Halloween Archives - mamachallenge | Real Solutions for Real Parents

Celebrating Day of the Dead with A Dia de Los Muertos Hershey Sugar Skull Candy Tray

October 2, 2020 By Autumn Rose Reo 6 Comments

Celebrate Day of the Dead by creating this Día de Muertos Hershey Sugar Skull Candy Tray to celebrate time together with this sweet treat.

This shop has been compensated by Inmar Intelligence and The Hershey Company. All opinions are mine alone. #HersheysSkull

Día de Muertos is one of my favorite times of the year. There is such beauty in the event including the cultural roots of honoring and memorializing family members who have passed with a celebration with other loved ones filled with color, prayer, and delicious foods.

After traveling to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico during Día de Muertos a few years ago, I really began to truly appreciate and understand the real meaning of the holiday which spans, November 1 – November 2. The entire community was engrossed in visiting each altar that contained photos and beautiful offerings and leaving gifts of pan de muerto and other treats.

So now each year our family makes it a point to spend the days together thinking of the memories of those that have left us. And if possible traveling to other cities that embrace Day of the Dead like Terlingua, Texas and last year, Dallas, Texas with a parade and festival, each unique and special in its own way. This is also important to me since my children often don’t have the opportunity to embrace their own Hispanic heritage and really to experience the strength in numbers and their culture.

This year we’ll be spending Día de Muertos at home and what a great way to enjoy the two day event with this Día de Muertos Hershey Sugar Skull Candy Tray filled with Hershey chocolates and assorted candies. Not only does it serve as a fun and festive treat to share, but gives us an opportunity to sit down together as a family as we prepare the tray and talk about our favorite memories of our loved ones, past and present.

Dia de Los Muertos Hershey Sugar Skull Candy Tray Tutorial

We bought all of the candy at our local HEB!

HELPFUL TIP: Using both wrapped and unwrapped candies allows any guests to easily grab a treat without taking away from your beautiful tray!

We hope you enjoyed making this Día de Muertos Hershey Sugar Skull Candy Tray as much as we did. We loved creating the design and choosing each piece of candy to bring the skull alive. The hardest part of this is eating it, so make sure to save a few pieces to enjoy along the way, too!

Dia de los Muertos: Rainbow Pan de Muertos (Day of the Day Bread)

October 19, 2016 By Autumn Rose Reo 1 Comment

Help your kids understand the celebration of Dia de los Muertos with their own creative expression like this Rainbow Pan de Muertos made with Trix.

I don’t speak Spanish, but even before my children were born, I wanted them to be exposed to the Hispanic culture. While I didn’t grow up around the Latin-side of the family, it’s been a journey for me, as much as it is for them, to discover and appreciate what is also part of their history.

A few years ago I was able to take my then five-year-old son to Cabo San Lucas during Dia de los Muertos. The three days spent immersed in the holiday was beautiful for both of us. The illuminated shrines glistened around the marina, candles shining on the loaves of Pan de Muertos, colorful sugar skulls, and the sounds of those individuals kneeling, sharing intimate words to their loved ones that had passed.

A few weeks ago my grandmother died. As my closest confidante since birth, I’ve been devastated, grieving her passing, our memories together, and my childhood – all in front of my children. Needless to say, it’s been hard for them to watch me as I sporadically break into tears at anything that reminds me of her.

So it was a time for a change – a positive one that wasn’t sad, but one that honored her and could give the kids an opportunity to show their love, instead of the miserable experience that funerals give.

Dia de los Muertos was the perfect opportunity for us to not only participate in the timeless tradition, but also a therapeutic one for all of us. So together we spent one afternoon, creating our offering, the traditional Pan de Muerto. I guided them through the recipe, teaching them little lessons about cooking, how to hold the spoon, how ingredients should be added…just like my grandmother and I had done many times. Watching them work together, giggling as they kneaded the dough with their little hands was one of those moments I’ll cherish always.

