So you want to get in on the scare craze this Halloween do you? That could mean having a haunted house or a yard haunt for friends and neighbors. Before you begin here are some safety tips to protect you as well as your guests.

1. Contact your insurance company. Hosting such a venture on your property involves liability. Be sure that any incidents during the night are protected under the policy. If this is your first time dealing with this issue, contact them at least two weeks ahead of time.

2. Light the path. We’re not talking flood lights all around the house. Lighting the path ensures that all guests go the proper way and no one ventures off of the track. Also, people can see where they are going without ruining the suspense.

3. Post warnings or have a release for guests to sign. This informs others that what they may see could be too frightening for the elderly and the very young. A signed waver and clearly posted signs protects you from prosecution should something happen.

4. Inform the fire department of your activities. They can go through your setup and identify points of danger. Also, they can be on alert to deal with calls from your home that night.

5. Check with your neighbors. The noise from so many people coming to your home could make you the least favorite person around. Inform neighbors about the upcoming event. One way to deal with this is to of course make sure all your neighbors are invited! Neighborhood associations may have rules and regulations regarding such activities so consult the association president.

6. Keep the gathering small. If this is a yard haunt, the fewer people the better as far as safety. With too many kids running around, someone is bound to have an accident.

7. Use battery operated candles in pumpkins instead of real candles. In the fun of the evening, pumpkins can be turned over or costumes can catch fire. No one wants the evening to turn tragic. Take all precautions.

8. Have enough guides along the way. To ensure safety in the haunted house or yard haunt, have other adult parents to guide small groups of guests through the haunt. This way, the guide always goes first and can comfort any scared kids.
A haunted house is great fun on Halloween. People love to be scared out of their wits. As they scream with fear and delight, you’ll need to be sure nothing goes wrong.

Kaiser Permanente just released a promising study on SIDS-

Infants who slept in a bedroom with a fan ventilating the air had a 72 percent lower risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome compared to infants who slept in a bedroom without a fan, according to a new study by the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. The study appears in the October issue of the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine. Read the rest here.

An easy breakfast and one that the kids will love is polka dot quick bread. A super easy recipes to prepare with the kids as well. I like to make this bread when I know the girls are coming over because adults love it as much as kids and its super easy. Its hardier than regular breads and has a unique flavor so its perfect.  Cooking also makes a great kids activity.

2 c Cranberries; Fresh Or Frozen 1 c Milk

1 Egg; Lg, Slightly Beaten 1/4 c Butter; Melted

1 tb Orange Peel; Grated 2 c Unbleached Flour

1 c Sugar 1 tb Baking Powder

1/2 ts Salt 1 1/2 c Cheddar; Md, Shredded

1/2 c Walnuts; Coarsely Chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. then grease a 9 X 5-inch loaf pan; set aside. Cut the cranberries in half and set aside in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, combine the milk, egg, butter, and orange peel and set aside.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add the halved cranberries, cheese and nuts. Toss with a fork to distribute. Add the milk mixture all at once and stir the flour mixture until just moistened. Turn into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan. Cool to room temperature on the wire rack before slicing.

In a world that is slowly but surely turning away from books and getting glued to monitors or television screens, the importance of developing a passion and finding quality kids activities for reading cannot be overlooked. Reading is a habit and should be established when the child is relatively young. What can you do to foster this habit?

Enroll your child for reading classes:
There are many well structured after school reading classes that aim to draw the children to books. They help kids with diction, idioms and phrases. For young children, these classes can be fun with animated characters and pictures. Illustrated picture books, rhymes, silly songs and pretend stories all attract the young child. Use creativity to capture the child’s vivid imagination.

Pique your child’s interest:
If your child has a favorite character, pick a series of books that features this character. For my son, it was Spiderman. Thanks to friendly neighborhood spidey, my son latched on to comics fairly early in his childhood.

Build a home-library:
A skill like reading cannot be learned in isolation. Do not leave all the hard work to the after school program. Pick up books that you think your child will like. The Internet is also a rich resource of reading games that will attract little children to the fine art of reading.

