Trick-or-Treat Tricks and Tips!

Halloween is just a few days away! Whether you're taking your wee one out for their first All Hallows Eve or accompanying an experienced trick-or-treater, here are some tips for ensuring your night doesn't take a turn for the scary.

1. Give your child a bathroom break prior to leaving the house, especially if you have a higher-maintenance costume that will take some time to get on and off.

2. Dress your child appropriately. Choose warm layers for underneath your child's costume to avoid covering it up completely but keep in mind that if it rains you'll need to dress them in rain gear or at least cover them with an umbrella.

3. Inspect your child's treats. Remove any opened candy and homemade goodies unless it was given to your child by someone you know.

4. Make sure your house is welcoming to young trick-or-treaters by removing any hazardous objects (dogs and cats included) that a small child can trip over such as a hose or rake and ensure that if you do have a Jack-o-Lantern it is kept well out of reach of curious fingers.

5. Reduce your speed if you are driving to your Halloween destination and watch carefully for little witches and werewolves along the way.

6. Remind your children to use their manners by saying thank you and choosing one piece of candy from the bowl unless asked otherwise. No one wants to open their doors to greedy goblins!

It's also important to remember that treats can be healthy! Wendy Howarth has provided this great list of candy alternatives for children of all ages and has also suggested that if your child ends up with far too much candy that he or she trade it in for a small toy. (We'll leave it up to you on how you'd like to "dispose" of all of those mini chocolate bars.)

Here are some ideas:

Stickers

Fruit leather

Bouncy balls

Slimy necklaces

Rubber spiders

Vampire teeth

Temporary tattoos

Snack size package of popcorn

Individual packets of crayons

Halloween pencils

Fancy erasers

Yo-yos

"Slime"

Small jar of play-do

Decoder rings

Glow-sticks

Tiny decks of cards

Bubbles

Plastic whistles

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Tuesday Tutorials: Halloween Craft Roundup!

It's hard not to get caught up in the spookiest day of the year. Help spread the excitement to your little ones with one (or more) of these bootiful Halloween crafts (sorry, we couldn't resist).

This sweet Black Cat Plushie featured on Etsy how-to's will stick around long after Halloween ends and is so cute you might consider making an entire family (psssst they don't have to be black).

We've made similar mobiles out of branches and paper cutouts for friends' nurseries but this Bat Mobile via The Long Thread has a bit of a Halloween vibe and the supplies are easy to gather (you can easily use white thread in place of clear).

If you're having a Halloween themed party (or birthday party) these Spider Web Balloons over at Crafty Crafty are a bit more labour intensive (and intimidating for balloon amateurs such as ourselves) but would certainly spook up a room.

We love Domesticali's Felt Bats and are trying to decide whether or not they'd live on post-Halloween. We think so.

Tissue Pomettes are one of the easiest decorations that give you huge bang for your effort. And don't think these won't become a permanent fixture in your little lady's room - my talented friend Zoe hung hot pink poms from her dining room ceiling for her daughter's third birthday party last year and I don't think they came down for weeks.

Last but not least, who can't resist a room full of sweet and simple tissue ghosts - we loved making these as a child almost as much as we love to share them with our children.

Enjoy!

Make it Monday: Halloween Edition

With Halloween coming up this Sunday what more appropriate than these seasonal kid-friendly recipes. As always, thanks to Wendy Howarth of Origins Nutrition and Wellness for providing these.

Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 large egg yoke

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together. Spray cooking spray in a non-stick skillet. Heat over medium heat. Spoon in 1/3 batter for each pancake.

Pumpkin Pie-sicles

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. butternut squash

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

2/3 cup coconut milk

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Directions: To make a batch, cut a butternut squash into quarters and scoop out the seeds. Bake the squash until it's soft. Let the squash cool a bit before scooping its flesh into a medium-size bowl. Add pure maple syrup, coconut milk, and pumpkin pie spice to the bowl. Use a potato masher to mush the squash and blend all of the ingredients. Spoon the mixture into ice pop moulds, add sticks, and freeze for at least 6 hours before serving.

