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Halloween

When we think of Halloween, many of us probably conjure up images of ghosts, goblins, witches, and other scary characters. The most popular secular association with Halloween seems to be that of simply outlandish costumes and lots and lots of candy. I have never been a particular fan of all the Halloween festivities and could care less if we celebrated the day (or better said, the evening) at all. While I can appreciate the fun in dressing in attire out of the ordinary, I find the whole concept of trick or treating repulsive for one rather large reason: the candy. … Continue reading →

Homemade Halloween Costumes for Girls

After spending the last few years trick-or-treating as a dog, cat, giraffe and monkey, my 5-year-old daughter is finally breaking out of her animal costume rut. This year she’s making a bold statement by trying to scare candy from complete strangers dressed as a man-eating dinosaur (a.k.a. The tyrannical lizard king from the “Land of the Lost”). Don’t let the padded claws fool you; she means business. After looking at the price of the green fleece costume I did consider making my own, but then I remembered that I barely have time to brush my hair in the morning, so … Continue reading →

A Week’s Worth of Halloween-themed Fun

Our local Target has already moved the Halloween items to the back corner of the store to make room for miles and miles of Christmas decorations. Yesterday I counted seven aisles that are dedicated to all things Christmas while the Halloween gear has been reduced to just three… and we’re not even a week into October yet! Despite Target’s push to get us thinking in terms of stockings, trees and ornaments, my family is still relishing the fall season and counting down to Halloween by participating in holiday-themed activities. If you are looking for a way to seize the season … Continue reading →

Halloween: Fun or Flee?

If you grew up like me, as a child you eagerly anticipated sunset so your costume could go on and you could go door to door hoping your bag or bucket would be filled to the brim with sugary delights. So what’s wrong with that? I think it just depends on who you are and exactly what you are participating in on that 31st day of October. Romans 16:19 tells us, “…but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.”(NIV) What is secularized Halloween about; fun, scary things? Are we justified to … Continue reading →

Fourth of July Pet Safety

On Friday one of the DJ’s for my local radio station mentioned upcoming Fourth of July celebrations, and she warned dog owners about fireworks. She said that she sees more fliers go up for missing dogs on July 5 than just about any other day of the year, all because of the fireworks noise. It’s something that never occurred to me, but it makes a lot of sense. Depending on where you live and how loud noise from fireworks might be in your yard, Independence Day, while fun for us humans, could prove frightening for our pets. If you keep … Continue reading →

Making Creepy Look Cute

My daughter is the antithesis of a girly girl. Forget about dressing up like a shimmery snow queen or glittery glam, perfectly Pinkalicious princess for Halloween. No way! Rather, my girl craves flesh and willingly dresses the part to satiate her carnivorous desires. This year she has moved on from being a bone-gnashing lizard king and morphed into a man-eating shark. Her Halloween getup is designed to make it look as though she is being devoured by a ravenous shark. No gender stereotyping going on in my house. Not surprisingly it is easier than ever to find disgustingly gross costumes … Continue reading →

Confessions of a Foodie Mom: Food as Atmosphere?

Last night I had dinner at my parents’ house, along with my husband and kids, my sister and her husband and kids, and my aunt. There were 13 of us in all. Italian food is Mom’s specialty, what I remember from growing up. I’m allergic to perfumes and fragrances. (This is relevant, really.) My mom was too, so I didn’t grow up with them. Once when I had to leave a party because of heavy fragrance, I wondered aloud to my husband, “Why do people need to use this stuff, anyway?” “Well,” said my husband, “didn’t you ever have a … Continue reading →

Ways to go Wild with Your Family in Nature this Fall

It’s fall… which means most of us only have a few more weeks before Mother Nature’s bitter joke that is winter has us hibernating in our homes until spring. Don’t let autumn’s natural beauty pass you by. Dads, forget about football for one day, and moms, consider running errands during the week so you can use one of fall’s fleeting weekends to take the entire family outdoors for an adventure in nature. One idea: Head to your local wildlife refuge. Hundreds of wildlife refuges around the nation are using Halloween as a way to showcase creatures that are nocturnal or … Continue reading →

The History of Traditions

The next few blogs are not likely to win me any popularity contests. Tradition is something that is very near and dear to most people and my hope here is in no way to offend or bring condemnation on anyone. Traditions you choose to hold in your family are truly between you and God. The next few blogs I will be sharing a bit about the origins of some of our Christian “holy” days. I pray that everything will be received with the right heart as I go into the roots of paganism in many of our holiday traditions. I … Continue reading →

The Shock of Adoption Secrets

We had heard about it happening in other families but were shocked to learn of it in our own. How could this happen? How did it get covered up for so long? There are so many questions that may never be answered… As we pulled up to my mother-in-law’s home for a harvest time/Halloween party, we noticed my husband’s step-mother parked in the driveway. It was our assumption at the time she might have wanted to meet her youngest grandson for the first time. We gathered the children and brought them into the house. Directing the kids to the play … Continue reading →