15 Great Halloween Movies for Kids

Every fall we try to fit in some fun Halloween activities before the big Trick-or-Treat Day. This year we decided on having a movie marathon leading up to the big night. Each night we had time we curled up on the couch to take in a Halloween themed movie with the kids.  Here is a list of some of the movies we watched.

1.Nightmare before Christmas-This Tim Burton movie is cute and not too scary. My 7 year old loved it but it did not keep the attention of my 5 year old. 

2.Adams Family- Both my kids loves this movie there are a few scenes we had to snuggle for.

3.Monsters Inc.- Definatly a family friendly movie. Disney makes this oe fun for all ages. 

4. Haunted Mansion- My children got a kick out of seeing the movie that is the basis for the ride at Disney. A little too scary for my 5 year old. 

5.Twitches- My daughter loved this one. 

6. Scared Shrekless- Really cute with humour adults can appreciate.

7. Goonies- My kids are brave and love a good scary film. This  movie is classic in our house but I would not recommend to those who's children get scared easily. 

8. Harry Potter #1- My kids are begging to see the rest. I am holding out as they get so violent. 

9. Casper- This one is very family friendly. 

10. Hocus Pocus- My daughter loved this but my son did not pay attention. 

11. Monster House- Although thi is a cartoon and really cute it actually scared my 5 year old. 

12. Charlie brown- My children are not huge fans of Charlie Brown but as it is a old tradition we spent and evening watching this one. 

13. Spooky Buddies- Dogs that talk and save the town, my children love all the Buddie Movies. 

14. Hotel Transylvania (we saw this at the show)- Really cute and worth the trip to the theater.

15. ET-  I forgot how much I loved this movie or how much humour there s in it. 

16. Ghostbusters- My kids found this to be too scary, although they persevered through it they told me they never wanted to see it again. 

Pumpkin Patch

The calm before the big storm.We had a beautiful fall day and headed after school to the Pumpkin Patch to play in the hay, make crafts, have a Hayride and pick out Pumpkins. We are expecting Hurricane Sandy to hit us early next week just in time for Halloween so it was great we got to be outside and in the warm weather for the day. 

Mario Kart Cake

Another Mario cake made for my co-workers son Nate. This year I went with a Mario Kart cake shaped as a figure 8 for his 8th birthday. I think Nate loved it I stepped out to buy dinner ad missed the big reveal as he arrived while I was gone and my husband handed over the cake. It really makes it worth while to make cakes when the recipient is so thrilled. I will have to start thinking of what type of Mario cake I will make for Nate next year.

Fall Birthday Banaza Part 1

I have two major times each year where I seem to make all my birthday cakes. The Spring when my two children both have birthdays only 2 weeks apart and the fall when my sisters two children also have their two birthdays 2 weeks apart. This weekend we will be celebrating my nephew Colton's 2nd birthday and my niece Emma's 8th birthday. So I gathered the requests for what theme they both wanted this year and went to work creating these two cakes. I hope they like them.
Thanks for looking.

Most Magical Place on Earth

We had such a wonderful time at Disney, I can't wait to go back. It truly is the most Magical place on earth.

Disney 30 Photo Challenge

So I have not been posting much in August as I have been really busy wit back to work stuff and keeping the kids occupied over their summer break. We are now 9 days away from our big Disney Trip and I decided to try to find a Disney Photo Challenge. So I googled "Disney challenge" and came up with one which looks really popular. It is made up to be posted over 30 days but my challenge to myself is to take all the photo's during my 9 day trip and I will post them when I get back. 

 1: A picture of you at Disney with 10 reasons you’re a Disney lover

 2:  A picture of the character you’re most like

3:  A picture of your favorite Disney memory

4:  A picture of the way you know you’re at a Disney park

5:  A picture of your least favorite ride or attraction 

6:  A picture something you’ve never ridden/seen in the parks

7:  A picture of your favorite in-park character

8:  A picture of the ride you miss the most

9: A picture of your favorite Disney restaurant

10: A picture of your favorite ride or attraction

11: A picture of the thing you wish you could change about the parks

12:  A picture of your favorite Disney food item

13:  A picture of your favorite “home” resort

14:  A picture of your favorite night time activity (existing or past) on Disney property

