Just Getting Warmed Up

For Tonight!!!!!!

Happy Halloween from

The Groovy Girl

and

"BURN" : The Superhero Flame!

It is 90 Degrees outside ALL Day

(We are already warmed up!)

Maybe the low 80's will join us for Trick or Treating on this fine Halloween of 2009.

In spite of the Non-fall temperatures,

we will have spiced cider and all the festive fall food one Halloween Night can handle.

What are your plans for this Halloween Day and Night?

Enjoy!

Rumors of Snow-Realities of Heat

Yes, it can snow before Halloween.
This is the conversation I had with someone who is living in Utah after growing up in Florida. Yes, you may go Trick or Treating in SNOW. Yes, you must plan to wear a coat UNDER or OVER your Halloween Costume. I clearly remember Trick or Treating in the SNOW while living in UTAH and IDAHO. I remember being sad that my costume was hiding under my coat and feeling like I should open my coat at every Trick or Treat Door to show off my costume (hula girl...Pocatello, Idaho).

Jeffrey, Halloween 1985

On the other side of the coin, it is 90 stinking degrees here in South Florida. Sooooo those cute furry costumes are miserable for 99% of the Halloweens. Here, you must plan for walking around in HEAT. The make up melts and the layers of costume accessories quickly come off. We carry around water bottles to fend off Trick or Treating Dehydration.
The beautiful evening weather does make for some nice "neighboring" I see and speak with people who I only wave at the other days of the year.
Because I do not like cold weather...not at all...I'll take this record HOT Halloween week and not having to accommodate a winter coat with our costumes.

What To Do....What To Do....

With all that Halloween Candy? My children hit the all time mother-lode with Trick or Treat Candy. It is just all TOO MUCH. Seriously, between the two of them, they got almost 10 pounds of candy. Decadent! That is from ONE NIGHT in ONE NEIGHBORHOOD...mine. I think the number of Trick-or-Treaters was lower this year, so people were placing a LARGE HANDFUL of candy in every child's bag. My children could eat one piece per day and have enough candy to last until next Halloween AND THE NEXT Halloween. Yes, we are talking Halloween of 2010. Try to tell me the economy is down after viewing the Halloween Windfall.

My favorite solution to getting rid of Halloween Candy is to DONATE IT TO CHARITY. There is an organization near me that collects Halloween Candy and uses it to fill Christmas Party PINATAS for needy children and the children of the migrant workers here in South Florida. It is a great cause. I was trying to find the phone number or link so those of you in my area can do the same. (Will post when I locate it) If I can't find them, I am starting my own charity....Pinatas and all. If you know me, you know I am NOT KIDDING.

I let each child fill a small brown lunch bag with their favorites and then....off it goes. In the past, I have saved some candy for Christmas Stockings, Baking, etc. But this year, it is all out the door. Do you have a Creative Solution to use up and get rid of Halloween Candy? Did your children get way too much candy? Did you eat too much of your children's candy?

On Being Neighborly....

As I am slowly climbing out of my Halloween Sugar Coma, a note of thanks to my wonderful neighbors. Many of whom I only see on Halloween.

A Thank You goes to my neighbors who made "inspecting" my children's Trick or Treat Candy a rewarding experience. The reward? Almond Joy Candy Bars!

Someone out there recognizes that Trick or Treat Candy isn't just for children! If being neighborly only requires Almond Joy Candy Bars on Halloween, then my neighbors are the best! Don't we all wish it was that easy?

Hope your Halloween was as great as ours! There should be a law that makes Halloween ALWAYS on a Friday night. I loved not worrying about sending my children to school or Church after the sugar over-dose. Maybe I should run for President on this platform....

On to November.....

Twenty Five Halloweens
For the past 25 years, my Halloween Days have been spent as a Room Mom. When I started out, no one said "Room Mom" it was always "Room Mother". There were no e-mail lists or cell phones for contacting parents.....Just my home phone with a LONG cord so I could walk around the house as I called parents to arrange parties, activities, and fund-raisers. With this track record, you would think I would remember....

