GPP 2018 - Week Two (Planning Cont'd)

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AuntJamelle

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List Making Sept 23 - Sept 29, 2018
  • Party Planning

    • There are a TON of sources on the web for Halloween party planning! But here are some basic thoughts: If hosting a party, make lists for

      • Guests to invite, when you want to invite them and how (Email? Text? Facebook?)

        • If sending paper invitations, schedule time to purchase them/make them in time to mail them
      • Decor plans

        • Review items you already have and get an idea of what you need/want to purchase

        • Add items to be purchased to budget and your Master Shopping List

        • Will you be DIY’ing any decor? Add supplies to budget/shopping list as well! AND plug in the time to actually do the DIY’ing on your calendar!
      • Menu plans

        • Research ideas for fun Halloween themed ways of presenting food as desired

        • Will you purchase paper plates, etc.? Will you buy regular or are you wanting Halloween color/patterns?

        • Add needed items to Master Holiday Grocery List and Shopping List
      • Games/Activities planning

      • Soundtrack - Will you turn on a Pandora station? Download MP3s and create a custom track? Purchase CDs?

      • If costume party, will you hand out prizes? Research fun ideas!
  • Parties to Attend

    • Will you be bringing a dish? Take time now to decide if you want to attempt something new and/or fun in a Halloween theme or if you are going tried and true.

    • Pick up glow sticks/necklaces/bracelets for your kids from the dollar store; Optional - buy extra for other little ones that will be there! Another idea, if you and host of party are comfortable with it and weather permits, is to bring some packages of sparklers for the kids!
  • Trick or Treat Planning

    • Will you be taking the kids somewhere other than your neighborhood? What do you need to take with you? The kids and the costumes are no brainers, but what about candy pails? Flashlights? Snacks? Water bottles? Hand warmers? What if it rains? Take a few minutes to think about what you’ve done in the past or things that would have gone smoother if you had XYZ with you. Make a list!!!

    • Will you be participating in a Trunk or Treat event? Begin planning now for how you will decorate your vehicle. Will you coordinate your own costume with vehicle decor? List items to be purchased and/or DIY’d.

    • Will you be camping for Halloween? How will you decorate your campsite? List items as decided.

    • Will you be handing out candy from your home?

      • In the daylight, inspect your lawn, driveway and front path for things that may trip kids up - tree roots, cracks in concrete, etc. and make repairs

      • If front yard has light up decorations, make sure electrical cords are out of harm’s way

      • Plan for path to front door to be brightly lit - or at least enough to see by - after dark; Glow sticks, luminaries, etc. would work in a pinch!
  • Family Fun

    • If attending a community event option, visit websites or call to determine hours of operation, ticket prices and any other relevant information and add info to your lists/calendar tool

    • Research and plan for any other family fun ideas; Are there items to purchase for glow in the dark bubbles or some other craft project you want to do with the kids this year? Plan for it now so it happens!

    • Locate your Halloween themed movies and have them ready to pull out

    • Locate any Halloween themed children’s books put away last year and get those ready to bring out for the kids! Optional: Get on your library’s website and pick out some fun new Halloween books to check out this year!

    • Want to serve some crazy Halloween themed food at dinner one night? Plan it now! Add items as needed to Master Grocery Shopping List! Plug in the date to save it on your calendar!

    • Take some time and print out cheesy little Halloween cartoon jokes - cut them out and slip into your kid’s lunch boxes or their backpacks!
  • Candy Stock-up

    • Purchase at least one bag of candy during normal grocery trips this week - HIDE!
  • Decor Double Check

    • Do you know where your Halloween decor is? Find it! Wrestle it out where it will be easy to grab next week!

    • Confirm that any light up decor you own is in working order, check bulbs and batteries, replacing as needed
 
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Holiday_Mom

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Trick or Treat Planning - I'm hoping my dd stays home to trick or treat. Last minute she went to a friends. We usually have a quick dinner on Halloween paper plates. I need to check on the front garage lights to see if they are on a timer.

Family Fun - We have a community pumpkin festival we'll go to in October and maybe a corn maze if time permits.

Decor - I'll be bringing up the Halloween books, decorations and music from our basement next week.
 
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AuntJamelle

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Ordered Halloween costume for DS today! So excited! He has been obsessed with watching Inspector Gadget on Netflix lately - so ordered that costume for him :) Nice to have that done and to not have to do additional crafting to make it!!!

Next up - buy some candy!!! And talk with my sister about Halloween camping menu!
 

HouseElf

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Inspector Gadget is a great costume AJ!

I've changed our menu a few times over the holidays - finding I wanted out of the kitchen a little earlier in the day. This year we will make caramel apples again on Halloween and will decorate some gingerbread men into mummy's.
For the meal I was thinking a squash soup and beef pies. Piping some sour cream spider webs onto the soup, and cutting out either jack-o-lantern faces or Jack Skellington on the pies top crust. Will have mulled cider and make a 'poison punch'.

We are all home this Halloween, so will watch some of our fav movies as we wait to hand out candy (The Great Pumpkin , Halloween Tree, Hocus Pocus...)
 
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AuntJamelle

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Tam - All of your food plans sound delicious and ADORABLE! I want to make caramel apples every year and never make it happen! Maybe this year! And I've always wanted to do the mummy gingerbread cookies too!

And the pies! Yum!!!!
 

luludou

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this year with the bathroom remodel I won't plan much. But we used to have Halloween parties for a few years with our friends then we changed that to having a weekend away with everyone and this year Nothing. So I'm thinking a Halloween party next year.
 
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Holiday_Mom

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Updates:
Menu - If dd goes out in our neighborhood this year, we might do mummies for dinner (Hot dogs wrapped in a crescent roll.)
Costume- I have two out of three parts of the costume. I'm on the hunt for a tan button down shirt at thrift shops. If I can't find it in the next few weeks, then I'll order it online.
Garage lights - timer and light bulbs need to be done by dh.
Candy - Bought 4 types of candy to hand out.