He Works Hard For The Money!

It seems that the economy is getting all gunky right before the holidays... and since we can't send our pets out to bring home the bacon, lucky for us, there is a little something called... TARGET (woohoo!yay!yippee!) so we can still indulge in all the importantly silly little things we don't need that we really do need! I popped into the Seal Beach location this week and found all sorts of fun seasonal dollar bin & clearance stuff. It's really strange because it seems like it's always hit or miss with Target deals; different Targets have different stuff... but I found a couple of really cute things this visit. You might want to see if your local target has them, too :)

1) Halloween Dog Collars, in all different sizes, in a happy pumpkin pattern. They didn't have any cat collars, but I bought my kitty the smallest size and it fits her just fine. The collars actually look more cute & well made than what I've seen this year at the pet shops (but probably not as nice as the handmade etsy ones.) For only a dollar, they're a superduper deal, and, most especially important, they have the safety release buckles (which help prevent accidental choking.)

2) Cloth Thanksgiving Napkins, in packs of two, in fall-friendly beige, brown, orange, and green. They each have a little autumn applique (a different leaf, acorn, pumpkin, etc.) and they go with the Pottery Barn Kids Thanksgiving stuff perfectly. I found them in the dollar bin section, too, and they look lots nicer than typical dollary things.

3) Sailor Cat Fake-out Costumes. While many dogs will indulge their humans with Halloween costume-wearing, cats are another story. Most cat parents who value their limbs know better than to even make an attempt. But Target has this very cool sailor collar (complete with navy stripes and anchor) that's worn just like a normal collar. You just Velcro it on. Supereasy. No stress. And they even have a matching anchor-shaped catnip toy. Way super cute (and way supercheap... they were on clearance for 48 cents each!)

Hooray for dealy finds!

Furry Fall Friends

Today's the first day of autumn (yippee!) Leaf piles make great photo ops for puppies and preschoolers alike. Don't forget to jump and crunch when finished :)

Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day

ARR, Matey! I'm not making this stuff up... it really is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. May yours be free of scurvy, plank-walking, & mutiny... and instead be filled with gold, jewels, sassy-talking parrots & ale! Visit the ITLAPD website to peruse kid-related lingo, brush up on your adult pirate vocab, & get tips on how to observe the holiday at your workplace.

Halloween Dog Parade 2008

Mark your calendar for the Haute Dog Howl'oween Parade. This year's event will be Sunday, October 26, starting at 2:30 pm. The start/finish is at Livingston Park in Belmont Shore, Long Beach. Pups will parade down Second St. (between Roycroft and Granada avenues) for about an hour, then meet back at the park for the float & costume awards (and all sorts of fun puppy-stuff vendors, rescue groups, pet photography & door prize giveaways, too!) This is a big family event that draws creative kooky sorts from all over... you'll see some of the cutest, strangest, most imaginative costumes ever...so don't forget your camera! Registration is available via the link above (spectating is free!)

Easy Peasy Halloweensy

Take a look at this yummy idea posted by Alicia over at bread & honey: Citrus-infused Campfire Cakes!

It's easypeasy: slice the tops off of oranges, hollow them out, plop in cake mix, stick the orange tops back on, wrap um up in foil, toss on the campfire, and let bake for around 5-10 minutes or so.

Kids will love these, and (at least for still-warmish CA) they're perfect for fall. Besides being tasty, the finished product is purty, too...the oranges sort of look like mini pumpkins, and lovely & mysterious blackened silhouette-type designs appear etched in the peel after some time in the heat. Beachy bonfire deliciousness!

Creative Cutie Pie Collars

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a big holiday fan (I think I've already posted 80million Halloween-related topics and it's barely mid-September...) Anyways, who doesn't love seeing pets in holiday collars? Just as every girl needs several handbags for varying occasions, every pet could use a festive collar or two for more specialish months of the year. When I saw this 8PawsCollars collar on etsy I fell in love immediately. The double pattern design is reallyreally cute and different, and I always love polka dot anything (polka dots are just so happy!) 8paws also makes some pretty adorable non-holiday collars, too, including one with an especially darling aqua blue daschund print. Fun stuff!

Hot Dogs & Hallowienies

Adorable, sausagey daschund bodies seem as though they were made for hot dog Halloween costumes... but did you ever wonder how the actual puppy feels about wearing that outfit? The Hallo-wiener, by Dan Pilkey, is a hilarious book about a puppy named Oscar (teehee) who gets picked on by the other dogs at school for being little... then Halloween comes around and his mom has him dress up as a hot dog... and, well... things only get worse! Oscar goes through some supersilly situations, learns some wonderful lessons, and ends up making new friends, too! Kids love this book because it's soooo funny; it has tons of small clever details, including those found in the illustrations (which will absolutely crack you up!) A great-grinning read for animal-obsessed little ones.

