Where Families Connect

It’s finally Halloween and Sharefam.com wants to remind everyone to be extra safe tonight and keep a watch out for children in the roads. 

One of my favorite things to do on Halloween is check out the local pumpkin carving skills in the neighborhood. People really get creative with their pumpkins and take great pride in showcasing their talent. So I’ve put together a list of some very neat looking pumpkins I found around the web! Hope you enjoy them and have a Happy Halloween! 

And I must give credit where credit is do… I found these on Home-designing.com

Spider man!

Cheese!

Wicked Witch! By: Honey Moon Phase

Cheshire Cat! From: The Fun Times Guide 

Also from The Good Times Guide

Parent Hacks has done it again…they have created another great “Best of” list, but this time it’s for Halloween!

This is definitely worth check out, the list explains everything from how to prolong the life of you pumpkin, to the best Halloween books for kids, to what to do with your leftover candy.

Still trying to figure out what to dress your kids up as for Halloween?

Go vintage - check out this collection of old photos from Wired.com of children and adults in their Halloween costumes. Yes the picture quality may make it seem a little creepy, but it just goes to show how popular this holiday has been throughout America’s history.

Carmel covered candy apples are one of those treats that go hand-in-hand with Halloween. They are as beautiful as they are delicious… and messy to eat.

They are also a really fun activity to do with your kids. Check out this recipe and some of the beautiful candy apples I found on Your Homebased Mom.

According to MadTomato nearly 1.2 million U.S. computer users suffered almost $929 million in losses caused by phishing, and another 3.6 million adults lost $3.2 billion due to an escalation in phishing attacks last year.

Phishing is a form of identity theft, using fake Web sites, e-mail and sometimes even phone calls to lure you into disclosing personal information.

During October, Sharefam.com is recognizing Cyber Security Awareness Month by reminding you how not to become a victim of a phishing scam.

Here are some tips to help you stay cyber safe:

• Always use up-to-date anti-virus, anti-spyware and personal firewall software.
• Be careful about clicking links and opening attachments sent via e-mail.
• Do not respond to e-mail requests for personal information.
• Only use the phone numbers printed on your account statements when contacting organizations with your personal information.

Have you ever wondered where Halloween originated?…Why we wear costumes?…Why we carve pumpkins?…or why candy corn is the signature sweet of Halloween?

Check out Mental Floss’ s post 7 Burning Halloween Questions: Answered! 

In it Streeter Seidell explains the history and practices that led to the development of what is now the second most celebrated holiday in the world.

Halloween is just around the corner, and because this year it falls on Friday police are predicting a much bigger turn out of trick-or-treaters, making it even more important to make sure your child is safe this Halloween.

According to the National Safety Council nearly four times as many children aged 5-14 are killed while walking on Halloween evening compared with other evenings of the year, and falls are a leading cause of injuries among children on Halloween, says AtFishers.com.

However, knowing this, parents can supervise their children and make sure they know to follow a few rules to keep them safe and have a Happy Halloween.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Don’t buy costumes that are too long, costumes above the knee are the safest and ensure they won’t trip or fall while walking up and down stairs.
• Don’t let little children wear high heels - even the childrens versions are dangerous to run in.
• Makeup is better than masks, which can block vision. Test the makeup on your child’s wrist for 24 hours in advance to make sure there’s no allergic reaction.
• Use reflective tape on the front and back of your childs costumes, especially if their costume is dark, this will make them more visible to cars.
• Inspect treat bags as soon as you get home. Remove any items that look as if they have been opened, tampered with or pose a choking hazard.

As the elcetion rapidly approaches we have heard all sorts of arguments concerning healthcare - especially when it comes to children.

Here is an intersting article from ChattahBox talking about how millions of parents have had to cut their children from their health insurance.

This recipe is always one of the first dishes to disappear. So if you are planning to take it to an event with a lot of hungry people, I would suggest doubling the recipe.

Although it is a great recipe for any time of year - it is orange, so it fits well with Halloween!

Most of the recipes I’ve seen on the Internet tend to be the same - but here is one from The Passionate Foodie: Buffalo Chicken Dip. 

Here are some tips to help you stay cyber safe:

• Make sure you know who you are communicating with on the Internet. Only download attachments from sources you trust, and use caution because viruses don’t only come from spammers — they may come from people you know whose own computers are infected. If you get a suspicious-looking attachment from someone you know, compose a new e-mail to that person and ask whether the attachment is legitimate. If an e-mail came from someone you do not know, delete it.
• Protect your personal information -never enter it in pop-up windows or e-mail links. Always look for the yellow padlock in the bottom right corner or the right side of the address bar in your browser window before entering credit card information. This icon is a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) that is a standard security technology for creating an encrypted link between a Web server and a browser. This link ensures that all data passed between the Web server and browser remains private and integral.
• Scan attachments for viruses before opening. The most important thing that you can do to protect your computer from attack is to keep your anti-virus software up-to-date. Don’t ignore pop-up messages that remind you of your software updates. This ensures that your anti-virus software is always on guard.

For more safety tips check out this Cyber Safety Guide from Cyber Angels.