Of course, always the ones to put their own spin on it, the kids wanted to make their offering something creative, something colorful, something of their own expression.

So our Pan de Muerto mutated into a rainbow version using Trix. Adding the fruity flavor of the cereal to the dough mixture of anise and orange zest even enhanced the flavor of the dough. However, the bread still needed a little more color, so we put Trix in the dough as well as on the outside of the bread, adding rainbow shades and textures to rich, golden brown dough. The aroma of anise and orange filled the house as our creation cooled down, finally showing its final transformation.

While we don’t have a formal altar space and are too far to show grandma what we made, I know that she’s watching all of us as she nibbles the rainbow bread.

What’s your Cereal con Carino? How does your family share time, traditions, or experiences together during breakfast? This four-part video series that began during Hispanic Heritage Month, the first episode features El Guzi and friends sharing a bowl of Cheerios while discussing how they shower their family with love in the morning. This initiative honors those timeless moments that may seem so small, but mean much more to us than we even expect.

Learn more and follow the Cereal con Carino initiative here.

Rainbow Pan de Muertos

Author: Autumn Reo of mamachallenge.com

Print Recipe

Description

A colorful twist on the timeless Dia de los Muertos tradition.

Ingredients

Scale

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees)
3 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons anise seed
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Trix, grounded
1/8 cup Trix, halved to be folded into bread and the other half used to garnish the outside of the dough
For the glaze
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

In a large bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, yeast, salt, anise seed and 1/4 cup of the sugar.
Beat in the warm milk mixture then add the eggs and orange zest and beat until well combined. Set to the side temporarily.
Heat the milk and the butter together in a medium saucepan until melted. Remove from the heat and add warm water (at least 110 degrees.)
Whisk in the warm mixture slowly into the flour mixture until blended. Stir in 1/2 cup of flour, 14/ cup ground Trix, and continue adding more flour until the dough is soft.
On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic. Lightly fold in half of whole Trix into dough, working not to crush the cereal.
Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. This will take about 1-2 hours.
Punch the dough and shape it into a large round loaf or desired shape.
Add additional Trix cereal to the outside of the loaf strategically on the outside of the dough.
Place dough onto a baking sheet, loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until just about doubled in size.
Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for about 35 -45 minutes. Remove from oven let cool slightly then brush with glaze.

To make glaze

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, orange juice and orange zest.
Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 2 minutes.
Brush over top of bread while still warm.
Sprinkle glazed bread with white sugar.

Notes

If you would prefer a more traditional dough, switch the ground Trix for ground Cinnamon Toast Crunch or regular flour.

Halloween DIY: Two Minute Cape

October 18, 2016 By Autumn Rose Reo 29 Comments

With Halloween just a few days away (the countdown is really on) doesn’t mean you can’t have a cute Halloween costume right in time. With a little help from JCPenney, you can be the queen (princess or superhero) of Halloween!

Recently I was thrilled to partner with JCPenney to host a “DIY Costume Ideas Workshop” at Stonebriar Center. Of course, you know, I’m not one for much DIY, but I am the queen of finding easy and quick ways to get your parenting challenges handled – especially this time of the year with Halloween.

Using a few key items from your kid’s closet or from JCPenney, you can make some outstandingly creative costumes – and best of all, use them after Halloween for the rest of the year! That’s a win, win for everyone that makes it #SoWorthIt to do your Halloween shopping at JCPenney.

If you missed it, here’s the highlight reel.

During the workshop we covered everything from princesses to Pokemon. However, one of my favorites was using just a white t-shirt and a pair of Arizona denim jeans.

5 Costumes Using Blue Jeans and a White T-Shirt

With just a pair of Arizona jeans, white tee, and a few accessories, we created:

Maverick from Top Gun adding a Bomber Jacket (Similar to this one from JCPenney)
Ponyboy from The Outsiders or anyone from Grease
Ash from Pokemon with this blue sleeveless jacket (This is the one at JCPenney)
The Boss Bruce Springsteen by just adding a bandana

Vampire and Witch Costume

A basic staple of every Halloween season is a witch and a vampire. And with a black dress like this one or a three-piece outfit like this one you may have in this closet after a special occasion, put it to good use by adding a cape and a little makeup help from the Sephora Inside JCPenney.

Two-Minute Cape

This is a no-sew, no glue, no time cape. And yes, it takes two minutes. If you go spooky, choose black felt. Need a superhero cape, then go colorful with red or yellow. Either way you’ll be a hero for any Halloween outfit. As for the amount you need, this is all in who you are making it for and how long you want it. It’s so cheap, it doesn’t hurt to get a little too much and then you can always use the extra to make a mask too.

All You Need

Felt in your desired color (get this at your local fabric store for CHEAP)

Scissors

Ribbon (I chose the same color ribbon as my cape color)

Instructions

Measure the length of your child from their shoulders down to the preferred length and cut it off. For a vampire cloak, you might want to add a few inches, to create a high collar or hoodie. If you wanted to make a two-foot cape, then allow for around at least four more inches for enough room for the ribbon to tie the cape.
Once you have the size of the cape you want cut, then fold down the fleece in half of where you want the collar to be. For a simple cape, fold over one of the ends about 2-3 inches.
Next using your scissors, cut small cuts at the fold for the width of the cape. This is where the ribbon will be threaded so the size of your cut should be half the side of the width of the ribbon. For example, if you use a 1-inch black ribbon, you’ll want to make ½ inch cuts.
Open the fold to expose your cuts.
Then thread your ribbon through the holes leaving enough on each side to give you room to tie up your cape. (I like to have at least 4-5 inches on each side.)
Now tie it on the kid and you’re done!

Optional: You could add some embellishments to your cape like the name of your superhero or maybe some bling if it’s a princess cape. The sky’s the limit.

For your Halloween and all your holiday needs, JCPenney is your resource! From costumes, to décor, dishes, gifts, appliances and housewares to prepare your home, and more, they have it all at JCPenney.

And don’t forget about Sephora Inside JCPenney and the Salon inside JCPenney, one trip to JCPenney helps to make your time #SoWorthit!

Two lucky mamachallenge fans will win $20 gift card from JCPenney to prep for your last-minute Halloween needs!

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Easy Halloween Playdate Ideas

October 14, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 1 Comment

Do you have a Halloween playdate coming up that you’re throwing, but don’t want to do all the work?

We’ve got some easy and quick ways to make you look Pinterest perfect as featured on EyeOpener (and some cute little models we’re quite fond of.)

First up, the Captain Charlie Costume by HABA is great option if you plan on using this one again. It’s high quality and designed to last for years.It comes with a beard, hat, jacket, belt, sword, and companion parrot. This is perfect for kids ages 3-6 years. The Captain Charlie costume is available for $74.99 at HABAusa.com.

If you’ve got a messy kiddo, this next costume is perfect for you. The Suitables™ Role Play Bibs are water resistant and wipe clean. These are perfect for toddlers. You can get the bibs in a bunch of different designs, and at $19.99 each, they are a steal! They’re available online at MixedPears.com.

Take a look at the video for some other Happy Halloween fun!

Tips for Halloween Safety

October 13, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 24 Comments

Halloween may be a fun night for spooky and scary fun, but there are a few things you don’t want to get scared about, especially your kid’s safety. Here are your Tips for Halloween Safety.Want to get scared this Halloween?

Did you know according to Safe Kids Worldwide, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year?

While that fact might take the fun of one of my favorite times of the year, it does put it in perspective that a fun night can easily go to the worst place imaginable as a parent with just a few preventable missteps by our kids.

However what’s even more impactful is that while 75% of parents say they have fears about Halloween safety, only about 1/3 of parents actually take the time to go over a few safety tips?

That’s why MamaChallenge.com is proud to partner with Methodist Richardson Medical Center to remind us that taking just five minutes to remind your family of the dos and don’ts of pedestrian safety, especially on Halloween, can make the difference between a fun memory or a scary nightmare that you’ll never wake up from.

