Friday, December 5, 2008

Cat Came Back - Hit the Road Jack- Crabbuckit by Fred Penner

Again - gotta love the 80's....although Fred Penner didn't necessarily fall into the Halloween Song's category - the Cat Came Back was as close as it got - and always worked well for Halloween Music.

Have a listen - let me know what you think.

Polka Dot Door Polkaroo In Space 1986

Okay - this one is totally NOT a Halloween Video....but PolkARoo is by far one of the coolest characters in my childhood and I would love to get my hands on a PolkARoo costume!

Wouldn't you?

A Friendly Giant Halloween


Stumbled upon this video today and had to share it....you will know the Friendly Giant well if you are in your 30's! It was a great TV show - but this particular episode is solely devoted to Halloween!

Monday, December 1, 2008

Keep your Christmas Tree for Halloween

Since December is that magical month where the boxes come out from storage and all of the glamorous decor comes to life in your home, I am sure that next Halloween is the last thing on your mind - but I had to put this one up for you to ponder.

Keep the tree for Halloween 2009.

I mean it. If you want "cooler than cool" Halloween decorations in the home next year - there is nothing cooler than decorating a needle-less tree with Halloween lights, glow in the dark bats, spiders and halloween gift wrapped boxes.

I did it one year - in the spirit of a Halloween party and it got rave reviews!

Everyone who attended that Halloween Party - loved the entire tree from top to bottom.

It made for great decoration, let alone conversation and photos!

What more could you ask for?

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Monkey Munch - Halloween Style

Hi there....

This Halloween I had the pleasure of taking my kids out with the daughter (and friends) of a family friend. It was actually a TON of fun. We all met at [Mary's] House - and we ate dinner, put the finishing touches on our little monkey's as they munched away at something I had never heard of until that point (which is Monkey Munch (aka: Puppy Chow Recipe).

What a great treat! And when we Halloweened it up! MMMMM was it ever amazing!

The ADD ON to this snack recipe - that made it look and feel so much more like a Halloween Treat - was adding Reeses Pieces into the mix. (You know the small Orange and Brown Candied Covered Chocolates that Elliot left for E.T. (the Extra Terestrial) to bring him into the house?).

It was so perfect. Orange and Brown are great Halloween Colors. Great Monkey Colors. & The sole fact that Reeses Pieces were significant to E.T. (our favorite Halloween Movie of ALL TIME)....it just made perfect sense to add these Candied Chocolate Dreams to our Monkey Munch Madness!

(I can't take credit for making the Monkey Munch Snack RECIPE myself - but I can take credit for the idea of adding the Reeses Pieces - and I am so glad I did it, it was brilliant!).



P.S. This is the same Monkey Munch Snack Recipe that was recently profiled on Jon & Kate Plus 8

Monkey Munch Snack Recipe with Reeses Pieces

NOTE: 1-2 average sized bags of Reeses Pieces is plenty (although it is your preference really - you just don't want to OVER KILL the other stuff right).

ALSO: You add them in at STEP ONE with your Chex Mix (as per the recipe below) and viola - Halloween Style Monkey Munch! See below for complete details.

9 cups Chex cereal (any variety)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Stove Method Directions:

  • Measure cereal into a large bowl, add your desired amount of Reeses Pieces & set aside.
  • Heat peanut butter and the butter over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
  • Pour the melted mixture over the cereal and stir until evenly coated.
  • Pour the mix into a 2 gallon ziploc bag and add powdered sugar, seal bag.
  • Shake bag until everything’s well coated then spread the mix on waxed paper to cool.
  • Refrigerate in an airtight container.

Microwave Method Directions:

  • Place the peanut butter and butter in a microwaveable bowl and melt uncovered on High for 1 minute. Stir.
  • Microwave for another 30 seconds or until mixture is stirred smooth.
  • Stir in the vanilla.
  • Follow the rest of the directions as above in the Stove Method.

*** Suggestion: For variety, you may wish to consider purchasing a box of Corn Chex and a box of Rice Chex. Each box of Chex Cereal contains 13 cups of cereal, and the recipe calls for 9 cups. So one box will give you more than enough for one batch. ***

Hope You Enjoy It!

Sincerely - Cijaye DePradine

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Halloween Supplies for Next Year

So, since our 2008 Halloween Festivities are behind us...it is now the time to take FULL advantage of all of the last minute deals we can find so that we don't have to scramble next year!

They are EVERYWHERE!

You can find:


    • halloween lights
    • halloween invitations
    • halloween skeletons
    • halloween photos
    • halloween masks
    • halloween supplies
    • halloween party supplies
    • halloween videos
    • halloween wigs
    • halloween make up
    • halloween decorations
    • halloween party decorations
    • halloween trick or treat bags
    • halloween props
    • halloween costumes
And so much more for upto 90% off in some cases! All of the Zellers', SuperStores, Walmarts, KMarts, RiteAids and even Halloween Websites are clearing out this years supplies at prices WORTH paying ahead for!

