Astronaut Sibling Halloween Costume

Our four little astronauts were ready to blast off into trick or treating this year! Our space loving gang had an out of this world Halloween! I am loving these sibling costumes and will carry it on as long as they will let me. :) 

// See last year's race car driver sibling costume //

I originally wanted to sew baby girl some kind of star costume and then decided to give myself a break! So we went with a pre-made astronaut costume and it was the cutest thing ever. October is a busy month for us so it was nice to have most of our costumes already accounted for in our dress up stash. 

Here are the links to the costumes: big kid astronaut costume | toddler/kid astronaut costumes (we have two of these) | baby/toddler astronaut costume

Hope you all had a fun Halloween! Ours was pretty rainy but the kids still had a blast (and the helmets helped!). It felt like a whirlwind - these moments sure do pass quickly. I'm doing my best to savor it the best I can! 

They sure were cute though. I wish I could hold in my heart forever how sweet the evening together was. It went by too fast and just reminded me to keep slowing down and enjoy these ages. One day they will be like all the big kids we saw, running off on their own.



What's In My Kids' Restaurant Backpacks

We love our restaurant backpacks and have been using them for years. They hold toys and activities that have proven successful at keeping our kiddos busy when eating out. We also use them for the occasional doctor's appointment or any event where there is a long wait.

We use Fjallraven Mini Kanken backpacks that have held up really well. They are small sized which are adorable on toddlers. Yet even now, it is still plenty big for our eight year old. The smaller size makes them easier to store in the car and not take up a ton of space at a restaurant. But there is plenty of space for notepads or small books.

Here is what we have for each of our kids' backpacks based on their age and interests. I go through and clean them out every few months, reassessing what we have and if anything needs to be switched out. 

We have gone through phases of the types of things we keep in here. When I had less children we had things like mini white boards and mini chalk books. But with four kids, I have figured out what works for us that is less messy and requires less parent facilitation.

This is also a great place to put all those little toy prizes they get from things. I personally don't like keeping these around the house. So these backpacks are a perfect place for them. My kids get so excited to find a treasured surprise from some prize they received or remember an event we went to.

The key for us has been not letting them use these backpacks any other time. If we let them use them in the car or whenever they wanted, these items would be less interesting come restaurant time. Keeping them completely separate keeps the interest high. Or it would require me to change things out more often.

Here is a break down of what I recently packed for all my kids (ages 1, 3, 5, and 8).

Three Year Old Boy:

+ Notepad 

+ Crayons and Crayon Holder

+ Pop Fidget Toy

+ Cars (goody bag cars from Target, Hot Wheels, and Cat construction toys)

+ Duplo Legos

+ Mini Etch A Sketch (from Dollar Tree) 

+ Sticky Hands (from getting as a prize)

One Year Old Girl:

+ Extra Sticky Disposable Placemats (I usually keep a few of these in my bag but keep extras here in case we run out)

+ Crayons and Crayon Holder

+ Pop Fidget Toy

+ Notepad and Stickers

Duplo Legos

+ Mini Etch A Sketch (from Dollar Tree) 

+ Cars (goody bag cars from Target, Hot Wheels, and Cat construction toys)

Eight Year Old Boy:

+ Notepad 

+ Crayons and Crayon Holder

+ Pop Fidget Toy

+ Cars (goody bag cars from Target, Hot Wheels, and Cat construction toys)

+ Duplo Legos

+ Mini Etch A Sketch (from Dollar Tree) 

+ Sticky Hands and Squishies (from getting as a prize)

+ Invisible Ink Pen

Rainbow Scratch Paper

Five Year Old Girl:

+ Notepad 

+ Crayons and Crayon Holder

+ Pop Fidget Toy

+ Cars (goody bag cars from Target, Hot Wheels, and Cat construction toys)

+ Duplo Legos

+ Mini Etch A Sketch (from Dollar Tree) 

+ Squishies (from getting as a prize)

+ Invisible Ink Pen

+ Rainbow Scratch Paper

We don't go out to eat as much these days as we used to. But when we do, these backpacks are life savers. It is so nice to be able to look at a menu, enjoy a meal, and have a conversation with my husband while sharing the table with all of our kids!



Easy Mini Refrigerated Biscuit Pizzas

We love these simple mini pizzas made from refrigerated biscuit dough. It is an easy way to serve up pizza night while letting everyone pick their own toppings. I originally had it at a party I went to where guests all got to customize their own pizza! So fun!

I also started making these for Halloween providing a fun and easy meal before we hit the streets to trick or treat! I form the biscuits into pumpkin shapes and cut the pepperoni into triangles to make jack-o-lantern faces. My kids love it!

I even made some garlic cheese biscuits, using my go to simple garlic bread recipe (olive oil, garlic powder, and salt) and adding some cheese on top.


Using refrigerated biscuits as dough, these mini pizzas are so easy to make and enjoy!

Mini Refrigerated Biscuit Pizzas

Roll out or smash down each biscuit until it is flat. Top with sauce, cheese, and toppings.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.