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This is something I made up for E and M this year. I sing it to the tune "The Ants Go Marching". Trick-or-Treat The pumpkins go rolling one by one, Hurrah! Hurrah! The pumpkins go rolling one by one, Hurrah! Hurrah! The pumpkins go rolling one by one, The little one stops, to look for the sun, And they all go rolling, Down the street, To go trick-or-treat. The witches go flying two by two, Hurrah! Hurrah! The witches go flying two by two, Hurrah! Hurrah! The witches go flying two by two, The little one stops, She lost her shoe. And they all go flying, Down the street, To go trick-or-treat. The skeletons go rattling three by three, Hurrah! Hurrah! The skeletons go rattling three by three, Hurrah! Hurrah! The skeletons go rattling three by three, The little one stops, He lost his knee, And they all go rattling, Down the street, To go trick-or-treat. The zombies go shuffling four by four, Hurrah! Hurrah! The zombies go shuffling four by fo...

Halloween is a good time to watch scary movies. There are so many movies for kids, it's hard to know where to start. I couldn't possibly name them all. There are several that made a hit with my family, so I will name a few of the favorites. "When Good Ghouls Go Bad" is just a little scary, but mostly funny. Danny Walker (Joe Pichler) and his dad (Tom Amandes) move back to their hometown of Walker Falls. His dad plans to reopen the family business, Walker Chocolates. They move in with Danny's grandfather, who acts more like a kid than an adult. Everyone calls him Uncle Fred (Christopher Lloyd). All of the town's people are unfriendly and seem a little weird. Nobody celebrates Halloween anymore due to a mysterious death of an 8th grader, Curtis Danko, and a curse on the town if they ever celebrated Halloween again. Uncle Fred gets killed when a tower of pumpkins fall on him. After his funeral, he comes back as a zombie to save Halloween. That's when the...

Lavender, an herb native to the Mediterranean area, has been used as medicine since Biblical times. As late as World War I, lavender was used in the treatment and disinfectant of wounds and as an disinfectant cleaner in hospitals. It became famous in the early 1900's when a French chemist, Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, was accidentally caught on fire while working in a laboratory. After putting out the fire he stuck his burned hands into a vat of lavendar oil. It brought instant relief from the pain. His burns healed quicker than normal and with very little scarring. It eliminates many kinds of pain. It is used for muscle and joint pain, postoperative pain, rheumatism, lumbago, burns, sunburns, itching, back pain, radiation therapy, and cancer. It is good for the treatment of fevers, boils, abscesses, swelling, bug bites, bee stings, yeast infections, fungal infections, flu, colds, sore throats, eczema, psoriasis. and The FDA in the United States has been very slow about testing...

Meadowsweet is an herbal plant that grows wild in parts of Europe and Asia. Although not a native of North America, it was brought over, and now grows wild in many areas. It has been used for over 4000 years. It was a sacred herb of the Druids, although it is unknown if they used it for medicinal purposes. Meadowsweet is known by many names. It has been called queen of the meadow, dropwort, bridewort, and lady of the meadow, just to name a few. It has many uses. The flowers and leaves are used for teas, tincture, infusion, compresses, and eyewash. People have used it for cold symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, and to get rid of phlegm. The roots of meadowsweet are used for coughing and wheezing. The plant of the meadowsweet, from the ground up, contains antioxidants. It also contains tannins. That makes it good for stomach and bowel complaints, such as ulcers, indigestion, and diarrhea. It is effective for treating many skin irritations, like acne. It even helps with sym...

The Pot Marigold, or Calendula officinalis, has been used for medicine, possibly since ancient Egypt. Be certain not to mistake it for the African or American Marigold (Tagetes erecta) which is often seen growing in American flower gardens, or the French Marigold (Tagetes patula) which is used for insecticides and weed killer. Pot Marigolds were used during the American Civil War and World War I to treat soldiers wounds to prevent infections. The blooms were either made into poultices or infused into oil to apply to the wounds. The Mayo Clinic says that Calendula has been found to be anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and has wound healing effects. They advise drinking the tea for sore throats. They also say that a gargle made of equal parts of calendula, peppermint, barberry, burdock and licorice made into a gargle helps heal sore throats. Take two teaspoons of the mixture in a cup of water, gargle it for about 30 seconds, then swallow it. There are other uses of Calendula that are end...

The first mention of St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum) was in ancient Greece. It is believed to have been named after John the Baptist. It has been used for centuries to treat people with mental illness and nerve pain. St. John's Wort is a mood elevator, and also said to be anti-viral and anti-bacterial. It is used by many to repair nerve damage, and to reduce pain and inflammation of arthritis, cramps, and sciatica. It is said to be good for healing ulcers, gastritis, diarrhea, and nausea. St. John's Wort oil or cream is used on cuts, bruises, burns, hemmroids, sprains, muscle and nerve pain, and varicose veins. It is sometimes taken internally to cure incontinence in adults and bed wetting in children. German doctors would rather prescribe St. John,s Wort over more traditional medications due to less side effects. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health said that St. John's Wort is helpful for anxiety...

When taking a baby Trick or Treating, be prepared. Naturally you have to have bottles, wet wipes, diapers, all the things you would normally carry. If you live in a cool or cold climate, you have to also be prepared for the weather. It could be warm, cool, cold, raining, or snowing. It is a very unpredictable time of year. Usually Trick or Treating is done in the evening when it is cooler anyway. It is best to layer the baby's clothing. If buying a costume, many Halloween costumes for infants are warm and fit over clothing. If baby is too warm, you can take part of the clothing off. If it is too cold, you can add more clothing. Always take along an extra outfit in case of accidents. Making a costume can sometimes be better. It doesn't have to be complicated or hard. Winter pajamas with cartoon characters make good costumes for babies. So do a set of sweat shirts and sweat pants. A black set can become a black cat, a red one could be a little devil, a brown set a little puppy...

Wood Betony (Pedicularis Canadensis) is called by many other names. Some have called it Lousewort, American Lousewort, Common Lousewort, Canadian Lousewort, Bishop Wort, and Betony. As some of the names suggest, a strong tea of Wood Betony will kill lice or scabies. A strong decoction will kill intestinal worms in humans or animals. Wood Betony has been used since the time of the Roman Empire. They thought it cured everything. It grows wild in North America and was much prized by Native Americans. They cooked the leaves and stems to make a pot herb. Wood Betony is used to relieve stress and pain. It is used as a pain reliever for headaches, migraines, neuralgia, colic, swelling, muscle aches, and rheumatism. It lowers fevers. It can be used for anxiety, dizziness, and excessive sweating. It is usually used in the form of tea, but is sometimes smoked for headaches and migraines. Wood Betony is an expectorant. Tea from the leaves is used for sore throats, tonsillitis, coughing, b...

All Hallows Eve is the first of three Christian holy days called Hallowmas. The word, Hallow, means Holy. It occurs on October 31st. Hallowmas are days set aside to honor the dead saints and pray for everyone else who has died recently, but haven't made it to Heaven yet. It became a tradition to ring church bells for all the souls in purgatory. There are many myths, legends, stories, and superstitions connected with All Hallow's Eve. Although there are many traditions that have been passed down, no one really knows a lot about the early Celts or Druids. The fact is, there is very little in the way of records. Most of them were lost around the time of the Roman Empire. Archaeologists have discovered items and have made educated guesses about their uses. Customs, stories, and myths were all handed down mostly by word of mouth, from generation to generation. An Irish poem from the 10th century, suggests that there may have once been sacrifices of newborns made to a heat...