http://www.mommyq.com MommyQ

On this devilishly delightful All Hallows Eve, here’s a special treat for everyone who loves seeing cute little munchkins in clever little costumes. This year, my award for best costume goes to my friend, MommyK. Take a look at these two adorable Olympic swimmers. Medal-worthy indeed! When asked how she created this clever look, MommyK replied, “Speedo, Polo and Party Pig.”  She makes it sound so easy.

More cute babies in critter costumes posted below. Can I hear a unanimous, “awwww…”

MommyQ wishes every ghoul, ghost and goblin a happy & safe Halloween!

Oh, and watch out for the shrieking decorations. (Insert evil laughter here.)

Get revved up for a day of fun benefiting Dell Children’s Medicial Center of Central Texas! Circle of Friends is proud to present its first annual Angels on Wheels Motorcycle Run and Family Fun Day, Saturday November 1, 2008.

Motorcycle enthusiasts can support Central Texas kids in this 100-mile motorcycle run that begins at 9am at Dell Children’s Medical Center and continues through Georgetown, Lake Travis and other Central Texas locations. The ride will conclude at the new Mueller Lake Park, off I-35 and Airport Boulevard, where the Family Fun Day celebration will take place from 11am-4pm. This is the first event at the beautifully landscaped 30-acre park that features an outdoor amphitheater and stage, picnic peninsula and interactive playscape for children.

Entertainment includes music by Super Pal Universe, Amy and the Alibis, Wicked Brew, and Austin’s own Rick Trevino. Children’s activities include a gaming truck on wheels, moonwalk obstacle course, face and hair painting, and Dell Children’s pet therapy dogs. Mark your calendars!

Circle of Friends is a network of regional support groups across Central Texas that raise awareness and funds for the Children’s Medical Center Foundation of Central Texas to benefit Dell Children’s Medical Center.

Dell Children’s is the only dedicated freestanding pediatric medical facility in Central Texas that serves a 46-county area and beyond, and is the premier health care provider for every child and adolescent, regardless of their family’s ability to pay.

As a child, I remember baking cookies with my mom. Why? It was the only time we had permission to stand on the chairs! We were too little to reach the sink and the counter. It was fun, but one of us usually took an accidental step off the chair, falling to the ground – and worse – spilling something messy. It kinda ruined the moment.

A few weeks ago the Rachel Ray show did a segment about Chef Guy Fieri’s kitchen, which lead to the mention of The Learning Tower. If you haven’t seen this clever step stool yet, check it out!

Whether your little “do it myself” one needs an extra step to wash hands or wants to help you bake a tasty batch of brownies, this tower is the perfect solution. And it can easily hold two children.

I love it because it fits flush against the counter and it has railings on all four sides to prevent falls. It also converts into other fun things like an art easel, playhouse or puppet house.

And best of all, because moms care, those bright pretty paint finishes are all lead-free. Blue, cherry, red, white, pink, green and so on.

If you’re looking for a special gift for the special youngsters in your life, The Learning Tower is a great idea. Retails for $185 at BabyEarth.

My trick for this Friday is thumbing through the October 20, 2008 issue of People Magazine. Let’s see if I can cram 144 pages of wonderfully entertaining, yet useless gossip, into one blog post. Betcha I can…

Cover: Nicole Ritchie looks like a 12-year-old hippie. Harlow is a cutie-pie. Cheryl Burke IS NOT fat. Seriously, she’s gorgeous. But I find it odd that her exclusive, “Dancing’s Cheryl Fights Back – Do You Really Think I’m Fat?” is located right under “Wow! Angelina’s Body (& New Tattoos!) After Babies.” So we’re trying to end the obsession with skinny while promoting being skinny? Interesting approach. And by the way, Angelina is skinny because she doesn’t eat. It’s not rocket science.

I’m not shopping at JCPenney, not matter how Polo-looking the ad might be.

Indy’s too old to be back.

Hugh Jackman with gun is yummy. George Clooney with mustache is not.

