Ozians and Flying Monkeys!

I  never thought I'd say this, but the thought of Ozians and flying monkeys have been keeping me awake at night!  (That sounds as if I should be on a therapist couch somewhere!)  Every year for the past several years, January and February take on a life of their own at our house with our school's annual stage production.   My Conner, now almost 14, is our family member with a flare for the dramatic.  From singing to guitar to acting, Conner is at home on the stage.  (It has been said that he is much like his mother was at that young age!  In other words--a ham!)  He began in 6th grade as part of the cast of OKLAHOMA, and again last year in YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN!  These are major school productions with weeks of practice; fabulous sets, and magnificent costuming under the direction of faculty members that could do a run on Broadway!  (Absolutely the best!)

This year's play is THE WIZARD OF OZ.  Yes, you guessed it.  Conner has split parts--one as a flying monkey and the other as a citizen of the Emerald City of Oz.  I thought this would be fairly easy to costume.  There are scores of websites dedicated to this wonderful story, and all are filled with fantastic costumes!  Everything from Dorothy's red slippers to Wicked Witch hats!  To good to be true!  A plan that comes together easily!

Not to be--at least not with Conner!  He wanted his costumes to be unique--not store bought, but mom-made!  So, in an effort to retain my title of super-mom, I began the quest for green glitz and glam, along with brown furry stuff.  I spent several nights awake tossing and turning with visions of little green men and flying apes!

In wracking my brain on where to start, I chose the GoodWill Thrift store!  I was amazed at all I found there at remarkable prices!  I wandered up and down the aisles, muttering to myself under my breath as I put outfits together in my mind.  I got more than a couple of odd stares from fellow-shoppers.  (Probably because I looked like I was outfitting a family of pea-pods with every shade of green imaginable!)  I left with a huge bag of shirts, pants, suspenders, and other clothing for about $20.

I next went to a party store, and I headed strait to the St. Patrick's Day display!  Green hats, socks, bow ties, sunglasses!  I hit pay dirt for around $12!  On to the the craft store for green glitter paint, and my mission for my Ozian was just about complete!

Now I was off for the flying monkey costume!  In my mind's eye, I chose a sweat suit dyed with brown Rit dye to be completed with dyed slipper socks and gloves.  Luckily, tails, ears and wings are being created by the drama department!  

Finally, at home with all my supplies, I got to work on my creations!  It was so much fun!   All of my concerns had given away to something GREAT!  Conner's going to look like something between a glitzy, green Elton John style leprechaun and a 5'7" sock monkey!  But it worked!  Conner really liked both of the costumes, even though he had to give me a few "eye rolls" that are so typical of teenagers!  I spent about the same money as I would have on the costume websites, but I got so much more than an ordered costume!  I got to be MOM!  I've learned through the years there is no better job in the world!