Pumpkin-O-Meter

I know they're small, but do you really know how many calories are in your favorite Halloween treats? Before you dive into that bag of mini Snickers or Almond Joys you might want to check out this candy calorie counter developed by The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth.

It's fun, easy and en-lightening to play: just drag your fave treats into the pumpkin's mouth and watch the calories add up. Make sure to adjust your volume because this pumpkin starts to get a bit of an attitude when he gets too filled up on that candy.

It's not just for dieters, it's a great way to show kids how much candy is too much and how quickly filling up on candy can cut into their recommended daily calorie consumption (it's about 1,600-2,500 calories per day for most children depending on a variety of factors including age, activity level, etc.).

P.S. KidsHealth.org has a ton of great information and interactive games, quizzes and movies about food, nutrition and exercise for kids (Hmm, I guess that's why they call it Kids Health).

Long Time No Post. Yikes!

When one doesn’t quite know how to re-start blogging, they have clearly neglected their blog for too long! Sorry if anyone’s been disappointed by my absence. I kinda figured no one would notice anyway. But, a few people did notice. Thanks for the gentle prodding (Bonita). 

I got a little too caught up with work and life. I also started reading a LOT of other blogs about holidays and entertaining and got overwhelmed and intimated by some of the blogs I came across. They all seem so polished and the writers so crafty (in a good way) that I was starting to question my own blog-a-bility.

Harry, me & John at the Buffalo Chip

Lucky for me, while I was away from the blog-o-sphere I had the chance to meet up with some friends from my Chicago days. It was great to reconnect with my peeps: Harry, John, Norm & Dianna - you know who you are. I had so much fun and we had a lot of laughs! A few of them had even checked out my blog and were really positive and excited by it. They gave me a lot of confidence to keep putting my spin on things.

I've decided to get over my blog-envy and get back to having fun, saying what I've got to say and just keep putting the "Ho in Holiday."

Special props go to Harry and John for their very generous donations to my Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF online campaign. I'm 40% to my goal of raising $120, yay!

Now, I'm going to get some Mexican and a margarita for dinner.

Trick or Treating for UNICEF online

With only 17 days left until Halloween I'm stepping up my efforts to raise money for UNICEF. Please help me raise $120 to provide immunizations for 171 children against Polio for life!

I only need $115 more to reach my goal. That's $1 from 115 people or $5 from 23 people or $10 from 11.5 people (ha, ha, ha) or $115 from 1 person....anyway, you get my point. I can't do it without you.

Please click this link to donate today:
Trick or Treat for UNICEF


Thank YOU!

13 Spooktacular Tips For Saving Money On Halloween

Halloween has become a major holiday since I was a kid. Gone are the days of burning a cork to rub over your face, putting on your Dad's old cloths, stuffing a pillow in your pants and tying it all together with a piece of rope (ah yes, the iconic "Hobo" of my 1970's youth). These days every part of Halloween has become more elaborate and more expensive. According to the National Retail Federation, the average American adult will spend $66.28 on costumes, decorations, and candy. That's up almost $10.00 over last year with total spending expected to reach $5.8 billion. Yes, I said billion.

Get Creative, Get Thrifty
The good news is that you don't have to break the bank to celebrate Halloween this year, you just have to get creative and plan ahead. When you create a budget and a plan you should be able to enjoy the holiday and have fun without going broke. Here are some tips and strategies to help you get through relatively unscathed.

Budget: 

• Get realistic: determine how much money can you actually spend.
• Figure out how you want to spend your money: do you want to deck-out your front-yard, splurge on great costumes or throw a killer party?
• Set your priorities: write a wish list of what you really want and what you can live without.
• Don't spend money if you don't have to: go through your closets, attics and storage areas to find old decorations, costumes and other items that can be used this year. If you find any of last year's candy, throw it out! This should go without saying, but just to be clear...some things just can't be recycled.

1. Make your own costume: You might be surprised by what you can pull together from your own closet. Did anyone else really think that broom skirts were a good idea? Die it black and you've got the makings of a great witch costume.
2. Re-use, Re-cycle, Re-purpose:  Use part of last year's costume as the inspiration for this year: notice how that Bruno wig looks eerily similar to the "do" Justin Bieber' sports. Hand down older kid's previously won costumes to younger ones. Make a bunch of new friends and go to their Halloween party wearing your own costume from last year.
3. Host A Costume Swap Party:  Invite a group of your friends for a quick get-together with the goal of swapping costumes. Everyone must bring one costume for each swap. A used costume will be new to you and or your kids.
4. Shop Thrift Stores:  Your local Goodwill or Salvation Army stores are great places to find lots of items that can be used as decorations and costumes - even if they weren't intentionally intended to be (broom skirts?). Plus, think how good you'll feel by helping out any of these great charities.
5. Shop Dollar Stores:   You can find tons of paper goods. party favors and other items for a buck! 
6. Shop Online: Lots of online Halloween retailers are already offering 10-75% off on costumes. Some are also offering free or reduced priced shipping. A couple of sites to check out: buycostumes.com, costumekingdom.com and spirithalloween.com.
7. Buy costumes and decorations after Halloween: Obviously, this idea isn't going to help you now, but this is your chance to grab the rest of your wish-list items at very deep discounts (up to 80% off) giving you a leg up for future Halloweens. If you do it right, you may only have to buy candy next year!
8. Clip Coupons (and use them):  Look online or in your local paper for coupons to save on candy and watch for sales. You can save a LOT if you shop when candy is on sale at stores that accept double coupons using a buy one get one free coupon. Tip: you're most likely to find candy on sale if you shop early or late. Of course, the later you shop, the less selection of premium candy - and that's not a bad thing. Check out Mrs. A's Frugal on the Cheap blog to find useful coupons (and other budget tips).
9. Choose Generic Sugar-Based Candy:  Chocolate-based, name-brand candy is more expensive than sugary candies: lollipops, bubble-gum and generic sweet-tart types of candy are a lot less expensive. Buying generic candy has several benefits: it's cheap, kids won't want a lot of it, you won't be tempted to eat it.
10. Don't Buy Your Favorite Candy: (And don't buy it too early): In addition to saving money, buying candy closer to Halloween can also save your diet. The less temptation you have to "snack" on those mini-snickers bars the better. If you're like me, you might find that you'll have to buy more candy on Halloween eve because some how all that candy just disappeared over the weeks leading up to the big day.
11. Buy In Bulk:  This is where your membership to Costco or Sam's Club will come in handy. Candy is cheaper by the piece when purchased in large bags. You can go in on this with a few friends and split up the candy so that you each have a good assortment. Try not to buy too much, it's not a good deal for your wallet or your waist if you end up with a ton of candy that you didn't give out (and end up eating yourself).
12. Don't Buy Candy At All:  If you want to take a stand against childhood obesity give out Halloween trinkets instead of candy. Dollar stores are a great source for fun non-edible Halloween-theme items including stickers, pencils, tattoos and spider rings. Right now, Oriental Trading has a an awesome 250 piece Mega Hallowen Novelty Assortment for only $29.99. RESIST the urge to give out toothpaste or toothbrushes (I've seen it done), it's expensive and very passive aggressive. Halloween is supposed to be fun. You don't want to wake up with your house re-decorated with Charmin do you?
13. You're NOT Santa Claus:  And you're not the only house these kids will be hitting up so don't give out more than 2 pieces of candy per child and don't let kids grab their own handful. You may find that you run out too early in the evening. Be fair and have fun handing out the candy to each kid yourself.

Bonus Tip: In the weeks leading up to Halloween, DON'T let your kids wear their Halloween costumes before the big night - exceptions: parties and school functions -- or else you may find that you are forced to buy your kids a second costume due to damage or worse, the little trendsetter decides the costume is boring and they don't want to wear it again. 

Of course, you can tap your inner Scrooge and save all your money by choosing not to participate at all.You can use the following tips to Scroog-ify Halloween, but be forewarned: if you're not giving out treats, expect to be tricked.

• Don't decorate your house, turn out the lights, close the shutters, open a bottle of wine and curl up on your couch with a scary movie. Ignore the doorbell and the sad sounds of disappointed voices of small ghosts, goblins, witches, superheroes, and princesses.
• Go out for the evening: go to dinner, to the movies or to  a party. Avoid disappointed voices all together
• Hang out at a neighbors house and let the kids and their parents know that your house (across the street) is closed for business, but you are giving out candy with the neighbors. You get the benefit of giving out their candy and keeping up appearances with the neighbors.

