New Treats, No Tricks

Well we are gearing up for Halloween here.  It is not a big thing to me but of course all the kiddos love it.  And Other Mother and Princess Emma really do it up well.  I always have the bowl of candy and all but neighborhood trick or treating has really become non-existent.  Most of the kiddos here go to the town square and the businesses have booths set up for them there.  It is safe but sure does change the whole look of Halloween.  Oh and it is not even dark when they are there!  I understand all the safety precautions but, WOW, how life has changed.  What was your favorite part of Halloween when you was a kiddo?  The candy, dressing up, staying out after dark?  Mine?  The lil ol lady who put a bowl full of candy on her porch and left it for us.  Honor system....sure.  Never worked.  We all took great big ol handfuls from that one!  Or my favorite lil ol lady who always had a whole 6 pack of full size Hershey chocolate bars just for me!  That is a Halloween haul in itself.

Of course I know that we have to adapt to the changes in the world.  So I also am doing my part.  This year I am contributing prizes to a Halloween party.  Instead of just tons of tummy ache candy there will be door prizes, games with prizes for the winners and even a scavenger hunt.  Since my own Grandbabes will not be here I thought that if I shared some prizes then it would be a good way for me to get into the spirit of giving.  So what to share?  Well of course we are adding in a big bag of mixed candy for the kiddos.  But then we thought we would do some more original gifts.  My first pick was Hand Vibes.  Have you seen them?  Well they are like the ever popular rubber bracelets but are rings instead.  And each one has different words on them.  Mine say "Groovy" "!Live!" and "Word".  Another one has a heart on one side and a broken heart on the other.  There are also hidden rings in the package that may have words on them as these do or could be rainbow, black or emoticon on them.  Of course they are on Facebook like the rest of us.  Great place to show off the ones you have.

Another one I am sharing is JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS: THE TRULY OUTRAGEOUS COMPLETE SERIES on DVD.  This was a 1980's cartoon that played up on the girl power pop rock culture that was so popular.  I know that I had it on so I could be-bop to the tunes with my lil girl.  Yeah we know that us mom's watch all the cartoons too.  Really try not to get the Phineas & Ferb soundtrack not stuck in your head!  But Jem and the Holograms was like battle of the bands for kids.  And the 1980's fashion was so much fun.  I mean who does not want pink or purple big hair?  Okay, I am a throw back.  Well I bet that there will be others who will enjoy this now as much as we did then.  Oh and I also have coloring sheets you can grab too!  Wonder if you will get the crayons out to 'play' with the kiddos?

Now I also have three books to share with the party gifts.  They are great mysteries that all take place in Scotland.  Quite a change from the norm so I think that they will be great to explore.  I love that I have one book great for girls, one great for the boys and one that will go either way very well.  Cloudberry Castle is wonderful and one that Princess Emma would love for a bed time chapter book.  In it Katie's family has inherited a castle.  There is where Katie hopes to one day build her ballet school.  But her folks are considering selling the castle.  Katie starts finding out the secrets of the castle and things begin to get a lil mixed up then.  But Katie's family, friends and her own goals helps her to unravel the mystery.  She just hopes that she can get it all in time....before she loses her dreams.

We move on to Red Fever for the boys.  Wow!  Here a deadly virus is knocking off the people on earth.  And Toby's sister has now come down with it.  His family takes to the coast searching for a cure before it is too late.  They battle the storms on the water, fight off pirates that are chasing them and encounter packs of dogs that are very very hungry.  It seems that the odds are all against them.  Toby does find that even thought his world has completely changed, his family has not.  As a matter of fact they are getting closer still. But will the Red Fever get his sister before they can find a cure?  Or will they lose out to all the adversity around them?

Last we have Rocking Horse War.  This is the one for me.  From magic to missing triplets to intrigue, you have it all.  Set in the Highlands in the 1920's, Pearl is trying to find her siblings.  They disappeared with only a few clues as to where they went.  Teaming up with Thomas who she meets while she is searching it seems that he is the only one who may be able to help her.  But is he looking for her brother and sisters or is he working on his own plans.  Discovering a world of magic all around her, Pearl is fighting off magicians and the very land she walks hoping that there is a way to get everything back to the way it should be.

I love all three of these books.  And think they will be great to add in for such a night full of spooktacular fun.  What great alternatives to candy all night.  Thanks to all who have let me review these items and share with me.  As always, this is unpaid of course.  But I did get lucky to actually have the books, rings and DVD sent to me to try out.  Who could ask for a better hobby?

Related articles

• Truly Outrageous Jem and the Holograms painted earrings and cuffs (zacharypryor.wordpress.com)
• A Fun Halloween Tote Bag Giveaway from Colortime! (Rafflecopter) (susanheim.blogspot.com)