Pet safety on Halloween

A couple weeks ago I posted about safety for both kids and parents. Today I will be talking about safety for pets. Yes, that's right...pets. We adore our pets and they are an important part of the family. I call them fur-babies (in general) and I and like many others would not want to see them harmed in any way. Here are several safety tips to avoid accidents and ensure your pet's safety this Halloween:

* Keep all candy well sealed and out of reach of all pets. Make sure all wrappers are discarded and your pet is not able to dig them out of the trash. This can cause intestinal blockage. This could also result in vomiting and ingestion of chocolate can especially be toxic. Chocolate in all forms—especially dark or baking chocolate—can be very dangerous for dogs and cats. Symptoms of significant chocolate ingestion may include vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, increased thirst, urination and heart rate—and even seizures.

* Candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can be poisonous to dogs. Even small amounts of xylitol sweetener can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, which leads to depression, lack of coordination and seizures. In cases of significantly low blood sugar, liver failure has been known to occur.

* Place festive decorations out of reach of pets. Stay away from small or low-hanging items, or even large items with parts that could appeal to pets. Ingestion could cause choking or result in the need for surgery.

* Designate a secure spot for your pet inside your home, since traffic to and from your house may increase dramatically on Halloween night. This helps to reduce anxiety that it may cause your pet and cause it to run away.

* Exercise caution when walking your pet outside. Frequently scan the ground for dropped candy that your pet may want to consume.

* If you dress your pet for Halloween, make sure the pet enjoys such things. Make sure the outfit is roomy, reflective and fire retardant. An item of clothing that is too tight could cut off circulation and/or choke your pet. Make sure the costume isn’t annoying or unsafe, and doesn’t restrict her movement, vision, hearing or ability to breathe or bark. Avoid costumes with small or dangling accessories that she could chew off and possibly choke on. Make sure an adult supervises pets in costume at all times.

* It’s not a bright idea to keep lit pumpkins around companion animals. Pets can knock them over, and curious kittens especially run the risk of being burned.

* Don’t leave your pet in the yard on Halloween. There have been reports of vicious pranksters who have teased, injured, stolen and even killed pets on this night.

* It is especially important to keep your feline inside for several days before and after Halloween. Black cats in particular may be at risk from children’s pranks or other cruelty-related incidents. As a safety precaution, many shelters will not adopt out black cats around Halloween.

* IDs, please! Always make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and becomes lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip can increase the chances that he or she will be returned to you.

Halloween Safety

With Halloween a month away I thought I'd post some Halloween safety for both children and adults.

For children:
* Look both ways before crossing the street.
* Don't eat candy without your parents permission.
* Don't eat opened candy.
* Use face paint instead of masks if possible. Masks may cause vision and breathing restrictions.
* Carry a flashlight.
* Go to only homes that have a front light on.
* Accept treats at the door--don't go inside a stranger's house!
* Use sidewalks. If there are none then walk on the left side of the road facing traffic.

For Parents:
* All children under 10 yrs. old should be trick-or-treating with an adult.
* Try to make children's costumes a lighter colour. If not possible, use reflective tape for easier night visibility.
* Your children's costumes should fit properly and not be too long. If possible, get ones that are fire retardant.
* Plan a trick-or-treat route for your children.
* Feed your children a nutritious meal before going trick-or-treating as this can help prevent them from eating treats before being inspected.

Browsing the isles...

