It is fair to say that we have too much candy in the house! The chocolates call to me at every hour of the day and the children’s constant requests for a treat are starting to drive me crazy. That is why today I have come up with, my top 5 things you can do with your Halloween candy, other than eating it.

	Throw it out!  Not all of it, of course.  I am not a fan of hard candies and chewy things that stick to our teeth, just a personal thing.  I suggest that you go through all of your candy and toss all of those candies that you are not a fan of.  I am sure you already know this, but, make sure you wait until your kids are in bed!
	Suckers are amazing.  Most kids will do anything for a sucker.  I always set the suckers aside and save them for moments that I need to bribe my children or reward them.  “If you are good at the grocery store, I will let you have a sucker”.  They are great after blood work or vaccinations.  Keep them in your car and purse and use them wisely.
	Carry forward to the next holiday.  Chocolate bars make for a great stocking stuffer.  Set aside a handful of chocolates for each child to be put in their stockings at Christmas Eve.  Your kids will thank you.
	Family night movie night.  Save your chips for the next time you plan on taking in a movie with your kids.  Make sure you watch for the expire dates as Halloween chips typically expire soon after.  Open up all of the little bags and make one big bowl for everyone to enjoy.  Mixing all the different kinds together is fun, everyone will be searching for their favourites.
	Share.  If there is someone that didn’t have any leftover or was unable to hand it out, save some for them.  Be it a neighbour or a loved one or a friend.  Take it a step further, if you know what kind is their favourite, set it aside until you see them next.

……Today is Cookie Monster’s Birthday!

 

Muppet Wiki writes, “Cookie Monster is a voracious monster and one of the main characters on Sesame Street. Covered with blue fur and possessing a pair of googly eyes, Cookie Monster has an insatiable appetite. As his name implies, his primary craving is cookies, but he can (and often does) consume anything and everything, from apples and pie to letters, flatware, and hubcaps. Usually when he eats something, he makes loud munching noises, usually like “OMM-nom-nom-nom..”

Given that Halloween was two days ago, I assumed that most of you would not want to make cupcakes or cookies to celebrate Cookie.  I apologize if I am completely off the mark.  I thought instead that a simple craft would be the way to go on this unique ocassion.  Squidoo provided me with this idea, Cooke Monster Pompom’s.  Easy and cute, if you ask me.  All you will need is a blue pompom, google eyes, black felt, scissors and glue.  OMM-nom-nom-nom…I couldn’t resist!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Well, Halloween has finally arrived.  I hope that you have a great night and are able to enjoy a treat or two yourself (after the kids go to bed of course)!  The American Red Cross has provided a fun sheet of safety tips for you and your families.  Please take a moment to have your children review it before they go out.  I have posted the tips below for your convenience.   Have a wonderful night trick or treating!!

 

My son recently went to his friends birthday party, the theme was pirate and the child’s mother organized a scavenger hunt.  It got me thinking about what a perfect time of year it is to have a scavenger hunt.  The weather is perfect, cool but crisp, you could hunt for specific leaves or animal tracks.  With the weekend approaching, what a great way to spend some time together.  I did a little bit of research and discovered this nice site for multiple party ideas, one of which is a scavenger hunt.  Birthday Parties 4 Kids is worth checking out.  My 3 top picks for scavenger hunts are as follows:

	Nature Scavenger Hunt.  Just go out and enjoy the great outdoors.  This list provides you with many possibilities and ideas to track.
	The Traditional Hunt.  Look for paper clips, Popsicle sticks, a ribbon tied around your neighbours tree.  With this comprehensive list you will never go wrong.
	For the festive person, here is a fun Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt, again it is creative and fun.  I think that this one would require a little more work but all in all a great way to spend sometime together.

That’s right, we have less than 2 months until Christmas.  Every year I am amazed by how quickly it comes and sure enough as we start to near the end of October I start to prepare.  This year I found something new, a Christmas planner from Life…your way, all you need to do is download it and then start chipping away.  This year when you are shopping online, be sure to check out our store, we have great baby gifts and personalized books for children and that is only the tip of the iceberg.

I am a list person and thus very excited to use my Christmas planner, I will support anything that helps me to prepare for the season.  Don’t get me wrong, I love it, but at times is is a tad overwhelming.  Well, with only 2 months to go I thought it would be handy.  I hope it helps.  Enjoy!

Well, you have one more week until Halloween.  I have listed some great ideas for decorations, costumes and baking.  Some are more complicated than others, some of them you may need to start tonight.  They are all pretty incredible and if you did a few things off the list you would likely have the best looking house and kids on the block!

