When School-age Children Are Sick

It never fails. One of your children gets sick when your spouse is away on business and you have a full schedule. To complicate matters, it can be difficult deciding when to keep a child home and when to forge ahead business as usual.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the typical child has 6 to 12 illnesses a year ranging from mild to severe. Illness can occur throughout the year, but tends to cluster in the winter due to flu season. These illnesses can seem to spread like wild fire affecting other students, teachers, and family members. Sometimes even minor illnesses require the child to stay home just to prevent the further spread of a contagious disease.

In addition to consulting your pediatrician and school nurse, these tips can help you decide whether to keep your child at home for some of the most common sick symptoms:

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Cardboard Box Costume Ideas for Halloween

Some adorable costumes have come to light using little more than a cardboard box, some paint, and lots of imagination. Here are several ideas to choose from. Happy Halloween!

All of the costumes listed here use a cardboard box.


Robot

1 large box
1 small box
gray hooded sweatsuit
silver spray paint
gray, white, or black gloves
silver face paint
markers
4 plastic milk jug lids
aluminum foil

Seal one end of box with silver duct tape. Leave other end open. Do this with both boxes. Spray paint silver, let dry. When dry, cut circle out of small box so when placed on child's head, the hole will be there for his/her face. Cut open ends off or fold inside box. Follow above instructions for large box, then cut holes for arms. Wrap milk jug lids in aluminum foil, then glue lids on box in front, along bottom as control knobs. use markers (or paint if you prefer) to draw horizontal lines across the front of the box for effect. Paint face silver.



Too see the rest of these great ideas visit FamilyCorner.com

Mummy Cookies

Ask your Mummy to bake some mummy cookies for you! These little guys are all wrapped up and just waiting to be eaten. Covered in frosting and white chocolate, they're just too cute to be scary.

What You Need

1 roll of sugar cookie dough or your favorite homemade sugar cookie recipe
1 medium-sized gingerbread boy cookie cutter
"Red Hots" candies or other round candies for eyes
canned vanilla frosting
white chocolate almond bark

Getting Ready

Gather ingredients for the cake according to box directions.

Make sure that children use pot holders and have some handy wipes or a sink nearby to wash hands.

Now you are ready to start making mummy cookies...

The get the instructions go to FamilyCorner.com

Harvesting and Storing Herbs

I am not going to pretend to know the proper technique for every herb out there - there are far too many! But, over the years I have gathered many harvest and storage tips that have worked for me and many other gardeners.

My first tip is to be brave! So many people that write me are afraid to cut back their herb plants. Herbs are very tough with the right conditions. It's often what you least expect that hurts them-such as overwatering, too much fertilizer or too rich of a soil. Many herbs, such as lemon balm, mint, chives, sage and oregano maybe cut within two or three inches of the ground and will grow back within no time for another harvest! If you are in doubt, you can cut back by half to be cautious.

Gather your herbs, using sharp kitchen or gardening shears, in the morning after the dew has dried. You will also catch the peak flavor if you harvest just BEFORE flowering, but don't let this deter you from harvesting if you have missed that time frame. You can dry the flowers for wreaths and dried arrangements and use the leaves for cooking. If you live in a zone that freezes be sure to allow your herbs a month and 1/2 or so before frost to grow after you harvest and before the first frost.

For more on freezing, drying and storing your herbs go to FamilyCorner.com

Cut Your Future Holiday Bills in Half

Most of us have a certain number of holidays that we celebrate each and every year. That means quite a number of extra "gifts" will need to be purchased for family and friends.

Here's how you can get the best bargains on holiday merchandise, and how you can save quite a bit off your "gift" bills.


Here's What Happens

Every single year, about a month and a half prior to any "major" (popular) holiday, most retail and department stores offer holiday related merchandise. For example, you'll probably find:

Halloween Costumes - October
Santa related decorations - December
Autumn and turkey decor - November
Hearts/Candy assortments - February

As each holiday approaches, the majority of the general public rush to buy these high priced "holiday" gifts a few weeks or days before the celebration. Stores expect this. They love the holidays.

Why?

Simple. Hundreds and thousands of eager shoppers will come through their door and spend, spend, spend.

Read more on FamilyCorner.com

Cardboard Tube Scarecrow

This fun recycled craft made from a paper towel roll and scrap fabrics and felts is an adorable project for Fall. Gather the kids around, pull out the craft supplies and get cracking on your own scarecrows!

You will need

cardboard tube from paper towel or wrapping paper
straw doll hat
felt: tan, peach or cream, light blue, orange, and brown
bandana
3 buttons
2 pink sequins
2 small wiggle eyes
2" piece of skinny black chenille
1" foam flower
1/2" brown pom pom
scissors
white craft glue or hot glue gun

Editor's Note: We used hot glue as it adheres so much quicker than white craft glue. However, if you are making this project with small children, you may want to use white glue or even a glue stick. You may also do the gluing for them if using the hot glue gun.

To get the instructions and a printable version, visit the Cardboard Tube Scarecrow craft on FamilyCorner.com

Getting Organized for Halloween: 10 Spooktacular Tips

Ghosts, witches, goblins and black cats... yes, it's Halloween once again. Here are 10 tips to ensure this holiday is a fun one for your and your family.

1. MAKE A LIST
Make a checklist of everything you'd like to do for Halloween--such as making/getting costumes, having a party, attending a festival, carving a pumpkin, getting some scary books or videos at the library and taking the kids trick-or-treating, safety precautions, and baking pumpkin pie.

2. DECORATE FOR THE SEASON
It's time to pull out your tried-and-true Halloween decorations from year's past. If they're not in one organized place this year, be sure you put them all in one organized place for next year when you're done with them.

3. FIND THE FESTIVITIES
Using the Web and your local newspapers, find out what Halloween festivities are happening in your area. Schedule some outings for your family and enjoy the season. Apple picking, pumpkin picking and hay rides are popular this time of the year.

4. SEARCH YOUR TV LISTINGS
Search through your TV listing and make a schedule of all Halloween programs and cartoons you wish to watch. If the family can't be together when a particular program is airing, video tape it and watch it together later on.

To see the rest of these tips, visit Getting Organized for Halloween: 10 Spooktacular Tips on FamilyCorner.com