TICKET GIVEAWAY: Cinderella.

We're giving away a pair of tickets to the return of Cinderella to the Children's Theatre Company stage! This hilarious and magical show runs November 8th, 2016 - January 8th, 2017, at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis. For your chance to win two tickets to the show, simply "like" our Minnesota Baby page on Facebook, share our Cinderella ticket giveaway post with your Facebook friends, or comment on the Facebook post telling us why you want to see the show! We will randomly select one winner on Friday, October 21st at 8 p.m., and announce the winner on our Facebook page. The winner will receive two ticket vouchers, to be redeemed through the Children's Theatre Company's ticket office (subject to show date and time availability). Good luck!

Tickets to Cinderella start at just $15, and can be purchased online, or by calling (612) 874-0400.

Family photos with whitney beth abrahamson.

The Saigh Family, October 2016

When I find an up-and-coming, talented photographer, I snatch them up while I still can. Because in one snap of a camera lens, these budding stars become impossible to book with, as they turn into high-demand photographers overnight. Case in point, Whitney Beth Abrahamson.

I was introduced to Whitney through one of my girlfriends, after seeing photos of her family that Whitney had captured. These photos of my friend's family were absolutely beautiful, and I loved Whitney's use of natural light, candid moments, and natural settings. Since my family hadn't had a photo session together since Jameson was born, I decided to book a fall shoot with Whitney.

Whitney is a young, friendly, easy-going, and talented photographer who came to our home, and completed our photo-shoot in under an hour. Like many dads we know, Papa Saigh is not a fan of photo shoots, and gets super annoyed when he has to be involved in an unnecessarily long session... Especially when he starts getting too hot and starts to sweat. Whitney did a fantastic job keeping our shoot moving, avoiding a Saigh kiddo meltdown, and a crabby Papa Saigh. She sent me a couple sneak-peek photos immediately after our shoot, and had a link to our photos emailed to me within a week.

I had such a hard time choosing my favorite photos from the edited shots she sent to me, and I absolutely LOVE the photos of our kids. I would highly recommend Whitney to any family looking for an affordable, speedy, and professional photo session in the Twin Cities. If you book a shoot with Whitney through the end of the year (2016), and mention our blog (Minnesota Baby), she will give you 10% OFF any shoot! Take a look at the magic she captured when she shot with our family...

Baby Jimmy & Papa Saigh

Linna (age 5) & Jameson (10 months)

Our little Jimmy.

Our gorgeous girl.

Real life.

That's a wrap!

Whitney Beth Photography
Instagram: @WhitneyAbrahamson

DIY with mama saigh: Halloween decor.

People often ask me if I actually enjoying DIY-ing "everything". My answer is simply...

Hell. No.

While I do love making and putting together my own party, home, and holiday decor, I'm also a busy mom and wife, and I don't have the time to make everything myself. Halloween is a perfect example. I made a few cheesecloth ghosts with our 5-year-old, and screwed some old boards together to make a chalkboard sign, but other than that my "crafting" was minimal. I hit up a few of my favorite stores to buy some Halloween decorations, and pulled together some simple home decor for our dining room tablescape and mantle.

This week, I was back on The Jason Show with some Halloween decor ideas...

I showcased some "crafty" ideas for those of us who enjoy a little DIY, as well as some simple ideas that don't require any of the "dirty work". I truly feel that there's a Martha Stewart in all of us, but she doesn't have to show her skills every day. Because, let's be honest... That's NOT real life.

"SEMI-DIY" HALLOWEEN DECOR

I love me some white pumpkins, as well as a tablescape that will get me from September to November. This tablescape was SO easy to throw together. I found this neutral woven table runner at Target on clearance for $11. The hallow wood balls are also from Target, and I use them all year round. Then, I went to my local Jo-Ann Fabrics and Craft Store to pick up some white candles in a glass votive, and a couple varieties of "fake" hydrangeas. Jo-Ann Fabrics always has a good sale going on, or a 50% off coupon to use. After a pretty extensive search, I finally found mini white pumpkins at Trader Joes for like $.69 each (Target was asking almost $6 a pop for these little guys). And the antlers... Mills Fleet Farm! They have fake and real deer antlers of all shapes and sizes, and these bad boys added some beautiful rustic texture to my fall tablescape!

Our fall/Halloween tablescape, with our DIY cheesecloth ghosts on the back hutch.

Party City is my go-to store for easy-peasy holiday and party decorating. I found this movable/pose-able skeleton at Party City, and sat him on our porch in a rocking chair, waving to all of our neighbors. I put a top hat on his head, and a black crow in his lap to add a little more Halloween flair. Party City also had these great giant skulls that I put on top of some sheet moss in our planters.

Trick-Or-Treat! See, not everything needs to be DIY or crafty.

I found these cool paper mache skulls at Jo-Ann Fabrics, on sale for like $3 each. I also picked up two apothecary jars and a bag of Spanish moss, to create some spooky and simple "skulls in jars" for our fireplace mantle.

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CRAFTY DIY HALLOWEEN DECOR

My 5-year-old and I made these adorable cheesecloth ghosts one day after school. All you need is a water bottle and a ball (or something similar to make the ghost forms), wax paper, cheesecloth, fabric stiffener, and some black felt (or something similar to make the eyes). While this is a messy craft, it's also simple and fun. I've posted the directions on how to make these freestanding cheesecloth ghosts at home, on the blog!

By screwing a few pieces of scrap wood/boards together, and painting the front with chalkboard paint, I was able to make a Halloween chalkboard for trick-or-treaters. Using this sign, I can let trick-or-treaters know that "we have candy", and when our "candy bowl is empty". Plus, once we put the kids to bed on Halloween, we can leave a bowl of candy out on the porch, along with the chalkboard sign reading, "Please help yourself. Our little goblins are sleeping, so please don't ring the doorbell."

DIY with mama saigh: Cheesecloth ghosts.

Our 5-year-old loves doing craft projects. So, I put her to work, helping me create some adorable cheesecloth ghosts to add some simple Halloween flair to the inside of our home. While this project does get messy, it's pretty simple and inexpensive. Make sure you have an open area, and a sink nearby to rinse away the mess. Here's what you'll need...

- Cheesecloth
- Fabric Stiffener
- Water
- Water bottle and a ball (or something similar to create the ghost form)
- Wax paper
- Black felt (or something for the eyes)
- Tape

Place balls on top of water bottles, and secure with tape. I put water in some of the empty water bottles, to prevent the forms from tipping over. Place the water bottle forms on top of wax paper. Next, if your fabric stiffener is thick, mix equal parts fabric stiffener and water in a bowl. Then, cut the cheese cloth into square pieces that are large enough to drape over your forms. Saturate your cheesecloth pieces (one by one) in the fabric stiffener mixture, and squeeze out excess liquid. Then, drape your pieces of cheesecloth over the water bottle forms. If you want a very transparent-looking ghost, you only need one or two piece of cheesecloth per ghost form. Use more layers of cheesecloth for a more "solid-looking" ghost.

Let the ghosts dry until hard, then carefully remove them from the forms. Cut and paste eyes onto the ghosts, and ta-da!
Aren't they adorable?! 

I love how these little ghosts add a simple, spooky vibe to our mantle above the fireplace.
Happy Halloween!