getting ready for Halloween!

Of all of the Halloween traditions, Vivi was probably most excited about carving pumpkins. I don't have many of my own childhood pumpkin carving memories except for the fondness I felt for digging out the guts and roasting the seeds. This year, we opted to let the girls take a more active role (read: Vivi took an active role. Charlie was more interested in helping out in the kitchen than in carving.) by using kid-friendly Pumpkin Masters kits.

The kits come with stencil-like pictures and safer cutting instruments. I must admit that even though there's nothing particularly safe or fun about my usual sharpie pen/steak knife method, I was skeptical about adding new elements to our pumpkin-carving routine. I guess it's just that rituals are ingrained, and cursing while I look around the junk drawer for tea lights and a mostly worn down sharpie is part of that ritual.

Having said all that, there is much to be lauded about this alternative. Nate effortlessly carved two pumpkins in about 15 minutes, then we plopped in two blinking lights (also by Pumpkin Masters) and called it a day. No sharpies, steak knives, or tea lights involved!

The best part for the girls was that each kid got to choose a design for their own pumpkin, which beat my standard approach of scrawling boring, misshapen jack-o-lantern faces without their input. They beamed at the finished results, and even if Nate did still do the lion's share of the job, the girls felt involved. For me the best part about the kits, apart from ease and safety, is that we can store and use them for years to come, making the whole experience a frugal one!


In case you'd like to go pro and share your results, you can join up with the Pumpkin Masters Carving Contest. Here's info about that:

Pumpkin Masters is searching for carving talent as part of its annual Pumpkin Masters Carving Contest. Share a pic of your carving via Instagram or Twitter with #PumpkinMasters2013, submit via the Facebook app or send via email to: social@pumpkinmasters.com to enter for the chance to win one of six prizes, including $5,000 for the Best Pumpkin. The contest runs through October 31, 2013. For Contest details and official rules, go to: http://clvr.li/pumpkinmasters2013 (be sure to use this specific URL when linking to the contest!).

{Author's Note: Here are posts I wrote about Halloween in past years: Horsie Cuteness, DIY Holiday Fun, YEE-HAlloween!, Wonder Woman's Beauty Secrets}

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.