Advent Countdown Calendar Ideas

Countdown calendars are a fun way for little ones to learn about traditions, and they can also be semi-educational with regards to number recognition, counting, and learning about how we organize time into days, weeks, and months. Plus, they're just really cute!

In case you don't know, here's how they work: each day, kids get to poke their hand into a small pocket for a treat (or maybe a trick!) Besides just candy (which, fyi, can melt if you live in sunny socal...) try tucking in tiny non-edible things like:

stickers, stickers, stickers!
rubber stamps
rub-on tattoos
matchbox cars
lego men (and women!)
little farm or zoo animal figures
bracelets or rings
charms or key chains
hair clips & barrettes

a coin purse
lip balm
fancy shoelaces
polished stones or crystals

a magnifying glass
a rock buddy (paint a silly face on a small river rock)
precious ittybitty pinecones
shells or starfish
seeds for planting

a fresh flower
window prisms

geodes

finger puppets

tiny plush stuffed animals
marbles

bouncy balls

jump rope

jacks

playing cards
erasers
pencil sharpeners

crayons or smallish markers

silly putty

tiny books
special little notes

poems
riddles/silly jokes
funny face photos
homemade coupons ("good for one extra bedtime story" etc.)
wacky fake mustaches
whoopee cushions

yoyos
kazoos (if you dare!)

squirt guns (also if you dare!)
finger puppets
magnets
small holiday ornaments
gift cards
money
collars, tags, chew toys, (pets are family, too!)

Etsy is a great place to shop for unique, handmade giftlets, and The dollar store is a supergreat resource for tons of fantastic cheapy gifties (as is your junk drawer, backyard, &... your imagination!) Remember to choose treats that are age appropriate; older kids will appreciate different tokens than the itsy bitsy kids (and as always, preschoolers will need your supervision and guidance when dealing with all things smallish.) If you have a large family, just be creative in how to divvy things up (one child gets even numbered days, the other odd... maybe Kate gets Saturdays, Matt Sundays, Dad Mondays, Mom Tuesdays, Fido gets Wednesdays, etc....)

If you don't want to fill each pocket with a gift, you can also just count the days off by moving a symbolic marker (like a tiny stuffed plush snowman) from pocket to pocket as the days go by. Trust me when I say that this less materialistic routine is still fun for the kidlets (most don't realize they're missing out on anything in the first place.)

And did you know that countdown calendars aren't just for Christmas anymore? The Land of Nod and Pottery Barn Kids also make the cutest calendars for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Hanukkah. They're made of fabric (mostly felt) and have all sorts of darling holiday-related applique details like spooktacular bats, turkey friends, etc. PBK will even embroider these calendars with your family (or child's) name (an instant, homespun-feeling heirloom for the noncrafty!) The PBK Thanksgiving calendar last year came with these wonderful cards to write down what you're thankful for on. So instead of filling the pockets with gifts, you can fill each pocket with words of thankfulness. What a fantastic way to share (and build up great sentimental tidbits for your scrapbook, too!)

Silly, Spooktacular Stories

Can you believe that Halloween is already just around the corner? These are three favorite, really fun, cheeky, and "just enough" creepy & gross, supersilly Halloween books that send tiny tots into giggle fits:

Goodnight Goon, by Michael Rex. It's a parody of Goodnight Moon, and you can actually read it out loud with the same cadence as the traditional bedtime story classic.





13 Days of Halloween, by Greene. This one's a take on the 12 days of Christmas, and yes, you can sing it, if you like. Instead of partridges in pear trees, you've got toads & worms & ghosties! (There's also a 13 Nights of Halloween, by Rebecca Dickinson that kids find equally super.)

The Night Before Halloween, by Natasha Wing. Just like the Christmas tale, excepting with monsters, goblins, and the like.

These stories are ideal for most older preschoolers (4ish +) -2nd graders (who will be better able to appreciate the parody concept.) Even still, be sure to keep your child's feelings in mind when introducing "scary" tales (including the ridiculously silly ones like these.) We all have a different spook threshold :)

Bananas For Bugs?

Most preschoolers looooooooove bugs (a love of which I've posted about before.) If your little one is considering a future in entomology, she (or he!) will be absolutely gaga-enchanted with Brigette The Weird Bug Lady's delightful plush creations. Besides the big cushy praying mantis shown here, Brigette also has other cool critters up for sale on etsy, more in toy form (please note that some items are best suited for older kids or for supervised play only due to itsybitsy eye parts, etc.), others in the form of jewelry, hair clips, and even the world's cutest (and possibly only?) centipede scarf. She also does commissioned special orders, and has a background in zoology (so your child will never have to question you about why her ladybug only has four legs when everyone knows that real ladybugs have six...)

