Yesterday while out shopping with a friend of mine, we stopped in a candy store.  I hadn’t been in a candy store in a long time and it was so neat seeing all the old-time candy that I used to buy when I was little at the corner store for a penny.  Now it’s quite a bit more than that!  Wow, did that bring back memories – wax lips, candy buttons, wax bottles, pop rocks, marshmallow cones, razzles, pixy stix, now and later, and zotz (the hard candy that fizzes in the middle).  I wonder what my children will consider their old-time candy favorites when their older?  I do know that Halloween is a good time to get a taste of all your favorite candies.  You can always find something in that trick-or-treat bag that you like (of course, I have to sneak a peak when my kids aren’t looking)!

Speaking of candy, it’s so much easier if you have a nice big bowl to put the candy in that you’re giving out to the trick-or-treaters.  I like to mix all my candy together so that the children have a nice selection of candy to choose from.  A great bowl is Halloween Candy Bowl – it looks just like a witch’s cauldron, or maybe the candy bowl that has witches feet for legs Halloween Candy Bowl.

In the beginning of the trick-or-treat hours I usually give the candy out to each child, however as it gets closer to the end of the evening I’ll let the kids just reach in and grab whatever they want.  It always amazes me that most kids don’t grab a big handful but politely pick out a couple pieces of candy that they like.  I always wondered why people that aren’t going to be home leave a bowl of candy on their porch because you know that the first group of kids that go up (usually older kids) will dump the whole bowl into their bags.  A nice alternative to leaving a bowl of candy on your porch if you’re not going to be home is to just leave your candy with a neighbor for them to hand out.  My neighbor asked me to do that last year and I didn’t mind at all.  Believe me your candy will last a lot longer doing it that way than leaving it on your porch unattended.  My brother and his family live on a street where all the homes are on a little over an acre lot and have pretty big front yards.  Every Halloween all the neighbors put out big long tables in the cul-de-sac and a parent (or parents) from each house sits at the table with their bowl of candy and the trick-or-treaters just go down the line getting candy.  It’s a great idea for both the kids and adults because the kids don’t have so far to go to walk to each individual house and it’s a chance for the adults to get together and have fun.  

In the air you can feel the chill of Autumn approaching.  Labor Day has come and gone and now were spiraling head first into the month of October.  If you haven’t already started planning for Halloween, now is the time to do it.  You’ve got costumes to pick out, decorations to put up, haunted movies to rent, pumpkins to carve, parties to plan, candy to buy and the list goes on and on…..

If you’re not sure where to start, then you’ll definitely want to make a “to do” list.  Put it down on paper, that way you can cross things off as you get them done.  It’s the easiest way to ensure a Halloween that is stress free and fun for you and your whole family.  Here are some things you can do now to get ready:

• Check out your local paper and find out what Halloween activities and on what dates they are happening in your area – pumpkin patches, hay rides, haunted corn mazes and haunted woods.  You can also click on www.hauntedhouse.com for lots of information on haunted houses in your neck of the woods.
• Start buying your Halloween candy to give out to your trick-or-treaters now.  I always look for sales and buy a bag at a time.  That way you’re not running out at the last minute trying to buy a bunch of candy all at once.
• Decorate your home inside and out – it’s time to dust off those Halloween boxes from last year and start decorating.
• If you plan to have a Halloween party at your house, plan ahead of time. Make a list of everything you have to do, and everyone you wish to invite. Be sure to get the invitations out early.
• If you’re going to a costume party, decide what you want to be and buy your costume.  If you wait, chances are it may not be there in a week or two.
• Talk to your kids and help them make up their mind on what they want to be for Halloween this year.  If they already know what they want to be and have their heart set on it, by all means get that costume now!  Like I just said, if you wait and that costume isn’t available – take it from someone that has personally experienced this – it will not be a stress free, fun for the whole family holiday.   If your children are still undecided, have them check out our website for some great ideas.   Kids Halloween Costumes

My favorite time of the year is the Fall season when all the leaves turn beautiful shades of red, yellow and orange, the weather gets cooler and football season starts.  The kids are back in school and hopefully if you’re like me, you’re finally back on some sort of a schedule.   Just take a minute one morning (which is usually all we have), grab a cup of coffee, a pencil and paper and make your Halloween “to do” list.  As the days go by you’ll mark off things on your list that you’ve done and before you know it October will be here and you’ll be completely ready for Halloween!