The ever-growing lead time on holiday marketing can be overwhelming. I'm really not ready to think about Hanukkah or Christmas. But Halloween? That's a different story. Especially Halloween party snacks. Bring it on! We've already had a …
My kids have always preferred "open-ended" coloring-and-activity books like Fotoplay! or Let's Make Some Great Art over ones that ask them to just stay within the lines. So it's no wonder they're roaring for an imaginative new kids' acti…
When Michaels Crafts puts out a call for bloggers to create the coolest, craftiest pumpkin decorating ideas you know they're going to come back with something awesome. On the brand-new (as of last night!) Michaels Blog called The Glue St…
I still remember trying to coax my then 18 month-old into the carefully selected Halloween costume. Nothing. The best we could do was stick an apron on her over her diaper, put a wooden spoon in her hand and call her the Naked Chef. (It …
I know I know, kids get so much candy on Halloween that sometimes it's fun to find treats and goodie bag ideas that don't involve candy at all. Sometimes, yes, and sometimes now. Instead of handing out plain ol' bags of candy, here are a…
If your kids are as excited about Halloween (already!) as mine, check out the fun and not-too-scary DIY Halloween craft kit from CMP favorite KiwiCo (formerly Kiwi Crate) that will keep little hands busy and out of the Halloween candy st…
I will admit that we have been completely holding back on posting Halloween decor and craft ideas just yet. Can't we get through September yet? Well, we guess not. Because Martha Stewart's Halloween Issue just hit the stands, and we've g…
There you are, planning a nice simple kid's birthday party, and bam! Suddenly your best laid plans to keep everything simple go haywire and you've reached wedding planning levels of crazy. Gearing up for my 4-year-old's birthday party th…
Trick-or-treating is still hours away and my kids are already talking nonstop about Halloween candy. So to help maintain a bit of my own sanity today, I've rounded up a few ways to keep my kids busy and entertained until the evening roll…
My tween is finally beyond the check-under-the-bed-for-monsters stage, and is now onto reading scary stories "for fun." So once she hangs up her Halloween trick-or-treat bag for the night, I know she'll enjoy digging into this smart and …
Jennifer Adams and Allison Oliver hooked us with their beautiful BabyLit counting and color board books based on classic literature like Alice in Wonderland and Jane Eyre. They've done it again--this time, with a counting Count Dracula. …
Sure, I may be a nerdy health-food mama, but Halloween doesn't faze me too much. A candy binge one day a year is no biggie--especially with so many all-natural candy options and fun home recipes for yummy, wholesome Halloween treats . St…
Of all the scary things my kids might face on Halloween night, one thing looms most terrifying in their minds: the prospect of trick-or-treating at homes with no candy left to give. (Yes, First World Problems, I know.) Which is why this …
It's been nothing but Halloween crafts in our house for the past week, but with still another week to go, I'm stockpiling ideas to keep the kids busy . Next up on my list: these adorable spiderwebs that only require scissors and paper. Y…
Get out the flour and sugar. Crack the eggs (better use than egging the grouchy neighbors, trust us). Monster mash everything up. And then select the perfect creepy cookie cutters for a very happy Halloween snack. First we brought you NI…
From everyone's favorite droid to the only phone compatible with LEGOs, here are a few of our favorite picks from the last week, just in case you missed them. 1. Would you give your preschooler a cell phone? We never thought we'd say yes…
It took a while for me to get the appeal of no-carve pumpkin ideas. However every year, we grab some pumpkins in anticipation of carving them into fabulously silly or scary faces--then reality hits, and I remember that carving pumpkins i…
Nope, it's not Dracula. It's not Edward, either. This little guy is waaaaay cuter (sorry, Team Edward). This shirt's vampire is the real deal: a vampire bat. And he's pretty adorable, for something that sucks blood. We've told you before…
If you are juggling a needy infant or a get-into-everything toddler this October, the last thing you probably want to think about is spending hours creating a fancy Halloween costume for your little pumpkin. It's one of the reasons we lo…
Boo! Does talk of "natural" candy bars scare you? I promise to not encourage you to swap kiddo's peanut butter cups for carob covered apple rings (made from locally grown fruit--ha!). Nope, no silly tricks like that here. Just a bunch of…
If I started today, I could probably create Halloween costumes by hand for my three, although it would cost me dearly in terms of time and sanity. But here's another thought: instead of sweating over fabric and glue, I could just hit "pr…
I'm not much of a cookie aficionado, but Halloween brings out the baker in me. (It also brings out the witch in me, but that's for another post.) In honor of my favorite cookie-making holiday, we've found the cutest, yummiest Halloween t…
I was pregnant during two Halloweens. Looking back, I'm sad I never got into that particular holiday spirit. That probably has something to do with the fact that I was just happy to struggle into my own clothes and shoes , let alone deal…
Browsing through our archives for cool Halloween ideas, I came across this old link to a post highlighting a recipe for super spooky eyeball Jell-O shots. Non-alcoholic for the kids , of course. Poking around the site, turns out there's …