Happy Halloween-ing!

I have been a major slacker in terms of halloween preparedness this year, but I thought I'd share a few things we have done in years past to make this time of year fun:

• On years when I'm good, the kids each grow their own pumpkins to carve.


• On other years (which has pretty much been every year for the last 3 years) we go to a pumpkin patch...or the store :)... and they each pick out a pumpkin.


• I love to gather berries for my Christmas tree, and right now is the perfect time to do it before the frost hits to badly. I am partial to rosehips, so I pack the kids and we all go gathering rosehips and fall leaves for our table.


• My kids always pick out their costumes...with an occassional nudge from me if it's too difficult :) Some of my favorites of years' past have been Clark Kent turning into Superman, Princess Leia, Anakin Skywaker (padawan), Elmo, Harry Potter, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Flower Fairy, Woody rides a horse, Ben 10, and Shadeau dressed up as University of Utah Cheerleader. Good times :)


• Last year, I had my kids each invite 4 friends for a halloween party. They all dressed up, and we painted pumpkins, played Halloween Twister, played pin the wart on the witch, and watched Pooh's Heffalump Halloween. We also played a name that goo game (you put random things in little paper bags, and they have to touch it and guess what it is.) Little kid parties are my absolute favorite!


• The Monday night before Halloween, we carve pumpkins. I have been collecting the little carving tools and templates for different designs for a few years, so we usually invite another family to join us. It is one of kids' all-time favorite things to do :)


• Halloween night, I make Dinner in a pumpkin (more like paella in a pumpkin) and hot apple cider. It's the one time of year I can get Zerin to touch something that touches a vegetable :)


• Bryan has an aunt in a nursing home, so we always make it a point to go trick-or-treating there before hitting the rest of the neighborhoods. Most nursing homes and assisted living centers have some sort of trick-or-treating for a couple of hours on halloween. The kids love how everyone there thinks they are the cutest thing ever, and there are usually at least 2 or three residents that try to give the kids their entire bowl of candy :)


• Halloween also marks the day before I consider it legal to start listening to Christmas music 24-7. I decorate for Thanksmas November 1st (last year, being over 7 months pregnant...I didn't get it done until the 15th...this year, since we are supposed to be moving during that time, it probably won't get done until we're moved...but next year!)