We have one little boy that’s six years old and an adorable set of twins, 10 months. We decided we wanted to dress the babies up for halloween, even though they are a bit young. We always take our son out on that holiday and then we visit our family so they can see him all dressed up. This year we have two more to deck out in halloween garb. The costume we bought our son last year seem to fall apart before we even covered the first street. First the sash on his ninja outfit tore off and then the pants ripped down the side. It cost us much more than it was worth. For the price we paid it should have at least lasted through one night. I figured this year we would skip the local costume stores and try finding something online.

I found all kinds of childrens and costumes for babies. My little son was so excited when I showed him all the choices there were for him to choose from. He must have changed his little mind a dozen times. He liked the pirates and all the super heroes. It was hard for him to pick only one costume. With so many costumes to choose from it was just a little too overwhelming for a six year old. We just let him go on and on choosing and changing his mind for a while.We just let him pick out as many costumes as he wanted. When we finally agreed on the baby costumes for the twins, we made things easier for our son to pick his. We did run into a little trouble when it came to choosing a baby costume for the twins.] My husband and I was having a bit of a problem agreeing on the baby costumes. I thought the baby bunting costumes were the best for them. But my husband had other baby costume ideas. So we had a little disagreement going on. He thought the buntings looked too much like newborn baby costumes.

So, we agreed that I would choose the babies costume for our little girl and he would handle our sons. Our baby boy became Woody from toy story, as my husbands choice. I picked out of the babies costumes an adorable little lady bug bunting costume, for our little girl. Our six year old finally decided on a spiderman costume this year. He really looked so cute in his little outfit. As soon as spiderman popped up in the costume selection, my son was done shopping. Spiderman is his favorite super hero. It’s his main cartoon show to watch. So, of course he’s thrilled to dress up like Spiderman.

Each one of our children had a halloween costume coming soon. I was anxious for delivery so I could see what the kids would looked like in them. I want lots of pictures of the kids in costumes this year.

We put in our order for halloween props and house decorations too. We really went all out on home decorations for halloween this time. We do like to decorate for halloween and this is a chance we couldn’t pass up. There were so many cool ideas for props, like a crawling hand, a hanging ghoul and more. The halloween party supplies were just as inexpensive as the costumes we ordered. That really made my husband a happy camper. He loves to decorate for the holidays. We ordered a pumpkin that blinks on and off and the twins can’t take their eyes off it. They are just fascinated with it.

Well, our halloween order was delivered. They were super accessories and costumes. They were very prompt with the delivery. The costumes made the kids look so adorable. Going online to find halloween costumes and decorations was the best idea we’ve ever had.

Halloween is all about having fun with your friends and family. Among the best parts of Halloween are decorating the house with hand made crafts. And when these crafts are all hand made, the more the merrier! At times space constraints bar us from this pleasure.

Now I’m sure, you all must be looking for some free Halloween crafts that are easy enough for you to follow and can fit in little space!

Well, internet is a hub for several ideas. Once you have the ideas and tips and tricks, you can use your innovative skills to make the ideas even more interesting. Creativity and imagination is the key to make your decorations as exclusive and attractive and spooky as you wish to. Here are a few ideas to get started:

1. Tissue Ghosts

This is perhaps the writer’s favorite. Take a piece of Kleenex. Gather it together such that it forms a bulb at the top and the bottom should be splaying out. Shaped almost like a ghost! Now, with a rubber band twist and tie to maintain the shape of the bulb. You can also uses a garbage bag for the same. This becomes the ghost’s head. So just tie it as tight as possible! Now grab on a black magic marker to dot in the eyes, nose and mouth. The Kleenex ghost is ready to spook around. You can make loads of these and hang around the house. This would impress your friends & family and friends. You would be able to boast as a Halloween crafts pro!

2. Egg Carton Bats

This idea is quite simple. Get some simple stuff like egg cartons, a pair of scissors (safety scissors in case the child is younger), and black paint. Cut out 3 egg cups from the egg carton and ensure that they remain attached. Check that the egg carton must be clean. Now the outside cups would turn in to two bat wings – simply cut their front and back. Now paint the whole thing in black. Attach goodly eyes for the real impact or simply paint the eyes using white paint. Here, the middle cup becomes the face. Now make a hole on the top of the middle cup and pass a string through it. Make a sturdy knot so that it doesn’t slip through this hole. Now, put the string in this hole. Finally hang the bats where ever you feel like.