Candy Corn Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
orange gel food coloring
yellow gel food coloring
sanding sugar

Directions:

Add the egg, orange juice, orange zest and salt. Slowly add the flour and baking soda. Beat until combined. Divide the cookie dough into three and line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Wrap the cookie dough and refrigerate until firm. At least two hours or overnight. Unwrap the cookie dough and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Slice the dough into triangles. Dip one side of the cookie into the sanding sugar. Arrange on the cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 7 to 10 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack.

Pumpkin Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/2 c. canned organic pumpkin

1 c. skim milk/milk alternative such as rice, hemp or coconut milk

1/2 c - 1 c. ice

1 tsp. honey

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 scoop vanilla protein powder or brown rice powder

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Note: When making smoothies, always put in the liquid ingredients first. This will prevent all of your solid ingredients getting stuck at the bottom.

Enjoy!

Road Trip: North Arm Farm

This morning, we head out to North Arm Farm in Pemberton to check out their pumpkins and fall scenery. Our first stop was Mount Currie Coffee Co. for a couple of Americanos and homemade baked goods for the littles, and while we were there we couldn't help but notice these beautiful 8oz kids cups made by local potter Amy Hazeldine ($24).

If you haven't been to North Arm Farm, it sits on 45 acres of organically grown fruits and veggies with panoramic mountain views, a bakery full of beautiful fresh-baked pies and all sorts of goodies ranging from winter squash and mini pumpkins to cauliflower and kale.

The kids (we had a five, three and two one-year-olds) loved the animals (roosters, chickens, ducks and livestock), the giant swings, the old shack and the tractor. As for the pumpkin patch itself, the wagon only runs on the weekends and since it's a bit of a trek for the wee ones (and we'd heard its a bit of an average year in terms of selection) we opted for lunch at the Wildwood Bistro and Bar.

This sure beat the Richmond patch we'd visited for the past few years and if you plan to head up this weekend be sure to bring hand sanitizer (we couldn't find a hand-washing station) as well as a change of clothes and footwear, especially for the younger ones who aren't as stable on their feet.

Tuesday Tutorial: The Uncarved Pumpkin

Pumpkin carving may be a great tradition, but it isn't the safest nor the the easiest task to manage - especially with little helpers at your side. So consider putting your knives away in favour of these no-carve solutions for the scariest (or cutest) pumpkin on the block, even if it means you'll have to head out to buy some seeds for roasting.

1. The Chalkboard Pumpkin: This is one pumpkin that won't get old! We've done an entire wall and kids play table top with this stuff (we've tried both RustOleum and Benjamin Moore) and it was hard to stop there. Not only do the kids love to draw with chalk but they can also "paint" with brushes and plain water (it's slightly deceiving but it works!). You can find RustOleum at Rona - we'd love it if they had it in a spray can as it's a much quicker job, but sadly we think this is only available to our neighbours down south which might be a good thing or everything in our house would be sprayed.

2. The Metallic Pumpkin: We love the way these shades look together and they are great to display indoors for the rest of the fall as a centrepiece (that is, if you still have fancy adult tables to set). We've seen lots of spray-on metallic shades at Walmart on the cheap. The more coats you apply the richer the metallic finish will be.

3. The White Pumpkin: There is something so elegant about a white pumpkin whether on its own or mixed in with brighter pumpkins in various sizes. Chances are you won't find a real one around here, but you can fake it with a little help from a can of matte white paint. Chances are your little Cinderella might mistake it for her carriage.

4. The Crafty Pumpkin: Get out your glue guns! Affix ribbons, buttons, tissue, thread, pompoms - whatever you've got handy to create a really fun kid-friendly pumpkin that your older ones can certainly help decorate.

General tips:

All of the above work best with craft pumpkins (bonus: you'll be able to use them for years to come). If you're choosing to paint your pumpkin, be sure to paint or spray in a well-ventilated area and let it dry at room temperature. For best results apply three coats and be sure to cover the pumpkin stem with painters tape before you start.

Happy Uncarving!

Make it Monday: Hot Bevies!

Don't be fooled by the beautiful sunshine of late - the mornings and eves are feeling crisper by the day and we're finding ourselves reaching for woolies and wellies. Here are a few hot bevie recipes to keep you warm during these cool (and wet!) times to come.

