This Full House Reviews

Readers Talk Back: Top Ten Favorite Halloween Costumes

I had the pleasure of hosting a Virtual Halloween Party last week and got to share some really great Halloween party ideas with online friends.

Congratulations, dddiva (comment 219) for winning the door prize for Day 3 -- check your email for further instructions :)

I loved hearing about all the cool, creative, quick, relatively inexpensive and easy costume ideas folks came up with.  Thanks SO MUCH for sharing them!

Today, I thought it would be REALLY fun to share them with you (yes, YOU!) here are my Top Ten Favorite Halloween Costume Ideas submitted by very smart and creative readers, like you (yes, YOU!):

Readers Talk Back: Top Ten Favorite Halloween Kid Party Ideas

I had the pleasure of hosting a Virtual Halloween Party last week and got to share some really great Halloween party ideas with online friends.

Congratulations to Susan T. (comment #76) for winning the door prize for Day 2 -- check your email for further instructions :)

I loved hearing about all the cool stuff you guys do to help get your families into the Halloween spirit.

Today, I thought it would be REALLY fun to share them with you (yes, YOU!) here are my Top Ten Favorite Halloween Kid Party Ideas submitted by very smart and creative readers, like you (yes, YOU!):

Readers Talk Back: Top Ten Favorite Halloween Baked (or no-bake) Spooky Treats

Monster Cookies (recipe here)

I had the pleasure of hosting a Virtual Halloween Party last week and got to share some really great baked (and no-bake) Halloween party ideas with online friends.

Congratulations, to Tamara B. (comment #95) for winning the door prize for Day 1 -- check your email for further instructions :)

I loved hearing about all the cool stuff you guys like to bake (or, not) and how folks decorate spooky treats to help their families get into the Halloween spirit.

Today, I thought it would be REALLY fun to share them with you (yes, YOU!) here are my Top Ten Favorite Halloween Spooky Treat Ideas submitted by very smart and creative readers, like you (yes, YOU!):

Virtual Halloween Party Day 5 Favorite Trick-or-Treat Memories Have You Never Been Boo-ed?

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED: NEW WINNER CHOSEN - SO HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO SHARE WITH KIARA (COMMENT #169) PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS!!!

I'm throwing a Virtual Halloween Party and you (yes, YOU!) are invited AND (along with these bloggers) I'm sharing a little something, something, ALL WEEK, with online friends, courtesy of Nestle Family.

Check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5 for a chance at some pretty awesome door prizes!

Today's theme is favorite trick-or-treat memories and this picture was taken the LAST time my kids went out on Halloween, together.

"I've decided I'm not going trick-or-treating, this year."

Although, Holly (she's my oldest) was turning 14 the following month, her revelation threw me for a loop.

"I'll stay home and give out the candy!"

Our nest is by no means empty -- a bit full up and in dire need of a good disinfecting, actually -- but, gone are the days when we would ALL dress up and go trick-or-treating, together!

[moment of silence]

There is one Halloween tradition, however, that has remained a family favorite and even my husband, Garth (not his real name) looks forward to going out and Ghosting the neighborhood, this year!

Have you ever been Boo-ed (or, Ghosted?)

Virtual Halloween Party Day 4 Carving Out Time for a Family Dinner Pumpkin Chili, Anyone?

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED: ANNOUNCING DOOR PRIZE WINNER, REAL SOON!!!

I'm throwing a Virtual Halloween Party and you (yes, YOU!) are invited AND (along with these bloggers) I'm sharing a little something, something, ALL WEEK, with online friends, courtesy of Nestle Family.

Check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5 for a chance at some pretty awesome door prizes!

Today's theme is quick, easy and (hopefully) nutritious Halloween night meals that kids will love (ditto!)

For us?  Our kids tend to go in 4 different directions, preferring to trick-or-treat with their besties, rather than each other.  Rounding them up for dinner?  Heh, good luck with that one, right?  The advantage is that Halloween is on a Sunday, this year!

For me?  The crock pot is my bff.  I am ALWAYS on the lookout for yummy slow cooker recipes; especially, this time of year and if it's chili-based, since chili is one of the meals that ALL my kids, you know, will eat!

Today, I'm sharing a recipe for Pumpkin Chili (yes, I said it, pumpkin AND chili!) made with ground turkey and a recipe that I think can easily be adapted for the crock pot, served at a holiday party, or anytime of the year, really.

Virtual Halloween Party Day 3 Easy Homemade Costumes To Sew or No Sew?

