If your kids are like mine, they want to get the perfect pumpkin as early into the Halloween season as possible, and then rush home to the carving supplies as soon as possible. The problem with that (beyond the fact that I am not a fan of the mess and smell involved with cutting up those gourds), is that the earlier you slice into your pumpkins, the more decomposed your pumpkins will be by the time trick-or-treaters come calling. Where is the balance between childish excitement and practical decorating? Paint! Weeks ago, we enjoyed a fun family day at the pumpkin patch, even with the dog.

We spent over an hour having a fun family moment and everyone was able to find their perfect pumpkin, or two or three. They even had bales of hay for $7.00! When we got home, we pulled out the paint and stencils that we had previously picked out at the craft store. Acrylic paint is key to sticking to the pumpkin. The thinner the stencil the easier it is to work with, think beyond the typical Halloween items too. Why not have a western-themed pumpkin? This seemed perfect for my horse-loving daughter!

For the more traditional look, crafts stores are currently filled with Halloween stencils. Add some black paint and you have the perfect traditional pumpkin!

Add it all together, with flower containers of different sizes, and you have a Halloween display that everyone in the family will be proud of!

When do you usually carve your pumpkins — weeks or days before Halloween? Do you carve or paint your pumpkins? What pumpkin designs are your favorite?

Jessica Caldiero is am a stay at home mom of two beautiful red head girls (9 and 5). Her husband’s career in finance has had them changing locations and companies more times than they ever imagined! The blogging world has allowed her to keep in touch with friends and family no matter where their current location is.

My five year-old decided that Rapunzel was the costume for her. This costume is sold out everywhere, including online, unless of course I want to spring for the $60 version. Um…no!  Our solution was found in a basic purple princess costume at the grocery store for $12.00!

Step 1: Here is what we started with:

Step 2: According to the expert (my five year-old), the main element this costume was missing was the bodice style lacing she fell in love with from the movie. I already had a variety of ribbon on hand and this is what we came up with:

Step 3: Do some hand stitching during TV time, add a basic blonde wig, and you have a happy Rapunzel for less than $20!

My nine year-old wanted to be Ginny from Harry Potter. If you are asking, “WHO?”, so was I. I guess she is a minor character that wears the same cloak as Harry but has red hair and my girls love to find characters with red hair.

This one, with a little creative thinking, we were able to do for free!  Here is how we did it:

Step 1: Start with black jeans and a white button up shirt.

Step 2: Add a tie from dad.

Step 3: Layer with a black button up sweater.

Step 4: Then pull out the black cape from your Halloween costume collection (we all have one, right?)  Use a seam ripper to open up arm holes on both sides, then pin onto the sweater.

Step 5: Add a wand, aka a stick from the yard, and you have a completely free costume of your child’s dreams!

Work with your child’s idea of what their desired costume looks like. With a little creativity, you can come up with something that your child and your budget will be proud of!

What does your child want to be for Halloween? What are your favorite budget-friendly Halloween costume tips and tricks?

Jessica Caldiero is am a stay at home mom of two beautiful red head girls (9 and 5). Her husband’s career in finance has had them changing locations and companies more times than they ever imagined! The blogging world has allowed her to keep in touch with friends and family no matter where their current location is.

Whether it is time for a re-vamp, or you are just beginning your spooky decorating collection, it does not need to break the bank!

How To Make Budget Friendly Candy Vases

Check out this simple list of materials and easy step-by-step instructions for how to make candy vases.

Materials

1. Clear glass container(s).  Fun glasses or vases work great.
2. Empty paper towel roll.
3. Scissors.
4. Clear shipping tape.
5. Halloween candy.

I found the glass hurricane vases on clearance at my local craft store for $3.00 each.

Step 1. Cut your paper towel roll in half and tape both ends with  clear packing tape.

Step 2. Place a small amount of your candy in the bottom of the container.  Just enough to help the roll to stand up, then place roll.

Step 3. Fill the remainder of the container with candy.  I topped mine off with a different candy for a little variety.

I chose to use candy corn because I do not like the flavor of them, and will not be tempted to eat them!  They also will save really well for years to come.

Fun frugal tip! By using the papertowel roll, you save space and need less candy, making this fun decoration even cheaper!  Happy decorating!

What tips do you have for decorating your home on a budget? What fun Halloween decorating tips do you recommend?

