We have our annual fright fest coming up! It’s one of the best pre-Halloween parties on the block! All the guests are invited and told to bring the craziest, grossest Halloween themed foods and snacks.

I recently survived a week that was full of a few more "tricks" than "treats." Yes, one of those weeks that is riddled with aggravations and frazzle-inducing moments. My children all came down with strep throat so three trips to the pediatrician (on separate days, of course) were in order. My minivan would not start one morning. And, to top it off, a bat flew into our vented range hood. He may have carefully timed his visit to coincide with Halloween, but he was an unwelcome guest!

Halloween time with boys means making the scariest, grossest, "I dare you to eat that" type of foods around. My job as a mom is to make sure they are quick and easy to make! What’s big right now in my house? Zombies, aliens, ninjas, transformers and (thankfully) Bob the Builder. When it’s time to make cookies to take to our school Halloween party, these scary spiders are sure to be a huge hit in the classroom!

Candy Corn is a “must have” around Halloween time.  These tasty morsels are addictive.  I don’t know about you, but I just couldn’t imagine not having at least one handful  sometime during the month of October. 

In my neighborhood, we love Halloween! We (the kids and the adults) want to prolong the night as long as possible by having several "events." The first part of the evening is a parade around the block.

How quickly our children grow! This Halloween, I have a teen (who is into non-costumes but eagerly accepts candy), a tween (who makes her own costumes now) and a pre-tween (who delightfully has chosen to be a pioneer girl over something more 21st century).

It’s that time of year again! PTO meetings, bake sales, back to school nights and --Halloween is right around the corner! We LOVE getting ready for Halloween just as much as the actual day! One tradition that our family has started is a Halloween drop- in before trick-or-treating.