Candy Thieves And An #AIWTribe Challenge

Our Little Trick Or Treaters!

I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween yesterday! This was the first year that all of our kids truly got into trick or treating!They were so excited to see all of the kids dressed up as different characters that they knew. Not to mention our neighborhood did such a good job! So many people were sitting in their driveways with little fires, handing out candy and goodies!I love seeing the neighborhood get so involved!What was your favorite house your favorite house you visited last night?The two big kids were in heaven all night! They couldn't get to the next house quick enough!Baby Lucas was so excited to walk with his brothers to the first few houses! Then his big brothers started to leave him behind and he realized just how much work Trick or Treating was going to take.

He happily hopped in the stroller with a PB&J and watched his brothers bring him candy all night. He truly thought it out! All the candy and none of the work!

The Morning After

The morning after Halloween is always interesting. My little candy thief, Levi always attempts to steal the Halloween candy. He usually succeeds! This year my husband and I decided to hide it so they couldn't find it. Putting it up high never works, so hiding it seemed perfect.Then we woke up at 5am to see all of our lights on...The little candy thief snuck downstairs looking for his Halloween spoils and found it!When I asked him why he would do it he said, "Mommy I thought you wanted me to have it. I'll give you one..."He tried to bribe me!Did any of you have any candy thieves this morning? I think it's becoming our little Halloween tradition!

#AIWTribe Challenge

Now that Halloween is over that means we're counting down the days until Thanksgiving!While we're all waiting for Turkey day I thought what better than an Instagram challenge! I love doing challenges with all of you so we can get to know each other better and share what's important to us!Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see the prompts each day!Also tag your pictures with #AIWTribe so we can find each other's pictures all month long!Don't forget to tell your friends!

Spooky Ghost Garland

Our Spooky Halloween Decorations

Over the years, my kids have always been excited about Halloween, but this year has been completely different. My boys have been watching Halloween movies, begging for Halloween decorations, and counting down the days until they get to go trick or treating!We even decided to decorate our home for Halloween this year!When my boys first started asking me to make our home "spooky," I had no idea what to do. I was ready to buy all the decorations and just hang it all up! Then I noticed the price...Halloween decorations get expensive!I ended up going home and started racking my brain on simple and cheap ways I could decorate my house to be sure my kids had the spooky Halloween they had asked for!It ended up being way more fun coming up with fun decorations than it ever would have been to buy them all. Not to mention, my husband was much happier with the cost of homemade decorations!

Spooky Ghost Garland

This year, I am partnering up with Hefty to bring you simple Halloween decorations for your family!One of my kids favorite Halloween characters are cute and spooky ghosts. They are spooky enough without being scary and they are so simple to make!I decided to take it up a notch by turning our ghosts into a garland that we could hang up!There are so many ways you and your family can personalize your spooky ghost garland. You can draw faces on them, you find fun twine to use when hanging them up, or you wrap the garland in a tree outside!

Materials

Hefty Garbage BagsTwineScissorsPermanent Marker (If you'd like to draw faces)

Step One- Cutting

Ghost Body: Cut a strip from your Hefty garbage bag. You can make your strip as big or small as you'd like. Keep in mind this strip will be making your ghost. I made mine about 6 inches.Cut your strips into large rectangles.Ghost Filling: Cut up the rest of your bag into small pieces to use as stuffing.

Step Two- Assembling

Grab a small bunch of your ghost filling and place it in the center of your rectangle.Gather up each side of your rectangle, keeping the stuffing in the middle. Then pinch your garbage bag, around the stuffing, and twist.Once your bag is twisted, lay it on your twine. Tie your twine right underneath your ghost's head and voila. Your first ghost!Continue the process until your ghost garland is as long as you'd like!

Your Very Own Hefty Helper!

Hefty trash bags aren't only a must have for Halloween decorations, but they can stand up against anything! We use our Hefty trash bags every day!Our family needs our trash bags to stand up against toddlers dragging them out to the trash, strong odors, and a mom putting way too much trash inside. Regardless of your families needs, Hefty is here to help!They've even partnered with John Cena this year to show families just how strong their new Hefty Ultra Strong bags are!Have you ever experienced a torn trash bag and ended up with trash everywhere? I've had it happen too many times, but then we switched to Hefty. Now, I don't have to worry about tears or even smelling our trash!

