Mummy Monday

Wrap up some mummies and put them on your plate. Surprise the kiddos, a hot dog inside. The how to is found at Family Fun.

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Looking for a no brainer? This Mummy has no brain, just unwrap it and you will find Halloween Playdough. Another recipe from the Idea Room.

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Mummified Oreos could be your treat.

You may ask How She Does It, she will show you how to too.

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Mummy? No it’s a baby, well maybe a baby Mummy.

Babble claims all it takes is roll of gauze plus a cute baby and you’ll have your own baby Mummy.

All you Mummys and Daddys have fun with your babies on Halloween.

Recipe for Fun

Serve up Mummy’s Favorite Pizza a great way to get the kids to eat something good before they eat all that candy!  It’s also a good cook together recipe for fun eats.

Ingredients
English muffin bread
Pizza sauce
Black olives
Scallions
Red or green pepper
Cheese sticks or slices

Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 350º F. For each mummy, spread a tablespoon of pizza sauce onto half of an English muffin (toast it first, if you like).
2. Set olive slices in place for eyes and add round slices of green onion or bits of red or green pepper for pupils.
3. Lay strips of  pulled-apart cheese sticks across the muffin for the mummy?s wrappings.
4. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the muffin is toasty.

Bone Appetit! Ha ha ha ha…

Regular old pretend pizza you can slice enjoy everyday.

Wordless Wednesday

Marvel – ous

Our annual Wag-O-Ween Party is just two Saturdays away. The showroom is spookily decorated with pumpkins, bats, ghosts, spiders and lots of cobwebs, some faux and even many authentic spider spun left especially for the occasion.

Today, I am considering this way Marvel-ous costume. What do you think? How long would it actually take to accomplish that face?

Calling all dogs!

Put on your costumes and bring your people in to the Wag-O-Ween Party 2011. Join us Saturday, October 22 for fun games, prizes and treats. Professional photographer Gretchen Osowski will be with us for fun fotos for pooches and people.

Make some Marvelous Mummy Meatloaf.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, anyway……

Here’s lookin’ at ya!

Science Saturday

 

 

 

 

 

 

No age is too young to begin a dialogue with children about their bodies, because good communication will enable them to have positive relationships with their bodies and a strong self image as changes occur over the years.

During the preschool years children begin to acquire a gender identity of a boy or a girl. From this very young age, it is critical that your child feels comfortable with asking you questions about their bodies. Children are naturally curious, so always praise your child for asking a question and be honest and straightforward with your answers.

These body puzzles are chosen for Science Saturday because they have 29 pieces ideal for teaching about the human body complete with nervous, digestive, muscular, skin and clothed layers.

Would this not be a delicious and nutritious way to teach skeleton science?

Hallow-Green National Costume Swap Day

Hop on your broom and drop in……

Angela or senior Interior Designer, and Erin L. our special events coordinator are displaying two of the costumes available for the National Costume Swap Party on Saturday.

Go green this Halloween and celebrate EEK-onomically by exchanging your gently used Halloween costumes for a new – to – you one.

Please join us.

WHEN: Saturday, October 8th from 1pm-3pm
WHERE: Totally Kids retail location at 7876 Portland Ave. S., Bloomington, MN 55420
WHAT: Hallow-Green Costume Exchange Party
WHY: To offer families a creative, eco-friendly Halloween tradition

Everyone will be entered into a drawing; the first chosen will pick their item first. The rest will follow; then, let the trading begin.

Hot spiced apple cider and cookies will be served. Play fun games and win prizes. Enter a drawing for a eco-friendly, kid powered car!

Receive a 10% discount on everything and anything when participating in the costume exchange.

Families are encouraged to bring in multiple costumes for the exchange. Any left over costumes will be donated to St. Joseph’s Home for Children, a charity that provides basic needs and emergency shelter needs for children in the Minneapolis and metro area.  Last year, Totally Kids was able to donate a carload of Halloween costumes to children. The goal for this year is to at least double that amount. What a great way to share the Halloween spirit with children who would otherwise not receive this opportunity.

FINGER FOOD

PREP TIME: Requires 30 minutes chilling
COOK TIME: 25 minutes
YIELD: About 30 Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon Amaretto
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 cup sliced almonds
3 tablespoons strawberry jelly
1 teaspoon water

NEXT:

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2.  In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, egg, Amaretto, and vanilla extract.  In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.  Working in batches, add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until fully incorporated.  Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, combine the strawberry jelly with 1 teaspoon water in a small saucepan.  Over low heat, melt the jelly.

4.  Working with one quarter of the dough at a time and keeping remainder refrigerated, roll a scant tablespoon full of dough into a thin log shape, about 4″ long for each cookie. Squeeze the dough around the center and close to one end to create knuckle shapes.  Keep the logs somewhat skinny, as they tend to expand in the oven.

5.  Make a small indentation at one end of the dough.  Drop a small bit of jelly onto the indentation, and press an almond slice firmly into the end of the cookie for a nail.  With a paring knife, make three slashes at the knuckle.

6.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Bake at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until pale golden.  Allow the fingers to cool on a cooling rack.

Serve if you dare!

How Do You Measure Up?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doll up your kitchen with these witty yet accurate measuring cups. Inspired by traditional Russian Matryoshkas (wooden nesting dolls) they’re made to measure. Practical, charming, and no surprise, they’re easy to store, one tucks inside the other. Set includes ¼ cup, ⅓ cup, ½ cup, ⅔ cup, ¾ cup, and 1 cup.

Stuffed Mini Jack-O’-Lanterns 

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Cut off the tops of bell peppers and use a spoon to remove the seeds. Save the tops for later!

Use a pencil to draw the faces on the peppers, then use a small serrated knife to carve out the faces.

Brush a little olive oil all over the inside of the pepper and lightly sprinkle them with salt and black pepper. At this point you can choose to bake them in a conventional oven for an hour or until soft.

In the meantime, make the quinoa stuffing:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 cup vegetable broth

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for about five minutes or until soft. Stir in the mushrooms and saute two more minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute for just about 30 seconds.

Add the parsley salt, black pepper, quinoa, and vegetable broth. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes or until all the water is absorbed and the quinoa is soft and fluffy. If the quinoa is still crunchy you can add more broth and simmer it for a few more minutes.

Stuff, and bake in a covered casserole dish at 350 degrees F. for 25 to 30 minutes.

Vampire Punch

1 new rubber surgical glove
2 quarts apple juice
2 quarts cranberry juice
2 liters ginger ale

1. Rinse the glove inside and out several times with cold water to make sure it doesn’t have any powder coating. Fill with water and tie the wrist tightly closed with a twist tie. Freeze solid.

2. Mix the juices and ginger ale in a large punch bowl. Cut the glove carefully off the hand and fingers with a sharp scissors and float the molded hand in the punch.

Sunday FUN-Day

Look what we are making today! Glow stick ghosts…

Erin M., Erin L. and Bobbie will be surprised to find this fun project waiting for them. We plan on hanging one outside our front door each night now until Halloween.

To create this ghostly creatures, all you need is:

White Balloons
Glow sticks
Cheesecloth
Black Marker
String

Activate your glow stick first.
We will be using glow bracelets.

• Place the glow stick in the balloon.

• Inflate and knot the balloon.
• Position the knot at the top of the balloon.

• Draw a face on the balloon.

• Drape the cheesecloth over the balloon,

• Cut a small hole and push the knot through.

• Secure with a string and hang so they can blow in the wind.

The test tonight is learning how long the glow sticks last.

Upcycle or Upside Down

Yes indeed, upcycled and upside down.

Megan (surprise – surprise) here is a new project – how about building a which-way witch for the event. Birshykat has the 411 you’ll need for this creation. (witch BTW  was made from finds right here in Minneapolis) She even crafted the witches shoes! (the Goodwill is  conveniently located down the street) We will see what our talented furniture designer, Megan will come up with…

Hallo-Green Costume Exchange Party 2011.

Celebrate EEK-onomically this Halloween by exchanging costumes! Bring in your kids’ gently-used costumes and trade for a new-to-you one! Trading costumes is a fun way to get kids excited about recycling.  Join us at Totally Kids for games, prizes, and spooky treats!

START BRINGING IN YOUR GENTLY-USED COSTUMES NOW!

All those participating will receive 10% off their entire purchase!*

Bring in gently-used costumes for kids or dogs and trade for a different one!

WHEN: Saturday, October 8 from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
WHERE: Totally Kids at 7876 Portland Ave. South, Bloomington, MN 55420
WHAT: Hallow-Green Costume Exchange Party 2011
WHY: To offer families a creative, eco-friendly Halloween tradition

Everyone will be entered into a drawing; the first chosen will have first pick of a new-to-you costume. The rest will follow; then, let the trading begin!

Any additional costumes that you can donate will be combined with the leftover Halloween costumes and given to St. Joseph’s Home for Children. Last year we were able to provide a huge car load of Halloween costumes for the kids at St. Joe’s. This year our goal is to at least fill 2 car loads. Please help by sending over any gently used costumes that you are no longer using!

www.shoptotallykids.com
phone: 952-881-2425

To top off the witches head, (wherever it is) here are some yummy kid easy to make Witches Hat cookie concoctions.

Simple iingredients are Keebler Fudge stripe cookies (turned upside down), Hershey Kisses attached with orange Wilton tube icing. Soooo easy!

*Offer good October 8 only. Not valid on prior purchases, gift cards or combinable with other offers.

Recipe For Fun

BTW Today 4U

FYI – DIY  Slime aka GAK

1 teaspoon borax powder

1 1/2 C water, divided

4 oz (1/2 C)  Elmer’s glue, clear or white

food coloring

Add borax powder to 1 cup of water and stir to dissolve.  Set aside.  Pour glue into a medium mixing bowl and add 1/2 C water. Add a few drops of food coloring until desired color is reached and then stir to mix glue solution until smooth.  Pour the borax mixture into the glue mixture and watch the solids start to form.  Stir for a few moments and then use your hands to gather the mass.  The mixture will be very soft and wet.  Keep kneading until it firms up and feels dry.  Discard excess liquid in bowl. The more you knead and play with the slime the firmer it will become.  Store in a ziplock bag or air tight container and the slime will keep indefinitely.

This too much fun recipe is from Our Best Bites and they note:  this is not a recipe for human consumption.  It is for play purposes only.  Make sure to supervise young children.

This is a HUGE favorite in the store. It even comes with glow in the dark (removable) slime. Stop in and take a look at this too cool for school loft bed.