1. Look before crossing the road.
Remember teaching your kids how to cross the road? With shorter fall days and earlier darker skies, now is a great time to review the purpose of crosswalks, sidewalks and the right protocols (look left, right, and left) for walking across the street in a safe manner. Eye contact is also an a super tip for older kids to learn to make sure drivers see them before they begin walking across the road.

2. Put down the smartphone.
You know you’ve done it too…You’re deep into texting, emailing or posting on your smartphone, while Walking down the hall or on the sidewalk. Then you either bumped into someone or made a misstep because you weren’t watching what was happening around you. It’s hard as an adult, but imagine being a 12 year old kid with tons of friends and other things going on?

3. Light it up!
If you can light it up, you should when it comes to walking outdoors after the sun has gone down. Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers. Also before leaving the house make sure the kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers.

But pedestrian safety tips aren’t just for the kids either… As adults, no matter how much of a hurry, we need to watch for kids not following the rules or darting out in the road without looking. And while it’s easy to say, kids learn most from watching you, so set a good example by putting down your device and make mindful decisions when it comes to your and their safety.

Remember to drive slowly, anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic, and turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances.

Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. so be especially alert for kids during those hours.

As you and the kids prepare for a fun night of trick or treating, make sure to remember these safety tips for Halloween and the fall season to ensure this fun event doesn’t turn into a nightmare.

For more fall safety tips from Methodist Richardson, visit here.

Hope you have a fun and safe Halloween!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Methodist Richardson Medical Center.

20-Minute Spooky Halloween Party

October 12, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 26 Comments

Halloween is my primetime, so I’m always on the prowl for fun things to create the perfect Spooky Halloween Party like the limited edition . They asked what I would do with a bag of bones and I “dug” something fun up for this sponsored post!

I have a confession: I love to host parties.

HOWEVER, while I have the greatest intentions of trying to give the Pinterestable party mom a run for her money, I don’t have the time to put it together. But this Halloween I’m not letting a little thing like time get in the way of throwing a spooky fun-filled Halloween party even if I only have 20 minutes to put it together.

Does it sound like the candy corn has gone to my head? Nope, a few unique hacks here can make your party go from blah to boo-tiful!

For this Halloween party, I wanted the guests to play with their food, so we used the meal as the entertainment to set the spooky mood.

Not too bad for 15 minutes using just a few things you have around the house AND a quick pick up at the grocery store, the

Bag of Bones

Bag of Bones: The easiest item on the menu, I just opened up the 8 oz. bag (around $3.50) with four different white cheddar bone-shaped puffs and threw them in a cauldron and a few on the table for a little décor. Later the Cheetos snacks became entertainment too as we put together our skeletons and then snacked on them, one bone at a time.

Time: 30 seconds (maybe)

SeveredFingersBloddyEyeballs#CheetosHalloween#Ad

Severed Fingers & Bloody Fingers

Severed Fingers: Making these actually made me sick because they looked so real! Cut hot dog wienies in half and add a few horizontal cuts to look like fingers. Then cut a little “nick” out of the top of the dog to resemble a finger. Place them in a bowl of ketchup to keep them upright. Put them in the microwave to give them that mutilated look. Then add a little more ketchup on the tip (or sriracha sauce for kick.)

Time: This took around 5 minutes, but did it while my spaghetti and eggs boiled!

Bloody Eyes: My friend Dawn at The Frugal Mom actually had these on her Facebook recently, so I knew I wanted to use the idea. She breaks down all the steps on her blog.

Time: The longest time was the boiling and the decorating took 3 minutes maybe.

Bowl of Brains

Bowl of Brains: Nothing but your favorite pasta noodles and spaghetti sauce. I happen to find these eyeballs in the cookie decorating aisle and threw them in for a little effect.

Time: 10 minutes to boil, but the sauce and eyes took about 1 minute.

