Super Mario and Luigi Costumes How-Tos

This, save for the uber complicated hats, would be our easiest homemade costumes to date!  I thank the stars for that.  Originally, Miro wanted to be Ganondorf and Kenji wanted to be Thomas the Tank Engine.  And you know us... we don't buy costumes.  We have a rather masochistic streak.  :P

To get the look of these super gaming icons, most items you can score just about anywhere.

1.  If you can find a worker's jeans jumper, that's half the problem solved.  But my husband loves challenging himself so the jumpers had to be made from scratch.  The big yellow buttons added the cartoonish feel to the pieces.

2.  Red and green long-sleeved shirts.  You can get this from any clothing store.  Ours, we got from the boys' stash of old Filipiniana costumes. :)

3.  Gloves, of course.  These, we had to buy.

4.  Mario and Luigi wore thick worker boots in the game.  Those would be hell painful when the kids do their rounds at Trick or Treat.  So we ditched going by the book here and opted for comfy shoes.  Rule of costuming kids --ok, it's nice to look at, but can your child move in it?

5.  Mustaches --the handiwork of my eyeliner set and crafty hand.

6.  Ah, the hats.  These came in 2 versions.  Yesterday's hats' letter details came out wrong because we were rushing for a Halloween event.  But I did book us for 2 parties this year, and the real big one was the Nickelodeon Planet Scream party.  So we had time to revise when we got home.  Because these hats HAD to look like the REAL thing --Miro demands it!

The challenging part about the hats was the shape.  It was difficult to get the cartoonish bumps that they had on the video game.  Finally, we settled for a page boy hat shape and just added some folds to create bumps on the sides.  Miro gave the finished products a once-over.  Then after a few beats, "Ok, ok... not bad." --Really!

7.  Bring a lot of attitude!  The secret to making a costume work for you is to work with the costume.  My boys were in character the whole time.  In fact, a couple at the Nickelodeon Planet Scream event actually asked Mario and Luigi to pose with their kids for a posterity shot.  Oooh!  Just like celebritiiiiees...  Haha!

Miro and Kenji felt super cool about that.  Authenticity achieved!  Whew!
Have fun making yours!

It's us... Mario and Luigi!

Boy, am I glad I planned 2 Halloween events for the family this year.  Because the first one we went to didn't do it that much for us.  It may have been fabulous for others, but yeah --we weren't huge fans of tedious promo mechanics and dragging activities.  But like I said, that's just us. :)

One cool thing that came out of yesterday though was the massive attention the boys got for coming as Mario and Luigi from the Super Mario legendary video game fame.  Random comments like "Hey, it's Mario!", "Mario!  Luigi!  Here we gooo!", "Mommy, look, it's Mario and Luigi!" really got Miro and Kenji pumped.  Professional photographers took shots of them, too.  Yep, there was my boys' 15 minutes of fame.  Haha!
It was totally worth the sleepless night and panic time my husband and I devoted in crafting the costumes.  Well, my husband worked.  I panicked.  Lol!  Our boys' smiles beaming like beacons while kids all over greeted them excitedly totally washed all that away.

Plus, yesterday gave us one of the coolest family pictures we ever had!  Complete with Alpha in a navy seal harness and little shy Ziva in an army ranger harness.  And me and Jing in dark, huge eyebags.  Happy, Happy Halloween indeed!

Up next... Nickelodeon's Planet Scream!  Wooooooo!

COIgratulations!

YAY!  We finally have a winner for JOHNSON'S My Kid's Growing Up So Fast Caption Contest on this blog!

Easily topping the criteria of...

Creativity of Caption:   50%

  -  Cuteness of title

  -  Unique play of words

Relevance to article:   50%

... let's all give a maddeningly loud round of applause to COI CASTILLO!  You have given my son's photo the 'winning-est' witty words!

And for that, Coi will be receiving a Johnson's Milk Bath gift pack from moi.  Because even as her baby, niece or nephew is changing before her very eyes, his or her skin is still like a baby's.  This child will still need the gentle care of JOHNSON'S Baby Milk Bath, with Vitamins A & E, and 100% more milk to nourish developing skin.
Or, Coi can use these Johnson's goodies herself.  Hey, Johnson's Milk Bath is an all powerful good on adult skin, too.

Thanks to those who joined my Caption Contest.  And, on behalf of Johnson's Milk Bath, a healthy, smooth cheer to the winner!

Halloween for Free

The boys joined an online contest for the first time.  And... THEY WON!  WOOHOO!!!

It was for the Nickelodeon Planet Scream Halloween Event at the Mall of Asia.  The contest was pretty simple.  Simply email Nickster what makes you scream and why.  My boys were pretty candid with their answers.  Smart, too.

Miro:  "Homework makes me scream.  Because I have to work fast and well or I'll miss my favorite Nickelodeon TV shows."

Kenji:  "Halloween parties make me scream.  They're all scary.  But if Spongebob is there, I'll have fun and won't be scared at all."

What did I tell you --smart, eh?  :P

They won 4 tickets each, baby!  That's 8 tickets!  I can't wait to sell extras at the gate.  Haha!
We picked up the tickets at the Nickelodeon office today.  So our Halloween is pretty much planned for us now.  In a good, fun, free way.

Yay for online contests!  My kids so take after me, I swear.  Lol!