	Everyone should know how to preserve their pumpkins.  Often we spend atleast an hour trying to create a masterpiece.  Well, now you don’t have to worry about it rotting away on your porch.  Check out this article from ivillage for some useful tips on pumpkin care before you get started.
	Now we can begin.  What makes this pumpkin so great is that it is simple and the kids will love it.  Dollar Store Spiders are crawling all over the shell of this pumpkin.  See Disney Family Fun website for this Jeepers Creepers Pumpkin.
	These pumpkins actually made me chuckle.  The Halloween version of Mr. Potato (Pumpkin) Head.  It was another great idea found on the Disney Family Fun site.  Check it out!
	Think how excited your child would be if he/she could walk out of the house looking this spooky!  This Frankenstein face paint is not only something that you could do at home but looks like a professional job.  Today’s Parent has 2 other great looks that you should see.
	You can make this with some black clothing, an umbrella and duct tape.  I am not kidding!!  Once again I am telling you to check out the Today’s Parent site for some simple, yet fantastic ideas!
	Okay, now this is harder, but can you imagine how incredible you house would look!  If you started now, you could probably pull this off.  If you can’t do you entire house, what about a window.  I am serious, you have to try this, I am.  I will let you next year how it turned out.  See the Craft website for a step by step how to.  Good Luck!
	Original and fun.  Minimal effort required.  However, simple does not mean ordinary and this is not your typical snack.  The Disney Family Fun site, hit another one out of the park!
	Martha Stewarts Monster Pop will be a definite hit.  One quick trip to the Bulk Food Store to pick up your supplies.  The kids would also love to help you put together these snack.
	We can’t forget our furry friends.  Martha Stewart would be disappointed if we did.  She has a simple how to on how to make this dino costume for the pet in your life.
	Lastly, something for you.  So after you have made your child’s batman costume out of your black umbrella, make yourself this sophisticated bat headpiece to match.  Priceless!  Martha Stewart thinks of everything.

 

 

Sometimes a simple quote can change the direction of our day.  A great quote can ground us, make us laugh or make us cry.  I find that parenting can do much the same thing.  That is why when I found this interesting site, Directory Journal, I thought of all of you.  I hope that you enjoy my top 10 quotes and I encourage you to check out this site and discover your top picks.

1.   “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”

- Bill Cosby

 

2. “Middle age is when you’re sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn’t for you.”

- Ogden Nash

 

3.   “Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”

- Robert Heinlein

 

4. “By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day.”

- Robert Frost

 

5.  “Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable, and remove yourself from the unacceptable.”

- Denis Waitley

 

6.  “We worry about what a child will be tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.”

- Stacia Tauscher

 

7.   “It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are.”

- E.E. Cummings

 

8. “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says ‘I’ll try again tomorrow.’”

- Mary Anne Radmacher

 

9.   “A happy family is but an earlier heaven.”

- George Bernard Shaw

 

10.   “Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”

- Oscar Wilde

National Magic Week is from October 25 to the 31st.  To me this sounds like an opportunity to do some interesting crafts.I discovered a couple of great sites that can help you to celebrate this week.  When you have a free moment, be sure to check out the following sites:   The Crafty Teacher EHow Magic Pencil Trick Magician’s Hat

Don’t misunderstand me, I love pumpkin pie, but there are so many other wonderful things one can make from pumpkin.  Here are a few I want to highlight for you.

 

	Pumpkin Sea Salt Caramels.  How could anyone possibly resist these.
	Pumpkin Spice Hot Apple Cider.  I personally think this would be a perfect treat on a cool Autumn night.
	Pumpkin & Pine Nut Sage Orzo Risotto.  Just to prove that pumpkin can be delicious even when it is not for dessert!
	How great do these pumpkin pancakes look?  Who wouldn’t want to start their day off like this!
	One of these pumpkin smoothies would make a great breakfast or afternoon snack
	Well we have certainly ended this post on a high note.  Bite size pumpkin Funnel Cakes, need I say more!

Personally, I find it difficult to decide what movie I should let my children watch or what books they should be reading.  That is why, when I found this web site I got a little excited.  You may or may not agree with all of the recommendations on the website but at least it is a starting point.  I hope you find ivillage as helpful as I did.

I also want to highlight that you always have the option to make a personalized book or movie for your child/children.  It really does make for a special and unique gift and it eliminates any concern about whether or not it is appropriate.  Check out our selection of personalized books for kids to see what we have to offer, they really are fantastic.

 

 

	I am a book lover and hope to inspire my children to be the same way.  Check out this list of children’s books to read from ivillage.  It covers everything from baby to age 12.
	I also relish movie night.  I have to admit I typically enjoy children’s movies as much if not more than the kids do.  I love snuggling on the couch with some popcorn.  The kids grab their blankets and we all move to our special spot, these are moments to be cherished.