Don't miss out on your chance.

I just got a whole cart full of Halloween Party Supplies and Decorations for next year (not to mention some great Halloween Scrapbooking supplies) - ALL for under $50.00!!!!!

I KNOW next years Halloween Party is going to be a great one because of it!!!


Sincerely - Cijaye DePradine

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Top 10 Games for your Halloween Preschoolers

Games - Halloween - Preschool! Oh my!

What a great age, what great fun. The scope of creativity among our little Preschoolers is uninhibited yet. There are no boundaries, no limitations - and no "blocks". There is nothing getting in the way of a fun game or halloween activity for your preschooler!

Accept options!

Unfortunately I have NOT found much for games halloween and preschoolers combined or even halloween school games (if you can believe this - LOL - there really isn't a lot of WORTHY sites out there), but nonetheless I have found some great activities...and crafts...that your preschooler might love:

Ghostly Halloween Scene
Jack-o-Lantern and Spider Halloween Preschool Craft
Spooky Ghost Preschool Halloween Craft
Paper Plate Preschool Halloween Pumpkin Mask
Pillowcase Trick-or-Treat Bag Preschool Halloween Craft
Preschool Halloween Paper Bag Pinata
Preschool Felt Ghost Hand Puppet
Preschool Halloween Black Cat Hand Puppet
Five Little Pumpkins Preschool Finger Puppets
Uncarved Jack-O-Lantern Preschool Halloween Craft
Veggie Jack-O-Lantern Preschool Halloween Craft
Preschool Mini Ghost Halloween Craft
Mini Ghost Mobile Halloween Preschool Craft
Black Pompom Spider Halloween Preschool Craft
Friendly Black Spider Halloween Preschool Craft
Plastic Jar Jack-O-Lantern Halloween Preschool Craft
Paper Sack Luminaria Halloween Preschool Craft
Black Crow Halloween Preschool Craft
Floating Ghost Halloween Preschool Craft
Black Tissue Paper Roses Halloween Preschool Craft
Scarecrow Halloween Preschool Craft
Scarecrow and Company Preschool Halloween Display



For games for your halloween preschooler...please visit our site and consider getting your own copy of our Ultimate Halloween Party Bundles...

Sincerely - Cijaye DePradine

Monday, October 20, 2008

Halloween for Children...Please Help Make It More Fun!

Forgive me folks for this post as I am a little bit bummed today. I have to rant before getting on with the fun of Halloween this year! I simply have to! (It's like a clearing for me. LOL).

So here's my RANT.

I was just doing a little bit of research online with regards to Halloween and Children.

It shocked and amazed me that there is so little out there. Granted, today - as I post...there are:

  1. 11,700,000 Pages with the words Halloween and Children on them
  2. 3,890,000 Pages with the words Halloween and Kids on them
Which may seem like a lot, but you have to realize that Google is just returning every single page with both of those words on them (not necessarily pages that are focused on those subjects). Thats why the numbers are so high.

When you get in there and really look for the real "treats" (you know the stuff you don't get every year) - you find very little.

It reminds me a lot of the children's halloween treat bags after they have done their rounds - - filled with a lot of the same old same old (tootsie rolls of different shapes and sizes) and barely worth the effort for the rest.

So what do we do about it...

I've tried to do my part, with my Halloween Games For Kids Website, which takes care of my children's thirst for Halloween Fun when they can't find it elsewhere.

But when I think about the candy that sits on my fridge all year long and never gets eaten...or the fact that our school won't let the kids come in costume and certainly NEVER with a mask...it can be a little demotivating.

Granted...the candy sits on the fridge because my children aren't in it for the candy and if the principal imposes a hard fast rule (which is to some degree justifiable) - what can we do about it right?

Honestly...if challenging my kids to get creative with their halloween costumes - and taking photo's of it all (to scrapbook later of course) wasn't such an exciting activity for us...I would say: "let's skip trick or treating this halloween children; instead I'll buy the candy you want and we will stay in and watch a great movie together ".

But I know that tomorrow - I will feel different. Tomorrow I will get back on the "enthusiastic mom" bycicle and start pedalling the Halloween Fun for the Kids.

If you wish to rant...or better yet - sooth mine, feel free to do so.

This site is all about bringing the Halloween Fun for the kids after all!


Sincerely - Cijaye DePradine

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Pumpkin Carving Tips

Aside from the normal Pumpkin Carving Safety Tips (such as these on Bella Online) that you MUST read before preparing to carve a pumpkin...

