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Ya'll Have a Good Time Now, Ya' Hear!
November 18, 2010
No, I'm not trying to be The Pioneer Woman. I am definitely a Canadian expat living in the northeastern United States. But I couldn't resist that little bit of slang after looking at these photos.
This week the kiddos attended a cowboy/cowgirl birthday dress-up party.
We love dress up parties (or at least the kids do, I don't usually dress-up). Especially, this year since we decided not to do halloween. We have always loved the dress-up part of halloween but I'm tired of the rest of it. Tired of the gruesome costumes. Tired of wondering what to with all the junk food that comes in our home. And tired of spending precious mental energy brainstorming what I can purchase to hand-out to tricker-treaters that doesn't contribute to tooth decay or landfill clutter.
tooth decay, so not cool for a pretty face like this
I'm just done with the whole scene. Instead this year we hiked on halloween and went out for our usual post-hike Thai supper where we were all treated to mini chocolate bars. And that was all the treat we needed.
But back to the birthday party. This is the second dress-up party the kids attended this fall. Earlier in September the house was a buzz with medieval costuming, this month it's been the wild west. If I was a unit-study type of homeschooler I might have turned it into a something more educational. As it was, it was one big craft and costume fest as the children prepared gifts and outfits for the past of couple weeks.
I love that the kids get so much pleasure from the creative process. They just want to make things all the time. Parties like this give them something to focus their creative energies on. Laurent put together a cork, wood, wire and electrical tape six shooter. He helped Brienne make her own thirteen(?) shooter.
Laurent also hand stitched a felt holster with a loop for his belt to complete the set. The Waldorf version of a cowboy if there is such a thing!
The kids used their imaginations to put together gifts for the birthday girl. Handmade paper, adjustable wire and felt spurs for the birthday cowgirl, and a re-gifted hobby horse that Brienne no longer needed to own. At one time this horse was a prized toy, a birthday present of her own one year. Now that she has outgrown her interest in it she has been hanging onto the horse to specifically give it to a person she knew and not anonymously donate it to goodwill. How convenient then to have a friend with a cowgirl party!
Celine crafted this yarn doll as a gift using these instructions (which I found via this great post at Simple Kids). The felted hat was her own addition.
Watching my children create - costumes, gifts, and even facial hair (tee, hee) gives me such pleasure. And then watching them have a rousing good time running around like crazy cowboys and cowgirls with a bunch of other kids, totally engaged in imaginative play is the bonus on top.
the bandit in jail
It makes my mama's heart happy to watch how much fun they create for themselves. In making things, in giving of themselves and their gifts, and in just plain ol' having fun.
Thanks to our friends for hosting such a great party and giving us the opportunity to participate.
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Kika on Nov. 20, 2010, 5:16 p.m.
The photos are wonderful - all the kids look so happy. We opted out of Halloween too. My son has never participated while my girls trick or treated three years. But, like you said, it is so much work and frustration b/c we know how bad all that candy is. And now, with my youngest having some bad allergies there was no way we were participating. I have to say, too, that it frustrates me that so many people struggle with food bills, etc., but then spend all that $ on halloween decorations and candy. Plus, the chocolate is made on the backs of children through slave labour or horrible working conditions... much of it coming from West Africa, the birth place of my husband. I just can't justify participating in that business anymore. I get rather worked up about things like this.
It really does feel nicer to give things to a person you know will enjoy the item as opposed to the local thrift shop (although we do both!); some of the toys I worked hard to buy for my son - like Thomas the Tank Engine trains and tracks - can now be passed to my little nephew. I hope that many more of our treasures (favorite books/toys) will be able to go the little people in our extended family. My son has a hard time parting with 'stuff' but has always been more willing when he knew a little boy he could personally hand it off to.
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renee on Nov. 20, 2010, 7:13 p.m.
Kika, I think it's good you get worked up about where chocolate comes from. Our family only buys organic chocolate and cocoa from companies that pay the farmers fairly (or at least they say they do). I think that the fact your husband comes from West Africa gives you an unique perspective on that issue.
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Kika on Nov. 21, 2010, 10:21 p.m.
My husband isn't convinced that the people truly benefit from the Fair Trade agreements although we buy fair-trade/organic chocolate and coffee. He lived in West Africa for 30 years and his family is still there and he thinks the corrupt government actually pockets the higher selling prices. Of course, we can't know for sure. I'd like to look into this more.
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renee on Nov. 21, 2010, 11:31 p.m.
What can you do eh? We've been buying most of our chocolate from Divine for the past couple years. Their website has quite a few farmer links, including this one. But you just never know, we do the best with the knowledge we have. If you do look into this more and find some really great company do let me know.
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Ashley on Nov. 21, 2010, 1:58 a.m.
Thanks for sharing this, it looks like so much fun! I love the gifts that were given. I wish I knew more people in my area who threw parties like this and were open to creative gifts. I love the felt spurs, so cute! I might have to give the yarn doll a try, my daughter loves dolls. :)
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Shannon on Nov. 21, 2010, 9:48 p.m.
I love that last photo, so cozy. I am not sure if you were referring to your daughter having tooth decay in that photo or not. Either way she's gorgeous, but I wanted to ask if you'd heard of Ramiel Nagel's book on tooth decay. If you're in need it's a great resource. If not, sorry for the confusion :).
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renee on Nov. 21, 2010, 11:25 p.m.
I actually only made the sugar/tooth decay connection because it's easy to write in one sentence. In truth, I don't usually think about sugar with regards to tooth health but health overall. We just avoid it as much as possible and consciously choose to really limit our intake.
No, Celine doesn't have any tooth decay. I haven't read that book. We actually haven't done a lot of tooth issue research because we haven't needed to. Our kids have very healthy teeth and gums. Sorry for the confusion.
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Mel on Nov. 22, 2010, 5:28 p.m.
My boys love dressing up as cowboys. Thanks to a couple hats we found at a garage sale and some too-big-but-workable boots from the thrift store, they're set. They use all sorts of things as ropes and tie bandanas around their necks. It's so fun to watch them create characters.
Thanks for sharing the party. We had a cowboy party last year for my son's birthday, but no one showed up in costumes :( We might need to find some new friends--hee hee
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Kelly on Nov. 20, 2010, 5:04 p.m.
Yes, I absolutely love how my 3-year-old wants to always be making something. For her, at this age, she often doesn't have a specific end-product in mind, but she is pretty confident that we can MAKE anything we need. What a beautiful mind-set to grow up with.