Halloween Season

Ever since pumpkins started to pop up at grocery stores, the girls have been getting very excited about Halloween. We started to put up our decorations in early October; this last week though, pumpkins ghouls and witches have been taking over the house. Pumpkin has been creeping in our diet in form of pies, cookies, pancakes, breads, and as unknown ingredient to stews and sauces.

Earlier in the month we went to a "farm" with Amelia's preschool class. The kids had fun seeing the animals, playing in the hay maze, riding a train and picking a pumpkin. I did not like, that they herded us in a group of 100 people from station to station. It was well organized, but just way to commercial.

We did not go to the Pumpkin Prowl at the zoo this year. Somehow I forgot to buy tickets. But last Sunday was a beautiful sunny day, so we went to the zoo during the daytime. It was just as much fun to see everything during the day; we just did not get any candy and we were not dresses up, which was both fine with me. We got some ideas for our own pumpkins, which helped us later in the week, when it was time to carve our own pumpkins.

Yesterday was finally the day. Amelia had been up since 6.30 am and wanted to go trick-or-treating. It was a long hard wait for her. Marlene was a Vampire and Amelia dressed up as a bat. After school we had our annual Halloween Open House. It seems we get busier every year. Pretzel fingers was a new addition this year. The recipe was from Martha Stewart and surprisingly easy and good. I try with snacks to move away from sweets, since it is not a day of sugar deprivation. Still, we had cake, off course, and the theme was Pumpkin Patch. I likes it, but I think I like Haunted Houses better. We will see, how I feel next year.

Jason took the girls to old town Bothel for trick-or-treating and later in the evening we went with a group of friends from Marlene's school through the neighborhood. Now we have buckets of candy; last year we donated half of it to the candy drive for the food bank at Marlene's school. I hope this will happen this year, too.