The Hottest Halloween Items of 2022

October is the best time of the year for people who absolutely love Halloween! This year, companies like McDonald’s and Squishmallows are taking part of the fun. Get them before they run out of stock or disappear after a limited amount of time. Bloomberg reported that McDonald’s has announced the return of the trick-or-treating trio. These are three, colorful, Happy Meal Pails that can double as a carrying case for kids who want to go trick-or-treating.  These colorful Halloween buckets first debuted in 1986, and could cause some nostalgia for parents who had one when they were kids. The Happy … Continue reading

Salvage the Halloween Sugar

What’s a more frightening prospect for most for moms and dads; navigating through a maze of downed trees, wires and other debris with their children, or being left home alone with multiple bags of Halloween candy? In many communities along the East Coast slammed by superstorm Sandy, trick-or-treating has been postponed or cancelled for safety reasons, leaving hundreds of thousands of parents in a precarious spot: Having to explain to their mini ghouls and goblins how a fierce weather phenomenon dampened an annual tradition, and then finding ways not to waste the mountains of sweet treats that were bought for … Continue reading

Hurricane Sandy’s Halloween Surprise

As if the timing of Hurricane Sandy wasn’t spooky enough, the damage from the storm led to an eerie discovery in New Haven, Connecticut. Downed trees are par for the course during any hurricane. Even trees that have firmly stood their ground for a hundred years or more can sometimes topple if they are dying, weak, or even if the wind hits them just the right way. That is exactly what happened in New Haven, right on the green downtown. A giant oak tree that had been standing there since the early 1900’s fell down, revealing human remains just in … Continue reading

Halloween-Themed Weight Loss Plan for Brave Parents

Have you seen Hershey’s newest Halloween treat? The Screme Egg is a twist on the chocolate giant’s popular Easter sweet, the Cadbury Creme Egg. The shape is the same, as is the egg’s white filling, but the Halloween version features a green yolk-like center instead of yellow. If that doesn’t make you scream, perhaps the nutritional value will. A single Screme Egg contains 150 calories and five grams of fat. While that may not seem like a frightening amount, consider that the average adult can fit roughly four of the eggs in his or her mouth at one time. Add … Continue reading

Halloween-Themed Boredom Busters for Kids

A visitor far creepier than Jason, Freddie or Norman Bates is about to storm the East Coast just in time to potentially ruin Halloween for millions of young trick-or-treaters. Hurricane Sandy is threatening to put the kibosh on All Hallows’ Eve festivities up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Residents are hunkering down in preparation for the big blow. Government officials predict some people could be without power for days in the wake of the vicious winds, rain and snow associated with the super storm. So what does this mean for parents whose children will be enjoying an unexpected hiatus from … Continue reading

Green Halloween 2012

Halloween is almost here, but it is not too late to still think green. If you are still looking for a costume, I wish I had told you sooner about Green Halloween. It is a website that promotes a green Halloween. The site sponsors a yearly National Costume Swap Day, but I learned about it too late this year to advertise it here. It was Oct 13th, but it is still not too late to hold your own costume swap day. You can get together with friends from playgroup, other mothers from school or church or anyone you know with … Continue reading

Last-Minute Halloween Ideas

Halloween is right around the corner. Does your house look haunted yet? Mountains of dirty dishes, piles of soiled laundry and black rings around the toilet don’t count. If you’ve waited until now to get into the Halloween spirit, don’t fret. There are a slew of simple ways you can create a spooktacular holiday display without breaking the bank: Sweet Treats on a Stick: With a little patience and a few cheap materials you can make a sweet treat on a stick. Halloween topiaries are a cinch to make. All you need are your favorite candies, such as gum drops, … Continue reading

Simplify Halloween

And by “simplify” I mean “keep it cheap.” Fortunately, cheap doesn’t have to translate into ugly. Goodness knows my 8-year-old would just “diiiiiiiie!!” if I suggested we scale back on Halloween costumes and decor. However, like many families the world over; we live on a budget. A tight budget, that doesn’t allow us to go bat wild celebrating pagan holidays. Still, I don’t want her missing out on all of the candy-coated fun, so instead of canceling Halloween, I find frugal ways we can participate without going into debt. Here are some of the inexpensive ways we keep the holiday … Continue reading

Capturing the Halloween Cute

For years I’ve tried to get my young daughter to dress-up as a hot dog, cupcake or hamburger for Halloween. Unfortunately, she wants nothing to do with food-themed costumes, and I don’t have a dog, so I just make do. Still, I can’t help but think about all of the cute scrapbook layouts I could create if she were to give into my request for just one year. Scrapbooking supply companies have multiple lines of adorable stickers, stamps and die cuts that easily complement photos of kids or pets wearing food get-ups. Of course, you can find a host of … Continue reading

Halloween Books = Amazing Alternative to Candy

Believe it or not, 100 Grand Bars, Laffy Taffy and candy corn are not the only treats that scream, “Halloween!” If you are looking for a sugar-free/fat-free/calorie-free/peanut-free/gluten-free goodie to give kids on All Hallows’ Eve, consider Mia: Time to Trick or Treat! The adorable and affordable children’s book (it retails for less than $5) is an amazing alternative to candy and can be passed out as a Halloween party favor, a prize for a costume contest, or used to spice up your kid’s bedtime story collection. There’s nothing like a little seasonal spice to get youngsters excited about reading, and … Continue reading