No one says that you have to go out to have a good time on Halloween. Parties are one way to spend the evening at home and still have fun. Guests have fun and also find safety. Maybe this year you will host a Halloween party of your very own.
Send out invitations well in advance of the event. We know the date of the party so that is not a problem. Most people will either be attending another party, going trick or treating with the kids or attending your party. Let’s hope they attend your party.
Come up with a menu for the event. Ghoulish treats such as witch’s fingers or Jell-O eyeballs floating in the punch may be great for kids but a bit too macabre for some adults. In that case, stick with spooky decorations and normal looking food.
The best thing about Halloween parties is that they can be planned for both adults and children. Careful planning will give the adults time to unwind while the children are otherwise occupied. Tend to the children first.
In the early evening take the kids for a little door to door fun. While they are going through their snacks and eating finger foods that you prepared in advance, the rest of the work for the adult part of the party can begin.
If you want to serve drinks, keep it simple. Beer and wine involves less work than an open bar. Anyone drinking can’t drive home. Designate a driver or walk from home to the party. Neighborhood Halloween parties have the convenience of close proximity.
Have a few age appropriate Halloween videos for the kids to watch in the family room or living room when the guests retire to the patio or backyard for fun. Host a costume contest or a pumpkin carving contest. A little Halloween karaoke might break a few noise ordinances, but it will thrill the guests. Who knows all the words to “Monster Mash”?
Since the kids are a consideration, hosts can ask each invited guest to bring a dish to the party. This way, cleanup is faster and the host doesn’t have to do so much hard labor. They will appreciate the help.
Any types of games that are planned should be played before drinks are served. Too many accidents occur when someone’s judgment is impaired by alcohol.
Want to host a Halloween party? Grab the most frightening decorations, some eats, and creepy music, mix with a few friends and you’re sure to have a great time!

If you have ever thought about homeschooling, then you need to read the article below from a mom who home schools and the benefits she sees in homeschooling your children.

Why let Tim and Lisa learn at home than send them to school? Well, first of all, you don’t have to wake them up at 7 every morning and bundle them off to school with umpteen numbers of instructions, and wait with an anxious heart till they return. Homeschooling gives you more control over the influences that affect your child. The growth and development of your child is removed from the realm of the unknown. You, and you alone can decide what your child needs to do or learn. Tailoring the curriculum to suit the needs and interests of the child is one of the most obvious benefits of homeschooling

Individual attention is another salient benefit of homeschooling. For instance, if Lisa needs more time to learn Math, then she can reduce the time for her English lessons. There are no fixed hours of learning per subject. This means that a child has the advantage of assigning more number of hours to the subject that seems tough WITHOUT any additional pressure. The amount of time needed to learn each subject will depend on the abilities and interests of the child.

The schooling of the child becomes an extended family activity. Parents get involved in every step of the learning procedure. Field trips and experiments become family activities. Thus, the child receives more quality time with his parents. The entire family shares games, chores and projects. Family closeness becomes the focus here. The child is also free of any negative peer pressure while making choices and decisions.

Competition is limited when it comes to homeschooling. The child does not need to prove his ability with regards to other children. His confidence remains intact. Since parents have a deep understanding of their child, they can plan the learning program to pique the child’s interest. It is also possible to intersperse difficult tasks with fun activities. A tough hour with Algebra can be followed by a trip to the nearest museum. Learning becomes fun. Parents can also tailor the curriculum to suit the learning style of the child. Some children learn through reading, while others need to write, and still others need to see objects in action.

Homeschooling allows parents to take control over the moral and religious learning of the child. Parents have the flexibility to incorporate their beliefs and ideologies into the child’s curriculum.

There is no confusion in the child’s mind either because there is no variation between what is being taught and what is being practiced. Lastly, more and more parents are getting disillusioned with the
public school system. They believe that their children are being pushed too hard or too little. Other worrying issues pertaining to discipline and ethics also make the school system less welcome. Many repudiate the educational philosophy of grouping children solely on the basis of their age. Some parents themselves have unhappy memories of their own public school experience that motivates them to opt for homeschooling when it comes to their own children.

