of chard stem pickles after you eat through the first batch. Best of all, they're refrigerator pickles, meaning no boiling water bath is necessary, and beginner canners need not be intimidated. Just grab a jar and go! Get the recipe here.

This is the fifth and final recipe post in my summer-long collaboration with Ball Canning. I hope you've enjoyed the series, learned a thing or two, and felt inspired to try something new. If you missed any of my previous recipes, you can check them out at Quick Pickled Roasted Beets, Balsamic Strawberry Jam, Fiesta Peppers, and Chipotle Tomato Jam.

I can't thank you enough for your support of this partnership and for your enthusiasm in raising money for charity on International Can-It-Forward Day. Let's do it again next summer! Send your feedback to the folks at Ball Canning on Twitter or Facebook if you'd like to see me continue this series.

For more canning recipes and inspiration, head over to Freshly Preserved Ideas.

This post is brought to you by Ball Canning, for whom I'm a paid ambassador. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Garden Betty.

'Tis the season for beautiful summer produce! The CSA Cookbook will help you cook your way through a CSA box, farmers' market basket, or backyard bounty. Buy it on Amazon or get a personally signed copy directly from my online store!

More From Garden Betty

• Chipotle Tomato Jam on Freshly Preserved Ideas
• Balsamic Strawberry Jam on Freshly Preserved Ideas
• Quick Pickled Roasted Beets on Freshly Preserved Ideas

from Garden Betty http://ift.tt/2dPmGSU

10 Things You Need For A Super Halloween Party

We love hosting parties – especially kid get-togethers because they are just so much fun. (And you can still get to bed early!) This year we are thinking of throwing an epic Halloween party complete with costumes. Doesn't that sound awesome?

Here are our top picks for everything you need to host a great Halloween shindig. We found all of these on Etsy, our partner for this post. They have some of the best stuff!

10 Things You Need For A Super Halloween Party

Every great party starts with an invitation! We love this one because it's super cute. If you aren't partying in celebration of birthday, you can leave that line off.

This spider garland is a fun way to add just a little spook to your decoration without being too scary.

Then you can sprinkle this Halloween confetti on the tables! Confetti just makes everything more festive.

Blow up a few balloons and your party decorations are almost set! These black and orange polka dot balloons are the perfect colors.

We love taking funny photo booth pictures at parties. These Halloween props are perfect for that!

For a sweet treat, bake your favorite cupcakes then add these Halloween toppers – so easy.

Or get a batch of these incredible Halloween sugar cookies that look so nice I almost wouldn't even want to eat them!

You could also make some fun chocolate pumpkins with this plastic chocolate mold.

Grab these festive paper straws to add to your drinks.

Add a Hershey bar to these ghost party favors for a fun treat on their way out.

Halloween Party Games

Mummy Wrap. Give each team of two people a roll of toilet paper. Whoever can wrap the other up like a mummy first, wins!

Pumpkin Races. Placing a small pumpkin at the starting line, have kids race to push their pumpkin to the finish using only a broom.

Halloween Charades is the easiest game of all! Before the party, write down all sorts of Halloween words the kids can act out like mummy, zombie, pumpkin, witch, scarecrow, etc.

We think with these fun ideas you might just have the best Halloween party ever!

The post 10 Things You Need For A Super Halloween Party appeared first on Kids Activities Blog.

from Kids Activities Blog http://ift.tt/2dk3xWt

10 Things You Need For A Super Halloween Party

We love hosting parties – especially kid get-togethers because they are just so much fun. (And you can still get to bed early!) This year we are thinking of throwing an epic Halloween party complete with costumes. Doesn’t that sound awesome?

Here are our top picks for everything you need to host a great Halloween shindig. We found all of these on Etsy, our partner for this post. They have some of the best stuff!

10 Things You Need For A Super Halloween Party

Every great party starts with an invitation! We love this one because it’s super cute. If you aren’t partying in celebration of birthday, you can leave that line off.

This spider garland is a fun way to add just a little spook to your decoration without being too scary.

Then you can sprinkle this Halloween confetti on the tables! Confetti just makes everything more festive.

Blow up a few balloons and your party decorations are almost set! These black and orange polka dot balloons are the perfect colors.

We love taking funny photo booth pictures at parties. These Halloween props are perfect for that!

For a sweet treat, bake your favorite cupcakes then add these Halloween toppers – so easy.

Or get a batch of these incredible Halloween sugar cookies that look so nice I almost wouldn’t even want to eat them!

You could also make some fun chocolate pumpkins with this plastic chocolate mold.

Grab these festive paper straws to add to your drinks.

Add a Hershey bar to these ghost party favors for a fun treat on their way out.

Halloween Party Games

Mummy Wrap. Give each team of two people a roll of toilet paper. Whoever can wrap the other up like a mummy first, wins!

Pumpkin Races. Placing a small pumpkin at the starting line, have kids race to push their pumpkin to the finish using only a broom.

Halloween Charades is the easiest game of all! Before the party, write down all sorts of Halloween words the kids can act out like mummy, zombie, pumpkin, witch, scarecrow, etc.

We think with these fun ideas you might just have the best Halloween party ever!

The post 10 Things You Need For A Super Halloween Party appeared first on Kids Activities Blog.

from Kids Activities Blog http://ift.tt/2dk3xWt