Our Oct. activities- backwards

Halloween:

Every year we go trick or treating at Todd's grandparents' house:

 It was raining and I told the boys they could go trick or treating if they wanted, but I was waiting until it stopped raining. They went outside, then went right back in. It stopped raining not too long after that, and they went trick or treating for a long time and got 2 1/2 pounds of candy each! I stayed in the car and drove with them. The girls stayed at the grandparents' with Todd.

 From 3-5pm we went to the homeschool Halloween party and did a healthy trick or treating- only trinkets, raisins, pretzels, etc. We had a soup dinner there and games for the kids:

 Mummy dogs in coffins (turkey dogs):

 The "Award Winning Halloween Cake" that was healthy-ized this year.

 One day I decided to make homemade pesto. Todd was gone. I felt so domestic! Nice garden tomatoes (thanks Secelie!):

 Our homegrown basil, olive oil from Napa, and pinenuts....see a problem?

The result! I was so proud! Todd came home and asked, Did you shell the pinenuts?......oops. Reason 587 why Todd is the cook in our family.

Our Oct. uniforms. In Oct. we all wear our Halloween clothes pretty much every day.

 Painting pumpkins:

 Our tradition of our Halloween service project. We stuff treat bags to give to the United Way to take to hospitals, shelters, etc. for kids who can't go trick or treating. It's easy for kids to do, so we've done it every year. We did it with boys club at the park, so the kids could play after we made the treat bags. We made about 60 bags, so each kid got to take one home. We also had apple cider for the boys (and moms).

 Katherine was holding up the assembly line a little, and Nathan thought that was so funny:) :

P.S. Guess what my mom did for Halloween? She needed master gardener hours to keep her master gardener title, so she called the office and asked what she could do, since it was the last weekend of the month. The lady said she could do something for "office hours." So last night, my mom was part of a haunted hayride. She held a butcher knife and pretended to chop a guy's leg off, and then she threw a fake leg at the people on the hayride. That's what she did for "master gardener" hours! I laughed and laughed and laughed! Then I told the kids, "Guess what your Nana's doing for Halloween??"

P.S.S. This year we started a new tradition. The kids can eat a few Halloween candies, then they put out their trick or treat bag with candy in it for the "witches". During the night the witches take the candy and leave money in their bags.

P.S.S.S. Today we are making "happy potion" (rootbeer). This picture is after we drunk most of it.

Todd made this for dinner- bloody brains (meatloaf), ghost mashed potatoes and goblin toes (edamame)