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED: LOOKING FORWARD TO SHARING A FABULOUS DOOR PRIZE WITH ONE OF YOU, REAL SOON!!!

I'm throwing a Virtual Halloween Party and you (yes, YOU!) are invited AND (along with these bloggers) I'm sharing a little something, something, ALL WEEK, with online friends, courtesy of Nestle Family.

Check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5 for a chance at some pretty awesome door prizes!

Today's theme is easy homemade costumes.  Because, I am ALL about easy (and mostly homemade) and my kids (16, 14, 11 and 9) already know that we are NOT buying Halloween costumes, this year.

At $30.00 a pop, I simply pointed out the fact that they have all proven themselves to be very creative (I've got a closetful of school projects to prove it) and further explained how investing in homemade costumes also means more Christmas money, this year.

I kid (sort of!)

So, today I'm sharing a couple of my favorite ideas, along with my favorite "last minute" costume held together literally with paper and string.

Foodie Tuesday: Kellogg's Mom's Breakfast Club Recipes

This week, I hosted a Sunday brunch at my home, for some of my closest mom-type friends, courtesy of Kellogg's.

We laughed, we learned and of course, we ate!

Today, it's YOUR turn -- I'm sharing our mini-blueberry muffin recipe (my 9 year-old and I adapted from Kellogg's Complete Blueberry Bran Muffins recipe) and the Rice Krispies Blackberry Lemon Coffee Cake that made my friends on Twitter and Facebook, you know, drool :)

First, the coffee cake (seriously, made with Rice Krispies and my friends STILL don't believe me!)

Virtual Halloween Party Day 2 Planning Ghoulish Celebrations Wanna Play the Gross-Out Game?

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED: Door Prize winner is announced here, along with a list of Top Ten Halloween Party Ideas submitted by readers, like you (yes, YOU!!!) 

I'm throwing a Virtual Halloween Party and you (yes, YOU!) are invited AND (along with these bloggers) I'm sharing a little something, something, ALL WEEK, with online friends, courtesy of Nestle Family.

Check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4 and Day 5 for a chance at some pretty awesome door prizes!

Today's theme is all about throwing ghoulishly easy and fun celebrations (the easier, the funner!) so, here's my favorite low-tech party game I played with the kids as their class mom during the holidays called The Gross-Out Game!

How to Throw a GREAT Halloween Kids Party!

 

Guest post from Kraft Foods (I am a member of their Delicious Bytes blogger community)

It goes without saying that there should be treats at any Halloween party, but what really makes it a special (and scary) occasion are the decorations. Go all out creating a Haunted House complete with unexpected surprises. Spooky games will help to set the ghoulish mood.

To play “Mummy Wrap,” all you need is a roll of toilet paper. The kids will have a blast wrapping each other up. Or else you can try bobbing for apples or play “Pin the Ghost on the Haunted House.”

You might even have the kids decorate their own Halloween cookies or design custom trick-or-treat bags. Of course, you can carve pumpkins into scary or silly faces. Or else let the kids use magic markers, glitter glue and feathers to decorate them. Don't forget about a contest for best costume or a Halloween parade.

For more Halloween party ideas, be sure to check out the brand-new Halloween tab on Kraft Food’s Facebook Page.  This special tab offers delicious recipes and how-to videos that will help you plan a party (for both kids and for adults) along with ideas for games & activities for a ghoulishly good time!

Try making some Mummy-Face Pizzas as a fun, tasty appetizer for your guests:

What You Need:

1 plain bagel (3-1/2 inch), cut horizontally in half

2 Tbsp. pizza sauce

2 sticks KRAFT STRING-UMS String Cheese

4 slices  black olives

Make It:

• HEAT oven to 400ºF.
• SPREAD bagel halves with sauce. Pull cheese into thin strips; place in random criss-cross fashion on tops of bagels to resemble mummy bandages. Trim ends with kitchen shears. Add olives for the eyes.
• PLACE on baking sheet.
• BAKE 10 min. or until bagels are crisp and cheese is melted.

© 2010 This Full House / This Full House Gone Shopping

The Small Gray-ish Print:  No payment, product, or any other consideration, besides a chance to share stuff I think families (like mine) would like, was received for this blog post.

Klutz Book of Animation Blog Tour (Stop #10) Review and Giveaway!

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED: So, glad to be able to share this with Janette (comment #58) please check your email for further instructions!!!