Chai Tea

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of water

1 1/2 inch stick of cinnamon

8 cardamom pods

8 whole cloves

1/4 inch fresh ginger root (sliced thin)

2/3 cup of milk

6 teaspoons sugar

3 teaspoons of Darjeeling Tea leaves

Method:

Place water, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and ginger in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat to low setting and simmer for 10 minutes. Add milk and sugar and again bring to simmer. Next, add the tea leaves, remove from heat and cover. Let steep for 3 minutes and strain.

Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup cocoa (Dutch-process preferred)

2 1/2 cups powdered milk

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste

Hot water

Method:

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and incorporate evenly. In a small pot, heat 4 to 6 cups of water.

Fill your mug half full with the mixture and pour in hot water. Stir to combine. Seal the rest in an airtight container, keeps indefinitely in the pantry. This also works great with warm milk.

Hot Apple Cider

Ingredients:
6 cups apple cider

1/4 cup real maple syrup

2 cinnamon sticks

6 whole cloves

6 whole allspice berries

1 orange peel, cut into strips

1 lemon peel, cut into strips

Method:

Pour the apple cider and maple syrup into a large stainless steel saucepan. Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel and lemon peel in the center of a washed square of cheesecloth; fold up the sides of the cheesecloth to enclose the bundle, then tie it up with a length of kitchen string. Drop the spice bundle into the cider mixture. Place the saucepan over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cider is very hot but not boiling. Remove the cider from the heat. Discard the spice bundle. Ladle the cider into big cups or mugs, adding a fresh cinnamon stick to each serving if desired.

Blueberry Tea

Ingredients:

3/4 oz Grand Marnier

3/4 oz amaretto

orange pekoe tea

orange wheel for garnish

Method:

Pour the Grand Marnier and amaretto into a preheated brandy snifter. Fill the snifter two-thirds of the way to the top withorange pekoe tea. Garnish with an orange wheel. Stir and enjoy!

More Halloween Costume Fun: Great Buys for Your Little Spooksters

We've shared a few DIY costume ideas and what-not-to-wears, now here is a list of our favourite store-bought costumes for your little trick-or-treater.

Old Navy

We mentioned last month that Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic just launched their Canadian online store and are offering free shipping on a combined pre-tax order of $50 or higher. This Cupcake is as sweet as any little girl ($19) and think a little guy would look awesome in this Hamburger ($15 - only 0-3M and 6-12M remain) and Pizza albeit cheesy ($12 - size Small/age 6-7 remains).

Pottery Barn Kids

Unfortunately despite opening stores in BC, Alberta and Ontario Pottery Barn Kids has yet to launch an Canadian online store. We did find an Airplane ($49) and Milk Carton ($44.99) that are worth the extra few bucks especially if you have a younger sibling next in line (and they'd make great dress-up clothes!). Check with the Granville Street store for availability.

Target

We can't fail to mention the store that has it all although there were some suspicious looking costumes like this one, this one and this one. Target (sadly) does not ship to Canada but if you plan to cross-border shop, use a US mailbox or have a friend down south you might want to add these to your list:

Flower Gnome ($20)

Strawberry ($29.99)

UPS Delivery Person ($29.99)

Yo Gabba Gabba Brobee ($34.99)

Walmart

We checked out our local Wally's extensive Halloween section and while we did find a ton of wigs, masks (including Darth Vader and Batman), makeup, coloured hairspray and various accessories, the overall costume selection was less than spectacular (this Transformers costume among others we'd seen online were nowhere in sight).

Scary Stuff: 10 costumes you don't want your child to wear this Halloween

We love Halloween. We love the decorations, the candy, the costumes and the crazy people out there that think dressing up their child in one of these is ever a good idea. Take a look at this roundup of Halloween don'ts.

This Rag Doll Sailor makes us want to jump ship.

We loved Ariel's little sidekick in The Little Mermaid, but not enough to eat.

This one gives a whole new meaning to cute little peanut.

Go ahead, sit on it.

It's an alien coming out of a chicken. An Alien! Who does that?

New look, same great taste.

Really?

Look closely.

I dressed my son up as Max last Halloween but who wants to trick or treat with the other guy around?

Enjoy those Thanksgiving leftovers.

Tuesday Tutorial: Easy to Make Halloween Costumes

With Halloween less than a few weeks away we've got plenty of tricks and treats to make it fun (not scary!) for even the busiest of mamas to create these easy costumes in honour of the spookiest day of the year. We guarantee the hardest part will be choosing just one.