Gravestone Cups

Gravestone Cups: Chocolate pudding snack cup, crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, one oval cookie like a ladyfinger, gummies worms and a little package of writing icing make these the easiest and spookiest dessert you’ll ever make.

Time: It took only 4 minutes to make all of these!

As favors for the party, I also picked up the limited-edition glow in the dark Cheetos Crunchy treat snacks! With 30 in the pack for just $5, the snacks make a fun way to munch – in the light or dark!

And a bag of tasty bones isn’t the only thing Cheetos is brewing up this Halloween! There’s all kinds of ways to get into the “spirit” including:

Chester’s Project TP
Take on your arch nemesis by digitally TPing them with Chester’s Project TP. The online app uses Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Maps Street view to digitally prank neighbors virtually toilet paper any structure, anywhere in the world by just entering a street address into the Chester’s Project TP app. Last year, Cheetos fans draped more than 150 million feet of digital toilet paper around the world.

Win Prizes
Fans aged 13 and older have two opportunities on CheetosHalloween.com to enter a weekly sweepstakes where winners will be randomly-drawn to receive gift cards or cash up to $1,000. Fans can enter for a chance to win by completing a Project TP mission or by entering a unique code from their limited-edition product purchases.

Tiny Tales of Terror Twitter Challenge
Using the hashtag #Cheetales, Cheetos is hosting a Tiny Tales of Terror Twitter Challenge, where fans tweet their spookiest 140-character tales for a chance to have their stories made into short films narrated by Chester Cheetah himself and posted on the Cheetos Twitter page , YouTube channel and Facebook.

Who are you going to digitally TP with the Project TP mission app?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Cheetos brand.

Sleeping Beauty Princess Spa Day Party

October 13, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo 27 Comments

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #DisneyBeauties #CollectiveBias

Since the first time my eyes spotted the beautiful sweet lips of my little princess, I was ready to celebrate all things princess. Princess tea party, princess dress up party, princess spa party…we were going to have fun enjoying being a princess as long as she would let me. So when Disney’s Sleeping Beauty Diamond Edition DVD Gift Set came out just last week we had the perfect reason to celebrate with a Princess Spa and Watching Party for my little gal and all her friends!

With just a little planning and one easy trip to Walmart for the DVD, the decor from and royal fare, I had everything I needed for the Princess Party.

PrincessSpaPartyChecklist#DisneyBeauties#Cbias#Shop

Download Your Princess Spa Party Checklist PDF | Google Doc

FORMULATE

Just look at how cute these invitations are from American Greetings line called DesignWare? They even include the thank you notes, too, so must love a twofer!

I couldn’t get over how cute the decor options that were available including everything you need for a party like napkins, plates, utensils, balloons, tablecloths and SO much more like chandeliers, window decor and even beautiful princesses to bring the table, floors, and walls to life!

And of course, a Sleeping Beauty Party wouldn’t be complete without a Sleeping Beauty dress for my gal! All the girls were also invited to wear their favorite princess dresses, but just in case, we also had a little dress up corner if any of the girls felt the need for a dress change (and like many girls at a special event, they did!)

FUN

With the invitations, decor and the dress out of the way, I was ready to put together the plan for the evening’s activities. In addition to watching the movie (many of the girls had never seen it) and the refreshments, we had some spa fun to be had. The biggest goal of the evening was to emphasize that every girl was beautiful, so we made use of a mirror and using Crayola Window Markers (also purchased at Walmart), I wrote “Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…” and made sure each little girl knew how beautiful she was with positive reinforcement from everyone. It was such a great way to get the evening started so they felt good about themselves!

The two-hour party was broken into stations:

Glass Slipper Pedicure with Cinderella’s Pumpkin Foot Scrub, Happily Ever After Lotion and Sparkle Polish (part of the favor bag.)
Fairest of All Facial with Snow White’s Apple Scrub, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) Lipgloss (part of the favor bag)
Be the Belle of the Ball with Belle’s Up-dos along with tiaras and magic wands
Jasmine’s Jewels with the rest of the favor bags available for the girls to pick up their DesignWare necklaces, rings, etc. for their favor bags

Glass Slipper Pedicure

For this station, I purchased travel scrubbies, towels, dish buckets, sparkle polish and lotion I found ironically named “Happily Ever After.”

