Do or do not....

There is no try.
Sorry that was almost painful, I just needed to get that Star Wars quote out before I start this post.

Wade is a huge Star Wars fan, so we thought it would be fun to get a Yoda costume for Wyatt for Halloween. Until I saw the price tag: I'm sorry, my child does not wear articles of clothing that cost over $15. After looking at the pictures on the packing, the Yoda costume I found was basically a head piece with ears and a robe. My friend from work (shout out Mary!) said I should just google how to make my own costume, and voila, here we are! Here is how to make your very own Yoda costume, complete with little feet.

1.) Raid your closet for any piece of light or medium green clothing that you don't mind cutting up. The suggestion I found online was a sweatshirt, but honestly you could turn anything into a little Yoda head: an old t-shirt, pillowcase, etc.
I didn't have anything so I went to Goodwill and picked up an women's XS light green hoodie for TWO DOLLARS AND 50 CENTS. Hoodies work great b/c you're already one step ahead, simply cut the hood off and you're halfway there; just adjust the ties to fit your child's head.

2.) Cut out big, triangle ears from cardboard or foam board. Mine came from a Target diaper box. :)

3.) Next I cut off the sleeves and slid the cardboard inside (Sorry no pictures, Wade was on Daddy Duty while I tried to finish this). Cut off any extra fabric, tapering it at one end to follow the "ear" shape.

4.) Here's where you have some options. I have a sewing machine, so I just turned the fabric inside out and sewed along the ear's edge. I actually did this with the cardboard inside, (I don't know sewing machine etiquette, but hey it worked!), but you can pin the shape you need and remove it first. It should come out looking like a weird, pointy sock. Turn it outside in so you don't see the seam, and put the cardboard ear back in.
If you don't have a sewing machine, you can totally use hot glue or fabric glue instead; just cut out the ear shapes and glue them to the cardboard.

5.) Sew/glue the ears onto the sides of the hood. I actually did both, b/c it turns out my ears were WAY too big and needed the extra support. You could also safety-pin the top of the ear where it meets the hood for extra stability, and glue cotton balls around for hair. Just an option!

6.) With the extra fabric from the hoodie, trace an outline of a foot with 3 pointy toes a little larger than your child's shoe. Cut a small horizontal slit to stick their feet through before you put on their shoes, and you have instant Yoda feet.

7.) For the robe, I found a boy's size Small brown t-shirt for 99 CENTS.  If you have bigger kids, just get an adult sized t-shirt or even a robe and cut the bottom to fit. Yoda lives in the swamp (right Star Wars nerds fans?), so if it's tattered looking, even better! I turned the t-shirt inside out b/c it had a camp logo on the front.

8.) The end result: One excited looking baby! The total cost? $4.31 including the tax! And if he only wears this once and rips it or it falls apart, WHO CARES! It cost under $5!
I think I might have to trim the ears up a bit, they're WAY longer than I wanted, what do you think??

Please excuse the jammies underneath and the floppy hood, I was trying to get a couple of pics in before bedtime so I could post this! Still not sure about the ears, but you get the idea! Hope that helps someone out there!

Chicken Thighs are gross, and other fun facts

Ok, just recommitted myself to blogging more. Some days I feel like there's nothing to talk about, but I think that's the kicker -- if you just start writing, it will come.

 I think I may be getting old. We took a super quick road trip to DFW this weekend for my niece's baptism (shoutout to Chloe!), and driving home took an additional hour and a half because I-35 hates me. Anyway, my neck, back, and shoulders have been ACHING since we got home Sunday night. After self-diagnosing myself with fibromyalgia (hypochondriac + working for Disability Determination Services = no bueno), I came to the conclusion that I think I might just be getting o-l-d-e-r. I don't feel old, but I'm probably too old to sit in the backseat of the Corolla for more than 10 minutes.

This roadtrip was also a milestone in Miscommunication between Wade and myself. Since we were getting home so late, and since my Sweet Boy was turning into a Screaming Teething Boy, we decided to stop at Wendy's for dinner. Here is what we sounded like:
Wade, pulling up to order: "Ok, what do you want?"
Me: "I'll have a --*Wyatt screaming* -- and if he's still hungr --*more screaming*-- just give him some fries."
Wade: "Ok, so a number--*Wyatt kicking and screaming*--small fries?"
Me: "Yes, some--*you get the idea*"

And that's how 2 tired parents accidentally buy their toddler his own order of fries.
Also, any parents who are against using pacies for crying babies should definitely check out the greasy, processed food alternative; it works instantly and you'll even get a shriek or two of carb-loaded joy out of them. :)

Lastly, let's talk grocery shopping on a budget. Since spaghetti was getting old REAL quick, I decided to research some blogs online for how to shop for a family of 3 as cheaply as possible. One suggestion I kept reading over and over was to get chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. You could bake them, put them in chicken salad, etc, all at a fraction of the cost. So I bought a huge pack of them, and baked them with olive oil, italian seasoning, and bread crumbs.
And forgot to trim the fat.
And dumped too much olive oil in the pan.
And nearly choked on the nastiness that was the end result. It was so gross! I think if I type any more I might gag, again, but trust me, it was bad.
So, friends, any advice on creative ways to incorporate meat into our meal plans without going over budget?
(please exclude all chicken thigh recipes, unless someone can tell me how to really cook those things!)

Happy Tuesday!