Halloween is one week from today and hopefully you’ve already secured your costumes.

Never fear, however, if you’re a slacker mom like me because I have been known to throw together a fabulous snow princess costume at the last minute (luckily my thrifting juju was on that day!) With younger children especially, under age 5, it’s pretty easy to concoct a creative and inexpensive costume. Plus your child will really enjoy working on this project with you!

Here are some ideas outside the usual WalMart or Target costume aisle for great Halloween costumes:

Thrift stores. Last year my oldest daughter had a lovely Disney Little Mermaid costume I found on Ebay that she wore to my inlaws’ church for trunk or treat. On Halloween eve, however, she declared she wanted to be a “snow princess.” Desperate and telling her I’d only help her put together a costume if I could do it for less than $10, I hit my local Goodwill stores. It took two stops but I found a beautiful floor-length ice blue shimmery dress. A few silver sparkle snowflake ornaments later from the dollar tree and she was the prettiest snow princess in town.

Ebay. If you can hit Ebay early, especially in the summer, you can find fantastic deals on costumes or items that can double as costumes, such as leopard tights for girls or camo pants for boys. Don’t forget to search in your child’s clothing size category and not just the specific costume category on Ebay. 

Dress up stash. Don’t forget to take inventory of your own dress up wardrobe at home. My 3-year-old wore a cute homemade black kitty costume (another Ebay find) made from a black pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt that my older daughter had worn two years prior.

Other people’s closets. Call or e-mail your friends and family to take inventory of the costumes you already have. This is a great way to save money and recycle old costumes. If you have daughters like me your moms from soccer or dance may have quite a few costumes or dance outfits.

Linen closets. Three years ago my oldest daughter was a ghost and her costume was practically free. I cut a hole in a white crib sheet and with some inexpensive (less than $1) black felt, I glued a “face” on the sheet and I also glued the words “boo” to the back of the sheet. Doesn’t she look adorable? She was so proud of her ghost costume.

What creative ideas do you have for avoiding the expensive costume aisle?

Commentor #3, Sandy, is the winner of the SpongeBob DVD. Thanks to everyone for entering the giveaway!

Parents fall into one of two SpongeBob camps: the lovers and the haters. Personally my husband and I love SpongeBob, although I came very close to banning SpongeBob during the recent Sponge “boob” incident at my house.

Nickelodeon Home Entertainment released Spongebob Squarepants WhoBob What Pants October 14 on DVD and it’s 78 minutes of classic Bikini Bottom goodness.

Here’s the lowdown on the episodes featured on the DVD:

What Ever Happened to SpongeBob?
SpongeBob leaves Bikini Bottom, gets amnesia and finds himself Mayor of New Kelp City! When Sandy, Patrick, Mr. Krabs and Squidward finally find him, will SpongeBob return to his old life with these “strangers” or remain in the city where he’s a hero?

Goo Goo Gas
In his latest attempt to steal the Krabby Patty secret formula, Plankton turns everyone inside the Krusty Krab

The Two Faces of Squidward
When Squidward breaks his face, his resulting look is so handsome he becomes all the rage in Bikini Bottom!

SpongeHenge
The strong winds whipping through SpongeBob’s pores are creative beautiful music. Everyone knows music attracts jellyfish, and this time is no exception.

Banned in Bikini Bottom
The United Organization of Fish Against Things Fun and Delicious has banned Krabby Patties

Stanley
Cousin Stanley comes to live with SpongeBob and find his purpose in life. But it’s tough to find when practically everything you touch goes up in smoke. Literally.

One lucky Savvy Housewife reader will win this fun new DVD from Nickelodeon Family Entertainment. Simply visit the official Spongebob website and come back to this post and tell me your favorite character from Bikini Bottom. For two chances, blog about this giveaway. A random winner will be drawn from all eligible comments left by midnight Friday, October 24.

The R.W. Knudsen Family brand has partnered with one of my favorite bear families from childhood, The Berenstain Bears, to launch a new line of organic juice boxes. Sensible Sippers are 100% organic and feature the Berenstain characters Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Brother Bear, and Sister Bear on the packaging.

Sensible Sippers are a great choice for lunch boxes, snack time, and any time you are on the go with your kids. They contain 50% juice and 50% water, reducing the amount of sugar intake in each serving without compromising taste. They also contain 40% less calories than regular juice boxes and have no added sugar, artificial flavors,  or preservatives

My girls tried the fruit punch and apple Sensible Sippers and loved them so much they asked for them as soon as we got home from school and daycare in the afternoons. Sensible Sippers also come in yummy banana and mixed berry flavors.

Click here for a printable coupon from the R.W. Knudsen website for $1 off an 8-pack of Sensible Sippers.