I also whipped up this super easy Cinderella’s Pumpkin Foot Scrub sure to make any foot soft and smooth enough to slide into any shoe!

Cinderella’s All-Natural Pumpkin Foot Scrub for Princess Spa Party

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon Vitamin E oil

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients together for a foot scrub sure to make any foot soft and smooth enough to slide into any shoe!

Fairest of All Facial

Combining a little Snow White & Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, we did a little fun to put their best face forward! First we applied the apple facial, then the girls were asked to lay down while we laid cucumbers over their eyelids for effect (which they loved and took off in 1-2 minutes), and we rubbed their arms with apple lotion while they relaxed watching the movie. After 10 minutes, each princess facial was removed with a warm washcloth. Then each girl selected their own lip gloss for application and then put it in her favor bag to take home!

Be the Belle of the Ball Hair Station

All princesses have beautiful hair already, but we just added a little something extra shiny to make the girls stand out with tiaras and sparkle spray! Since it was Halloween it was easy to find sparkles spray and a run through the favor aisle and for under $1 a piece, each girl had her own tiara and wand! We did add some curls, braids and clips to make each of their dos complete, but we opted not to use any brushes to avoid hair issues like tangles or worse!

Jasmine’s Jewels

No princess look would be complete without jewels! Taking a cue from Jasmine, each girl was able to select her own bag of jewels from DesignWare to wear for the evening or keep for later princess adventures!

FOOD

Since this was an evening of royal treatment, I couldn’t forget the princess touches on dinner! Everything took about 5 minutes to complete, so this dinner was easier than the one I make for my family on most nights!

Princess Spa Party Dinner Menu:

Princess Sandwiches made with bread, cheese, turkey and cut with a princess tiara cookie cutter!
Princess Wands made by skewering grapes to a kabob/dowel rod and adding a star-shaped pineapple slice from a horizontally-sliced fresh pineapple.
Disney Princess Fruit snacks I found at Walmart in the fruit snack aisle!
Princess Pink Cupcakes spotted at the Walmart bakery and added a bag of silver favor rings found in the party section for $1!
Princess Juice discovered on the water/juice aisle at Walmart with tops so there were no spills as the girls traveled to each station.

When the night was over at just about bedtime, we were all sad to see the fairy tale come to an end! But all princesses need their beauty sleep, so each left with their bag of jewels, tiara and wonderful memories of the evening with her princess friends!

Go Boo then Get Sauced with Go Go squeeZ

September 16, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo Leave a Comment

I am a proud ambassador for Go Go squeeZ! #squeezsquad

Halloween is one of my favorite times of year (not just because it’s my birthday), but the fun you can have being a little bit naughty for the fun of it!

My little tricks and treats last all month and not necessarily are they meant just for the kids! However, while everyone enjoys candy, I just can’t let myself give out tons of sugar to kids to take home and ruin themselves with. However, I do try to take healthier options and make them fun to give out (I don’t want to be that mom with the reputation that you don’t stop at her house because she gives out toothpaste.)

So take the good stuff and make it better with a little love and Go Go squeeZ!

Go Go squeeZ is all-natural with no gluten, no dairy, no fat and best of all no fuss! So you don’t have to worry about special diets and you can enjoy apples (+ any of the other 11 apple blends) without any messes!

Here’s a great trick or treat idea – and best of all, the kids get a healthy treat and you get a little treat for mom, too with a few magic spells we whipped up using a few of your kid’s Go Go squeeZ! (Make sure to keep on scrolling for your treat, mama!)

Just click on the photo for your own free Go Go Boo Go Go squeeZ printables and you’ll be the hit of Halloween!

But when all the fun of Halloween is over, don’t you just want a moment to relax? That’s when you’re treat comes into the picture!

While Go Go squeeZ is good for many things, including adding to your muffins, pancakes and more for an added healthy kick, Go Go squeeZ is also good for a unique cocktail! I actually have three recipes I’m sure you’ll love for Halloween (or maybe just a Thursday night!)

Have a Halloween with Go Go squeeZ and don’t forget to share your Go Go Boo fun on social media with @gogosqueeZ #squeeZsquad!

Disney Villain Playlist to Set the Halloween Mood

October 30, 2013 By Autumn Rose Reo Leave a Comment

While it seems you’ve got everything complete – from costumes to candy – here’s a last-minute touch to get ready for trick-or-treat fun.
It’s the soundtrack!

When you have little ones, you really can’t play Tubular Bells (the worst Halloween song EVER), screaming girl or squeaky door sounds – well not too much at least. Believe me, you’ll regret it when you do when you wake up in the middle of the night with them screaming of bad dreams. So you compromise.

Forget princesses, this Disney-inspired playlist from Rdio, the ad-free online subscription service, is all about Disney villains.

So click play and get the party started just the way Disney wants you to.

This Is Halloween – The Citizens of Halloween – Nightmare Before Christmas Special Edition
Grim, Grinning Ghosts – Ghosts – Mickey’s Monster Bash
Swinging Wake – Xavier Atencio, Buddy Baker – The Haunted Mansion
Oogie Boogie’s Song – Danny Elfman – Nightmare Before Christmas Special Edition
Friends on the Other Side – Keith David – Disney Villains: Simply Sinister Songs
Otherworldly Concerto – Gaylord Carter – The Haunted Mansion
Poor Unfortunate Souls – Pat Carroll – Disney Villains: Simply Sinister Songs
Heffalumps and Woozles – Disney Chorus – Halloween Songs & Sounds
The Siamese Cat Song – Oliver Wallace, Peggy Lee – Disney Villains: Simply Sinister Songs
Pink Elephants On Parade – Disney Chorus – Disney Villains: Simply Sinister Songs
Ghostly Music Box – Music Box – Haunted Mansion – The Haunted Mansion
They Don’t Scare Me – Mickey Mouse – Halloween Songs & Sounds
Monster Mash – Goofy – Mickey’s Monster Bash
I Wanna Scare Myself – Tigger – Halloween Songs & Sounds
Which Witch Is Which? – Goofy, Mickey Mouse – Halloween Songs & Sounds
Pool Monsters Attack – Danny Elfman – Frankenweenie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Night Creatures (Sound Effect) – Walt Disney Sound Effects Group – Halloween Songs & Sounds
Haunted House (Sound Effect) – Walt Disney Sound Effects Group – Halloween Songs & Sounds
The Witches (Sound Effect) – Walt Disney Sound Effects Group – Halloween Songs & Sounds
A Dark & Stormy Night (Sound Effect) – Walt Disney Sound Effects Group – Mickey’s Monster Bash

Which Disney villain is your favorite?

Happy (Almost) Halloween!

Halloween Celebration Play Date Fun: Boo Bark, Spooky S’mores & Poison Punch {Recipes}

October 28, 2013 By Autumn Rose Reo 4 Comments

As part of a sponsored campaign for Collective Bias®, I was inspired to create some fun and quick recipes for a Halloween play date using our favorite Mars candies, 7 UP and Hawaiian Punch.
As I’ve been sharing on mamachallenge, I simply love Halloween.

The decor, the fun and the candy make it a perfect opportunity to get together with family friends to catch up before the Christmas holidays. So we invited over a few of the neighbors for a little play date with a spooky celebration theme!

The kids wanted to help with the party preparation fun, so we put on our aprons and began the creation fun! My little mad scientist (my 5 year-old) came up with the idea of Boo Bark; an inspiration from his recipe of Easter Day Bark. Using all his favorite Mars candies like Twix, Snickers, and M&Ms, he whipped together a delicious candy-coated treat, with a little help from mom (melting the chocolate.)

