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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...

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...

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...

Halloween is a delightful holiday for children, widely celebrated in the United States. Children dress up in colorful costumes, and go door to door chanting "trick or treat", and are usually rewarded with candy. Homes are decorated with pumpkin jack-o-lanterns, witches, skeletons, and ghosts. Nobody really knows exactly how Halloween and it's various traditions began. Some people believe that Druids from Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales used October 31st as a night to honor their gods and make sacrifices. It is a common belief that human sacrifices were made, as well as crops, and animals. The Celts of that time period did not write, so they left behind no records of their beliefs or activities. Most information about the Druids, Celts, and their traditions came from their enemies, the Romans. The Romans also wrote that Christians sacrificed their own babies. They don't seem to be a very reliable source. The Celts of England, Ireland, and northern Franc...

School has started and Labor Day is past. Time to get ready for the holidays. You don't want them to sneak up on you. It's time to prepare, so you'll be ready. Fall festivals and street fairs are starting everywhere. Most of them are free. I don't know about all of them, but many have contests you and your children can enter. There are contests for canned foods, baked goods, homegrown fruits and vegetables, needlework, art, costumes, just to name a few. S is entering a pet parade with her german shepherd pup as Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. A plans to enter it with his grown german shepherd as Batman and Robin. M plans to enter her zucchini, and maybe a loaf of zucchini bread. If that is not your cup of tea, some people will be entering horse pulls, tractor pulls, or demolition derbys. Some places even have kiddie tractor pulls. Some of these may be free to watch, but some may charge a fee. To keep down costs if you have children, make sure to pack...

Trick-or treat night is here. The weather is horrible! It's cold. Rain, snow, and wind are whirling around the house. The kids want to go trick-or-tricking. You want to stay in where it is warm and dry. What should you do? If you have school-age children, wrap them up warm under their costumes. Maybe they, and you, can hold out for a little while without freezing to death. Most kids will be ready to go get warm in a little while. Younger children will be just as happy to stay home and have a small Halloween party in the house. Everyone should dress up, even the adults. You can set up little areas inside the house for them to trick-or-treat at. Family members can give out the candy. Have a costume parade and march around the living room. You can make cookies or popcorn balls. Play games, like bobbing for apples. Then end the day with some Halloween cartoons, or read some stories. All of these ideas will be fun for the older kids when they give up and go home to get warm...

There are all kinds of instructions on ways to preserve a jack-o-lantern and make it last longer. Some work, some don't, some work better than others, and some are just too much trouble. If you want the jack-o-lantern to last around 2 weeks, untreated, keep it out of direct sunlight. Bring it inside when not in use, as it should not be too hot or too cold. You can put a wet towel in it, wrap it in plastic, and store it in the fridge if you want. If it starts to dry out you can also soak it in the sink a few hours. There is a product named 'Pumpkin Fresh' that you can buy at the store that will also preserve your jack-o-lantern for about 2 weeks. Keep it out of the weather, and spray it inside and out everyday. To make it last even longer, put it in the freezer for about 2 hours after spraying. Store it in a cool, dry place. Another way is to carve your pumpkin, then let it soak for 8 hours in bleach water. Use one teaspoon of bleach for every gallon of water. Spray i...

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...