In my house, Halloween is an absolute circus.  We are passing out candy, looking for the face paint, getting the kids into their costumes and trying to get them to eat something relatively healthy.  In the midst of all this fun chaos, who gets neglected?  Our dog. 

Halloween may not phase some pets, but for most dogs and cats, it’s a distressing change in routine.  An ordinarily quiet house suddenly becomes filled with strange noises, constant door knocking and people in costume.  You don’t want to overlook your pet during this time, so make sure his Halloween isn’t scary by following some of these tips.

Have you made a trip this year to your local pumpkin patch?  Children love the thrill of the hunt for the perfect pumpkin!  Tall and skinny, squat and round, smooth or bumpy, orange or white, the choices abound.  But that’s just the start of all the fun!  Once they have chosen their prized pumpkin it’s time to get creative and turn that pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern. 

Save your pumpkin seeds if you carve a Halloween jack-o-lantern. Roasting pumpkin seeds is fun and easy, and the seeds make a great and healthy snack.

My boys always enjoyed helping come up with ideas about how to make our jack-o-lantern look really scary, and they also liked to help me harvest the seeds to bake so that they’d have homemade seeds the week after Halloween. Around here, baked pumpkin seeds only lasted a few days at best.

Roasting pumpkin seeds is quite easy. The only part that takes any real work is getting the seeds out of the pumpkin and cleaning off the stringy pumpkin innards which we always called the pumpkin slime.

Trick-or-treat is probably one of the most exciting nights of the year for your child.  All of the planning, preparation and anticipation has culminated into one fun filled evening of getting dressed up, running from door to door and filling a bag with as much candy as they can possibly carry.  It’s a blast, but if you and your child aren’t careful to follow some basic rules of safety, trick-or-treat can quickly turn into trouble.

Looking for a fun afternoon craft?  How about helping your children decorate their own trick or treat bags?  Fabric bags are cuter than those large plastic pumpkin buckets and much easier for little ones to carry. 

Halloween – it’s a fun time and free candy. Kids of all ages enjoy going door to door and getting goodies. But, when does a child age out of the trick or treating pool? It’s a dilemma many parents and treat givers grapple with every year on October 31st.

When I was in 4th grade, I remember stopping at one house to trick or treat. The older woman who lived there chewed out the kid in front of me. She told the girl she was too old to trick or treat and sent her away empty handed. I almost bolted. I was a year older than the girl in front of me, but I was quite a bit smaller. The lady smiled at me and put candy in my bag. I felt bad about that then, and I still feel bad about it years later.

Are you looking for ways to make your house look spooktacular this Halloween but don’t want to blow your entire budget on decorations?  Here are a few easy and inexpensive decorating ideas that will give the neighborhood a fright.

What’s a Halloween party without a bowl of punch? Bewitch your guests with Green Goblin Punch and watch their eyes when they see the floating hands bobbing around in the bowl.

Yes. It is that time of year again, and as you plan your All Hallows Eve party, you are probably looking for some new and fun ideas. Regardless of your plans for trick or treat night, you’ll need something to drink, and this punch recipe is both tasty and fun.

Boo. It’s that time of year again. Time to break out the plastic spiders and skeletons and celebrate Halloween. If you want to ramp it up this year, host a haunted house. It’s fun to plan a spooky good time, and the kids get a real kick out of turning the back yard, porch, basement or living room into a frightfully fun place for All Hallows Eve.

Some of my best memories of Halloween here in a small town are the great haunted houses various neighbors have hosted over the years. Some of the spooky fun spots were at homes on the trick-or-treat circuit while others were at private parties – usually the week before Halloween. I even remember my elementary school hosting a Haunted House as a fundraiser one year, and I think everyone in town showed up.

In the eyes of a kid, running around trick or treating on Halloween ranks right up there with ripping open birthday and holiday gifts. The excitement of Halloween night often causes kids to forget everything they’ve learned about staying safe. Keep reading for a Halloween safety refresher to share with your kids before the big day….