Try using a combination of waterproof paint and Styrofoam egg carton. These bats are perfect to decorate the trees outside the house.

Now on experiment with what ever wastes you get your hand on at home and develop your own spooky fun decorations for Halloween!

There are many Halloween costumes for puppies available but when choosing a costume make sure you remember that this is a puppy. There is a good chance that your puppy may destroy the costume by the end of the night. Puppy Halloween costumes are a great way to get your puppy noticed during the holiday. They also make great pictures.Puppy dog Halloween costumes can be found from pet stores as well as specialist stores and online. There are different types of costumes depending on the size of your puppy. A few such costumes are a pirate dog costume, sailor dog costume and dogzilla dog costume.

A hot dog puppy costume is one that encompasses most of your puppy. There will be a roll on both sides of your puppy, something that resembles ketchup and then the dog. Your dog will actually be the hot dog part of the costume. This costume tends to be like a jacket and if you are in a cold area then a hot dog puppy costume can be used to keep your puppy warm.

A dogzilla costume is actually just like dressing your puppy up like a large monster or dinosaur. This costume is a complete body costume with a tail and hood. There will be spikes that go down the back and a lot of spots on the side. A glow in the dark color will be sure to get you and your puppy noticed.

The pirate costume for a puppy is just like a normal pirate costume. Normally there will be a little black jacket that goes through their front paws. They will have a red bandana around the neck, a pirate hat and an eye patch if you can get your dog to keep it on.

You cannot expect your puppy to wear the costume if you put it on for the first time on Halloween. In order to make sure your puppy does not go berserk or tear off the costume you will need to introduce the dog to the costume gradually so that they can become accustomed to it. You want your puppy to be excited about wearing the Halloween costume.

For those puppies that don’t like the costume you should leave it on your puppy for a few minutes and then take it off. Each day you should increase the amount of time you leave the Halloween costume on your puppy. If your puppy really doesn’t like the costume then you should try another until you find one that they do like. Some of the more popular puppy costumes in which you and your puppy can dress together includes a Madonna dog, Scarlett O’Hara dog, revenge of the Nerds dog and Marilyn Monroe dog, Michael Jackson dog, motorcycle pack dog, and biker chick dogs.

There are also some very simple Halloween costumes for puppies that only require an accessory or two. You can turn your dog into a fairy using a pair of wings or if you have a small dog then dress up as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and carry Toto around in a basket.

 

Halloween costumes can be those interesting possessions that you like to carry on keeping for long. More so, if you have spent a lot of money in designing and developing of your special costume for the Halloween event. However, adequate precautionary measures are essential to keep your dress in good condition â?? and without any slight fading of the tint of glitz and style.

 

Here are some easy ways to make your Halloween costume remain looking good after years too:

 

Identify the Damage Elements:

Any costume that you wear is affected by acidic constituents of sweat. Spray your Halloween costume with antiperspirants while keeping it in store for next use. Perfumes or deodorants act against bacteria as well as help the sequins and stain fabrics of your costume to remain fresh for long. You can also drape your costume with a cloth or a towel to protect its shine.

 

Keep it Clean:

Some Halloween costumes are hard to wash due to the fabric used in their construction. In those cases, it is advised to clean the dirt by a soft brush.

Follow Instructions:

While cleaning your Halloween costume, you should follow important instructions given by its manufacturer.

 

Store it properly:

If you donâ??t store your costume in the proper way, chances are that external agents like heat, dust and microbes like fungus or bacteria may cause severe harm to your costume. To enhance the life of your costume, you must opt for airtight enclosure to store your costume.

 

Keep your Halloween costume out of the reach of humidity, microbes and mice. Dry wash them before packing them for a long-time storage. Also, keep your costumes out of direct sunlight and check them after every time interval.

 

Your smart Halloween costumes would always remain yours in the most beautiful form that it was in original.

 

Be mysterious this Halloween by buying face masks for the entire family! One thing’s for sure you won’t be short of options. You have online sites that market face masks in hundreds. There are options for adults, children and even pets. If you home in further, there are several other mask options to be had for teens, which include those of joker, pinhead, skull ruler, ghost rider, zombie doctor and Family Guy Stewie Teen. All the options are exclusive of costume outfits of Spiderman, Spider Girl, Wolverine Muscle, Batgirl and Teen Sexy costume.

