Day Forty-Three: In Which I Don't Look Scary at All and The Scoop on the Witch's Graveyard Autopsy

Do I look like someone who would give you nightmares? (Husbands, current and otherwise, may think of this question as rhetorical.) Of course not. I look like someone's mom.

Personally, I thought that treating roughly 75 Scouts to an in-the-dark pretend graveyard autopsy experience at the Pack's Halloween party was a great idea. Wouldn't your mom have done the same?

We did this activity nine years ago at a Halloween party at our house. I still feed bad about making the six year-old son of a good friend cry. Wish I'd been a little more sensitive back then.

Here's a pic of my kids from that long-ago party:

Take one candlelit room. Play spooky music in the background. I used "Night Pond" sounds rather than traditional haunted house stuff. (This was a graveyard autopsy, not a haunted house.) Set out individual bowls filled with the following: a coyote skull (well bleached, not gooey); cold, cooked spaghetti (well-oiled); 30 pieces of candy corn; 2 sticky toy eyeballs (can use peeled grapes--ew!); crushed up taco chips; gummy worms; packing peanuts; rice puff cereal; gelatin (any flavor, cooked and cold) [Thanks to FB friends Valerie H and Cindy G for the gelatin and cereal ideas!]

Blindfold child. Take him by the hand and gently lead him to the table--carefully now, because he can't see. Tell him that if he's too worried, he can take off his blindfold. About 50% will take you up on it. The ones who do will be very relieved, and still have fun. It's more fun to do it blindfolded, though.

(Let me interject that I understand that it's politically incorrect to do a "witch" autopsy under any circumstances. Feel free to replace "witch" with goblin, someone's mother-in-law (not mine--I'm very fond of her), or politician of your choice. Given that this blog is about WALMART, I think the whole political correctness thing is obviously a non-issue for me.)

The skull is the faithful werewolf companion of the witch; spaghetti is the hair; candy corn/teeth; eyeballs/eyeballs; chips/fingernails and toenails (salt is the grit--ew!); gummy worms/guts; packing peanuts/her soft toes; cereal/warts we scraped off; gelatin/toe jam.

Each tour only takes about a minute or two. Then the "victim" steps outside to get a paper towel and hand sanitizer. (Still a mom!)

Here's the skull:

And the sign:

 

Back to Tuesday's ensemble. I didn't wear a costume--I figured the activity was scary enough without some freak answering the autopsy room's door.

Faded Glory cotton sweater: $10 (bought gray and off-white colors also, but need to exchange sizes--this is a small and it's plenty big); George blouse: $12; No Boundaries belt: $8: Norma Kamali Career black Pants: $15 (these streeeeeetched while I wore them--by the beginning of the party at 6:00, I had to take the belt off of the sweater and hike my pants up with it! If you buy, err on the small side); Earth Spirit black shoes $30; Earrings: $7; Raincoat $29      Total: $111

Got your pumpkin carved? I need to bring ours in the house tonight--they're much easier to scoop out and carve if they're warm.

Have a blessed day!