Jessica Caldiero is am a stay at home mom of two beautiful red head girls (9 and 5). Her husband’s career in finance has had them changing locations and companies more times than they ever imagined! The blogging world has allowed her to keep in touch with friends and family no matter where their current location is.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Creating a Rustic Fall Scarecrow Wreath

In this craft, you will create a whimsical and rustic-looking scarecrow wreath to welcome friends and family to a Halloween, Thanksgiving or fall harvest party at your home.

Items to Purchase

Here is what you will need:

• One 18″ or one 24″ grape vine wreath. (24″ is used in this garland)
• Two 6′ fall garlands of your choice, more if you want a fuller leaf effect. The wreath can be made from maple or oak. The one pictured is made of synthetic maple leaves. There are many varieties to choose from at a craft store. Some come with berries, hay, acorns, and even imitation corn.
• Some paddle wire, also known as florist wire. 26 gauge is used in this wreath but any size will do nicely.
• A wire cutter
• A pair of needle nose pliers
• A scarecrow doll
• A wreath hanger
• Some twine or string (optional) that will blend in with the colors on the wreath

Instructions

Step 1: Cut about 2-3 inches of paddle wire off the spool.

Step 2: Place the wreath on a table. Beginning at the bottom of the wreath, place the garland in a clockwise circle on top of the wreath. Getting good placement is important so that you will get an idea of how the finished wreath will appear.

Step 3: Anchor the bottom piece of garland by threading the wire through the grapevine and twisting like you would a use a twist tie on a garbage bag. Needle nose pliers may be used so the wire doesn’t hurt your fingers and a better, tighter grip is possible. Cut off any excess wire after twisting and use the pliers to point sharp edges away by tucking wire towards the back of the wreath.

Step 4: Repeat Step 3 every 5 inches or so. Before moving to step 5, inspect your work. Hold the wreath up vertically to check that there is no sagging of garland on the wreath. If sagging occurs, add additional paddle wire to fasten garland to the wreath.

Step 5: Place the scarecrow as if he or she is sitting atop the wreath. Take paddle wire and tie it tightly around the wrists of the scarecrow. Affix the additional length of wire to the garland. Repeat the same process with the ankles.

Step 6: Place wreath hanger over door with the curved end at the bottom. Place wreath on wreath hanger.

Fall wreaths are fabulous ways to showcase your home and create a feeling of warmth. We’ve made a couple as part of our party decor for fall. Be sure to add a few chrysanthemums to flank your front doorstep and perhaps a pumpkin or two for maximum effect. This wreath can also be made as a special gift to brighten up someone else’s doorstep, too!

We actually used an old doll our kids no longer play with for our wreath.

What fall crafts and DIY projects are you undertaking this season? How do you dress your home up for the holidays? How can you get your kids involved in handmade projects?

Now that cooler weather is finally here, it’s starting to feel like autumn. Chris just doesn’t feel like decorating when the weather is in the high 80′s, as it was the first week and a half of October (usually the first dump of snow would have come by now!) Chris is editor of Themeaparty.com, a party site catering mainly to parents for ideas on their kid’s birthday parties.

Gardner Historic Village is an old mill converted into eclectic shops and antique stores with grassy areas and streams throughout. It may not be Salem, Massachusetts, but it is the perfect place for an awesome month-long Halloween celebration fit for the entire family.

I didn’t wait for October to arrive this year before heading over for the festivities. I met my mom, sister, and cousin there the other day for lunch. OK! I won’t lie. I was really after the pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies from the Naborhood Bakery (I bought eight!). Don’t worry! I shared.

Now, I need to plan a time to go back with my kids to take advantage of one of these Witchfest activities:

• Breakfast With a Witch—Take your kiddos to a magical breakfast with witches and warlords. (Check here for available tickets.)
• Ride to a Witch—Behind the village, you can take your kids on a hay ride, a pony ride, and buy a pumpkin. (Check out the dates/times before you go!)
• Witchapalooza—Enjoy a fun dinner theater with witches dancing and singing as your entertainment. (Tickets are on sale for shows Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays all month long.)
• Bewitching Scavenger Hunt—Take your kids around the grounds and identify all the locations of the witches on display. You can print the scavenger hunt before going!
• Witch’s Night Out—All you girls and women can dress up as witches and gather for fun (October 14 and 15, 2011).
• Whimsical Witch Displays—Check out the handmade witches on display like “Witchey Poo” here below!