• Party City is NOT the place you want to be anywhere near on the day before Halloween. Not to mention, don't even drive into their parking lot, unless, of course, you thrive on chaos, crowds, messes, and hysterical shoppers who HAVE to find a costume TODAY.
• Plastic Spider rings are sold out by the time you decide they would be great for a game at your 3rd Grader's Classroom Party. Not a Plastic Spider Ring to be found during my travels yesterday (or the day before, or the day before, or the day before)
• Don't open the Halloween Candy for your Trick or Treaters until AFTER school on Halloween Day.
• Rely on past Classroom Party Experience (aka Common Sense) when a fresh new Room Mom suggests that EVERYONE have their OWN Pumpkin to carve DURING the party.
• Enjoy EVERY Minute of being a Room Mom. The days of volunteering in my children's schools and classrooms will be over before I blink.
• To be grateful for the opportunity to be closely involved in the activities of each of my children over the past quarter of a Century. (I am)

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Here's to hoping your children receive LOTS of YOUR favorite candy! What is the number one thing you look for in the Trick or Treat Loot? I would say...Almond Joy, Snickers, Twix, and Caramels.

Time For Dinner In A Pumpkin

Time For

Dinner In A Pumpkin

Until you try it....don't turn your nose up.

Warning....once you get past the whole

"Baking-Dinner-in-a-Pumpkin-Roadblock",

this will become a tradition every fall.

Yes, every fall.

For the recipe, click HERE, For more details, click HERE.

Cook up the filling, fill the pumpkin and Bake away.

This goes from oven to table...just like that! Easy and yummy!

Have you tried my Dinner In A Pumpkin recipe?

How did it turn out?

Did you like it?

Do you still think this is totally odd?

Try it...and tell me how it goes....

Half Day Fun

Each Month, our School District schedules one"PDD"

(Professional Development Day) This is a fancy word for

Half Day, or, in my opinion, messing up every one's routine.

The Elementary and Middle Schools are dismissed at the half

day...however, get this genius plan...On the same day,

The High Schools have Late Arrival. It is sort of a Half Day

in reverse. The entire town is just out of sorts on these days.

It just messes up everything. Don't get me wrong, I love

having my children for an extra afternoon, I just don't like

the break in the routine for the entire County.

Since I can't change this PDD Policy, I just roll with it...

Today We Went To The Pumpkin Patch!

We met our friends at The Pumpkin Patch. Thank goodness

because Megan needed Taylor's help carrying her

Prized Pumpkin.

Every year, we buy our Pumpkins from St Peters, where

both girls attended Pre School. It is fun for them to go inside

and visit Staff and former Teachers.

Here in the tropics, we don't carve our pumpkins until
the day before Halloween. They would rot and be stinky,
stinky (I only had to try it once to find out)
Happy Pumpkin Hunting and Decorating!
Have you found your Prized Pumpkin yet?
If so, Have you decorated it?
Does your school district have regularly scheduled Half Days?

Halloween Day

Halloween 2007

Tropical Storm Noel did not stop the the fun. It was touch and go and then go, go , go....

Trick or Treating was so much fun this year. My neighborhood was packed full of children and parents. At some points, it was like a scene from a movie, with people crowding the streets, yards decorated, music playing, and lots of celebrating. I love nights like this when I see people who I don't get to see very often. So much for a "gated" community on a night like this. People were extra generous with the candy as the storm gave a late start to the door-to-door Trick or Treating. I am certain no one wanted to be stuck with a huge bowl of candy.

In case you are wondering what I dressed as.... the usual... a tired mom! No photos necessary!

OH----- The Funniest Trick or Treat my girls received.....SOUTH BEACH DIET BARS!

Jaime (our neighbor and like a daughter/ sister) Megan, Katherine

and Riley the Bumble Bee (can you believe his mom dresses him like that!)

This was before Jaime decided to change costumes... She looked cute here and when she transformed in to a witch.

Appreciate this photo....

I have gained a new respect for those who photograph any animal who is semi-holding still.

Our new puppy, Riley aka The Bumble Bee, was a moving target...

Megan (a pirate for the 2nd year---Thank you for wanting to wear the same costume 2 years in a row!) Katherine the 50's Soda Shop Girl and Riley The Bumble Dog
Arrrggghhhh....Megan The Pirate Girl
Katherine the 50's Soda Shop Girl...

Both girls are excited when any costume they choose involves make-up! Hooray...we can wear make-up..can we put it on ourselves? They did and they had so much fun!