Countdown to Halloween: Retro vs Modern Costumes

One of my favorite holidays is on its way...Halloween! I loved it as a kid and now its exciting to see how much my girls love it. The costumes have changed over the years but the fun has stayed the same. Trick or treating, Halloween parties and decorations have always been fun.

My Favorite Halloween Costume as a Kid: 
When I was 8 or 9 years old, my mom got me a Strawberry Shortcake costume and it basically was made up of a plastic mask and a plastic dress that tied in the back. I loved it and wore it for several years in a row! It looked like this:

My daughter has expressed some interest in being Strawberry Shortcake this year and right its a toss up between Strawberry Shortcake and a Bumble Bee.

Halloween of Recent Years:

For my daughter's first Halloween she was Sulley from Monster's Inc and last year she was a Ladybug. Her older big sister was a Pirate Girl and last year a Flamenco Dancer. Her other big sister was Tinkerbell and Ariel.

Sulley, Tinkerbell and Pirate

To Party or Not to Party: 

Last year I threw a party for the kids, it took alot of planning and time so I don't know if I will do it again this year but I'm thinking about it. The parents thanked me last year because Hurricane Sandy came on Halloween and the kids weren't able to go trick-or-treating so the party was their Halloween. 

What are your plans for Halloween? Any Parties? What was your favorite costume as a kid? What are your kids dressing up as? Leave a comment and let me know! The countdown to Halloween is here! We can't wait! New pics will soon follow.

Fall Fun: Apple Picking

Fall is almost officially upon us and I find myself trying to find fun activities to do with the kids. This year we plan to go apple and pumpkin picking. Here are some tips to keep the kiddies and parents happy.

Choosing an apple/pumpkin picking farm: 

1. Pick a farm close to where you live. Driving for many hours to a farm with children can be a difficult task. Try to keep the ride to an hour or less if possible. Your kids will be happy and so will you!

2. Pick a farm where you can pick-your-own. Pick-your-own (or PYO) farms are the most fun farms for kids. Reaching up into a tree and picking the best looking apples is fun for everyone. Going into the pumpkin patch is a great adventure for kids and they will get to experience the true energy of the season.

3. Pick a farm with a hayride. Hayrides are fun! Whether its a short ride to the best harvest or a long hay ride around the entire farm, hayrides are like a roller coaster of the farm.

4. Extra stuff. There are farms that have petting zoos, cider markets, small restaurants and even entertainment!

Apple-Picking schedule

Don't pick from the ground! 

The hubby getting the hard-to-reach apples

Apples make her happy!

Get Inspired Pin Party!

I was invited to participate in a pinning party. Please read below to find out how to get involved! And NOW our Featured PIN"s will be a REQUIRED re-pin in order to link-up the following week! That means, if you are Featured, and we have 60 link-up's that weekend, your PIN will be RE-PINNED 66 times including the hosts & co-hosts. The number of times your Featured Pin will get re-pinned depends on the amount of link-ups we have that week.   LOTS AND LOTS of exposure for your blog. What do you all think about that?  

Here's more on what's changing!

1. You can now link-up ANY pins that you'd like with the exception of Giveaways.
2. This hop will now be featured on 6 blogs! We have added 3 WEEKLY co-host spots. <---WOW :D
3. The weekly co-hosts will be selecting the FEATURED PINS at each week's party.
4. Every week, each FEATURED PINNER will be given the option to co-host the FOLLOWING week's party! :)

Yes, we're making it MORE FUN to Link-up with us :)