Whether it’s ghosting someone, trunk or treating, creating a magic garden, or a local celebration with witches like this one at Gardner Historic Village, family traditions make holidays more fun.

What local, fun activities and events do you have planned for the Halloween season this year? What is your favorite part about the Halloween season?

While I loved pumpkins, Halloween decor, and everything fall related, my main objective was to figure out my Halloween costume. My mom was an excellent seamstress (she still is!) and I think she thought I’d eventually outgrow my love of Halloween and the fun of wearing costumes, but she ended up making them for me all through elementary, middle, and high school, one in college, and one after I got married.

My evolution of Halloween costumes includes everything from a princess and a cheerleader to a flapper and a gypsy. I think there was a black cat in there somewhere, which still surprises me to this day (I am afraid of cats!). I need to find the pictures. I bet there are some great ones!

As I analyze my choices, I wonder: Did the costumes reflect my hopes and dreams? The trends at the time? If not, why did I choose them? I don’t recall ever wanting to be a cheerleader, but I would have loved to have been a flapper. I love dancing and music from the 20s. A gypsy? Not so much. But, it was the perfect costume to go with @TroyPattee’s pirate costume (my mom made his costume as well).

Children’s Halloween Costumes

And what about your kids? Here’s a few snapshots of our kids’ Halloween costumes of years gone by.

I can tell you right off, that my son would have worn that Thomas the Tank Engine costume all year if he could have! Not many people could convince him he wasn’t Thomas at that point in his life! He was so convinced that when his stomach hurt, he’d say: “My boiler aches!”

My mom created this dracula costume and Troy did the makeup! Our then six year-old was a pretty shy and anxious kid. Maybe he wanted to be Dracula to become a little bolder.

And then my mom moved out of the country, which ushered in the era in which we purchased Wal-Mart children’s Halloween costumes. These ones were chosen because of what was popular at the time—Power Rangers and Star Wars.

And this year? To beat all records, we already have the kids’ Halloween costumes. Chase wanted to be a ninja, because it was the closest he could find to a karate-type costume and karate is his main love right now. And Connor? He is obsessed with Cub Scouts. He is insisting on not buying or making a costume, but going as Cub Scout wearing his regular Scout uniform. To each his own, right?

What do your costumes and Halloween fashion say about you and your kids? What are you and your family dressing up as this year? How will you celebrate Halloween?

Celebrating Halloween With Your Family

Carving and Decorating Pumpkins

Have you ever wondered how your neighbors create amazing, meticulous jack-o-lanterns? They’ve become so intricate and there are even entire festivals dedicated to this art form.

I used to think my neighbors were artistic geniuses. Their pumpkins featured spiders, cats, amazing pumpkin faces, witches on a broom, and more. Then I discovered the secret carving trick: stencils! You can carve with a knife or with a drill. There’s no need to be a genuine artist. Use a pen or exacto to score through the stencil. Then carve along your marks and voila.

Making Halloween Treats

After you carve your pumpkin, roast the seeds. Toss them in a bowl with cooking oil. Season with salt and cayenne pepper for a spicy treat or cinnamon sugar. Spread them thinly on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 8 minutes.

Smores are a wonderful bonfire treat. Other traditional treats include caramel popcorn balls, rice crispy treats, and homemade sugar cookies. For a Halloween party activity, involve the kids in decorating cookies.

Playing Halloween Party Games

Today trick-or-treating isn’t often an option, so go to a party. If you’re the planner, remember the Halloween party games! Carnival party games are definitely a Halloween tradition: bobbing for apples, throwing darts at fortune filled balloons, tossing rings over bottles, horseshoes, etc.

For safer games, try “pin the nose on the pumpkin”. Play it just as you do Pin the Tail on the Donkey, but use an actual pumpkin. Decorate your pumpkin with eyes and a mouth for reference.

Halloween piñatas make the perfect candy dispersing game. Fill your piñata with treats, and non-candy items. Yoyos, spider rings, matchbox cars and tops make fun filling.

Dressing Up in Family-Themed Costumes

One of the most fun, new Halloween traditions is dressing up as a family. If you’re looking for Halloween costume ideas, consider dressing up the entire family. Group costumes are popular in Halloween costume contests like the one we have each year at Themed-Party-Ideas.com.