Hopefully you can use these tips and come up with some of your own ways to save money and have fun.

If you have more ideas, please post a comment, I would love to hear your best ideas for saving money.

Halloween Snack Mix

Create your own Halloween-inspired snack mix by tossing together your favorite candies, nuts, salty snacks, dried fruit, crackers or cereal (dry). Below is my personal recipe, use it as is or use it as inspiration for your own snack mix. This recipe yields 12 cups or 24 (1/2 cup) servings.

2 cup Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
1 cup Sunflower Seeds
2 cup Frito's Corn Chips
1 cup Triscuits or other cracker (broken into pieces)
1 cup Reese's Pieces
1 cup  Plain M & M's
1 cup Dried Cranberries
1 cup Dried Cherries
1 cup Raisins
1 cup Mixed Nuts

Throw everything into a large bowl and toss or shake to mix. Can be stored up to 3 weeks in an airtight container.

Additional Ingredients: gummi worms or other scary gummi candy, redhots, candy corn, popcorn, caramel popcorn, your favorite cereal: Cheerios, Froot Loops, Rice Chex, etc.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

When you're carving your pumpkins don't throw away the seeds! They make a delicious and nutritious treat. One 1/4 cup serving of pumpkin seeds packs a powerful punch of essential vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. And are a good source of iron, zinc, magnesium, protein and fiber.

Toasted pumpkin seeds have a sweet, nutty flavor and can be salted or tossed with other sweet or savory spices.  Roasting your own seeds is an easy project for the whole family and can be a fun way to flex your creative culinary skills.  

All you need to get started are your pumpkin seeds, cooking spray, olive oil or butter and salt or other seasoning.

How To Prepare and Roast Pumpkin Seeds

1. Scoop out your pumpkin and throw the seeds in a large bowl - rinse under cold water and remove the pulp and strings. It's a good idea to do this before the pulp gets dry.
2. Drain and pat dry. Spread in a single layer on cookie sheets and let dry completely (from 4 hours to overnight).

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.

1. Lightly coat with cooking spray, olive oil or butter; toss to coat.
2. Spread out in a single layer on cookie sheets and sprinkle with seasoning and bake until toasted, about 25 minutes
3. Pumpkin seeds cook fast so check and shake the pan every 15-20 minutes.
4. Let cool and serve

Variations:

Like your seeds super salty? Soak overnight in salt water (use 1/4 cup salt to 2 cups of water) and dry overnight before baking.

Want something sweet? Think "pumpkin pie" - mix up some brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice with a pinch of salt or use you favorite brand of pumpkin pie spice blend. (Works best with butter or butter-flavored cooking spray)

Looking to add some salt-free flare? Sprinkle on some Mrs. Dash Seasoning Blends. My current favorites are Fiesta Lime, Caribbean Citrus and Southwest Chipotle.

Make Your own International herb blend inspired by the classic flavors of other countries:

• French: Herbes de Provence
• Indian: curry powder with a pinch of cayenne
• Italian: basil, rosemary and oregano
• Chinese: Chinese Five Spice blend
• Japanese: Wasabi powder

Post a comment with your favorite spice blend inspired by your heritage!

In addition to making great snacks, they can be used on salads or soups, and in muffins, cakes and cookies. Pumpkin seeds can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 months or frozen up to 6 months (but I doubt they'll last that long!).You can use the same techniques with the seeds from acorn and butternut squash.

Fun Facts:

• There are 30 varieties of pumpkins grown on 6 continents
• Pumpkin was once thought to cure freckles
• The average pumpkin has about 500 seeds
• Pumpkin seeds are called pepitas in Mexico and are used in many delicious Mexican dishes
• Called cucurbita by Native Americans they were believed to cure kidney disease 
• For more fun facts, check out this cute Pumpkin Video from history.com

Trick or Treat For UNICEF

Trick or Treat for UNICEF
When I was a kid a big part of Halloween involved carrying around a little orange coin-box to collect donations for UNICEF. In addition to bowls of candy, every house had a bowl filled with pennies or other change to drop in those boxes. Part of the post-Halloween fun included dumping out all that money, adding it up and competing with the other kids to see who collected the most money.

It is fun and exciting to win T-shirts or stickers, but getting involved with Trick or Treat for UNICEF is a great way for kids of all ages to learn the importance of helping others, being part of a global solution to poverty and understanding how little it takes to make a huge impact.

UNICEF has saved more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization in the world. But much remains to be done. Every day around the world, tens of thousands of children die before ever reaching their fifth birthday — and they don’t have to. It’s a staggering thought, isn’t it? Tens of thousands of children die every single day from causes that are utterly preventable. They die because they didn’t get a simple 5-cent vaccine. Or because they don’t have safe, clean water to drink. Enough nutritious food. Or proper medicine. In other words, they die even though the means to save them already exist.

After 60 years, Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF has raised nearly $160 million dollars. I'm sad to say that over the past few yeas I haven't had any of the kids who trick or treat at my house collect donations for UNICEF. I've decided to change this by waging a one-woman campaign to bring it to my little corner of the world  this Halloween. I'm starting now.

Here are some ways you can join me in celebrating the 60th Anniversary year of Trick or Treat for UNICEF:

•  Donate Online right now to help me raise $120.00 for UNICEF (you can print out a donation form for your taxes on my donation page)
• Encourage your family, friends and neighbors to participate make sure that kids have collection boxes and that as many of your neighbors have some spare change waiting for trick-or-treaters 
• Get your school, club or company involved get 10 or more boxes, and a free fundraising kit, simply fill out the order form or download the complete kit here.  The kit includes a great handbook fo making this a Halloween with purpose, community flyers, stickers, door hangers and more
• Stop by any Toys"R"Us or Babies"R"US to get free boxes. Locate the store nearest you. 
• Download a free TOT iPhone App  carve your own virtual pumpkin and get UNICEF alerts year-round 
• Host a Halloween party: Register your party to benefit Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF and get access to cool invitations and tips to make your party a hit!
• Create your own fundraiser: Download a free guide with tons of fundraising ideas
• Shop online  for very cute TOT posters, T-shirts, bags and buttons for your party - they make great prizes for contests
• Save your spare change from now until Halloween so you'll be ready to help your trick-or-treaters collect for UNICEF

Donations collected help support lifesaving programs which provide health care, clean water, nutrition, education and emergency relief to children around the world and at home. In 2005, spurred on by efforts to help those affected by both the Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, U.S. kids raise a record-breaking $18.25 million through Trick or Treat for UNICEF. The funds helped aid victims of both disasters, in addition to supporting other programs.

Think you can't make a difference? UNICEF makes sure that a little goes a long way:

• 48¢ can help provide a notebook and pencil for a child to use in school
• 54¢ can immunize one child against measles for life
• $1.40 is all it takes to provide lifelong polio vaccinations for two children
• $18.57 is the cost of three bed nets that can protect moms and kids from mosquitoes carrying malaria
• $31.25 can help make a soccer ball and air pump available to kids in refugee camps so they can exercise and play together
• $57.50 buys a bicycle to help much needed medicine reach remote places
• $67.79 is all it costs to buy a box of 10,000 tablets that purify water for kids to drink
• $120 can immunize 171 children against polio disease for life DONATE
• $500 can buy one hand pump to supply an entire community with clean, safe water
• $605 will buy one TON of high-protein porridge-like mix to provide crucial nutrition to children in emergencies

 If you're worried about mailing all that loose change to UNICEF, you should know there are three ways to make your donation. 

1. By Credit Card - Use your credit card to make a donation of the amount collected online at trickortreatforunicef.org or by calling 1-800-FOR-KIDS 
   
2. By Check - Write a check or obtain a money order made payable to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF for the total collected amount
3. Donate at a Coinstar Center_® - To find a Coinstar Center_® near you, visit www.coinstar.com or call 800-928-CASH. Then take your coins to the Coinstar Center_® and select the "U.S. Fund for UNICEF" donation option (code #5555). In seconds, the Coinstar Center_® counts your change and prints a receipt for the full amount.

 For an official acknowledgment of your donation, mail your check or Coinstar_® receipt 

along with a completed donation form (available at trickortreatforunicef.org)  to:

Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF
U.S. Fund for UNICEF
125 Maiden Lane, 10th floor
New York, NY 10038