Homeschooling is the best way to teach a child if you have the time, the ability and the interest to follow through with his education. After all, nobody can understand or appreciate your child more than yourself.

Three Custom Color Mom on the Go Set is the cutest gift for a new mom and the quickest way to throw on a face in under 2 minutes with all the essentials. Custom Color founder, Trae, got the great news that she was expecting and they were inspired to create the ultimate beauty survival kit for busy Moms.

We all know how difficult it can be for new moms to find the perfect “quick fix” beauty regimen, so 3C set out to design the ultimate set of essentials, available in COOL for rosey skin tones and WARM for golden skins.

Each set contains one Shadow in Nectar, Cool Mom on the Go Lip & Cheek Stain, Dark Clarifier Pencil, Clear Brow Gel, Refillable Trio with Mirror & Double Ended Brush, and a Dante Beatrix Bebe Carry-all Envelope. The perfect solution for mothers of young children who want to look fresh & fabulous in minutes. For additional beauty tips for mom, check out Beauty Tips 411.com

A recent report by several independent researchers concludes that participating in the arts nurtures the development of social, personal and cognitive skills. These types of kids activities based on the Arts can improve academic achievement and decrease the tendency towards delinquency. It helps youth form positive attitudes about themselves and build self-esteem.

Arts programs involve communication, interpretation and understanding of complex symbols, much like mathematics and languages. Thus it fosters higher-order analytical skills and skills of evaluation and synthesis. Many of the programs make the child regularly use multiple skills thus
making him dynamic and versatile.

Development of imagination, judgment and philosophy are fringe benefits of an arts-based activity. As opposed to the short 45-minute duration of the art classes at school, the extra time allowed in after school activities allows the child to get more involved. This results in more satisfactory opportunities for development of latent capabilities in the child. In turn, the child learns to set high standards of achievement. He understands what sustained focus is and learns that regular practice is the way to excellence.

In the shy or the withdrawn child, theatre, speech or drama lessons may be an outlet for pent up emotions. As drama entails getting into the ’skin’ of another person, the child learns to verbalize emotions and express thoughts. These reasons account for the popularity of arts-based activities.

Budgeting is truly the turf of most mothers. Aside from the traditional role imposed on mothers as the one who budgets the family finances, mothers have the instincts and foresight’s on what might happen in the future.

But how do moms really stretch the budget? She neither uses complicated formulas nor magic tricks but simple ingenuity and common sense. Peek in through moms’ secrets in budgeting and learn. Role modeling is a good way to encourage attitude, especially towards money.

1. She clearly knows where all the money goes. Usually it goes to child care apart from the housing, health insurance, grocery shopping and clothing. It is unlikely for her to cut cost on her children.

2. She studies all options given to her in terms of child care. Before she decides, she examines all aspects like safety, health and education.

3. To understand more, she talks to local child-care specialists and works out schedules with her employer for bonding time with kids.

4. For working moms, it is double the effort. They take care of the house and the children and at the same time work. She incorporates practical ways to accomplish both roles.

• Wearing professional clothes than trendy ones.
• Stays elegant but simple through a combination of basic colors.
• Dry cleaning costs a hefty amount, so, she dons on wash-and-wear clothes.
• Tone down on accessories.
• She engages in a lot of do-it-yourself habits like in cleaning spots and ironing wrinkles in her personal wardrobes.

5. Moms always shop with a list in her hand to keep track of her budget and expenses. She makes sure she does not exceed. Also, she has no time for checking out tempting stuff at the shopping mall.

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Not much in the mood to cook dinner or lunch? These hardy bacon, cheese, and tomato sandwiches are a super easy quick fix and the kids will love them.

3 Slices bacon
3 Slices rye bread, toasted
2 tb Mayo. or salad dressing
1/2 ts Dried dill weed
1 Large tomato, sliced
3 Slices swiss cheese

Place bacon on microwave rack in glass dish. Cover loosely and microwave until crisp, 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 minutes. Spread toast with mayonnaise; sprinkle with dill. Place toast slices on serving plate; top with tomato and cheese slices. Crumble bacon and sprinkle over top. Microwave uncovered on high (100%) until cheese begins to melt, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.