You should have a pumpkin carving design in mind before setting the knife to surface.

The great news here is that you can pretty much use any natural or spooky Image in Line Art Format (outlines only). But do make sure that before you select your image, that it's appropriate for those who will be doing the carving.

There are hundreds out there for halloween.

Just remember: The last thing you want to do is pick a complex jackolantern template that can only be carved out by an art major (in woodworking or sculpting) LOL. That's no fun for anyone.

So keep Halloween Safe, Age Appropriate and Fun this year!

Happy Carving!

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Halloween Costume Ideas

Here's some quick ideas for today:

If you are looking for Cool Halloween Costume's for 2008...one of the best ways to find new ideas is to look back at some of your favorite movies.

Movie Themed Halloween Costumes are great.

PLUS...many stores have Movie Themed Halloween Costumes ready to go as well ...but if you can't find them...you might be able to make them.

I am betting that this years NEW Movie Themed Halloween Costumes might be based on some of the following:

BatMan
Star Wars (Clone Wars)
The Hulk
Indiana Jones
Hancock
Speed Racer
Prince Caspian & the new Narnia Characters
Love Guru
Tropic Thunder Characters

as well as: Hannah Montanna & other Disney Child Star's

The more common & timeless of course being:

Cat Woman
Batman / Robin / Joker
Harry Potter
Wicked Witch of the West (Wizard of Oz)
or Any other Wizzard of Oz characters.

Next option would be - Disney Characters (most of who have been in movies yes...but some have not).

You might even consider Anime Characters. There are some really popular Japanese Animation Characters out there that are just down right cool and fun to dress up as.

Here's a good list of them:

http://gojapan.about.com/od/animemanga/J...

And then - you have standard North American comics - like Garfield, Odie, Betty Boop, Nancy, Dennis the Menace, Dilbert, Simpson's Characters, South Park etc.

Good luck with it...hope you find something super cool!

Halloween Books Your Kids Should Read...

Just had someone ask this question...thought I would answer it here too. Here are my Top 6 Suggestions for Halloween Books for Kids.

1) Where the wild things are
2) The little old lady who was not afraid of anything
3) The nightmare before christmas
4) Any Harry Potter
5) Its the Great Pumkin Charlie Brown
6) Garfield Halloween

Halloween Bloggers are Falling Behind This Year...What's Up With That?

I did a really quick search today to see who was talking about what for this Halloween and NOTHING! (At least not on the 1st page in Google). Everything was dated back to last year or previous.

I couldn't believe it.

Yes, I know it's still summer (in some places in the world) but I feel a responsibility to get the ball rolling since all of the retail stores are already displaying their latest inventories and the Halloween Special Edition magazines are starting to pop up on shelves..

So...I updated my Halloween Product Features in my Amazon A-Store - and I am getting ready to update my Halloween Games For Kids website over the next couple of days. *I am even updating the Ultimate Halloween Games Book that I have written...

Bottom line...I am READY this year! Are you?

You would not be here if you weren't ready I guess...but what are you ready for? What are you looking for? I am happy to seek it out for you...just leave me a comment and I will jump on it.

Afterall - it will help me keep this blog active and growing....

Looking forward to hearing from you...

Friday, August 22, 2008

Halloween's Around the Corner - Are you Ready?

Have you noticed anything different in the stores lately? Possibly some dark and spooky corners. A little more dust or cobwebs perhaps. Or maybe fake smoke accompanied by ghoulish laughter?

I have. To my shock - Halloween has arrived. Are you ready for Halloween?

Do you have Halloween Party Plans a'brewin? Are you designing or paper piecing Halloween Party Invitations or HandMade Halloween Cards in general.

Are you busy making costumes or searching for Halloween Games and Activities for your children. If not...I think its about time to get the planning started.

That's the most exciting part for me. Planning a Halloween Party or Event. Whether it's for school, classroom or otherwise - doesn't matter....just putting ideas down and imagining how I will take advantage of those rich green's, purples and oranges PLUS black of course - is a big turn on for me.

The whole mystique of Halloween is just too unique to deny.

It reminds me of Cirque' Du Soliel...which I absolutely love. And rare, once a year type crafts and activities. It also reminds me of pumpkin pie and caramel apples.

There are so many things about Halloween that would never be "common" on an average day in January or June for example. That alone makes this one day such a precious day.

So make a list of the things you remember about Halloween today. Even share that list here...and then start setting plans to make some of those things happen this year.

Why not?

Its not a devils day or witchcraft day (like previously depicted)...its dress up day and special games day for the kids! So have fun with it! Don't let your kids miss out on this one opportunity to be in costume and take wild and crazy photo's! Heck - why not even join them!???

Would love to see that list of things you remember