Zookeeper

Dress your child in khaki and safari hat and let him choose as many plush friends as he likes (for once).

Mummy

Wrap your child in rolls of gauze and apply a face full of white makeup (see below for instructions on making your own).

Tree

Dress your child in brown and make a leafy necklace, wrist bands and crown from felt in different shades of green or red.

Octopus

Find 3 pairs of your child's tights (shades of purple work best) and cut each leg for a total of 6 legs. Safety-pin each leg to the waistband of your child's leggings or tights for a total of 8 legs. Use felt furniture pads for suction cups.

Spider

Dress your child in black and stuff 3 pairs of knee highs for arms and legs. Safety-pin them to your child's sleeves and waistband. White yarn works well as web.

Ghost

We love this ol' standby - all you need is a white sheet, a pair of scissors and about three minutes.

Now is the time to find your solid-coloured sleepers, sleepsacks, track suits, mittens and hats to instantly transform your little one into these great animals and edibles:

Green:

Frog or Dragon (make a Kermit-style collar or dragon spikes using felt pieces cut in the shape of a triangle

Red:

Ladybug, Tomato, Apple or Strawberry (a leafy top can be made from green felt cut in the shape of a leaves and a stem made from rolling up craft paper or a brown paper bag)

Black/Brown/White/Gray:

Cat, Dog, Cow, Skunk (cut a felt strip for the backside), Rabbit (add cotton balls for a tail) or Penguin (cut out a round tummy made from white or yellow felt). Ears for the cat, dog, skunk and rabbit can easily be cut out from felt.

Makeup

Make your own:

2 tablespoons of soft shortening

4 tablespoons of corn starch

food colouring to desired shade

5 Thanksgiving Tables You'll Want to Pull Up A Chair To

The Phone in Your Bag Goes Beep Beep Beep

It's not always an ideal situation, but that iPhone of yours that you love so very much has a secret admirer reaching for it when you're not looking. Other times, it's the best toy you've got. What will make it even better? Inside these great apps are hours of entertainment (and education!) right at little fingertips. Here are our top picks our gamers have put to the test.

Wheels on the Bus

If you haven't already purchased apps by Duck Duck Moose you will be amazed by the amount of fun that can come out of a single app. We love Wheels on the Bus only because it's a great introduction to the world of iPhone play. Winner of the 2010 Parents' Gold Award (we can see why) it is a wacky interactive musical book of the popular children's song in which kids can spin the wheels, swish the wipers, pop the bubbles, open and shut the doors and make the cats meow. It even plays the music in a variety of instruments including a kazoo. How fun is that? $0.99 (Also available: Old MacDonald, Baa Baa Black Sheep and Itsy Bitsy Spider).

Pac-Man

I won't lie about this one - I got it for myself. But of course, I've hardly got a chance to play because when the app launches and that classic arcade music kicks in my son comes running. There is nothing new about this one - it's your favourite retro game in the palm of your hand. We've got the free Pac-Man lite, the full version is $4.99.

Little ABCs

We thought it was pretty cool when our neighbour Karen announced last week that her hubby had launched a brand new iPhone app so we had to check it out. We were very impressed with the bold graphics and super cute drawings inside Little ABCs that appeal to the both the youngest of learners and moms alike... and the fact that it was made right here in Squamish? We're in love. $0.99

Star Wars: Lightsaber Duel

This is a must-have for every young Padawan. Choose your favourite Star Wars character, unlock your Jedi powers and move your phone to produce awesome lightsaber sound effects. That's pretty much it (my son loves it - and so does his dad). $0.99

Shape Builder

This is a great puzzle app that features moveable shapes which snap into place on top of silhouette puzzles (each puzzle contains 5-10 pieces). The light version is free, the full version includes 146 puzzles in total ranging in everything from animals to instruments to shapes to fruits and vegetables. It's also a great first app as it teaches toddlers how to get the hang of maneuvering objects on the touch screen. $0.99

Grover's Number Special

If you were a Sesame Street fan growing up (weren't we all) you'll love this app starring lovable, furry old Grover in the classic restaurant scene who waits on a gentleman who unfortunately will never get a meal. Catch and count with Grover as he loads the ingredients on his tray. $2.99

Yes, you might need another phone.