Dress up as an entourage of Smurfs, pirates, superheroes, or characters from a movie or series like Harry Potter or Sesame Street.

Going to a Pumpkin Patch

A trip to a pumpkin patch is an event your kids will always remember. Just like picking out a Christmas tree, selecting a pumpkin is just as magical. Hay bail mazes, hot chocolate, Halloween treats, and hay rides are fun for kids of all ages.

What are your Halloween traditions? What does your family like to do to celebrate Halloween? What will your Halloween plans include this year?

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

This article was submitted by Jennifer Scheffel of Themed-Party-Ideas.com. She writes about party ideas for folks of all ages, decorating tips, party recipes, and of course, spooky and inspiring Halloween party ideas.

• Get something new each year.
• Don’t have to spend a lot of money, if any.
• Help keep costumes out of landfills.

There are, in fact, many options for you if you’d like to have your kids swap costumes with anyone besides your immediate family or neighbors. Preschool Rock’s costume exchange is one. Here are a couple of other large-scale options to consider:

National Costume Swap Day: On Saturday October 8th, you can either host your own exchange or participate in someone else’s. This year will be the second annual, following a very successful first year in which 75 swaps were hosted across North America and national TV coverage was garnered. The essentials of an official swap are these:

• The host decides on a time and location, then lists their swap on the National Costume Swap Day website.
• He or she host stages an event, big or small, public or private, in a pavilion or in their garage. He or she provides a few tables or racks on which to hang costumes, invites people, and provides refreshments, if desired.
• Costumes are either obtained before-hand from Goodwill or friends, or on the day of. Participants may bring them as they arrive, put them on tables by size, and receive a token for each costume brought to exchange for a different, new-to-them costume of their choosing.

Another option is thredUp’s costume exchange, done anytime between now and Halloween by

• going to thredUP.com, clicking on the “Browse Boxes” tab, and entering “costumes” in the search criteria,
• picking the desired costume box(es) for $5 + shipping per box, and having it sent to you,
• posting your costume box(es) and, once it’s selected, sending it to the recipient free of charge.

If you’ve ever bought a costume off-the-rack, you know that they can get pricey, especially if you’re buying for more than one child. Swapping costumes can not only save money, it can save landfill waste. It is estimated that swapping half the nation’s kids’ Halloween costumes would reduce annual landfill waste by 6,250 tons, equal to the weight of 2,500 midsize cars.*

I’m excited to pursue these options this year, and involve my kids in the process so that I can raise their awareness in a concrete way of our impact on our planet. If you know of any other swap options, or if you participate in a swap, let us know how it goes!

Have you ever participated in a Halloween costume swap? How do you save money on Halloween costumes year after year?

*Statistic credit Bob Lilienfeld www.Use-Less-Stuff.com based on data from U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Transportation. Assumes costume weight of 1 pound.

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

We are the cool house to hang out at and have a great neighborhood to go trick-or-treating because we live in an area that is great for candy collecting. Plus, we host an annual Halloween dinner at our house. Our friends bring the wine and I make my famous 5×5 baked chili [5 kinds of meat + 5 kinds of beans] with all of the fixin’s like shredded cheese, sour cream, and a variety of hot sauces for those that want to kick it up a notch. I also make sure that I have a huge tray of fresh veggies all cut up and ready to go for the entire night. If the party goes late we either make nachos or order pizza to have some salty foods to balance out all of the sugar consumption.

Two great moms I met on Twitter, Angelle and Susan from NourishMD, have a downloadable information .pdf all about how to have a healthy party and make healthy choices that is great for your own parties or even parties at school [see link below at the very bottom of this post]. Some healthy food suggestions from them include: celery sticks with nut butters or peanut butter, whole grain crackers and cheese, whole grain english muffin mini-pizzas, ham or turkey and cheese roll-ups pitas that can be sliced into bite-sized spirals, and cheese or bean quesadillas sliced up into bite-sized triangle pieces.

When the kids are finally done trick-or-treating and come back to our party for the final time… the big candy dump begins. Each kid gets a zone and then dumps out their entire candy collection. So as the kids are sorting and oohing and aahing over their candy and trying to stuff their faces with as much as possible, Mom is going through it with them.