Spin Master has two new toys on the market that would make great gifts this Christmas.

Kid Kleen Bath Blizzard

My girls had already gotten very excited over a TV commercial for the Bath Blizzard so I couldn’t wait for  them to try this out at bath time. No bath is complete without bubbles at our house, so I knew this would be a hit. The Kid Kleen line is a new series of kids’ activity toys specially made for bath time. The Bath Blizzard creates a waterfall of soapy, fun bubbles with the turn of a knob so your kids’ bubble bath never runs out of bubbles. It’s small and is designed to be hung on a tile wall, the side of the bathtub, or positioned on the flat side of the tub using suction cups. You can also hang it over the faucet. The Bath Blizzard comes with a small bottle of hypoallergenic bubble solution, but it is safe to use with your child’s favorite bubble bath. It retails for $19.99 and is suggested for ages 3 and up. The only problem you may have is talking your kids out of the tub. (Note, it does take four C batteries, which are not included.)

Aquadoodle Draw N’ Doodle Mat

I have always wanted my girls to try one of Spin Master’s Aquadoodle products since I am a huge fan of toys that don’t require batteries and are easily portable and no mess. My girls loved drawing and writing on the 32 inch by 32 inch fabric mat, which can be used over and over again (and rolls up for storage). I love that this is a no-mess toy that encourages independent play and imagination. My oldest daughter is in first grade and we used the mat to practice her weekly vocabulary words for a little fun twist to homework. The Aquadoodle Draw N’ Doodle Mat retails for $24.99 and is suggested for ages 2 and up. You can buy extra pens and if you have two kids I highly recommend doing so, you know, in order to avoid a mat meltdown.

Both the Kid Kleen Bath Blizzard and the Aquadoodle Draw N’ Doodle Mat are available at all leading toy retailers.

Thanks Team Mom for another fantastic review opportunity!

Since my daughter started kindergarten last year I have turned into an escort service. Paris Hilton she is not, but it seems like I am RSVPing to something for her every week. She’s been to skating parties where I had nightmarish flashbacks of preteen angst and fretting over watching the couples’ skate from the sidelines, inflatable jump up and down in your sock feet and give mama a heart attack parties, and junior miss diva in training karaoke makeover parties.

Here are tips for managing the kids’ party circuit relatively stress free:

RSVP promptly. If your house, car, and purse are like mine, a paperwork black hole trifecta, you should RSVP as soon as you open the invitation. Plus you’ll earn brownie points with the mom organizing the party.

Record the date in your planner. As soon as I RSVP I add the party to my planner along with the RSVP info (phone number and/or e-mail address.) I can’t tell you how many times that has come in handy when I am searching for one of my daughter’s classmates’ phone numbers because I always carry my planner with me.

Use the invite as a shopping guide. A lot of times we get somewhat generic invitations in the mail with balloons and no hint at what the birthday child likes. However, if the invitation is a theme invitation, you know you can’t go wrong with selecting a gift that goes along with the theme (i.e. Spiderman, Barbie, High School Musical, etc.) You can also ask what types of things they like when you RSVP, provided you don’t get voice mail. Gift certificates are a good choice for last minute gifts.

Buy duplicate gifts. If your 6-year-old is like mine, she is probably obsessed with Barbie, My Little Pony, Littlest Pet Shop, Hannah Montana, or some other girly girl character. When you’re out shopping for your child’s friend, go ahead and pick up two of whatever item you buy if it is on sale. Webkinz are also a great choice, since they are usually less than $15. You could also toss in a pack of stickers or temporary tattoos or lipgloss from a dollar store. I typically will not spend more than $20 on a child’s birthday gift.

Be prepared to hang around, or not. My daughter is still at the age where she wants me to hang out at the party. As luck would have it the one time I left to run a few errands (always check with the parents first and make sure they have your cell phone number if you drop your child off) while my daughter was at a party, she wasn’t able to participate in a rock climbing wall because the facility required parents to be present. She was crushed, and I felt like a jerk.

Save on birthday cards. My daughter always makes a homemade card for her friends. It’s cheaper than buying a greeting card and it helps reinforce the positive nature of a handwritten sentiment. We also recycle gift bags.

Do you have any tips for surviving the kids’ party circuit?

Suzie G., who commented, I like Wubbzy! He’s the cutest and he’s the star!,” is the winner of the Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! prize pack. Thanks to everyone who entered!
Got your weekly Wubbzy fix?

If  you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, chances are you don’t have a kid under the age of 8 or so and you think Nick Jr. is the greasy haired, pimply faced teenager behind the counter at the neighborhood 24-hour gas station and market.