Victoria Beckham weighs less than the stapler on my desk.

Swedish Fish ad is just plain weird. Is it candy that tastes like fish? Or candy that tastes like cat?

I’m not sure what a Harajuku Girl is, but I don’t think I want to smell like one.

Toby Kebbell is scary.

I’m guessing the PussyCat Dolls sell lots of albums. Or maybe they just have lots of stalkers.

Yes We Can? Really, Obama? Can we?

George Hamilton is so very orange and he says he tans the natural way. I didn’t know sleeping in a tanning bed was natural.

Angelina and Brad…. together…. I’ll let everyone think their own thoughts on this one.

Beth Ostrosky wore a tissue disguised as a stripper costume to her wedding. How romantic.

Suze Orman with a milk mustache? See above about George Clooney with a non-milk mustache…

Paul Newman’s legacy, Hole in the Wall camp, is a great thing.

Wait, Sketchers are still in?

No matter how grown up Rick Schroder may be, he’ll always be “The Ricker” to me.

The best they could come up with for Style Watch is a cropped trench coat? A trench coat. Geez, that’s so creative. I guess if you make it short instead of long that’s news according to the fashion industry.

A dog wearing pearls…not sure what that has to do with Febreze, but whatever.

High School Musical 3 looks nothing like high school. I never got to float around in a pool in an inner tube wearing a cocktail dress. No fair!

Eva Mendez is wearing a killer pair of YSL heels. Mmmm.

The last page, Chatter, is always the best. This week’s deep question is “If you had three wishes, what would the last one be?” Blake Lively is pretty cute with her answer, “To have a hundred more.” Taylor Momsen, whoever that might be, says, “For more time at the beach – I don’t have to do anything with my hair. No styling.” Yea, that makes perfect sense.

Forget being safe and sensible, these organic burp cloths are just too cute to pass up! Under the Nile Organics makes these from 100% organic Egyptian cotton. One says, “itsy bitsy teeny greeny” and the other one says, “born organic.”  (Is this an adorable baby shower gift or what?) $21 at BabyEarth

Want more? Baby will love this brightly colored basket of organic goodies. Plush fruit friends like a banana, watermelon, grape and pear will keep baby amused. It says, “Fresh organic fruit basket.” $26 at BabyEarth

No longer hidden in the shadows of cake, the cupcake has emerged as the sophisticated petite treat of choice. Today even the daintiest cupcake is larger than life. Taking a tasty departure from my daily routine, MommyQ – a cupcake novice, explores the wild world of cupcakes.

Before this blog post, I thought cupcakes were just mini cakes born from tiny tins or shiny foil. According to Sprinkle Cupcakes, I couldn’t be more wrong.  “Let’s be clear, they’re not just pint-sized cakes. Cupcakes are something else entirely.” Boy, do I feel foolish!

Cupcakes are more than a passion, they’re an obsession. In fact, there are so many cupcake enthusiasts online it’s hard to absorb every morsel. One of my favorite blogs is CupcakeRecipe where a UK-based cupcake aficionado blogs to “share my passion for cupcakes and cupcakes recipes. Art has been a passion in my life and I love to create art in cupcakes.” I had never seen the words “passion” and “cupcake” used in the same sentence prior to discovering this blog. And MommyQ is not making fun. If CrazyCupcakes, as she calls herself, can create this monster-inspired cupcake, she is indeed an artist!

Speaking of artists, Cakespy spreads sweet joy with original artwork like Cupcake V. Pie. Which makes me think there must problems brewing between the cupcake and the muffin.

Another blog, CupcakesTakeTheCake, is “all cupcakes, all the time…” I had no idea there was breaking cupcake news 24/7. Wow! Could I be more out of touch? Seriously, they have over 1,200 fans on their Facebook page alone, which means hundreds (if not thousands) of people visit their blog weekly.  ZenCupcake1 is a force to be reckoned with in the cupcake blogosphere and has a very entertaining site with lots of amazing cupcake pics and recipes. There’s fashion news on this site too. Did you know cupcake is the new black? That being the case, I need to make some adjustments to my wardrobe.

