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Halloween tips

Halloween Traditions (to start with your kids!)

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Halloween Spirit
If you have a young family like me, holidays are very special, and the perfect time to make memories to last a lifetime. My husband and I grew up in different parts of the world, and for him, in the English countryside, Halloween didn’t exist! And so, for the past few years (since our kids have been old enough to notice!), we’ve been creating Halloween activities that are fast becoming traditions, things that our children expect and look forward to every year. For families like ours with young kids (8, 5, 2 and one on the way), you can start with simple things, which I’ve listed below – just keep away from the too gruesome or scary!

1. Decorate Your Home – I love this part, and so do the kids. This year, our 2-year-old joined us for the first time and it was great seeing all three kids take the task so seriously! Look out for “after-Halloween” sales to find the best bargains.

2. Bake Cookies and do Crafts – The kids love this too, me not so much :-). Well, I’m heavily pregnant and the mess isn’t so fun. But the kids do enjoy it, so I just try and do one of each. This year we are making ghost cookies ( using a sugar cookie mix and ghost cutters I bought on sale last year). For crafts, check out Kaboose or Activity Village for some easy ideas.

3. Buy and Carve Pumpkins – Every year my daughter and I go to the annual girls scouts pumpkin patch sale to choose our pumpkins. Then Daddy (who never carved anything in his life before this) carves them out while the kids help scoop out the seeds. It’s become a family Halloween tradition!

4. Watch Scary Movies – My husband came home today with no less than 4 scary movies (and a few family-friendly ones for the younger kids) we plan to watch over the long weekend. One of them was the original Nightmare on Elm Street – yikes!

5. Throw a Halloween Party! – This is the most fun thing of all, and for the past 2 years, one of my best girlfriends and I have been co-hosting one for our kids (and their friends). So far, they’ve been a great success and something our kids (and their friends!) ask about every Halloween. Will post more tips on this soon!

Photo via mike r baker

5 Easy Ways to Keep Your Little Ones Safe This Halloween

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HalloweenParty

Halloween is my favorite holiday (after Christmas, of course!), so the next few weeks will be all about spooky ideas, tips and treats to make our little ones’ Halloween the best one yet. This week, I have a guest post from Kelly Rockey who writes about Halloween costumes over at Star Costumes. It’s all about safety – probably the most important thing we parents have to think about when getting our kids ready for Halloween. Thanks, Kelly!

It’s that time of year when your little ones turn into goblins and witches and head out in search of Halloween treats! We all want Halloween to be a happy and safe holiday for our kids, but sometimes with the excitement of the season kids can be less than careful. Using these simple safety tips can help you make the most of the Halloween season and keep your children safe at the same time.

1. Pick a Safe Costume – Help your child pick out a costume that will help keep them safe by making sure it has a few key characteristics. Make sure it is fireproof and that vision is not obstructed with small eye holes. Make sure there are no long capes, strings, or hems on the costume that the child can trip on. Bright colors can help them be seen at night; if they are wearing a dark colored costume make sure they are carrying a light or you can affix glow in the dark tape strips onto the costume.

2. Practice Pumpkin Safety – When carving pumpkins all children love to help, here’s how to let them help safely. Do not let them use a sharp knife to cut into a pumpkin. For older children there are plastic saw-type knives on the market. For younger children just have them scoop out the gunk and then draw a face on it for you to cut for them. When placing the pumpkin out with a candle, make sure that it is out of the way enough that your child’s costume doesn’t brush by it and accidentally catch on fire. Or better yet there are “flameless” LED lights on the market now that are completely safe and look realistic. Another option is to use a glow stick for an eerie but safe glow.

3. Keep Their Props in Check – If your child’s costume requires them to carry an ax, pitchfork, butcher knife, or the like then you must make sure that the tips are smooth and flexible enough to not cause injury if fallen on. Also teach your child to never swing at or hit anybody with their prop.

4. Safe Candy is Yummy Candy – Always inspect your child’s candy before letting them eat it. Do not let them eat any candy that has open or broken wrappers. Always trick or treat in a familiar neighborhood so you know where your child’s treats are coming from. Feed your child a spooky Halloween dinner before going out trick or treating so they are less likely to eat their candy before you have a chance to check it.

5. Basic Safety for Halloween and Everyday – To make trick or treating as safe as possible make sure that your children know basic everyday safety such as looking both ways before crossing the street, never getting into a strangers car, and not talking to strangers. Also never let your children go out trick or treating without a responsible adult or teenager to chaperone them.

Photo via Halloween Blog Online