Look at the options for a Halloween face mask for men. Of the several choices, there are ones in the classic category, as well as spooky, witches and monsters categories. The movies category has plentiful of choices as well.

And then there are sub categories! Just to make sure that you get what you want, there are sub categories under horror themes, Star Wars themes along with options of dresses for skeletons and zombies, nurses and doctors, pirates and kings, Batman and clowns.

You have Simpson’s, Spiderman, Harry Potter, Zorro, Medieval, renaissance, sports and vampires and cowboys and devils! If you check out the options under the spooky variety, you will get Darth Vader, Grave Reaper, the Tattered Gauze Ghost, the Shrieking Soul and the Gauze Zombie with the Flashing Eyes! You also have the predator, the Gangly Gang Vampire, the Master of Fire and a really scary Halloween face mask called Double Trouble!

Womenfolk also have a rich picking in face masks! They can select from classic, sexy movie-based character costume options. Ladies can take their pick from Lady Zorro, Captain America, Spider Girl Sassy or the Cheshire cat, the Mystery Hero with Hat and Robin Plus masks. Women could also go in for the Sexy Z or the Bad Kitty face masks!

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Although present day Halloween activities revolve around trick-or-treating and costume parties, historically masks were worn to placate the evil spirits. You may not be frightened by pumpkins carved into eerie faces nor believe in witches and goblins. But when is the last time you thought seriously about the “ghosts” that have been haunting you far too long?

The negative feelings that you may be experiencing – from time to time or perhaps more regularly – could be due to normal unhappiness, stress from overload, situational sadness, or even clinical depression. When there is no obvious trigger for emotional symptoms, they are often minimized, ignored or dismissed. But did you know that one in four people suffer from depression at some time in their life? Close to 50% don’t receive treatment yet, in the past few years, there has been a marked increase in the use of antidepressants – 120 million prescriptions were filled in 2005.

If you have had feelings of extreme sadness, helplessness or hopelessness for more than two weeks, you should consider scheduling an appointment with you family practitioner or internist. After discussing your symptoms, you will most likely be referred to a specialist. Psychiatrists are medical experts who are trained to evaluate clinical depression. This can take some time, especially if anti-depressants are indicated. There may be a process of trial and error while you are being regulated on the appropriate medication and proper dosage with the least side effects.

In the meantime, there are several non-medical actions you can take as you begin to better understand and cope with your moods. After reading the following suggestions about self care and social support, implement the ones that best fit your personal situation:

1. Honor your body by focusing on what makes you feel physically and emotionally better – pay attention to your exercise routine, what you eat, your sleeping habits and what gives you pleasure. Reduce the situations that cause stress and increase the ones that make you feel more relaxed or alive.

2. Create a balance between caring for the well being of others and nurturing your personal needs. Make time each day to nourish yourself – you may even need to make a schedule until this becomes a routine that is factored into your daily life.

3. Knowledge is power. Gather information about ways to deal with how you are feeling – explore Internet search engines or the self-help section of bookstores. Talk with friends and family whose opinions you respect.

4. Gratitude is a powerful emotion. Use it to your advantage. Tell those who are important to you what you think of them. Watch their reaction and see how that makes you feel. Practice what you have learned in the past about being resilient. Release tension through humor and watch yourself begin to bounce back

5. Support is a valuable tool. Find a class or workshop through your local university extension program or mental health center. Join an ongoing group or attend a weekend retreat to share concerns, problem-solve and gain new perspective. A therapist or a coach can be a sounding board, validate your perceptions, support your ideas and help you follow through with your plans.

It can be difficult to maintain a sense of optimism when emotional circumstances are complicated and painful. Focus your thoughts on what you can accomplish rather than on what you cannot. Recognize the insight and skills that are already an integral part of you. And notice how your character strengths support what you do and who you are.

Beginning to talk about depression can increase awareness, reduce the stigma and mitigate symptoms. Think about exorcising your “demons,” once and for all. Don’t disguise yourself in costume, no matter what time of the year. This Halloween, take off your mask and commit to feeling more positive about yourself.

(C) Her Mentor Center, 2007