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. 

I have to say, when Land O’Lakes introduces a new product, I get really excited. Maybe I’m a little bit biased because I am a Land O’Lakes employee, but with our new product, Sauté Express, I have reason to be excited! I have been working on this product for over a year. I’ve traveled with the sales, marketing and Test Kitchens teams presenting Sauté Express to buyers at grocery stores, magazine food editors, and more.

I love Margherita pizza – the gooey cheese, chunks of yummy tomato and most important - the fabulous flavor of fresh basil. On the other hand, pasta has been a big winner for me since becoming pregnant. I don’t know if it’s the heartiness of pasta that the baby loves or what, but even early on when I didn’t feel well, carbs settled my stomach.

Some days I just need a little "pick me up" to keep moving through my day. If I drink caffeine beyond two o’clock I can’t sleep at night. That’s when I turn to the healthy, natural energy of honey to give me a boost…why do you think bees can stay so busy all day?

If you’d asked me last week, I’d say that awesome Buffalo wings were just one of those things that you could only get at a restaurant, most likely a sports bar. Since we don’t usually love crowded, crazy atmospheres with giant TV screens, we just don’t get enough of our share of Buffalo wings. When Zoey and Kate suggested having a movie party on the roof, however, I felt compelled to make a giant batch of homemade spicy wings.

Since my oldest child, Colton, was born 14 years ago, I have been an avid scrapbooker. When I grab one of my older scrapbooks, of course it’s delightful to look back on my children’s milestones and our big family celebrations such as birthdays and Christmas. But, I have the most fun re-living those small, spontaneous moments in our lives.