Creative creepy-crawly cuteness!

Seal Beach Wag 'n' Walk

Help celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Seal Beach Animal Care Center by registering for their superfun Annual Wag 'n Walk. This year's walk is scheduled for Saturday, September 27, 2008 starting at 10 a.m. at Eisnehower Park (adjacent to the Seal Beach Pier.) This is always a very fun outdoorsy event, and the proceeds raised go towards helping care for homeless pets... what a wonderful way to make a difference while enjoying the shore and mingling with other dog lovers!

Pups on Parade

Amanda Jackson, who designs supercute puppy stuff, recently had a doggy photo shoot to promote her latest line of covetable Mimi Green collars & leashes. She was kind enough to share some of the incredible shots (the first few taken by Kim Donald, the last two by Amanda's talented husband, Dan.) I love to see dogs having fun... just being dogs, and (besides highlighting the snazzy collars & leashes) this gallery of adorable images captures just that... the pure, joyful spirit of a pup! no fancy shmancy uncomfortable costumes or overly clever constrictive poses... just pups enjoying a happy (yet fashionable) romp outside with the grass, the sky, the breeze and a buddy... fun, fun, fun!

Speaking of Iguanas!

The Long Beach El Dorado Nature Center is hosting the Southern California Herpetology Society Fall Reptile Show. This is a huge family event, taking place really supersoon: Sunday, September 28, 2008, from 10am – 3pm. Stop by to see all sorts of cold-blooded creatures, both teeny and gigantic, from slithery snakes & turtles to chunky patterned lizards!

Many handlers bring a few extra-friendly, socialized critters, and will invite children to touch their exotic, scaly friends. Most kids will want to indulge, so in order to avoid looking like a party pooper, but still remain a health-conscious parent, I recommend bringing hand sanitizer (reptiles can carry salmonella, and most also have an awesome sense of smell... so it's a good idea to remove odorous traces of things like tasty pet hamster or chicken nuggets from kid fingers before they go in for a touch. This also keeps the reptiles safe from kiddie germs, so it's a win-win for everyone!)

This is a great opportunity to talk about all sorts of sciencey things including: textures (bumpy? smooth? what are scales?), colors (camouflage, warning colors), movement (can you move like a snake? like a turtle?), sounds (how do snakes sound? ...what about lizards?), growth (live birth vs. eggs, shedding skin), needs (food, shelter, space) and on and on. Be sure to bring your camera, sunblock, sense of adventure...and ...patience (this is one of our biggest, most kid-crowded events.)

Speaking of Chihuahuas!

I'm a sucker for Disney movies, and the upcoming October 3rd release of Beverly Hills Chihuahua looks like especially silly fun... I can't wait! This one's a non-animated movie, and it stars a cast of various real-life talented pooches of all breeds (not just chihuahuas.) While the majority of their moves are trained behavior, thanks to movie magic, the dog actors also speak English (and in some cases, Spanish, too) and, as you can imagine, they have lots of funny things to say...

You've got to love a movie that has animals as the stars, and only the "supporting cast" is comprised of humans (in this case, Jamie Lee Curits and Piper Perabo.) Besides the token humans, there is also a wise-cracking rat (can rats be anything other than wise-cracking?) and a winsome iguana (who caught my attention in the preview trailer by exclaiming the highly quotable "for the love of a banana!")

How can anyone resist, as the promo states: "THE BEST Chihuahua Movie of ALL TIME" ...?

Chihuahua Beauty Contest

Calling all friendly & fetching (...pun intended) chihuahuas! Sign up for the Haute Dog Chihuahua Beauty Contest! Contestants will prance down a red carpet, & be judged on personality, charm, figure, face, and first impression. The competition will be held on Saturday, October 4, 2008 @ 1pm, at Marine Stadium in Long Beach (beginning directly after the Blessing of the Animals Event.)

Kids & Critters Creative Collage

Feast your eyes on Jayme McGowen's imaginative & lovely, little ones-related, 3-d paper art (now seen in Small Magazine, and for sale at her Roadside Etsy shop.)

Quirky Inspiration Fact: Jayme started making her paper art when she quit smoking (in a creative effort to keep her hands busy!) ... sayonara to carcinogens... hola to art!

Puppies, Preschoolers, Picnics!

How did you spend your Labor Day? Did you picnic? When I was itty bitty, I used to love picnicing , and I still do now! Being allergic to grass can make it a little more tricky, but laying down lots of huge, comfy sheets & blankets and building superfun air tents is easy to do, and really helps avoid itchiness. Picnics are such fun for both preschoolers and puppies... not to mention characters from Jane Austin novels (as in the photo above, from the movie Emma.) Hooray for picnics!

Take the Quiz here!

Enjoy Your Laborlessness