Urban legends have always been irresistible nuggets of life, reeling us all in with their promises of darkness and jump scares. Many urban legends have been made into media, from movies to TV shows like Supernatural, and the fringe stories that people used to share at parties grew into global phenomena shared over the Internet. But what about urban legends that ring of truth?
Halloween is just a few weeks away, and before it gets here you're likely to have a bunch of other fun Halloween-related activities where you'll need a costume, if you're anything like my family! If that's the case, you're going to need some easy DIY costumes to have on hand for these pop-up events and one of my favorites is the 80s costume.
A frog costume can come in handy year-round, not just for Halloween! Whether you've got a springtime play, a report to do or a funny Muppets skit for a Promposal, you can always use a frog costume! Making your own frog costume out of items you have at home is pretty easy, especially if you already have some green pants and a green shirt. Bam, you've got half your costume already!
Within my circle of friends, candy corn is a bit of a joke. In my house, it might be utilized for Halloween gingerbread houses but it certainly won't be eaten. We have one friend who actually enjoys the stuff and we love to rip on her about it, but I have to say that it's one of the cutest candies. My grandmother liked it and that's enough for me to respect it at least a bit. If you do like candy corn, would you be interested in trying a candy corn cocktail?
It's the month of Addams Family bliss and what better way to celebrate than to plan some cocktails and mocktails most befitting the occasion? These recipes will have you lurching for your next glass before Thing can whisk your drink away! From Pugsley's Punch to Gomez-inspired Duel Cocktail, there are lots of delectable things to craft up--and most have easy substitutions if you want them alcohol-free.
Spoilers ahead!
Peter Griffin as the White House Press Secretary? Honestly it sounds pretty reasonable given the events of the last two years. In fact, it could even be an improvement: we could at least blame all the chaos on a cartoon character, or at least have some rhyme and reason for all of it. This season of Family Guy is set to feature two episodes featuring Donald Trump, who is to witness Peter Griffin on the news, think he's just GREAT and hire him to be the new White House Press Secretary.
My daughter is turning 13 in a few weeks and I've been scouring the web for a truly special gift. She's an artist so I was thinking about getting a fun art subscription box for her. The reviews for ArtSnacks look pretty promising. The box comes with 4-5 full-sized products (usually paint brushes, paints, ink pens and pencils) as well as some advice about how to use them. There's also a little piece of candy included, which would just go wasted since I don't eat sugar and my picky kid only likes chocolate!
Going door-to-door dressed as a political figure can be amusing, especially when it's not an election year and you're totally in character. George Washington, all gross and zombie-fied? Absolutely! But what about pushing your political agenda while you trick-or-treat with kids?
The more we learn about ancient animals and their behavior, the more facinating they seem. Many ancient creatures seem like alien life forms for as much as they don't resemble today's creatures, and with so much ocean life left to explore, how could we possibly ever get bored with this subject? Take prehistoric sharks, for example. The Squalicorax, it has been found out, used to dine on the pterosaur, otherwise known as a flying lizard.
A Grateful Dead Dancing Bear for Halloween? Absolutely! If you're looking for a great way to celebrate your favorite band AND celebrate the best holiday of the year, a Dancing Bear costume is the perfect way to do both at the same time. There are even youth size costumes so you can make an entire family of Dancing Bears if your heart so desires. These costumes are pretty versatile so you could also use them throughout the year, unlike other "spookier" costumes.
If you're looking for an awesome Halloween party to attend this year, Seattle is the place to be. Most are the weekend before Halloween, since it unfortunately falls on a Wednesday this year, but that's close enough, right? From adults-only shindigs to kid-friendly haunts, there's something for everyone this Halloween season.
This past summer my family and I read House with a Clock in its Walls to not only prepare for the film but to have some fun. We love a good fantasy as well as a mystery and we're always reading something aloud. While the book wasn't a favorite (there was too much tell-not-showing, too much dawdling until the actual action and a few other things that made me fall asleep while reading pages to my family), it was still enjoyable with lots of fun elements, particularly in the end.
It's all-Halloween all the time right now in my house, which includes poetry! My daughter is on a "classic horror" streak this year, so in addition to the Halloween books we're diving into, we're checking out some Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe and Christina Rossetti. This means reading by candlelight, holding skeletons while reciting Shakespeare and yes, lots of (fake) ravens. Yes, it's the BEST.
It's officially October and time to celebrate Halloween every second! No? Whether your festivities are limited to the day itself or, like me, you tend to bleed black and orange (don't forget purple!), it's the perfect time of year to play Halloween games! Are you planning yours yet? If so, here are some fun ideas to consider.
Bobbing for Apples: Always a classic, bobbing for apples has become a bit of a health concern, so many people now tie donuts to a string and "bob" for their own donut.
As a progressive parent, it often astounds me that people still use spanking. It's a cruel, outdated practice that's been proven to not only not work but to cause harm on a developing child, but no matter how much evidence is presented, pro-spankers hold to it based on the sound idea that "if it was good enough for me, it's good enough for them," which is pretty much the opposite of what any parent should believe, right? Shouldn't we want a better world for our kids? But I digress.
As a homeschooling parent, I know people who do and make so many cool things. I know a mom who skates roller derby, a mom who followed the Grateful Dead on tour, selling tie-dye shirts and a mom who fought off a cougar one night while she was camping with her daughters.
Do you love to ink? Share your skills this month with Inktober! It's a fun and easy challenge: all you have to do is draw something in ink every day. That's it! To participate, you can also share your creations on social media with the hashtags #inktober and #inktober2018. Artist Jake Parker started this tradition in 2009 as a way to practice inking and now it's a phenomenon as October as candy apples and pumpkin guts!
Let's repeat it. "Boys will be held accountable for their actions. Boys will be boys is no longer a thing." This excuse is outdated and DONE. Not only does it allow men to get away with whatever they want, but it also renders them little more than wild animals with no control over their own behavior, which is an insult to all men. "Boys will be boys" is what I heard from relatives who voted for Donald Trump because they listened to too much Fox News and hated Hilary Clinton more than they cared about the women Trump has hurt (and continues to or will hurt through his policies and actions).
The Trump administration does not like government regulations. For the past two years, many different federal regulations have been eliminated by the Executive Branch. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been removing important regulations that have to do with the health of the public and the environment.