Pick up your Heft trash bags today and don't forget to use this great coupon!

Our Fall Family Bucket List

Our Fall Family Bucket List

The leaves are changing, the weather is getting colder, you can finally start your morning with a hot cup pumpkin spice latte... Which can only mean one thing.It's Fall!My favorite time of the year and it's just beginning! It also means my husband is home more! His work travel schedule ramps up during the summer, but starts to slow down during the fall and winter months. My boys and I have loved having him home more!Our Fall started out a bit rocky, but now we're filling it with as many fall festivities as we can!

Our Fall Family Adventure

It's only a few short weeks into Fall and we're already loving it!I asked my kids what they wanted to do this Fall and they quickly made up their lists. I thought I'd have to help them decide what they wanted to add to their Fall bucket lists, but they sat down at the table and drew it up all day!I loved seeing them so excited about Fall because it's been my favorite season since I was their age. Here are a few of the items on their lists!

Learn A New Sport

Football season has begun and my kids are now obsessed with it! As soon as my husband gets home from a trip, he's greeted with three little boys and a football. It doesn't matter what time it is, they all beg to go outside and throw it around!This is the first time I've noticed the two big kids actually interested in how to play. They're asking where to put their fingers and how to throw better. I love seeing the smile on my husband's face as he teaches them. He's so proud of them and loves being able to teach them.

Go On An Early Morning Walk

Early morning walks have always been a favorite in our house. It all changes when the weather gets cooler. We all grab our nature journals, a hot cup of hot cocoa or coffee for momma, and go on our early morning adventure.We live in a quiet little neighborhood so it's perfect for all of our stops along the way. The boys look for special rocks, sticks, and leaves as I take as many pictures of them as I can. I love seeing their little friendships bloom and change as they get older.My youngest is getting to a point where he wants to be just like his big brothers. He watches every move they make and tries to copy it all.

Make A New Halloween Treat

With three kids and a traveling husband, homemade snacks aren't always a top priority. All of that changed this year when my kids were the ones begging to make them!These little monster treats were so easy to make and required very little work for momma. All you need is white chocolate, a little coconut oil, and pretzels. Mix up your chocolate and oil then dip your pretzels. Voila. So simple. Then hand them over to your kids and let them go crazy.

Fall Family Bucket List

Here's the rest of our Fall bucket list! We've marked a few off our list, but have so many more to go! Join us for your very own Fall adventure.

Let us see what you're crossing off your bucket list by posting it and tag us #AIWTribe!

11 Tips For A Spooktacular Halloween!

(Halloween last year with my little ones!) 

Halloween is right around the corner! Kids can’t wait for a night full of costumes and candy.  

This will be our third Halloween with our kids. We have one failure and one success under our belts. We’ve made the simple mistakes of taking our toddler out too late in the midst of scary costumes. Our oldest still talks about the scary guy he saw! We also have a kiddo allergic to chocolate and we ended up having to take away most of his candy he got from trick or treating. 

 

This year my husband and I are going to make sure it's great by implementing all of the advice we've gotten over the last few years. 

 

Here is a list of tips to make sure your Halloween is spooktacular in all the right ways. 

 

1. Make sure your kids can be seen by putting reflective tape on their candy bag or let them wear glow stick bracelets/necklaces. 

2. Don’t let your kids go off alone, while out as a family. Be sure to stick together.

3. If you’re in a group, make sure each child is assigned to an adult. It’s easy to think your child is taken care of in a group. Make sure by knowing which child each adult is responsible for. 

4. Go trick or treating on well lit streets. 

5. If it’s cold out be sure to layer up your kids under their costumes. 

6. Feed your kids an early dinner before they go out so they don’t snack on candy all night. 

7. Check all of your child’s candy before they eat it.  

8. If your kids have allergies, pick up a bag of candy they can have, so you can swap them out at the end of the night. 

9. If your child goes out alone, know where they are at all times. Decide on the routes your children will take.

10. Make sure your child’s costume fits properly so they don’t get hurt or their vision is obstructed. 

11. Bring a few healthy snacks to let your kiddos eat if they get hungry while you're out. 

 

Here are some amazing tips for taking pictures of your kids on Halloween too!

 

Do you have any tips for families on Halloween?