“Kindergarten is producing a movie, and your child is going to be a … penguin” said the note.
I have to confess I quite enjoy the costumes bit of being a parent. Sometimes not. I’m certainly not an “I wish it could be Hallowe’en every day” kind of a girl. But in small doses, I can enjoy putting together a costume now and again. My prowess extends from the tooth fairy (easy) to
A penguin isn’t that bad. Trust me. Just follow these eight easy steps.
- Get cancer. Have chemo. Lose your hair. Buy a black hat. Grow your hair back, so that you no longer need the hat on a daily basis.
- Make friends with someone slightly eccentric, who gives you a large bottle of yellow craft paint saying “I don’t need this any more, but you have kids, you might find a use for it”. Put paint in cupboard.
- Three years later, remember the paint, and its location. (This is by far the most difficult step in making the costume. If your expertise doesn’t reach to this feat of memory, you can always go to a shop and buy some. Less emotionally satisfying, but a similar result.)
- Paint yellow penguin beak on brim of black hat. Squish with elastic band. When child says she can’t tolerate the elastic band across her forehead, remove elastic band and discover that the brim remains bent into pleasing beak shape on its own.
- Find black pyjama bottoms that older sibling has grown out of.
- Find your own favourite black fleece top and say “I’m sure nothing will happen to it. It’ll be fine.” Turn up the sleeves a good few inches.
- Spawn genius older child (you have to do this bit a few years in advance) who says “Hey, Mom, you could use those swimming flippers for the feet”. If you don’t want the added expense of the extra child, and the subsequent swimming lessons with a teacher who requires flippers, you could purchase yellow socks. But then you'd also have to purchase black pyjama bottoms (see 6).
- Spend 25 cents in Wal-Mart on a piece of white felt, for chest and eyes.
And ta-da! There’s your penguin.
That is an excellent penguin.
ReplyDeleteIngenious. So thrifty, upcycling, re-purposing & inventive of you;o)
ReplyDeleteFantastic! Bet all the other kids are thinking 'wish my mum was so inventive....'
ReplyDeleteWow!
ReplyDeleteThat's AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteYou are a costume genius.
ReplyDeleteHow clever are you! that is brilliant!
ReplyDeleteI love it and shall steal the idea. Marvellous. I LOATHE fancy dress with a passion and am doing my best to being my children up in the same way but sometimes it is just unavoidable. Great idea for school/world book day - Penguin (geddit?)
ReplyDeleteThat is an awesome penguin! Love, Love, Love it.
ReplyDelete*likes*
ReplyDeleteLove your penguin. But could you please stop blogging about what kind of tasks you have to fulfil re school plays etc.? I am still hoping that school time means me-time. You are destroying an illusion here.
ReplyDeleteThat is a WONDERFUL penguin.
ReplyDeleteWell done!
Nuts in May
Love the 'Spawn genius older child (you have to do this bit a few years in advance)' - the flippers are terrific!
ReplyDeleteGreat penguin. What on earth are you supposed to do with those flippers when they are not being Antarctic feet?
ReplyDeleteThat is absolutely brilliant. I had a penguin obsession in my younger (much younger) years, and I would have killed for that outfit...
ReplyDeleteps I like your hedgehog too.
ReplyDeletepps. I've just realised that I can feed him strawberries. I may be doing this for some time...
ReplyDeleteYou are a costume genius. I am going to be coming to you for advice on all future costume requirements. But you must remember that I have foolishly failed in the genius elder child requirement. Must think about how I'm going to remedy that.
ReplyDeleteA shy penguin! I've never seen flippers like that before. Mind you I can't remember the last time I actually saw flippers, so...
ReplyDeleteI've just realised that non-Brits won't get the title of the post. Isn't it weird how things become part of your lexicon?
ReplyDeletePlanb - have you a 2 yo? (I do - he is Iota's godson) - We feed strawberries to Milligan about 8 times every day. xxx
ReplyDeleteFab! The bit I'm most impressed with is your remembering, after the chemo-hit-the-brain-with-a mallet-onslaught, where the yellow paint was.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! This is what I won't love about being a working mum. Guess I will just have to make the time for it. It was something my own mum was brilliant at, and I would love to be too.
ReplyDeleteBy far the best costume I have seen in decades.
ReplyDeleteLCM x
OMG -- you are pure genius. If I ever need a penguin costume I know exactly where to look!
ReplyDeleteIngenious, and GENIUS! Love it!
ReplyDelete