Yesterday I finally got the time to browse the isles in Walmart in their Halloween section without kids I might add happily! That meant I could take my time to look and not have to feel rushed or hearing the usual..."I want a drink of water" or "I need to go potty!" or hearing them whine saying they are tired and want to go home. Someone like me who doesn't get a chance to go anywhere alone without the kids is truly a blessing for me.
There they had many outdoor/indoor lights to hang whether they be in the shape of pumpkins or bats or whatever, then the large outdoor figures that you have blown up. I passed by all those without a second look. There were an array of costumes and I hope that I can get the kids what they want to be before they are all snatched up by others. There were alot of fairy and princess stuff with wings, wands, lots of nylons of different kinds. They had different trick or treat bags and containers for little ones to carry and keep their precious candy hoard but I prefer using the pillowcases. They are stronger, easily just toss them in the washer to clean and bigger. ;)
Onto the masks...not so much gore this year but creepy/scary looking. So I carefully proceeded to look through them all to find an old woman's facemask for my own costume. The one I chose was a witch. (there are a couple different ones of what they termed 'witch') It looked more of an old woman's face with a red and white checkered scarf for around the head which will be perfect to hide anything I need to around the mask and to make it look more real and not clumsily put together.
Before I had gone to the store to browse I had taken the baby sleeper and stuffed it with stuffing from old stuffed animals that were too old to pass on and were no longer used. No need to waste the stuffing and save money to boot! I sewed the mittens on as well and along the snaps on the body of the sleeper so no stuffing will peek out. It's slowly coming along and I think in a couple weeks or so I will be finished...depending on if I can find a large black dress to wear. I might have found a dress...but it's not black...it's more of a dark blue denim that I think if it comes down to it I will buy it (It's at the Salvation Army clothing store just a block from my house)

Signs of Halloween

Besides the usual display of Halloween magazines that are out and have been since the last week in August (at least here they were) there are now other tell-tale signs of Halloween. First was the dollar store getting their shelves stocked after school started. Walmart is now getting their shelves stocked. In the dollar store I found a great wooden cane for my costume! :D My only concerns are to find a large dress...everything else isn't a problem to find.
With the chill in the air I went to the Salvation Army to see what they have for sweaters for what I have a feeling will be cold this year. On one rack were some used Halloween costumes. Now there were none that I could use or have my kids use. My youngest daughter wants to be a tiger and my son a bat. All I need is to find a black sweater and he is done...just a matter of putting it together. My older daughter can't seem to make up her mind so we shall see what the stores have for costumes and maybe she will finally decide. lol! I don't blame her...so many costumes and you have to just pick one! Not fair! LOL!
Another sign of Halloween...at least in this house is my kids bugging me over and over every day once school started to decorate for Halloween...every year! lol! This year it's my older daughter who is doing the most bugging, whining and pleading. I told them I don't decorate till AT LEAST the 15th of October. But she is stubborn like me so I relented...sort of. I decided to bring up the Halloween movies last night so perhaps that might make them content for a little while...either that or it will backfire and cause them to be even more impatient and bug me all the more. LOL! We shall see. I will try to prolong it as long as I can and as close as I can till the end of the month.

Halloween Magazines

Well the Halloween Magazines are now starting to fill the shelves in full force. Off I was to go to pick up a few things I needed to make supper when Vic calls me on his cell to let me know at the drug store they had sales, etc. But what made my ears perk up was him telling me of all the Halloween magazines he saw out on the rack. I go over to discover there were about four or five there!
With three young ones I couldn't take my time to browse through them all so I flipped the pages quickly to make sure there wasn't any that was just all recipes. I picked one and off I went. (I always pick just one at a time) I got home to put things away and such and when I finally had some time to sit and relax I looked through it and I have to say I am impressed with what was inside.
Better Homes and Gardens has a magazine (as pictured) with something for everyone. There are actually some ideas here that I've never heard nor seen before and I'm thrilled to say its full of great stuff that I don't have to tear just a few pages out to put in my Halloween binder...just about the entire magazine is a keeper so I'll be keeping it intact and will be able to enjoy looking through it over and over. :)

Weird Halloween Trivia

Halloween stirs up all kinds of phobias, and many may be feeling creeped out by the festivities this year.
Some suffer from the following fears:
* Fear of cats = ailurophobia
* Fear of ghosts = phasmophobia
* Fear of Halloween = samhainophobia
* Fear of the dark = nyctophobia
* Fear of witches = wiccaphobia
* Fear of the number 13 = Paraskavedekatriaphobia
* Fear of cemeteries = coimetrophobia
* Fear of spiders = arachnophobia

It was believed that black cats were witches’ familiars and protected them.

Vampire bats do exist, but not in Transylvania. They are typically found in Central and South America where they feed on horses, cattle or birds.

If you stare into a mirror at midnight on Halloween, legend says you will see the face of your future spouse.

It is also believed that if you see a spider on Halloween, it is the spirit of a loved one watching over you.

If you have a unibrow or unusually long middle fingers, then you just might be a werewolf, otherwise known as a lycanthrope.

In France, more than 30,000 werewolf cases were tried between 1520 and 1630.

It's illegal to sell a haunted house in New York without informing the buyer.

Trick-or-treating is an Irish tradition, based on a custom where wealthy landowners would give food to the poor on Halloween night, believing ghosts would look favorably on them for doing so and spare them from mischief.

There is a poisonous mushroom called a jack-o'-lantern. These mushrooms are a bright orange-yellow in color and on rainy nights they appears to glow in the dark.

The first Frankenstein film was produced by Thomas Edison in 1910.

A pumpkin is a berry in the cucurbitaceae family, which also includes melons, cucumbers, squash and gourds. All these plants are native to the Americas.

The 13th

Happy Friday the 13th! :)

Found one!

Well, I found a picture online. A friend hunted it down for me and you can see it here...
http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/grim-granny-662441/
Sorry...still haven't figured out how to properly post links on here. But you can copy and paste it in your browser. It describes how to create the costume as well. I found it in a book, not realizing it was online too. :) Huzzah!
I actually got the cane and a purse at the local Salvation Army. It's a great place to find what you might need when creating your costume. :) (Especially if you are on a budget.)
So this will be the costume I am going to make for myself. :)

I've decided on a costume.

I wish I could find a picture of it to post on here...perhaps I'll have to wait till I get it together and put it on then get my ex to take a picture of me so I can upload it. Anyway... it's called Mommy Weirdest. I had taken out several Halloween books to see what I can find for ideas on costumes. It's in a Disney book. "It's Family Fun Trickes and Treats. 100 Wickedly Easy Costumes Crafts, Games & Food" By Deanna F. Cook and the experts at FamilyFun magazine. There are actually several good ideas for costumes in this book.
It's a creepy optical illusion of an old woman with a baby on her back. I need to go to the Salvation Army store to see if I can find a large black dress for the woman and there should be a baby sleeper there. I'll need a baby bonnet that will fit me as well. I have a pair of mittens and I'll need to find a soother. The nylons will be no problem to get. Then just the granny purse, cane and granny lookin' type shoes. I'll have to wait till it's closer to Halloween to get an old woman's mask. I'll post how to put it together when I've finished it. I've got the backback I need and plenty of newspaper to stuff it with so that is part of it already done right there. :)
I'm hoping it won't be too cold this year. Last year it was gorgeous weather wise...mild. It's too bad the kids were feeling a little under the weather recuperating from the flu then. Guess I couldn't have both nice weather and healthy kids. LOL! Perhaps this year will be different.

Halloween itch

Usually there are two times of the year that I get the Halloween itch. In the month of May (yes, this month and I've already got it! LOL!) It will last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. And around the end of August/beginning of September which lasts right up till Halloween itself.
Today I was looking online at my local library for books I might want them to ship to me to read. I picked a few but wondered what else I could do. Then it hit me...Halloween! LOL! Well that was it. The Halloween itch was back and I quickly went through some of the long list. Alot of them were children's books but I found a few on making costumes. So I made sure to request those.
After the kids came home from school and had a snack I asked them what they wanted to be. My son wanted to try the bad again as last year I was unsuccessful to create it in time and my daughter wants to be a white chicken. LOL! The bat I think I can manage now. The chicken...it's going to be hard to find white feather boas. That is the only item I'm going to have a hard time with. I warned her I might not be able to so we might have to have a back up plan. But we'll see how things go. :)
As for what I will be...I'm not sure yet but hopefully I can figure it out before it's too late!

Its time...

Time that I should post something here. Seems the older I get the busier I get. Christmas was the usual busy holiday. We had Vic's sister come for almost 2 days which my kids loved. Then of course my daughter's birthday, then Vic and I split up and then had to do my youngest daughter's birthday. So...I'm trying to get my life back in order and figure out what I will be planning/doing for this year. Some year...I hope the rest of the year isn't like the last month was.
So for this months GPD I will be reviewing my Halloween binder. I've gone through old magazines already and tore out only the parts that I want to save and will add it later to my binder. I will have to start thinking of what I will build/make for a costume for this year so I hopefully will have time to find all that I need once I figure it out. I should also check out the Halloween forum more often too. Perhaps I'll get some new ideas from there.