Book Week. The mere thought of it is enough to send shivers down a parents' spine.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
But Sunshine Coast mother Nat Alise is simultaneously working on three Book Week costumes - all while documenting the creative process for her 2.4 million TikTok followers.
This year, the mother-of-two is making a Willy Wonka costume for her six-year-old son Malachi and Thing One and Thing Two costumes for her nine-year-old daughter Aaliya and her best friend.
With just three days left to finish off three costumes, Ms Alise had some sage advice for stressed parents attempting to create a costume for Monday morning.
1. Stick to your budget
Ms Alise's first piece of advice was to create costumes on a budget by recycling old items, buying cheap from discount shops and selectively purchasing items so she can reuse them in the future.
"Mine is so low budget and I don't put a dollar amount to it, but I don't want to spend too much on costumes because I know that one, they're probably never going to be worn again and they're just going to sit in the costume box," Ms Alise said.
"But also for re-using materials, if I'm buying something, I want to be able to reuse that material for something else in the future as well. So it helps going to cheap shops like the Reject Shop and Dollar Tree and stuff like that to get little bits and pieces."
The mother upcycled an old safari hat by adding a cardboard cylinder to create a tophat for the Willy Wonka costume.
Meanwhile, she used old red T-shirts and customised them for the Thing One and Thing Two ensembles.
2. Have fun with your kids
Ms Alise's second piece of advice was to make the costume with your child and have fun in the process.
"Make it more of a family bonding experience. "Instead of going to the park in the afternoon, sit there and make the costume together or do it on a weekend," she said.
"Even the weekend before Book Week is not too late to sit there and spend a whole day doing the costume together."
READ MORE:
Ms Alise and her son Malachi painted a hat together but the shade of brown ended up being too dark, prompting the mother to ask her son how he would tackle the problem.
"Even though it's a fun experience, they are learning through play and showing off the costume," she said.
In the end, Malachi chose to use white paint to lighten the shade of brown, applying what he had learnt in art class to problem solve.
3. Don't stress, you're doing your best!
Lastly, Ms Alise encouraged parents not to stress and a buy a costume if they don't have the time or energy to make one.
"If you can't get one, there's always next year. And if you can't make time to do one yourself, go out and buy one and let the kids choose one," she said.
"Because at the end of the day, if they're happy that all it's about. It's about them enjoying Book Week and enjoying reading."