15: A picture of what you do when it rains in the park

16: A picture of your favorite place to shop

17: A picture of your favorite Disney character

 18: A picture of your favorite guilty Disney pleasure

19: A picture of something in the park that deserves more attention

20:  A picture of the best way to beat the heat at Disney

21:  The best place to take a picture at Disney

22: A picture from your favorite Disney movie

23: A picture of the character you dislike most

24: A picture of your favorite Disney-related possession or souvenir

25:  A picture of your favorite childhood Disney memory

26: A picture of the way you keep Disney alive when you’re not at the park

27: A picture of the person you most love sharing Disney with

28: A picture of your favorite place to hide from the crowds

29: A picture of something you dream about happening to you at a Disney park

30: A picture that always makes you think of Disney

If you would like to see the original rules they are at

http://www.yourhighwayinthesky.com/30-day-disney-photo-challenge/

ZOOZ

Another action packed summer day as we headed to Zooz. This is Niagara's own little zoo complete with lots of animals, a play ark and splash pad and this year they added some carnival type rides (which we skipped as they cost extra). This year we headed out to Stevensville with some new friends who we have been introduced to through mutual acquaintances. The kids had a blast together and we rounded out the day with some Pizza and wings on out patio. It really has been a great summer so far.

Shrine Circus

Yesterday we went to the Shrine Circus. It has become an annual trip since my sister's husband's grandfather started giving us the tickets. He is a Shriner and loves to see his Granddaughter come out and enjoy the show. We always enjoy the evening fill with acrobats, clowns and various other performers. There is always a few animal shows this year they included horses, dogs and the Elephants.

I would like to say that I was not completely aware of the animal rights violations that the Circus has always been accused of. The truth is that I am not only aware but I studied a course in Animal Rights in University and I am more than fully aware of what may be happening to these animals. I just choose to believe that although it is unnatural for an Elephant to sit on a stool on command that these animals much like a pet dog are loved by their trainers. I would hope that they are well taken care of and are trained with love. There are certainly standards that the Circus must follow when keeping animals captive and training them. I know there are some who would say that by turning a blind eye I am supporting abuse. However I truly believe that these animals are much better off where they are then some other animals. Have you ever seen how they treat the cows that you eat each day.  So I feel that supporting the Shriner's who do such good work by attending the Circus which my children love is okay as long as I teach my children about the natural habitat of these animals and explain why there are some people who do not agree with our decision to go.

So I take the pamphlets that are given to me each year as I enter the parking lot at the Circus. I read the sign that says I should be ashamed that I am supporting them and I respect the rights of protesters and their point of view. I make sure to explain to my children that some people believe it is not nice to make elephants live in the sort of captivity that the Circus subjects them too, and that those people would like the Circus to not be allowed to have animals. I also explain my own point of view. I just wish that the protesters could appreciate my point of view and that we could agree to disagree without them feeling the need to harass me.

The Wonder of it All!

CANADA'S WONDERLAND

We spent the day yesterday at Canada's Wonderland. We purchased the tickets at the end of the school year as a reward for a good year and ended up missing our allotted day because Colin was sick.
After examining our schedules and the weather forecast we decided to take the chance that a 50% chance of thundershowers would not ruin our day and off we went.
We ended up having a good time despite the multiple thundershowers and downpours that forced us inside away from the rained and temporarily closed rides.
Both the kids got to ride lots of rides in the allotted kid zones. The both tried out a roller coaster called the Ghoster Coaster. Madison loved it so much she rode it twice and also rode another coaster. Colin was undecided but told us a dinner the next night he would go again. We are hoping he will try out the coasters at Disney when we go in August.
We saw two great shows with acrobats, had ice-cream and met some Charlie Brown characters. Overall it was a good day.
We left the park around 7pm when the sky's opened up for the 3rd time. It rained so hard we were soaked to the core and we decided our day was done.
We ended up at Chuck E. Cheese for dinner and games before heading home.
It made for great memories for our family.

Exciting Mail

Today our Disney Magical Express baggage tags came in the mail for our trip in August. Exciting that it is getting so close!

The making of a DOG CAKE!