I make multiple pass throughs or sweeps of their candy collections:
- 1st sweep, I take out anything that doesn’t look safe or is open [for whatever reason] – it’s not worth taking a chance.
- 2nd sweep, I pull out all of the non-negotiables [as my health coach Angelle Batten calls it]. The non-negotiables for me are candy that squirts red-dye blood, gross gummy products like those huge hamburgers, or eyeballs, or things that squirt out gross red fake blood dye.
- 3rd sweep are the full size candy bars. I have gallon sized plastic bags and I have one labelled with a sharpie for each person in the house and take all the full size candy bars and put them in bags and take them downstairs to the big freezer right away for later consumption.
- 4th sweep is me helping them make a pile of all the candy that they don’t actually like.

Any candy that the kids don’t like can have so many great destinations:
- Super fun candy swapping. I love to watch the kids exchanging, swapping, bargaining, and trading their candy.
- Donations of candy for their teachers, the grand-parents, their babysitter, and even neighbors that are too old to trick-or-treat.
- Donations of candy to local area homeless shelters or soup kitchens.
- Mailing the extras to the soliders overseas.
- Trading in their candy for money with their parents or local area dentists that have a trade-in program.

According to Angelle and Susan of NourishMD it is so important to talk with your kids ahead of time about your plan. Also, be sure to talk to about in a positive manner explaining how you are going to share your candy with people who don’t get to go trick-or-treating anymore, how they need to eat some REAL food before they go out eating candy and in between eating candy, and how there might be some candy they just can’t have. Get them to buy into the whole process of Candy Management [but you don't have to call it that!].

Candy Management and REAL Food can make your Halloween Healthy, Happy, and Fun! Share with us how your manage all of your Halloween Candy. Share Your Family’s Halloween Traditions.

MELISSA LIERMAN OF TIMEOUTMOM.COM
MELISSA LIERMAN is a Wonder Woman of 39 Years, Wife of  John 14 Years [middle school teacher], and Mother of 3 wonderful kids – MacKenzie Peter Age 11 [techno computer, blackberry loving, sensitive, guitar playing son], Maria Stella Age 9 [artistic and creative getting her soul filled each day at her first year at a performing arts school] , and Jonathan Roger Age 3 [lives to make you laugh and is the life of the party no matter wherever he goes!]. Melissa loves to help Moms to Maximize their Time with Systems, Tools, and Organization! Put yourself in a TimeOutMom and listen to her weekly Blog Talk Radio Show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/timeoutmom. Check out her blog http://www.timeoutmom.blogspot.com for her latest tips, tricks, and systems to help with your family management.

EXCERPTS for this blog post were taken from a the TimeOutMom Blog Talk Radio Show that aired on October 7, 2010 – The REAL Health Show for Kids – Talking about Sugar, Diabetes and your Kids - with expert guests Angelle Batten and Dr. Sue McCreadie of NourishMD.com.

I mean, kids want to have some yummy, scary treats and healthy does not mean tasteless and boring.  Look at some of these ideas and then get into the kitchen and create some healthy Halloween Treats.

First up is what I call ‘Bread Bones’.  Try to find a whole wheat dough or any dough that does not  contain hydrogenated oils or other less desirable ingredients. Simply shape the dough prior to  baking. I am showing two different options and on some of the ‘bones’ I used grated Parmesan cheese some to create more bone marrow-like texture. I served them with some warm marinara sauce as an easy way to get some good nutrients into the kids.

All you need to do is prior to baking the bread (per manufacturer’s instructions)is to either tie a knot in either end of the bread sticks or shape the ends of each ‘bone’. Sprinkle on the cheese if you wish and heat up some marinara while the bread sticks are cooling.

Next up, are the Cheesy Fingers. These are so quick and easy to make. Simply cut a cheese stick in half and adhere (with cream cheese) a piece of fingernail shaped red pepper. For the final step, I used the  back of a knife to create indentations to simulate the knuckle area of a finger.

I hope you enjoyed these healthier Halloween treat options. I also have another healthy Halloween treat called ‘Scary Bananas‘.

This mother of two is the owner of the food and family blog Savor the Thyme. She obtained a MS in Immunology and worked for a large pharmaceutical company in CT before starting her family. Currently, she works from home writing for Savor the Thyme, a daily post for Babble’s The Family Kitchen, and weekly as Rhode Island Traveling Mom on Travelingmom.com. Jennifer also writes as a freelance writer and social media consultant.