DIY Halloween Costume - The Riddler

Last year for Halloween Mr. K wanted to be Batman. Great! No problem, we have a Batman costume that Mr. J wore when he was 5, and Mr. K wore it when he was. I found it, made sure it still fit him and we were all set.

Then, he changed his mind.  He wanted to be The Riddler.  Still Batman themed, but a different character. I looked online, costume was sold out. I called a few places, they don't carry it.  Ok, fine. I need to be creative.

I took a look online to make sure I knew what would be needed and set to work finding the items I needed.

• Green hat
• Green blazer (this I was not able to find, so I had to make do with a sweater)
• Walking stick (I found a broken shovel handle)
• Fabric Paint
• Purple gloves

I checked my closets and didn't have any of the items.  I asked on the buy nothing site and friends, and all I found was a pair of purple gloves.  My next stop was a local thrift store.  In their Halloween section I managed to find a green hat.  Then I found the sweater in the men's section (way to big, but since we live in Ontario, it can be quite chilly on Halloween night, which means the sweater will fit over his coat) and then I also managed to find a broken shovel handle.

When I was done, I headed to Michael's for fabric paint (I found a marker that worked well) and then home to get everything ready.

I started with the hat.  The ribbon was unglued, so I glued it back on and then used the black marker to make a question mark on the front of the hat.

Next up, I washed the sweater, and when it was dry added question marks all over. I let Mr. K choose where he wanted them.

I unscrewed the handle from shovel and then cut out question marks from cardboard and glued construction paper over top.  Then I glued them onto the top of the "walking stick".  Hubby didn't like this, so he went and bought a different type that looked a little more like The Riddler's cane.

It was a really simple project. I ended up spending approx $25.00 (much cheaper than if I had bought the costume online). It could have been even cheaper if we had the items already.

If you think you/your child might like to be The Riddler next year, you can probably find a green hat at the $ store near St. Patrick's Day!

2015 Halloween

What makes it even better? He decided to be The Riddler again THIS Halloween, so it's really worth the money it took last year.

Our Day At The Emergency Room

resting in the hospital waiting room before being called in

Mr. J gave us a big scare last week.  He woke up complaining of major head pain.  He was happy and alert, but anytime he moved his head he would have this giant pain. Standing up made the pain unbearable.

I knew we needed to see a doctor, and luckily my GP is normally pretty good at getting us in same day. She was able to see us about an hour after I phoned.

While we were in the waiting room, he started to look "off" and told me he was going to throw up. As we were making our way to the bathroom, he was stumbling around - I reached out to steady him, and we continued. As we got to the washroom, he collapsed.

Thankfully, I was right behind him so he fell into me and I was able to lay him down on the ground.  He was completely unresponsive for about 30 seconds (it doesn't sound like a long time, but when it is happening in front of you it feels like forever, and is pretty scary).

The nurse that was behind us called for a doctor, and 2 came over (one of them being our GP). He was responsive at this time, but not aware of what had happened and very weak.  We managed to get him to her office and she assessed him and sent us to CHEO.

When we got their, they triaged us as priority, which meant not a very long wait before seeing the doctor.  He listened to what had gone on and then went to consult with a colleague.  They came back recommended an ECG and a CT.

Through all of this Mr. J would have periods of alertness and seemingly "normal" (except with the head pain) and then he would get really tired and fatigued.  After the ECG, he actually took an hour long nap, and only awoke as he was being wheeled to the CT.  He is 9, and does not nap anymore...hasn't in years.

a little nap while waiting for the CT

He was pretty nervous for both the ECG and CT, but he did great.  I stayed with him the whole time and kept my hands on his legs so he could feel my presence.

When we got the results, all came back as being normal.  By this time, the pain had gone and other than a kink in his neck (from holding his head at a weird angle to keep the pain away) he was fine.

We were given instructions to follow up with our family doc, and if the had any more episodes of pain like that day, to be sent for an MRI.  They have absolutely no idea what caused him to collapse.

I am glad they didn't find anything, but at the same time I am petrified it will happen again since they don't know the reason.  I had fainting spells in my teens and early 20's, and they were never able to pinpoint why.  They eventually stopped happening.  I am hoping he isn't taking after me and this was a one-off type of event.

I must say that everyone we saw at CHEO was amazing.  They took us seriously, listened to our concerns and were so kind and caring to both him and I.

While our medical system may not be perfect, and there is room for improvement - it has always served us well when needed.  We exited the parking lot exactly 5 hours after entering.  In that time, he had 4 visits with the doctor, 4 visits from nurses, an ECG and a CT.  All it cost me out of pocket was $14 for parking.

October 24th Monday Madness Giveaway Linky

So excited for Halloween to come. We went on a haunted hayride yesterday and also picked up our pumpkins!  Check out this post for some tips on carving pumpkins with kids

Help Ease Dinner Time Woes With Bootler #GoBootler

As a busy parent, there are times where I don’t feel like cooking.  Sometimes I muddle through and find something quick that doesn’t take much effort, but other times I turn to those take out menus I have stored on top of the fridge.

I know I can’t be the only one. Sometimes the options are overwhelming, and other times I am crunched for time and need something that can arrive quickly - and this is where Bootler comes in.

Bootler isn’t the delivery company, but a service that helps you compare different delivery options. It will help you figure out the delivery fees and what the wait time is going to be, and help make sure you make the best choice for your family, every time.

It's pretty much a search engine for food. Type in your address and find out what options are near you.  This would especially come in handy if you are travelling, or if you wanted to order a meal for a friend or family member in another city.  It gives you options you might not know about.  

Are you over 21? You can get alcohol delivered by Saucey. Have a craving for some peach cobbler? Search for it in Bootler and Smoque BBQ Delivery will come up. You can decide if the delivery time will work with your craving, or search the menu for other items that are appealing.

At this time, it is only available in Chicago, but will be making it’s way to New York by year end, and more major American cities in the near future.

Bootler isn’t available to us at this time, but it’s definitely a service that would come in handy. Helping me compare delivery fees and arrival time windows? Yes please!

Curious to know more? Check out the video below

Attack Of The 14 Nights Of Halloween #Giveaway

Halloween is just around the corner and I have joined in with a group of bloggers to promote this new giveaway.

It's that time of year again. The days are getting shorter, the air is getting cooler and the nights are getting spookier. Yes, it's time for tricks and treats, goblins and ghouls, chills and thrills and huge amounts of sugary sweets. But at the Laughing Vixen Lounge blog it's also time for the 5th annual Attack of the 14 Nights of Halloween Giveaway. Join Laughing Vixen Lounge and our bewitching co-hosts The Kids Did It, The Mommy Island, Herding Cats and Burning Soup, The Hopping Bloggers, Mama Smith's Reviews and Women and Their Pretties for a spooktacular Halloween event.

Enter to win a $250 Prize Pack filled with goodies from 10 wickedly fabulous shops. All shops are offering Gift Cards or your choice of item(s) so there will be something for everyone. You'll find lots of unique, handcrafted and custom designs to choose from.

Visit the Laughing Vixen Lounge blog daily during the giveaway for the Halloween Movie Marathon. Test your movie knowledge with the Guess the Movie Game. Then try to solve the Murder Mystery Scavenger Hunt, if you dare! Each event will get you daily entries in the giveaway plus a special giveaway for the Scavenger Hunt. Find full details for these events HERE.

I used to have quite the horror movie addiction. Back when I lived with my mother and never had to go to bed alone in the house :) One of my favourite horror movies was probably the original "Halloween". The sequels weren't nearly as good.

You can start by entering the Rafflecopter widget below. To experience all the games, movies, shop features, giveaway info and all around awesome fun make sure to stop by the Laughing Vixen Lounge blog HERE.

 

The giveaway runs October 18th - November 1st and is open worldwide to anyone 18+. 1 winner will win the Prize Pack and 1 winner will win the Scavenger Hunt Prize Pack. Laughing Vixen Lounge is responsible for all giveaway details. Click HERE for full details.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

October 17th Monday Madness Giveaway Linky

Well, it finally happened. The heat went on last week.  Both hubby and I were sick with colds and couldn't get warm.  It's been on and off over the last few days, but I think we are going to be keeping it on now.

We did a pretty big clean of the basement this week. It's amazing how much junk can get thrown down there and then forgotten about.

Reading Goals 2016 UPDATE

Last year at Christmas I decided that I wanted to try and read one book per month this year - you can check out that post reading goals for 2016.  

These were the original books on my list

1. Girl on The Train
2. Me Before You
3. After You (still waiting for it from the library)
4. One Plus One
5. Shopaholic To The Rescue
6. Twilight Series (4 books)