Halloween 2010

Halloween isn't generally celebrated in Brazil.  We have Kids' Day, which kind of makes up for it.

In the past, our family has driven about 2 hours away to a Halloween-themed pizza place.  That was fun, but we are kind of sick of that place - and it is pretty expensive.

We could have just let Halloween go on by and do nothing.  The kids probably wouldn't have minded that much.  But, we decided to have some family fun instead.

The day before, Carys made these cute Halloween lanterns.  She is so artistic. You just have to show her once how to do something and she takes off and does it.

On Halloween Day, here's what we did:

Carys and I made some pumpkin pancakes for breakfast.  Pump-cakes.  Get it?

(I just used my normal pancake recipe, put cocoa in about a cup of the batter, and orange food coloring in the rest.)

We put the faces on the griddle first - using a medicine syringe.

Then the orange on top.

When you flip it, you have a pumpkin face.

It was a fun way to start the day.

The kids actually put on costumes and went trick-or-treating on our street.   Ansley gives English classes to our neighbor, Eduarda.  She said that she had always gone trick-or-treating on our street.  We were surprised.

(Just so you know, Ansley wouldn't normally dress up and go trick-or-treating.  She did it for Eduarda.)

They tried, but I think they got one sucker each until they came to our house.  Kevin and I had gone to the store and bought a bunch of junk - so they were loaded up enough.

(That's me.  I've let my hair go natural.  Not really.)

After trick-or-treating,  Carys and I made a Halloween feast.

Mummy hotdogs.

Mummy pizzas.

Veggie dip.

Apple bites.

And spider-web cupcakes.

All the food ideas are from Family Fun.

Even though the kids didn't get to do the traditional American Halloween activities, we still had fun and I hope they will always remember special times like these.