Even in the frosted world of cupcakes, votes count.  Nostalgia Cupcake won the first-ever Cupcake Contest in DC. That’s the scoop according to 52Cupcakes. And in other news, mainstream cupcakes might be in for a battle since Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World is threatening “total cupcake domination.” Yikes! Grab an extra oven mitt.

Rushing to the drug store after work to pick up essentials, I’m walking through the door at Walgreen’s making a mental list in my head of the things I need, “diapers, formula, milk…” When all of the sudden a maniacal voice starts shrieking at me!!!! My heart skips a beat and I nearly jump out of my skin. I quickly realize I’ve triggered one of those annoying motion-activated Halloween witches. Aaaaahhhhhh!!!!!! I hate those things!

I’m not sure when drug stores started hanging those creepy cackling motion sensor Halloween decorations all over the place, but enough is enough. You know the ones I’m talking about. The hanging prop with the little witch face or the skull that screams and cackles at you when you get too close. Some of them wiggle and shake too, and actually have strange little skeleton hands that move. Ugh!

As a mom, I have to avoid the drug store at all costs during the month of October. One-year-olds and four-year-olds don’t react well to a loud unexpected blood-curling scream. Go figure. If I do have to take them into the store with me, we have to walk in a huge circle to avoid the decorations. You never know where they’ve hung those things. It’s like walking through a land mine – you don’t want to accidentally set one off.

A few weeks ago, I forgot. I had both boys with me. I was carrying my smiling little baby into the store and holding my happy preschooler’s hand. We took two steps too far and set off a witch. Oh no! As soon as the screeching started, I knew I was in trouble. I quickly looked at both boys and all I saw was sheer panic. Then the crying started. I tried to comfort them, but nothing helped. They were legitimately terrified. Way to go, drug store!

Sure, it’s fun to scare older children. Some people just love getting a rise out of older trick-or-treaters. But what about the little kiddos? These decorations make neighborhood trick-or-treating a bit iffy. Little ones aren’t expecting that as they eagerly run up to the door to ring the doorbell! Look, I love Halloween as much as the next pumpkin-loving, ghost-adoring holiday enthusiast, but please – PLEASE!- enough with the motion-activated decorations. Come on, people. Not cool.

Boon is a brand that puts the “oooooh” in baby products. When it comes to mealtime fun, it’s hard to beat the one-of-a-kind modern design Boon brings to the table. ‘Tis the season to start thinking about gift ideas and we all know shopping for small children can be difficult. If you’re looking for fun and functional goodies under $10, MommyQ thinks Boon will make you swoon.

#1 – The Fluid No-Spill Toddler Cup – This is possibly the coolest sippy cup on the planet. The unique shape makes it easy to grasp, even for little hands and fingers. It’s BPA-free too. $6.00

#2 – The Snack Ball - How can a little orb with treats inside be so darn cute? I don’t know, but it is. Comes in orange and pink. $6.50

#3 – Squirt Food Dispensing Spoon – It may look a bit crazy, but most moms think it works like a charm. Two words come to mind, “less mess!” $8.00

#4 – ModWare Toddler Utensils – Have you ever seen such a funky fork & spoon? Do they make a set that serves 12? Comfort-grip handles, dishwasher safe and PVC free. $5.00

#5 – Catch Bowl - It’s like this bowl has a built-in mommy – a spill catcher. The special piece extends towards the child to make sure potentially runaway spills find their way back into the bowl. $7.00

NOTE: Leafy green goodness! According to the Boon website, all of the above items are BPA-free and PVC-free.

(You can also find lots of other Boon goodies over $10 at BabyEarth. Just for fun, check out this $500 beauty, the Bloom Fresco High Chair. Who buys this anyway? Seriously, if you own this high chair, please let me know. I mean, really?)