Ziva Stays

My husband is full of surprises!  Take for example this surprising unauthorized purchase that greeted me when I came home a few days back!

It's a new puppy --a thing we usually discuss before getting, which obviously, we didn't.  Jing explained that the puppy was a Rottweiler and he got it cheap.  Not the point.  We already have a dog (Alpha), a duck, and a freaking snake.  Will I come home to a lovely, towering giraffe next???

So my responsible mother's instinct quickly decided that the new puppy will have to be returned.  This, even after learning that Jing has already named her (yep, she's a girl and christened Ziva) and that Kenji, our resident pet lover, has already fallen in love with the fluffy, little beast.
I was unmoved though.  Adamant.  Immediately branded the bad guy in the family.  So what else is new?  The mom is always the bad guy. *sigh*   To my boys, their father is now the hero who must convince the evil witch mom that the dog must stay. *pshaw!*

Well, he didn't convince me, ok!
The reason why Ziva is staying is because of those cute, puppy-dog eyes!  I am such a sucker for those big browns and blues.  And she IS a sweet, adorable thing. 
Aaargggh... another thing about being a mom is that we're so cute-swayable!

So welcome home, Ziva!  And thanks, honey, for bringing her home. :)

Pats for P.A.W. 2011

Rule of the Dog Universe:  When you already got the Hobbes and Landes' Fashion Show and the Good Dog Magazine feature, you're not getting the PAWtogenic 2012 Calendar.  LOL!
It seems only fair.  Alpha's had a big year so far.  And not making it into the illustrious 12 of the Hobbes and Landes' PAWtogenic Winners wasn't going to stop us from joining the Hobbes and Landes' P.A.W. (Pet Appreciation Weekend).  By any measure, you can tell we appreciate this dog more than anything.

The event was set on a warm, sunny Sunday in an opening dotted with fabulous pet booths with freebies.  Miro quickly collected a dog balloon, pet vitamins, dog food, more pet stuff, and a fan.  In the blistering heat, we were most thankful for the fan.

There were games, but the best part for us would be the pet parade where Alpha worked her fairy wings like she owned the walkway.

Lots of lovely dogs marched proudly.  Some came au naturelle.

And some dressed like Vegas belles.

The highlight, of course, was the announcement of winning dogs to grace the Hobbes and Landes 2012 calendar.  And Alpha's friend, Noodles --the uber friendly rottie-- was one of them!  Good on 'ya, biggie boy!!!

You can tell Alpha was just so proud of her bud.  There she is doing her signature dance of freaky joy for Noodles!

In the end, it was another successful event for Hobbes and Landes.  And, another fine way of showing our pets that they're more than just pets.  They're perfect companions, good listeners, ready-hug givers, best friends to cry on.
And for that, we deeply, deeply appreciate them.

The Family TracFone

This post is brought to you by TracFone. All opinions are 100% mine.


As a mother, I feel I have a good grasp on the family situation.  It’s not about being a control freak.  But being assured of each family member’s safety.  I’m good at that.  In fact, it’s only once I year when I feel kinda helpless:  SUMMER.
Summer is when my boys go on summer camps, when they go off to visit friends and far away relatives.  It’s when my husband gets photography job offers outside of the city.  It’s when I usually come home to an empty house and go slightly insane.

Thank goodness there’s such a thing as TracFone.
In America, TracFone is the least expensive way to get everyone a phone so the whole family can stay in touch, specially during the summer.  Imagine, no contracts, no credit checks, no activation charges or cancellation fees. No surprises!

That’s because TracFone’s monthly plans are pretty clear-cut.  You pay only as you go online or with cards available at thousands of retail stores across the country.  You can get 1-year service cards that give you so much more. You can receive double minutes for the life of your TracFone, and 800 minutes, for only $119.00.  Another option is “Double minutes for the life of your phone”.  It’s a feature that can be purchased separately for only $19.99.  Some TracFone phones even have this feature built in.  You can also choose monthly plans with 200 minutes for under $30.00, and as low as $9.99 for 50 minutes.  All these while enjoying nationwide coverage!
Now that’s having complete control of your phone bill and everyone’s safety anywhere, everywhere.


Tracfone makes it easy... by LittleBard95

Oh and did I mention this works perfectly well even for International Long Distance calls?  TracFone is the only wireless service where you can call internationally for the same price as any other call.  You can call over 60 international destinations directly from your TracFone at no extra cost!

Whats more, with the International Neighbors program, you can provide family and friends in Mexico or Canada a local phone number to reach your TracFone in the U.S. with exceptional reception.

Now if all THAT got you excited, THIS is what will turn your family giddy –TracFone’s impressive phone choices!  Expect only big-named phones like Motorola, Kyocera, LG, Nokia and Samsung.  Your kids can choose from simple "Candy Bar" phones for simple calling and texting capabilities for under $10.00.  Your husband can go for the Bluetooth®-enabled "Smart" phones.packed with features like camera/video recorder, web access, apps, mp3 player, and full QWERTY keyboard, for $29.99.  And grandma and grandpa will definitely swoon for TracFone’s SVC (Senior Value Cellphones).

As a mother, I think this will make me feel more at ease, even when my whole brood is all over the place.  All I have to do is Get into Everywhereness.

Hear that, summer?  Bring it on.