Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to Bay Vista Apartment Residents!  What are you being this year?

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Chula Vista and Trick or Treat

San Diego has many neighborhoods to choose from when taking your kids Trick or Treating.  Here are the best neighborhoods where your kids can hang out with their friends and collect their favorite candy.

San Diego County is famous for being a family-friendly place to live with a large number of middle- to upper-income neighborhoods. What more could trick-or-treaters want? There are several factors to take into consideration when planning your kids’ trick-or-treating adventures. First and foremost, you want your kids going door-to-door in the safest neighborhoods possible. While most of San Diego is generally safe, there are a few areas that stand out as the safest places to trick-or-treat that have low crime rates and well lit streets. A second factor is whether or not a lot of other trick-or-treaters will be around the area. Dead towns are no fun for kids where there are few people who celebrate, so make sure you head toward areas where a lot of people will be handing out candy with festively decorated homes. You also want a neighborhood with a good density of homes so it doesn’t require walking a marathon just to visit each house in the area. If you still can’t decide on where to go, there are several planned events around San Diego where kids can trick-or-treat safely. Here is a brief list of the top places to go trick-or-treating in San Diego County.

1. Ocean Beach: The laid back surfer village of O.B. has several good streets for kids to wander and collect bags of candy. The friendly residents love to celebrate Halloween and are waiting with big bowls of candy for all your little ghouls and goblins. The neighborhood has over 12,000 people packed into a 1.5 square mile area which means there are plenty of doors to knock on this Halloween.
2. Carmel Mountain: Carmel Mountain is often regarded as the ultimate trick-or-treating neighborhood in San Diego because of the massive number of streets packed with tract homes right next to each other. The difference between this area and the rest of suburban San Diego is that the median household income is right around the $100,000 range, meaning the candy bars might be a little bigger and better than other areas. All the streets are family-friendly and most people have their own kids heading out on them to collect as many sweets as possible.
3. Pacific Beach: P.B. is another densely packed neighborhood, and you may have to drive around a little to find the perfect streets but the good ones will pay huge dividends (in candy that is). P.B. dwellers love to celebrate any chance they get and Halloween is one of their favorite holidays of the year. Count on witnessing some of the wildest costumes, scariest haunted houses, and friendly neighbors around. With over 7,600 people per square mile, it is almost guaranteed that every street will have some good trick-or-treating.
4. Carlsbad: Carlsbad is the ultimate family-friendly suburban beach town of North County. The median income is well above the San Diego County average and the population of around 100,000 is generally composed of families with young with kids who love to dress up and head out on the streets. Carlsbad is known for its low crime rate and friendly beach-loving residents.
5. Local Church Halloween Carnivals: There are tons of local churches around San Diego that offer Halloween carnivals where kids can play games and fill their bags with just as much candy as they would on the streets of Ocean Beach. A church Halloween carnival is a safe and fun experience for the youngsters and the parents don’t need to worry about them wandering off too far or knocking on the wrong door.
6. LEGOLAND California Brick-or-Treat: The most popular kids’ Halloween event in North County is in LEGOLAND where they host Brick-or-Treat. The event happens a few times throughout the month with the biggest on Saturday the 29^th (because it’s not a school night). The kids can experience the extravagant LEGOLAND Park while indulging in their favorite costumed candy-eating holiday of the year.
7. Trick-or-Treat on India Street: Little Italy offers the kids of downtown a fun and safe option for trick-or-treating. They work with a lot of the local businesses in Little Italy who open their doors for trick-or-treaters to come by and show off their costumes in return for handfuls of candy.

Trick-or-Treat on Magic Street: The radio station Magic 92.5 hosts an annual trick-or-treat carnival on Magic Street in Chula Vista. Driving north to downtown is often out of the question for Chula Vista residents so having something in the center of town that is safe and fun for the entire family is a great way to celebrate Halloween.

For more information see Mission Beach.

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Halloween Party Kids Game

Do you have tons of leftover candy every year that no one wants to eat?  Here is a great low cast Halloween game that is great for kids at a party.  Keep reading to find how to make this super easy candy toss game.

What can be done with all that leftover Halloween candy (besides causing cavities)? Toss it into the open mouths of these three greedy ghosts, and it becomes a fun game for one or a whole party!

Supplies: Cardboard box (at least 12 inches tall and
18 inches wide)
Black and white tempera/craft paint
Scraps of orange paper
Metallic paint pen or permanent marker
(optional)
Glitter (optional)
Newspaper
Tape
Pencil
Paintbrush
Craft knife
Glue stick

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Here's How:

1.|  Find a cardboard box and use tape to close the open end.

