To bee or not to bee

I have a confession to make. In my more cynical moments I believe that Halloween is just an excuse for girls (especially their mothers) to dress like sluts and get away with it. I know...I'm like the Grinch who defiled Halloween. Spend a couple minutes perusing the seasonal pattern book at the local fabric store, though, and tell me I'm wrong. Thirty pages of scantily clad twenty-somethings prancing about is enough to make even the most fervent Halloween lovers a little skeptical. Really, what buccaneer worth her salt would go to sea in a mini-skirt made out of black tulle and thigh-high stockings? She'd be laughed down the plank. I realize that it's all about spooky-sexy these days, and perhaps this places me permanently in the 'old-fashioned category, but I prefer costumes with imagination...and ingenuity is appreciated as well.

As a beginning seamstress, my big goal was to sew Little Bear's costume this year. It's like an event in the Olympics. All my training has led up to...wait for it...sewing a ladybug costume. (And the crowd roars!) All my favorite sewing blogs are in high gear sewing costumes, and as I peruse, I drool. The costumes are typically ingeniously sewn with intricate details. I don't possess the skills to sew among those high ranks, but I had a dream. And I almost achieved it. Everything went awry when I had the very bad idea of perusing Marshalls' costume offerings.

Little Bear fell in love with this lion costume, and I have to admit that she looks pretty darn cute.

She pointed at it and shouted, "ROAR, ROAR, ROAR!" How can you say no to that? When I handed it to her to touch, she immediately squeezed it around the neck and kissed the lion head. Kind of looks like it's munching on her head, huh.

The stumbling block in the lion plan is that it may very well be hot the night LB goes trick-or-treating. As a back-up option, I purchased this as well.

And she'll be wearing pants, of course.

Now I'm torn. The frugal part of me thinks I should return one of the costumes, because she certainly can't wear them both. I debate back and forth; keep the costume she loves (but what if it gives her heat stroke?) or go with the cooler (but less adored) bee suit.

Please advise me! The indecision is giving me a headache.

Comments

[Mady]

We need to get a pic of LB dressed as a bee with the werepanda in his costume. Potato also has a bee costume, and so does the Princess, but we know her opinion on posing around children. She won't have it.

I also think that LB should embrace the bee costume idea, since it will let her sneak up on a hive for honey. Ingenious bear planning, that.

They both look so adorable on her. I love her poses.

[Janet]

Speaking of parties, in an off-topic sort of way, where is dear Lulabelle? Isn't she stuck up on the second floor at the ball? I'm a little worried about her...

[Rebecca]

Oh, and, yes, I've noticed the Halloween/Hootersesque costumes. Some people are going to have frostbite in unfortunate places.

[Amy O]

Kylie-excellent suggestion about Craigs List. The thought hadn't occurred to me, and it will prove useful for next year. Thanks!

[Kylie]

Alex has the same lion costume. I got it on Craigslist for $10. Margo is right, you'll be able to sell both of them next year if you want, there are always lots listed on Craigslist or Ebay. She looks cute as a lion and a bee!

[Rebecca]

Oh, my GARSH! She must buzz around in the bee costume with her little knocky knees out. The cutest thing ever!

[Amy O]

Thanks, Margo! I would LOVE Ben's old costume once he is done with it. LB will be in heaven dressing as a wild bear...even though I'm positive that she already considers herself one without it. ;)

PartyMom-I'll keep your experience of frozen buns when we go out. In the end, I think I'm going to keep them both.

[Margo]

be still my heart - you have the cutest girl EVER. She's got the Gerber baby cuteness.

Ben is going to be a bear this year (G's costume from last year, bought secondhand, oh yeah) and it's styled much the same as Little Bear's lion. In fact, how old is she? You want the bear for next year? I think it's a 3T. And she's LITTLE BEAR!!

I did not grow up doing Halloween and I plan to get away with the cheapest, simplest costumes ever (G's first year, I pinned a big piece of red fabric on her and gave her a basket: Little Red Riding Hood). Sewing skills, SNIFF. Save your skills for real clothes, is my advice.

hey, you can sell both the costumes on ebay next year. go like hotcakes, ok?

[PartyMom]

Just remember, she's so young that she will probably only go to a few houses; so she won't have to be in the costume for long. After that she can come back inside to more comfortable temperatures.

The only other piece of advice I have for you is that I always remember choosing lightweight costumes as a kid and then freezing my tookus off on Halloween night. When the temp turns in the mid-atlantic it does it fast and furious!