Happy Halloween 2011

This year was full of Halloween fun, and luckily the festivities were limited to just 2 days.  I say luckily because I'm not a huge fan of Halloween, as it just is such a headache.  What do I mean?  You have to dress your child up in a costume which they either cry about or it costs way more than you want to pay, and then they get tons of candy which means tons of sugar highs.  Geez.  Either way, the kids love it and its a part of our culture, so we will celebrate each year.

This year we celebrated with the MOMS club Halloween party, featuring Johnny Only. The girls had such a blast.

We also went to the Price Chopper Trick-or-Treat, which we absolutely love because its safe, fun and the kids get food, not just candy.  Great job, Price Chopper!

On Halloween, P took the day off of work to enjoy some quality family time.  First, we hit up J's school's trick-or-treat (around the block) and party.

Then, we we went to L's parade at school.

In the future, I will make sure to leave the house with plenty of time left.  When we pulled up, there was no parking and we had to virtually park near our house.  Of course, my accident prone child, C, fell on the way to the school, so I picked her up and ran with her.  It only stands to reason that I would end up falling as well, with her in my arms.  Luckily, I pulled my knees up so I wouldn't crush her.  Ouch!

The day ended with trick-or-treating around the block, and our customary stop at our neighbor's house. 

The kids had a blast and made a huge haul!  P and I consumed way too much candy over the next several  days.

Luckily, we had some yummy beef soup before we left the house.

In a crockpot, put all of the following ingredients on low for 6 hours:

1 pound of beef stew meat, seasoned with seasoning salt and Worcestershire pepper

2 carrots, sliced

2 ribs of celery, sliced

1 small onion, diced

1 tsp dried thyme

2 cans of beef broth

8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 bay leaves