Beautiful URLs: Some Favorite Links, October 28

While Jim is out buying an eyebrow pencil (for Ranger's school Halloween parade tomorrow) and the kids are asleep, so I'm going to seize the opportunity to post a few good links.

• There's no better Halloween idea emporium in my feedreader than Dabbled.org. Dot assembled some great costume ideas (we're using one for Ranger- can you guess which?), party drinks & eats, and dazzling decorations. Abandon hope- or at least a chunk of time- all ye who click through here.
  

• Maggie from Magpie Art converted Bumgenius diapers to snap diapers after the hook and loop fasteners wore out. This smart conversion also helps when kids get old enough to open their Velcro diaper closures.
  

• This giant dollhouse pillow/bed has me dreaming up other things that would be great as large and fluffy.

• And while the sewing machine is out, why not whip up a few little fabric mailboxes? I think these would be great Christmas gifts.

• Want to creep yourself out with a scary fairy tale for parents? Check out Keith Donohue's changeling tale The Stolen Child. It taps into some pretty primal parenting emotions.
  

• For real world horror, if you're using an Infantino sling, please read Consumer Report's safety concerns regarding this style. Slings are on Consumer Reports' short list of products not to buy for your baby. While Jim used a sling with Ranger, I always use structured carriers (like the Bjorn Active and our framed Kelty backpacks). It's probably something about my anatomy and pathetic core strength, but I never felt comfortable with a sling.

• Pasta Queen introduced me to a lower-carb (or we're totally out of bread) peanut butter banana sandwich. It's like gluten-free Elvis without the jumpsuit or sideburns.
  

• This link reminds me of the time when birds attacked my friend and her family and made them very sick. Birds nested in the family's furnace exhaust pipe, so when the heat was turned on CO2 didn't vent from the house. My friends were pretty sick before they figured it out. If you're using gas appliances, please consider installing a CO2 detector in the next 2 weeks. It could save your life.

• Goodyblog (by Parents Magazine) has a preschool toys contest offering thirteen of their favorite toys.
  

Jim is home, and I guess fat eyebrow pencils are a thing of the past. Ranger may be going bedecked in washable marker tomorrow (Parent Hacks recommends colored pencil as a face paint substitute, but that would take as long as eyeliner). Does that make me a bad mom?

Now for some zombies dancing: