The Great Halloween Frenzy

For us, Halloween is over. Yes, it's mid-day on October 31, but our neighborhood chose to celebrate Halloween and trick-or-treating last night instead. The decision of Saturday vs Sunday has been a big bone of contention for many in our Knoxville community, but the decision was quite simple for us. A few mentioned a preference, we put it to an email vote, and Saturday won. We'll probably still have a few outsiders show up tonight and I will happily oblige them with treats. And we could take our kids to another neighborhood tonight, but I think enough is enough.

The nice thing is that I can sit back and relax on this Sunday, reflecting on the frenzy of yesterday and try to gain some perspective on this holiday of costumes and candy. I raced around all day Saturday preparing for all the festivities. I had to gather all the parts to their costumes strewn around the house and ensure they were clean from previous parties. I made "aliens" and "monsters" with the boys out of toilet paper rolls and egg cartons for our spooky tunnel made of pop-up-tents for the neighborhood party in the cul-de-sac. I had to find the playdough and chocolates I had stashed away from the kids for the trick or treaters. I loaded the car with all the supplies for the party and set them up myself. I prepared my cards for the reverse trick or treating. And of course we (well, mainly hubby) carved two awesome pumpkins: one an intricate dragon and one of Wow Wow Wubzy.

Where are pictures, you may ask? This is where the frenzy begins. I'm so mad at myself for not being able to find our camera on one of the biggest festivities of the year. I'm sure it will turn up, but it's all over now and we don't have a single picture.

As the party neared, I felt I had it all together. But then I forgot my great plan of making this a trashless event. I was going to be diligent with gathering recycling, even compostable trash. Alas, I just forgot and ran out of steam to make it happen. Instead, I just enjoyed the fellowship with neighbors.

We then had one hour to get home and eat dinner before starting trick or treating. In the middle of dinner, the doorbell rings. Not yet! "Mom, we're late! They're starting! We gotta get out there!" As we scrambled to finish dinner, get costumes back on, find flashlights and bags, and light our pumpkins, I was breathless before we left the driveway.

"Devin, here's your mask and tail for your bear costume!"

"I don't want to wear them!"

"But you're just a burglar in black without them!"

"I don't care!"

"Where's Brooke's headband?"

"I don't know."

"Devin, you had it last. Where did you put it?"

"I don't know."

We even left without her adorable wings; she was a barebones butterfly in a yellow and black tutu. Bobby took off with his buddy Aiden like race horses. Devin, Brooke, and I scrambled to keep up with maneuvering the wagon, letting her walk some, and prompting "trick or treats" and "thank yous" from Devin. Seven-year-olds do not want to hang with younger siblings. A few times, I found myself yelling their names, barking like a drill sergeant about safety, and yet trying to keep it fun for everyone. With the driveways in our neighborhood all being on a hill, I can safely say I got my exercise for the day.

At the second to last house, it hit me: I forgot our reverse trick or treating cards! "Are you kidding me?!" I exclaimed at myself. Nothing had gone right tonight. But that, of course, wasn't true. When we returned home at 8:00pm, the kids were digging through the candy and talking about how much fun today was. From the crafts to the pumpkins, from the party to the trick or treating, it was a fun day. It's tough at times when the frenzy is at top speed to see that.

So to most of the country who will be trick or treating tonight, I encourage you to not worry about the small stuff and just enjoy the thrill of the holiday. Even without a single picture, I can say it was the best Halloween yet. And this afternoon, I'm going to take all three kids on a leisurely walk through the neighborhood to distribute those fair trade chocolates in mailboxes. Won't they be pleasantly surprised tomorrow?!

Happy Halloween!

A few tips for maneuvering Oakes Farm

We finally made it to Oakes Farm today for our annual family pumpkin patch & corn maze adventure. It's even better than before, and we had a blast! I did learn a few things that I thought I'd pass along for anyone still planning their trip.

1. Don't pay full price. The best deal I've seen is what I snagged a few weeks ago from Groupon: B1G1 admission tickets. It saved our family $16. Or go with a group of 20 or more and save $2 a ticket.

2. For those wanting the family adventure with young kids, a Saturday or Sunday is ideal. I had planned to go W-F at 6pm to get the free pumpkins, but only one hour of daylight isn't worth it. We spent 3.5 hours and still didn't do everything.

3. A 12:30pm arrival seemed to be a good time on a Saturday. Some of the first wave was already leaving but the afternoon crowd wasn't there yet. We parked four spaces from the entrance and waited in line for only 10 minutes. Later, the line looked to be closer to 45 minutes for tickets. The kids got a short nap on the way and were ready to go when we arrived.

4. Use your Ergo if you have a little one (under 2), especially if you plan to navigate the corn maze.

5. Pack a lunch. There are plenty of places to have a picnic lunch. Bringing your own saves lots of money.

6. Be a kid! The slides, pedal carts, and bouncing air mattress are a blast for adults too. Don't let your kids have all the fun!

7. If you live in north or northwest Knoxville, returning via Emory Road is just as fast as Washington Pike.

What was your favorite part of Oakes Farm?

Halloween Candy Deals

It's mid-October and I'm trying not to panic yet that I have NO Halloween candy. I'm being patient because I refuse to pay full-price. I keep waiting for the best deals in town to speak to me! Since it's pretty quiet out there, I decided to do some digging.

I first start with what coupons I have from the paper or online. Expiring this week I have:

• $1/2 Hershey bars and
• $1/3 Hershey, Reese's or Kit Kats.
• I also have $1/2 Hershey kisses and
• $1.50/3 Mars candies including M&Ms, Twix, Milky Way, Three Muskateers, and Snickers from 10/10's paper.
• Thanks to Coupon Katie for pointing out a number of printables on Coupons.com right now, including Nestle, Wonka, Skittles, Starburst, and Lifesavers. They're higher value but for larger bags.

Personally, I don't buy candy that I'm not willing to eat. I know they say not to buy what you like for health reasons, but that's downright wasteful to me. I detest most hard candy and always go for the chocolate. Snickers, Twix, and M&Ms are big winners in our house; so my hunt is for the best deal to pair with this coupon.

This week through 10/16 you can get bags of that size for $2.50 each at Kroger and CVS. Buy 3 bags, and it's $2 a bag with that coupon. Tip: While you're at CVS this week, make sure you print coupons at the kiosk before shopping. I got a free bag of Brachs candycorn with a $.99ECB (the small bags are on sale for $.99). I also got a bag of Hershey's miniatures for $2.50, used $1/1 coupon, making it $1.50. Not bad, but would I hand out either of these to trick or treaters? Doubtful.

Then it hit me: check Iheartwags and IheartCVS to see what deals are coming up! These sites give you previews of the best deals weeks in advance. Love it! Next week at Walgreen's, the price for those bags will still be $2.50 each, but if you wait until 10/24, they will be that price with a $.50RR, making 3 bags $1.83 each.

UPDATE 10/17:

The best deal I see starting today is at CVS when the kiosks will be printing an ECB that will save you an additional $1 on 2 bags. It gets even better: there's a $1/2 coupon in today's paper. Since they're priced at $2.50 each, you can use both the CVS coupon and the manufacturer coupon, making each bag $1.50 each for two bags. According to next week's preview, the price will drop to $2 a bag, but there's no telling if they'll still be print the $1/2 CVS coupons. So you save either week.

Even if the prices are better at Target or Kroger, I'll still buy my candy at CVS because I think they have the best rewards program. In addition to those savings, I can use ECBs from other purchases to pay for my candy entirely. That's what I'm talking about!

But wait! What's "green" about this candy? Absolutely nothing. So I'll also be on the look-out for deals on fair trade chocolate. I didn't see any bagged candy deals on Hannah's match-ups for Earthfare this month. Maybe World Market?

I did order my reverse trick-or-treating kit that my kids will be handing out to the neighbors, and it just arrived! I suppose it would be pretty hypocritical of me if I didn't have some fair trade chocolate to distribute on my doorstep as well. Any suggestions, greeniacs?

If I don't find fair trade chocolate, I'll distribute mini playdoughs that I got for free with Kohl's cash. Love that!

Halloween

It's October 31, the house is quiet, and I can finally drink in the conclusion of Halloween. To me, it's almost as sad as saying good-bye to Christmas. What's not to love about Halloween?! You get to don a costume, slither your fingers in pumpkin goop, and gather as much candy as you can!

And Halloween isn't just about the evening of Oct. 31. That's just the finale of a host of activities leading up to it. My husband doesn't understand all the hoopla but I''m hoping we're creating wonderful memories and traditions for our children. There's the visit to the Fruit & Berry Patch in Halls. You get to ride a tractor, feed sheep and goats, pick out a pumpkin, run through the corn maze, drink apple cider, and get a coloring book.

Then there are the parties: this year we made it to six events! We celebrated with our playgroup, MOMS Club, the neighborhood, our church, their school, and Earthfare. (I'll write more about Earthfare in a future post).

All these festivities may seem like a lot, but they were our way of connecting and celebrating with the people who make up our community. And when your family lives hundreds of miles away, community is so important. Enjoy a few snapshots from our Halloween fun.