 I don't pretend to be a professional Cake maker. I make cakes because I enjoy the challenge of trying to figure out how to create something unique out of something edible and have people enjoy it.
I rarely make cakes for other people on a for sale basis. However in 2009 a former co-worker of mine approached me to create a tree stump cake for her godson. They used the cake as a grooms cake at his wedding shower. So when his brother decided to get married this

year my friend returned to me with a request for a Golden Retriever cake I was extremely unsure of my ability to create a Golden Retriever cake but agreed because I love a challenge.  After doing a little research online here is what I created.

Instructions

Following box recipe, prepare 1 batch Rice Krispie treats. Mold the
                                                      treats into head shape. I also make the front legs out of Krispie treats I should have made the back too but I was too lazy to make another batch.
 
 Bake two layer cake in pan size of your choice. I actually put a half of a third layer for a bum but it sunk.

Cover head and body with butter cream icing and cover with Fondant. (I dyed the fondant Golden Yellow and brushed with Wilton Cake Dust for colour) I textured the whole dog with a shell tool)

 Decorate face and body with fondant.

 Seems simple right... I ran into a few difficulties.

One it is July and everything was melting and sinking.

Two I would have liked to have airbrushed this guy for better colour. Working with food powder was difficult.

Three I should have made a better support system for the tail the            whole back-end of the dog sank from weight.
 So he no longer has his bum in the air.
         

Four I should have baked and      
stacked my cakes a day early and froze them or at least refrigerated them for stability of carving.

Five I did not make my original board big enough so had to add another board for size but also for support this cake is really heavy.

Fun in the sun= Upset Mom...

It is probably close to the hottest July on record fro Niagara falls this year. The humidity put us at nearly 41 yesterday. It made it a great day for the kids to spend at a local watering hole. My M.I.L.  packed up her 5 grandchildren and took them for a picnic and swimming which would have been a great treat for them except that she forgot to put on any suntan lotion or hats. Now I have warned her before that the kids need to have sun protection on when they are outside. That sun can be so damaging to their soft skin. Alas, she thought that by them wearing a tee-shirt over there bathing suits they would be protected. Needless to say my daughter was passed out on the couch at 6pm with a mild case of sunstroke. I was not a happy Mom. I had a not so nice conversation with grandma and I am now going to tell my children that they have to remind Grandma of Mommy's suntan lotion rule as I am not usually there when these outings occur. Grandma always has the kids best interests at heart. She would give her life to protect them she just forgets that today's sun is different then the sun of her day or even the days of her children. I am sure that she will remember next time. 

Happy Canada Day

HAPPY CANADA DAY 2012!

We have made it a tradition to put on our red and whites and head down to the Canada Day parade every year and take in all the festivities of Canada's big day. This year we took along my niece and nephew and met up with a couple friends. We enjoyed the parade, went to the carnival, had a backyard BBQ with lots of friends and family and took in the wonderful fireworks display above the Niagara Falls. So much fun can't wait for next year.

Teacher Gifts

As the end of the school year is fast approaching (the end of this week) I went on the hunt today for a end of the year gift for the kids teachers. We are in a unique situation with the need to buy 5 gifts for teachers, oh and don't forget the bus driver (who will probably only get a box of chocolates). So I wanted to find a gift that was nice for all tstaff and had a little more of a personal touch than just the regular box of chocolates (sorry bus driver) or Tim Horton's gift card (plus I did coffee gift cards a Christmas). So I went searching at my new favorite idea spot Pinterest.com  and found several great ideas. I decided to go with a beach towel, magazine, travel size Suntan lotion, travel glass and chocolate bar. I will attach a card stating have a relaxing summer. Here is a picture of my finished gifts. I got everything at my local Walmart. Towel were 2 for 10, cups were $5each, chocolate were $1.28 each and the Travel Lotion was $4.97 each and the magazines range from $3.00-$9.00 (I was not thinking about the price when I picked them opps) This make the total gift about $20-$25 each. Hope the teachers enjoy them and their summer.

Mario Layout

I began scrap booking 7 years ago after my daughter was born. My mother-in-law gave me an album with 3 completed pages in it after she was born and I continued to make more pages throughout the year. I have completed one book a year since then plus some extras for holidays and such. I am always about 1 year behind in the book I am working on. I never seem to get caught up, probably because I am always taking pictures. Here is a pic of the latest page I completed. 

 This Mario themed page was to document a fun play date the kids had with our close friends. I downloaded and sized with photo shop all the Mario images. The paper is a plain green card-stock and the cloud paper is by Recollections. I used a Flip-Flap from close to my heart for the page opening. I had fun with this one and I am pleased how it came out.
Thanks for looking.

50 Shades...OMG

Okay so I read the 50 Shades of Grey that was the chosen book club book for this month and I have to say I could not put it down. Not only did I finish that book but the two others in the series as well, and all in about 5 days. 

I found the book written in the first person to be captivating and not just because of the oh so steamy sex that the main characters enjoy throughout the books. E.L.James created to complex characters that I needed to read about to find out more about their lives and their relationship. The authour incorporated just enough mystery and thrill to keep the story alive, outside of the bedroom so to speak. I could not put these books down.  

I am glad that they were chosen for our book club because I would have otherwise not read them. I am a huge fan of romance novels and have no problem reading a few steamy chapters. However I am  not usually a fan of books that contain such a huge amount of sex that it dominates the whole book. And had been warned that the sex in these books was intense and contained some pretty hardcore S&M. However the way the author wrote the book allowed me to have some better perspective about why the characters were participating in there choice of sexual endeavors and at times made me rethink my subconscious bias towards some of the experiments the characters tried in their bedroom. I really enjoyed reading and think that book club will be a really interesting conversation. 

A New Beginning

One year ago May I discovered a small lump in my right breast. After a whirlwind summer of tests and surgeries I was diagnosed with Stage 2, Grade 3 Breast Cancer. I underwent 4 months of Chemotherapy and 37 radiation treatments. I was terribly sick, I lost my hair, I climbed a mountain of emotions and slid back down. I fought hard to stay positive and to look toward the future.
My friends and family supported me through each and every day. I will forever be gratful for their love.
On July 2nd I will return to work. Return to "normal", or whatever that is for me now. If you saw me today you would never know what last year was like. My hair has returned, my colour looks normal, my energy levels have come back. I am ready to go back, yet I am respectful of this terrible disease and I am cautious. I will forever worry about it's return yet I will always cherish each day without it. I look at it as a new beginning to my life (as cheesy as that sounds.) I am excited to see what the future can now bring.
I hope that anyone out there just starting their journey through the treatment of Breast Cancer reads this and takes away hope that you can do it. There is hope for the future. BE BRAVE!

Baby Shower Diaper Cake

One of my close friends (sudo cousin) is having a baby this summer. The baby shower is this weekend so my mother, sister and I decided to pool our funds and create a diaper cake for her. It seems baby merchandise is super expensive. It is hard to make your money go a long way. I like the idea of creating a cake with the stuff I buy as it just looks more appealing than a bunch of random stuff in a basket or box and it makes me feel like i get more bang for a my buck.
Since my friends husband is into motorcycles and she is having a boy I decided to try my hand at a motorcycle diaper cake instead of the traditional tiered one. This is not the first diaper cake I have made but the first time I have attempted a motorcycle. It was really quite simple to create so I will tell you how it is done.

First like I said you need the supplies and you can purchase as much or as little as you like depending on how much you want to spend. This particular cake cost about $150 by the time it was complete however that is split between 3 people. A lot of what went into my cake would be optional if you wanted to spend less money. I also purchased my bibs, socks and stuffed animal at the Harley Davidson store which cost me $50 just for those brand name items. I am sure that you could buy a lot  of these items at a dollar store if needed. It may be nice to go cheaper on the cake and then add a gift certificate as the licence plate. Here on some instructions on how I made my diaper cake.