My girls love Wubbzy, Widgit, and Walden and they couldn’t wait to watch the first ever Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! DVD release, A Tale of Tails, which came out September 23 and includes eight fun-filled episodes from season one. Get it today (it’s on sale currently at Target for $9.99) and save it for the holidays or for a stormy fall day when you need a boredom buster for the kids, and a sanity saver for you (and it’s too early for tequila).

One lucky Savvy Housewife reader will win a fantastic Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! prize pack which includes this new Wubzy DVD, a fun interactive book with sounds from Scholastic, AND an adorable soft Wubbzy plush toy. Simply visit the Wow Wow Wubbzy official website and then come back to this post and tell me your favorite character from the show or a favorite episode. For two chances, either blog about this giveaway or subscribe to my feed. A random winner will be drawn from all eligible comments left by midnight, Wednesday, October 22.

Every night I entice my 3-year-old with all sorts of bells and whistles to brush her teeth for more than 3 seconds: fancy pink sparkly toothpaste, a colorful toothbrush, a five dollar bill (OK I’m kidding about that last bribe, but whatever works I say!)

Flipper toothbrush holders are not only adorable (we were sent two and my daughters couldn’t wait to open them), but they are functional. They are a handy way for your kids to store their toothbrushes hygienically and encourage dental care. They’re also great for tossing in little suitcases for those overnight visits with grandparents or let’s order pizza and watch movies until midnight sleepovers and they come in an assortment of fun designs featuring a virtual menagerie of animals, from adorable dogs to zoo animals to dinosaur eggs.

Features of the Flipper toothbrush holder:

• Opens and closes automatically
• Hygienic
• Suction cupped so it adheres to your bathroom mirror
• Patented design
• Award-winning mechanism
• Over 10 million sold

Feeling a little Flipper envy and wondering if it would be too weird to bring a pink hippo Flipper on your next business trip? The Flipper also comes in two understated floral designs that are appealing to adults. The Flipper family also includes handy razor holders.

The Flipper retails for $6.99 and would make a wonderful stocking stuffer this Christmas.

The fine folks at Luvli Foods, the same company behind Luvli organic juice, sent us a few samples of their new USDA organic Smashies in snappy apple flavor to try. Basically Smashies is organic fruit sauce in a nifty, convenient, and easy to toss at the kids in the back seat, package, although my 3-year-old insisted on putting hers in a bowl and eating it with a spoon (she does that with squeeze packets of yogurt, too.)

Best of all, parents monitoring what our children eat will love the fact that Smashies have zero added sugar or high fructose corn syrup, oh ye elixir of the junk food devils! You’ll also find the portability of Smashies handy for tossing into a tote bag or lunch box for meals on the go, which seems to be happening more and more at our house lately. Smashies Snappy Apple is also kosher, vegetarian, and gluten free, making it the perfect portable snack food for little ones.

Kids will love the fun little squeeze pouches (inspired by NASA) as well as the taste, especially if they are already big applesauce fans, like my 3-year-old. My 6-year-old didn’t want to try Smashies, BUT she does not like applesauce. However, she was also intrigued with the cute and clever packaging, which is totally recyclable.

Smashies can be found in stores starting this month, and you can also order a 10-pack sample from their website for $14.99. New flavors are in the works, too, so stay tuned for more Smashies to make a smash at a lunchbox near you.

Everyone’s favorite destination from childhood, Sesame Street, has teamed up with K’nex to release a wonderful new line of colorful, and educational, building sets just in time for the 2008 holiday season!

K’nex Sesame Street Building Sets retail starting at just $10.99 and feature all of the popular Sesame Street characters, from my childhood favorites Cookie Monster, Oscar, and Bert and Ernie, to newer friends on Sesame Street that my daughters have grown up watching, from Abby Cadabby to Elmo and his pet goldfish Dorothy.

Sorting and making patterns with K’Nex rods, connectors, and blocks encourages thinking and problem-solving skills. The K’nex Sesame Street Building Sets are made for children ages 2 to 5 and aid:

Physical Development

Social-Emotional Development

And Cognitive Development

Not only are they educational, helping promote independent play and hand-eye coordination, the sets are completely adorable. They all come with their own handy storage tub (some look like the actual Sesame Street characters). The colorful chunky parts are easy for small hands to handle, snap, stack, and plug together. They are also fun for mom and dad to reminisce on growing up with Sesame Street. My daughters and I had a blast trying out the Elmo piano building set, thanks to this review opportunity from Team Mom.

K’nex Sesame Street Building Sets are available on the K’nex website (which is currently offering free shipping on order over $75), as well as online at Amazon.com and at national retailers such as Toys R Us and Target. They would make perfect gifts for this coming holiday season.

