A Little Freebie...Halloween Decorations

I love to decorate for Halloween.  Something about the blood and cobwebs that just speaks to me...

Back before I had kids I thought it was a really great idea to buy highly breakable Halloween decorations:  spooky votive holders, ceramic jack-o-lanterns, even a glass cookie platter.  It didn't take long (Um, baby numero uno's first Halloween) to realize the error of my ways.  He is a boy.  A dirty, destructive, always into something boy.  You might ask, "How do you deal?"  I'll tell you.

Paper.

Easy huh?!  Let me elaborate.  I love free templates for the following reasons:

-They are FREE.
-They are easy to obtain.  Click print.  Boom.  You're in business.
-My kids can help.
-I don't turn into the Incredible Hulk (although it is slightly appropriate being Halloween and all) when the paper decorations get played with "too hard."

Here are some fabulously freaky finds to help you save your money (and maybe a little sanity) this Halloween...but do me a favor, will ya?  Take your savings and splurge a little on your candy this year.  Peanut Butter Taffy should not even exist.

Check out Country Living for these, among others:

And Martha, duh.  Would anyone else use the word, "unsavory" to describe paper mice?  Nope.  Describe them how you want, I choose awesome.

And click over to Matthew Mead for these.  Be sure to browse around the site fore some other, non-template, ideas!

By now you probably have a list a mile long of ways to use these templates (share them please!) but first, let me tell you how we spook out our house!

-Place a dark colored creature on white paper and frame it.
-Partially cover our family photos with tiny little creepers.
-Dangle them from the ceilings.
-Attach them to mirrors.
-Put large black cutouts in windows.
-Tape them anywhere my kids deem worthy, including the carpet :)

Happy Halloween Decorating!

A Little Parenting... Bowling

By Janet
Monday night we were looking for something fun to do as a family. Because it is Christmas break, we have all our kids at home right now, and their ages range from 3 to 23. When you remember that my autistic and delayed sons are also in the mix, well, its, shall we say, a challenge finding something to please everyone.

We thought about getting a babysitter and going to see Avatar with the older kids, but when you add up the cost of five adult movie tickets (3D) plus popcorn and drinks (crazy expensive), plus the babysitter, well, you are looking at almost $100.00. Pretty steep. Also, that leaves the younger kids out and means a night in front of the TV for them.

Then I had an idea. Why not try bowling? We'd done it before, but it had been a long time ago, when the little boys were much younger.

I looked online and found a deal- $49.95 for a lane of bowling for 75 minutes. It included shoes, a large pizza, bread sticks and two pitchers of soda. I talked to my husband about it, and we decided to give it a try.

It turned out great. We got the end lane. There were nine of us (my son brought a friend) and we all had lots of fun. The little boys took turns bowling here and there with a ramp and bumpers and were happy as could be. The music and lights were fun and upbeat, and we all found ourselves making fools of ourselves dancing around. Seeing my tiny-for-his age six year old trying to spin on his back as he break danced was, well, just about too cute for words. The pizza was good, the breadsticks great, and the company the best.

So, next time you are looking for a fun night out as a family, think about giving bowling another try. Check online and in your Happenings coupon book for deals.