Once in the Halloween spirit, he couldn’t stop himself! My little chef, wanted to have one more dessert for his party. Since he loves s’mores, he decided to make a Halloween S’mores using pumpkin marshmallows, Snickers miniatures and cinnamon-flavored graham crackers. I was surprised at how good they were and tasted just like Halloween!

To wash it all down, we made up our own brew of “Poison Punch” with Hawaiian Punch, 7 UP and a little dab of sherbet for effect. We also used some other Halloween fun using juice ice cubes and gummi body parts to add a little more fun to the bow. Using a decorative cauldron and a fun little toy we found at the Halloween store, we were able to add a little spooky effect with fog. While you could opt to use dry ice instead of the vaporizer, we were able to find ANY anywhere, so this little device made it easy for us to use and could be used over and over.

See? Having a little spooky celebration get-together can come together with little work or effort with just a few favorite ingredients! And best of all, after Halloween, what an easy way to use your leftover candy and create a treat perfect for giving in November (just change out your M&Ms for yellow, orange and brown.)

Mars Variety Packs make getting ready for Trick or Treaters easy with Miniatures available in 230 pieces & Fun Size packs in 55 pieces.

Boo Bark

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 cups chocolate chips
16-20 Twix miniatures
15 Snickers miniatures, chopped
20 bags M&Ms, separated into green, orange, brown

Instructions
Line a cookie sheet with foil. Then spray the foil with cooking spray.
Lay unwrapped Twix on the bottom of sheet spacing them out around 1-2 inches a part.
Next either melt chocolate chips in the microwave or over the stove with a double boiler, until the chocolate has melted and pulls away from the pot.
Pour chocolate over Twix bars on sheet.
Place M&Ms over the top of chocolate bark.
Then sprinkle Snickers over the top.
Place chocolate pan in frigerator or freezer until firm.
Break apart into pieces.
Serve immediately or store in fridge until ready to gift.

Poison Punch

Ingredients
2 quarts Hawaiian Punch
2 cups 7 UP
1 cup sherbet (any flavor)
Gummi body parts

Instructions
Refrigerate Hawaiian Punch and & 7 UP until ready to serve.
Add to Hawaiian Punch and gummi body parts to a large bowl.
Then add sherbet.
Slowly add 7 UP to the bowl.
Serve punch in a cauldron or other fun serving container!

Celebrating Day of the Dead with A Dia de Los Muertos Hershey Sugar Skull Candy Tray

Celebrate Day of the Dead by creating this Día de Muertos Hershey Sugar Skull Candy Tray to celebrate time together with this sweet treat.

Dia de los Muertos: Rainbow Pan de Muertos (Day of the Day Bread)

Help your kids understand the celebration of Dia de los Muertos with their own creative expression like this Rainbow Pan de Muertos made with Trix.

Rainbow Pan de Muertos

Description

Ingredients

Instructions

To make glaze

Notes

Halloween DIY: Two Minute Cape

With Halloween just a few days away (the countdown is really on) doesn’t mean you can’t have a cute Halloween costume right in time. With a little help from JCPenney, you can be the queen (princess or superhero) of Halloween!

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Vampire and Witch Costume

Two-Minute Cape

Easy Halloween Playdate Ideas

Tips for Halloween Safety

Halloween may be a fun night for spooky and scary fun, but there are a few things you don’t want to get scared about, especially your kid’s safety. Here are your Tips for Halloween Safety.Want to get scared this Halloween?

Hope you have a fun and safe Halloween!

20-Minute Spooky Halloween Party

Sleeping Beauty Princess Spa Day Party

Cinderella’s All-Natural Pumpkin Foot Scrub for Princess Spa Party

Ingredients

Instructions

Go Boo then Get Sauced with Go Go squeeZ

Disney Villain Playlist to Set the Halloween Mood

Halloween Celebration Play Date Fun: Boo Bark, Spooky S’mores & Poison Punch {Recipes}

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