The fine folks at LeapFrog were nice enough to send us the new LeapFrog® Tag Reading System and I can say it is one of the best educational toys that we’ve introduced to the girls. I was concerned it might be a little too old for my youngest daughter, who is 3 ½, as the recommended age is 4 to 8, but she has truly enjoyed playing with it. My oldest daughter, who is in first grade, has literally taken the Tag books to bed and read them without the aid of the special Tag pen and they both love to sit and play with the system.

The Tag Reading System features a special pen with a tiny camera on the tip that reads Tag books with the simple touch to the page. It’s a wonderfully fun, interactive way to engage young readers. Children can click on an icon so that the Tag reader pen plays audio, reading the entire page. Or, they can click word by word. Even the illustrations in the Tag books are interactive. The characters come to life with a click of the Tag pen, talking, making noises, etc. My girls love this feature. The volume is adjustable, but kids can also plug headphones into the Tag pen, although headphones are not included with the system. (That is honestly my only criticism of the system.)

The Tag Reading System works with a library of more than 20 books and games that includes such classic children’s books as The Little Engine That Could or popular characters like Ariel from Disney’s The Little Mermaid (which is definitely on my “must buy next” list). Leveled learning activities in every book adjust automatically to your child’s pace, helping build confidence and a love for reading. An Ozzie and Mack book comes with the system.

The nifty Tag Reader pen holds audio for up to five books at a time and connects to your computer with a USB cable, which is included with the system. You can also see your children’s progress in recent books by creating a free LeapFrog Learning Path online at LeapFrog’s website. The Tag Reading System is one of three new LeapFrog Connected learning systems that connect to the LeapFrog Learning Path, which enables parents to get regular insights into their child’s learning.

LeapFrog’s Tag Reading System retails for $49.99 and comes in the standard green and white pen or a new pink and white pen. The Tag books retail for $13.99. National Geographic also has a line of activity cards that work with the Tag pen. We have several LeapFrog toys at our house and I highly recommend this new LeapFrog system this Christmas for the young reader on your shopping list.

Anyone who has flown with young children will tell you that they’ll try just about anything to keep their offspring happy, content, and away from other passengers, provided it is legal. I still remember the first time my oldest daughter flew. She and I traveled from Tennessee to Massachusetts to visit my older sister. She was 23 months old and I packed every conceivable little toy, snack, and distraction known to man.

Love to Travel Products by Hope and Marie offers an ingenious little tray cover that turns a simple airplane tray table into a clean place for your child to eat and play during airplane trips.

The Kids TRAYblecloth minimizes your child’s contact with the airplane tray surface and provides a clean space for snacks, drinks, and activities. The convenient front pockets keep track of small items and the large mesh pocket underneath provides room for books and snacks. Most importantly, the Kids TRAYblecloth can stay on the tray during the entire flight, even when the tray table is up.

The Kids TRAYblecloth activity center includes:

• An erasable drawing and writing surface
• Four dry erase markers
• A fun, resuable activity shee

The Kids TRAYblecloth is small, making it easy to slip into your carry on bag, purse, or a child’s backpack.

Check out the Hope and Marie website for the Kids TRAYblecloth, which retails for $19.99.

Plush Gift Set

My girls are 3 and 6 and a bath is an event. They can’t clean up without bubbles, toys, and all sorts of bath time bells and whistles.

Tiny Tillia’s adorable cast of characters are fun additions to bath time. From waterproof bath books to character bath mitts to all natural head-to-toe foamy wash available in fun Tropical Blast and Flower Power scents, bath time should and can be a fun adventure and not just mom reminding the kiddos to scrub behind their ears. The scents are anything but boring: cucumber mango wash and cherry blossom hair detangler (we should buy stock in hair detangler at our house) are just two of the Tiny Tillia offerings. Tiny Tillia also features a handy 8 oz. hand sanitizer that can easily be tossed into a purse or tote bag for kids and moms on the go, which at our house is like 99 percent of the time. I hear the Boo Boo Gel Packs are especially great, too. All the packaging is whimsical, fun, and will put a smile on your face, as well as your child’s.

Duncan Dog Bath Mitt

All the Tiny Tillia formulas are ultra-gentle and paraben free. The Tiny Tillia collection of character-themed personal care and bath and body products was created by London-born designer Tiffany Lerman, daughter of novelist Jackie Collins. These adorable characters are all based on Tiffany’s family members. Each animal in the Tiny Tillia collection has a trait and story that directly relates to someone she knows and loves. Since launching in 2006, the collection has gained a huge celebrity following. You can find Tiny Tillia at specialty boutiques and nationwide at Target stores and online at shoptillia.com.