INSTRUCTIONS

The cake includes: 1 package of diapers (84pack), 4 receiving blankets, 1 package of baby wipes*, a sippy cup or bottle, 2 pacifiers*, 2 bibs, 1 crib sheet (or another blanket), 5 washcloths*, three pack of teething rings*, 1 pair of baby socks,  baby rattles*, 2 bottle brushes*, and a stuffed animal.
You will need a couple big rubber-bands, some smaller rubber bands (kids clear hair elastics work well) safety pins, tape, an 8 inch cake pan and some ribbon.
ALL ITEMS WITH A * ARE OPTIONAL

Start by arranging the diapers in the 8 inch pan to form a round wheel. I have seen this done 2 ways one by keeping the diapers flat which I did and one by rolling each one. I prefer to keep them flat for future use reasons.  Secure the diapers with a rubber band and remove from pan. I then weaved a long piece of yarn to make spokes on the wheel, this is optional. Wrap the wheel in a receiving blanket and pin. I then wrapped a ribbon around my wheel and taped it on the bottom. Repeat for second wheel.

Once your wheels are done lay a bib over wheel 1, the front ( to make a fender) and then roll or fold a receiving blanket length wise and insert through the center hole of wheel bring ends together around the sippy cup or bib (which becomes the headlight) and secure with a rubber band. I then put the teething rings around the blanket for looks a cheaper option would be to use ribbon instead. Put the baby socks on the ends of the blanket to make the handle bars. I inserted the 2 pacifiers at the sides of the sippy cup to look like blinker lights also optional).

Insert a second blanket into the front wheel and  use it to attach the two wheels together. I fed this blanket through a few rattles to help keep the blankets rolled and for looks. You could tie bows or ribbon instead. Secure with a safety pin. Lay a second bib over the back wheel. I inserted 2 baby bottle brushes through the receiving blanket securing the two wheels together for a exhaust pipe look (again optional).

I then inserted a package of baby wipes between the two wheel which I hand covered in wash clothes and ribbon. This is also optional you can just pull the two wheels tighter together and skip this step.
fold the last blanket or crib sheet to form a seat area and lay on top of the bike. Put stuffed animal on your completed motorcycle.

There are several online video tutorials on you tube if you need the visual. Thanks for looking.

June Book Club

Ju

Here is the pic for our June book club which will meet at the end of the month. I am once again not looking forward to reading this months selection even though I have heard great reviews from friends who have read it. I first have to acquire a copy and then we will see. I will let you know what I thought.

3D Dog Cake

A few years back I created a tree stump cake for a wedding shower the  bride and Groom were arbourists. The same family has asked me to once again create a wedding shower cake for the brother of the previous groom.  This time they have asked for a Golden Retriever cake. Apparently their dog will be the ring bearer in the wedding. This is a big challenge for me as I have never created a 3D dog before. There are lots of instructions online and a few video tutorials on You Tube which probably give me false confidence that I can in fact make this cake.
Here is a few pics of 3D dogs I liked from my initial search. I think the head lying down will be easiest but I love the mouth on the Berner, and the textured fondant on the last one. I know for sure rice krispie treats ill be in order for the head. I wish I had a airbrush to play with. We will see what I come up with. They need the cake for July 8. Wish me luck.

Mommy Break Needed

Are they not adorable? Here they are on Easter weekend posing for a picture before they ran off in search of Easter Eggs. I love each of them to death. My two on the right and my sisters two on the left. However after this weekend I am defiantly paying respects to all the mothers out there with more than 2. My husband, brother-in-law and father headed out for their annual spring fishing trip. My mother who has a brother in Northbay decided to hitch a ride up to visit while they were at the cottage, thus leaving my sister who works afternoons with no babysitter for the weekend. Now, I think it is great that my mother got to go visit with her brother she does not get the opportunity very often and should not feel obligated to stay just to babysit. My sister had tons of time to prepare for the weekend and she had it all arranged that I would babysit her children Friday night and her father-in-law would babysit on Saturday overnight until Sunday when the men would be returning. It was not he first time my niece has had a sleep over. In fact, I love it when she comes as she entertains my children and I love to spend time with her. I was also looking forward to having my nephew who is 19 months old for the first time. We had a great night, we made homemade pizza's, watched a movie with popcorn, and all 4 kids went to bed like dreams. When my nephew woke at 1am I was not surprised as he was in a strange place. He ended up curled up in my bed for the rest of the night. I love my niece and nephew and I truly did enjoy their company, but it was exhausting. By 10am Saturday when my sister came I was ready for a nap before I would tackle the clean-up.  It was a good plan until my sisters father-in-law cancelled leaving me to babysit again on Saturday. My sister agreed to pick up her children after her shift at 11pm. Not exactly fair to the kids but so much easier for me. She would return them to me Sunday afternoon before her shift.  I spent most of the weekend following around my nephew to keep him out of trouble. In between that I picked up endless toys, prepared meals and refereed small spats. I suppose I do this all the time it was just ten times more work with 4 children and no husband to help. I can honestly say that for as much as I love all these children Mommy needs a much needed Mommy Break!

May Book Club

Another book club meeting and surprise I have read the book (which is not a real feat as it was my choice). In fact not only have I read the first Hunger Games I have read all three. I could not put the series down once I started. I can honestly say that I will someday read them again. I am sure that our book club night will be full of great conversation about this one. I hope the rest of the group liked them as much as I did. Maybe I will get a chance to see the movie some time.

Physiotherapy

So my insurance company thought I should start a physiotherapy routine to prepare me for my return to work. They thought I could build endurance and strength by exercising a couple times a week. Well what they had in mind and what the physiotherapist had in mind are totally different. I am to report to the gym every morning for an hour long circuit of training including 10 min on the bike, resistance band training, weight equipment and reflection exercises. The trainer is pretty hardcore about me being there daily. It would seem I am giving up my rest time I order to do this training as the only available time I have to go is in the morning while both the kids are at school thus leaving me no alone time to relax. I guess exercise is meant to be relaxing I have yet to determine if I will i fact enjoy the routine of hitting the gym each morning. I have never had the motivation to do it before maybe I will become addicted to exercise endorphin's and keep it up once the allotted 6 weeks is complete. At least it will help get me back in bathing suit shape before the summer is in full swing.

Bonfire lol

So this is it, hardly what you may call an Bonfire. In fact by the time the fire department showed up on a Saturday evening of the long weekend, we had already extinguished the fire and headed inside to watch a movie before bed. We had only lite it to roast a few marshmallows as part of our fun filled sleep over with my nephews. Yet, one of our very friendly neighbours felt in necessary to call in a complaint about a Bonfire on our street, thus causing some real excitement as the fire truck came barreling onto our little crescent with their sirens going. The firemen had to walk door to door trying to figure out who was burning something as they could not see any smoke, and due to the fact we live two blocks from a campground and the whole subdivision smells of camp smoke all summer it was hard for the firemen to even determine who was having a fire. We got issued a warning and an apology for our crappy neighbours. It is in fact not illegal to have a fire if you are cooking over it( I guess the marshmallow count).
Oh well the kids had fun before we had to put it out, and now we know that we won't be having any more backyard BONFIRES! I just hope we don't let the BBQ flare up or the neighbours may call 911 on us again.

It's a Jungle

After we completed Madison's Fairy Garden on Sunday my son decided he wanted to make a garden as well. However in his very grown-up five year old opinion there are no such things as real fairies. In fact, he tell me that his sister always believes her imagination is real but he knows better. So he is going to make his garden for the garden trolls because they are real. So here is a picture of what he came up with. He calls it a jungle garden.

Dance

This Saturday was picture day at my daughter Madison's Dance Studio. We had fun getting dressed up in this years recital costume and doing her make-up and hair for the photo's. We snapped a few shots on the porch before heading to the studio. I can't wait to see the recital after a year of dance classes.

Fairy Garden

My daughter Madison is a huge fan of Tinkerbell. We have watched the three Disney Fairy movies more times than I can count. She is so excited that she may get to meet her when we go to Disney this summer. So when I saw a PIN on Pinterest of a Fairy Garden someone had created for this backyard I knew Madison would love to create her own.

So today she and I spent some quality time together first shopping for our flowers and pot. Then searching the dollar store for some Fairy Garden decorations. It was tons of fun listening to Madi pick out the flowers, and accessories she thought all her Fairy friends may love, then creating her garden. What a nice way to spend an afternoon.

Survivor Cake

So I am in a cake decorating mood. I thought after finishing the big Disney reveal cake plus both the birthday party cupcakes I would be ready for a break. However, when my Aunt called and asked if I would make her a Survivor One World Season finale party cake for Sunday I said yes. This is what I came up with. Enjoy.