Forget about bloody fangs, hanging skeletons and cackling witches, if you want a real scare leading up to Halloween, try filling up your gas tank in California. An unprecedented spike in fuel prices has added more than 50 cents a gallon to the Golden State’s pump prices. The AAA reported that gas prices hit a record of $4.67 per gallon on Monday morning, though market analysts say that number should fall in the coming weeks. Still, for many families the damage is already done. Now, it’s a matter of cutting back in other areas in order to stop the bleeding. … Continue reading →

Sure, you can donate your leftover Halloween candy to hospitals, food pantries, churches and shelters. You could also send excess hard candy (chocolate melts in the desert) to troops based overseas. There are even some dentists and retailers who are buying kids’ Halloween loot. However, none of those ideas scream F-U-N to me the same way eating does. When I was young I refused to part with any of my sugar stash. After all, I schlepped for three hours collecting all that junk, and by gosh, I was going to devour every last calorie… unless it started with Laffy and … Continue reading →

When you’re a kid Valentine’s Day is basically another Halloween, except you don’t have to dress up in weird costumes order to score a ton of candy. My kindergartner is anxiously counting down the days until the Friday before Love Day. That’s the day my daughter’s class will exchange Valentine’s Day cards and treats. The students already made Valentine’s Day card boxes, so they have something to hold their stash of sweet treats. If you are looking for easy ways to combine the card and Valentine’s treat into one convenient bundle for your kid to take to school for his … Continue reading →