Halloween – a favorite holiday…dressing up for school is “required” and a most magical start to the day.  And the day comes early in these parts – 7AM out the door in full witch regalia to the mid-school (first prize for best costume – Morticia Adams meets the Sanderson Sisters)…who knew?

The Montessori school celebrated with International Children’s Day…come dressed in your native clothes and bring a dish from your country…..3 pounds of Chinese Chicken Lo Mein worked the magic and was gone in a flash.  Of course I agonized over whether it was authentic enough and whether the taste was right, but my taste testers proclaimed it was great!

Our  after-school pumpkin carving set the proper mood for the much anticipated main event.  I finally listened to all the decorating experts and cut the bottom of the pumpkin, rather than the top, and it worked perfectly….so much easier to insert the candle (a battery one just felt safer this year), and carve the face….no more wobbly stem tops.

TRICK-OR-TREAT!  This neighborhood goes all out – bonfires, haunted front yards, and candle-lit paths to guide the way.

And pizza – real New York pizza – for a sizzling end to a hallowed holiday…simply MAGICAL!