My middle girl (she's 14) is a freshman and studying digital animation in a school specializing in communications, graphic design and media.

Much to the chagrin of her 16 year-old sister, who also applied to the same high school and well, let's just say that I have 4 kids, attending 4 different schools...AGAIN...this year! 

So, as Stop #10 in the Klutz Book of Animation Blog Tour, I am very excited to tell you that anybody with a computer, camera, internet connection and a little bit of creativity can create animated films. 

The Klutz Book of Animation is a how-to-guide with step-by-step instructions that show you how to create a variety of different classic stop motion special effects and make a movie of your own. 

We did -- want to see?

Foodie Tuesday: Happy New School Year Party With Many Thanks to Reading is Fundamental (RIF)

I remember entering the first grade (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth) we didn't have a library, however, my friends and I would visit the Book Mobile and I can STILL remember how it smelled.

Sort of like Barnes and Noble, before Starbucks and whatever gosh-awful perfume the Book Mobile Lady wore, at the time.

Today, my kids are growing up in the digital age; yes, the internet has made our world a much smaller place and yet mobile technology has also allowed families (like mine) to reconnect and find new friends that we otherwise would not have had the opportunity to meet.

Still, I can't help but think how much I would miss the feel of thumbing through elaborately embossed titles, or scanning through slightly used paperbacks carefully lined up on a bookshelf and, of course, that new book smell.

Ready, Set, Happy New School Year!!!

This weekend, with the help of the generous folks at Nestle Family, my family and I had the privilege of working with Reading is Fundamental (RIF) by throwing a Happy New School Year Kick-Off Party!

Book Review: Reluctant Entertainer (me, too!) Every Woman's Guide to Simple and Gracious Hospitality

Kim, Dawn, Janice, Rachel, Irene Rosenfeld C.E.O. of Kraft, Elizabeth, Sandy, Silvia and Me

I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Sandy Coughlin, author of Reluctant Entertainer: Every Woman's Guide to Simple and Gracious Hospitality while visiting with the good folks at the Kraft Kitchens in Chicago, IL last summer (wow, has it been a year...already!?!?) and I was very excited to learn that her book was being published, too.

Not that I have one (a book being published, I mean) but, I DID fall a little in love with Sandy on that trip.

Why?

Kelloggs Mom's Breakfast Club: Corn Pops Frittata Recipe

I had the pleasure of attending a beautiful breakfast (in the same building Nate Berkus lives in!) hosted by the Kellogg's brand during BlogHer '10 in New York City and got the chance to greet (and eat!) with many of my fellow Mom's Breakfast Club bloggers.

In a couple of weeks, I’ll have the privilege of hosting a group of friends over to my house for a back-to-school brunch. We’ll be able to enjoy a nice meal and Skype with a Kellogg’s representative to share more about what breakfast means to our family.

Should be fun, right?  In the meantime, I'm really looking forward to making my FAVORITE item from the Kellogg's breakfast -- Corn Pops Frittata -- want to see?

The Divvies Bakery Cookbook: No Nuts, No Eggs, No Dairy Fudge Recipe AND Giveaway!

COMMENTS ARE CLOSED: YAY, we're sharing with Julie L (comment #27) please check your email for further instructions!

My middle girl and I are allergic to mango and, cooking for 6 people, I feel pretty lucky that's pretty much the extent of the food allergies we're dealing with at our house.

Still, their schools have become vigilant in monitoring the snacks that they share with their classmates and I can only imagine how hard it must be for those families with children suffering from severe food allergies.

I received a copy of The Divvies Bakery Cookbook and was very happy to learn that there are plenty of yummy treats with no nuts, no eggs, no dairy.

Like, author Lori Sandler's famous fudge recipe -- which, I am VERY happy to have been given permission to share with you -- first, a little more about the author:

The CleverGirls Wine Club

I often times joke about it being wine o'clock on Twitter and Facebook -- especially, after 5:00 p.m. on Fridays -- I am simply learning to appreciate peaceful moments, when the planets are aligned and all is quiet in my world, by sitting back and relaxing with a nice glass of wine that is totally sip-worthy.

That's why I'm excited to partner with the CleverGirls Collective in announcing the launch of the CleverGirls Wine Club.

Every month, we'll be sharing some really great wine promotions, as well as descriptors to tell us a little more about the wine choices and perhaps help us find a few new favorites, at the best possible prices -- order 3 bottles and free shipping is FREE!

Here are some specials for July: