Googly Eye Door Wreath DIY

This year is the first time we've been able to decorate our home for Halloween as, well, it's the first time we've had a home since we moved to the US! 

After eight years of checking out neighborhood houses decked out with skeletons, pumpkins and crazy lights it's finally our turn to decorate. The kids have been super excited about it, and I must admit, so am I. Our front yard looks like it's been hit with a kitsch Halloween bomb! Nothing goes together and it's all kind of cheesy, but that's just the way I like it. We have a giant inflatable sand worm from Beetlejuice, skulls on stakes dotted across our lawn, pumpkins on our porch, flickering blood red lights, and our lawn flamingos have turned into skeletons. You may have already seen some of our Halloween decorations on Instagram (like this one) but I'll be sharing more pics on the blog soon too.

Today I'm sharing the latest Halloween decoration that I've added to our home, as well as a super simple DIY to make one yourself. It's a googly eye wreath! Isn't it cute? I think it's a great option for families with little kids as it's kind of monstery (that's totally not a word!) but it's not at all scary.

This was an easy decoration to make with only a few materials needed, and not much time at all. Here's a look at how to make one for yourself.

Lola's Potato Party

A few weekends back we celebrated Lola's 9th birthday with a potato themed party.

Ok, I know what you're thinking... A potato themed party? Huh?

I know, it's a weird one, but if you've ever met Lola then you'll know that she tends to be, well, a little weird at times too!

I have no idea what this potato thing is all about, but Lola and her friends at school have a potato club and so it seemed only fitting that it should also be the theme of her birthday party - especially seeing as most of the guests are members of this esteemed club!

So just what does a potato themed party involve?

Potatoes, of course!

We smashed a fancy potato pinata that I made (although it looked a little more like a Mr Monopoly egg due to the balloon shape!), we played "Pin the Top Hat on the Potato", sang "Happy Birthday" over a cake featuring a fondant kawaii potato (not all potatoes are fancy!), ate Irish potato candies that I remember from my childhood and potato latkes, handed out realistic looking potato stress balls as thank you gifts, and Lola wore a potato t-shirt.

Here's a look at all the fun - well, some of it, because the kids spent half their time playing hide and seek in the house and it's hard to take photos of them when you don't know where they're hiding!

Our First Snowy Day

If you're following Little Hiccups on Instagram, or if you happen to live in Colorado, you'll know that we had some pretty crazy weather last week - including our first snow!

The week started off with fairly typical (or what we've found to be typical so far) Fall weather: sunny days with temps in the 60s and 70s F (10s and 20s C) and cool nights. It even got as warm as 79F (26C) on Wednesday. But as Wednesday evening drew near, the wind picked up and grew stronger and stronger bringing colder temperatures down from the mountains. Thursday morning we woke to light snow falling outside and a dusting of white across our yard.

By the time Lola, Mathilde and I were ready to walk to school, the snowflakes had become large and fluffy and our yard was transformed into a Winter wonderland. It was a pretty magical sight and the girls couldn't wait to get out there in the snow.

Decked out in our warmest puffy jackets, beanies, mittens and snow boots (all of which took forever to put on!) we headed outside and started our slow walk to school. Usually Lola and I ride our scooters while Mathilde zooms along on her trusty balance bike and we get to school in about fifteen to twenty minutes. With snow on the ground and the sidewalks icy I figured that wheels were probably not the best option so we stuck with walking instead. This meant that our journey to school took about half an hour as the girls slowly trudged through the snow.

When we arrived at school we discovered a yellow flag on the school's flag pole. This meant that instead of waiting outside their classrooms for the bell to ring as usual, the kids were to enter their classrooms right away. I had wondered what the procedure would be for snowy days.

Fall Fun at Anderson Farms

It's finally Fall!

Well, it has been for a few weeks now, but it's finally starting to feel like Fall. The leaves are changing color, the nights are getting cooler, and there are pumpkins and Halloween decorations everywhere. 

To celebrate the coming of my favorite Season we headed to Anderson Farms in nearby Erie for a Fall Festival with Kim's work recently. It was such a fun event and a super fun place to celebrate the season.

Visiting a pumpkin patch is always one of my favorite Fall activities and just like everything with our move, a new pumpkin patch was on my "must find" list! Anderson Farms perfectly fit the bill checking off all my pumpkin patch favorites, plus more! Tractor rides, pumpkin picking, a corn maze, cheesy photo opportunities, a petting zoo, fun rides and amusements... it's all there.

Halloween Style for Kids

It's October - one of my favorite months of the year!

The weather starts cooling down, there are fun Fall festivals, we celebrate Lola's birthday, and we end the month with a big bang on Halloween. Such a fun and busy month. We might even get our first snow this month if we're lucky - or unlucky, depending on your views on snow!

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Having spent much of my life in Australia Halloween is still a huge novelty for me as we've only been celebrating it since we moved to the US eight years ago. This year will be our first year decorating our house for Halloween and we just might even get trick or treaters for the first time ever! I can't wait!

To get into the Halloween spirit, I love to dress the kids in Halloween themed gear. While I'm a big fan of dressing for the holidays, I'm not keen on buying outfits that are worn just once or twice. Instead, I like to buy cute Halloween themed clothes that can be worn all year round. 

Today I'm sharing some of my favorite Halloween themed outfits and accessories. These are all perfect for Halloween but also for anytime of year. These are also all from some of my favorite small independent brands, so I love knowing that while I'm dressing my kids I'm also supporting some talented artists.  

🎃 Whistle & Flute Kawaii Bat Sweater
🎃 Gunner & Lux Sugar Tote Bag
🎃 Whistle & Flute Glow in the Dark Kawaii Pumpkin T-shirt
🎃 Hello Shiso Spider Hairclips
🎃 Baby Teith Squad Ghouls Onesie
🎃 Rags Expressions of Jack Romper
🎃 Mochi Kids Kawaii Ghost T-shirt
🎃 Hello Shiso Ghost Hairclips
🎃 Mochi Kids Kawaii Skull Tote Bag
🎃 Baby Teith Boo Monday T-shirt
🎃 Whistle & Flute Candy Corn Baseball T-shirt

Aren't these all cute? Perfect for Halloween or any time of year. My kids love the kawaii designs from Mochi Kids and Whistle & Flute, and this stuck in the 80s mama is quite fond of the Baby Teith designs inspired by some of my favorite bands.

Stay tuned for my favorite Halloween inspired style for grown ups coming soon! Kids shouldn't get all the fun to themselves, right?