2.|  Use a pencil to draw three simple ghosts onto the box; give each ghost a different sized mouth.

3.|  Then, use a craft knife (an adult’s job) to cut out the mouths.

4.| Next, cover the work area with newspaper. Paint the ghosts white and their eyes and the rest of the box (except the bottom) black. (Glitter can be sprinkled into the wet paint for an extra touch.)

5.|  Allow the paint to dry and, if needed, give it a second coat. After the box is completely dry, add designs to the black background with paint or a marker, if desired.

6.|  Now, cut three different numbers from orange paper and use a glue stick to adhere one to each ghost. These will be the points for getting treats into the mouths, so give the smallest mouth the highest number and the largest mouth the lowest number.

7.|  The greedy ghosts are ready to eat! Predetermine the number of tries each player will get and how far back they should stand. Then Trick-or-Treaters can take turns tossing treats into the ghosts gaping mouths, scoring points for each successful throw. (Use math skills to keep score and the game has a hidden educational bonus!)

8.|  When the game is over, players can reach into the mouths to retrieve the candy...if they are brave enough!

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More Ideas:

• Use cut paper instead of paint to create the ghosts.
• Simply paint or write the numbers on instead of using cut paper.
• Decorate the sides and top of the box with Halloween pictures or stickers.
• Leave the numbers off and fill the box with treats, for a Halloween decoration that dispenses party food or favors.
• To play in the dark, paint the ghosts with glow-in-the-dark paint, or put glow sticks inside the box.
• For a fair game when there are several players, only use candy that is all the same size (and unbreakable), such as salt-water taffy.
• Instead of trying to throw the candy in from a distance, place the box with the ghosts up so younger players can stand over it and drop them into the mouths.
• In place of candy, play with small inexpensive toys, like super balls or plastic spider rings.
• Award a prize to the winner; perhaps the contents of the box after the game.
• Make this project with witches or jack-o-lanterns instead of ghosts.

For more information see San Diego Family.

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Creative School Lunches

Do you want to get creative with your kid's school lunches? Here are some great ideas and tips to surprise your son or daughter when they open their lunch box tomorrow.

We have started to make some fun & easy bento school lunches for Halloween.  This Pumpkin Bento Lunch is super easy to make and a fun way to get the kids to eat carrots without complaining!  We used a Easy Lunchboxes Container. 

 

Pumpkin Bento Lunch

2 Pieces of Bread

Cheddar Cheese

Turkey (optional)

Lettuce

1 Carrot

1 Clementine

Large Pretzel Stick

1 Fruit Leather Strip

Pumpkin Shaped Cookies (found at World Market)

Black Edible Marker

We cut our bread, cheese, and turkey with a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter.  You could also just shape it yourself using kitchen scissors if you do not have a cutter.  We placed the turkey in the middle of the 2 bread slices and the cheese on top.  We cut a small strip from our fruit leather using kitchen scissors. We cut the strip into triangles to make the pumpkin face for the sandwich. We put lettuce under the pumpkin sandwich for the kids to put on the sandwich at lunchtime.  We place 2 pumpkin shaped cookies on the sides of the sandwich to look like a pumpkin patch.  

We cut a large peeled carrot into slices. We then snipped out 2 corners from the top using kitchen scissors to shape the slices into pumpkins.  We did end up squeezing a bit of ranch dressing on the side to dip the pumpkin carrots in.  

We cut a small circle from the top of a clementine.  We broke off a piece of a large pretzel stick and pushed it into the top.  We used black edible marker to make a pumpkin face.  We cut a piece of a green grape to look like a leaf. 

 

For more tips and tricks see Kitchen Fun.

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San Diego Free Events

Do you need something to do this weekend?  Here are some great tips on free San Diego events for your family to go to this weekend.

1. Annual Pacific Beachfest

On Saturday, October 6, Pacific Beach will be hosting a one-day event to highlight all that San Diego beaches have to offer. This year the Pacific Beachfest will feature a Pro/Am Surf Competition Final with surfers competing from around the world, an Action Alley where professional skaters will be on hand demonstrating their skills, a beach volleyball tournament, as well as artists, vendors, activities and music.

2. ArtOberfest Walkabout

On Saturday, October 6 from 6:00 to 10:00 PM, visitors can walk around the neighborhood of South Park and enjoy a fun-filled evening festival and be introduced to the shops and cafes of South Park. From Kalmia to Beech Streets, you’ll find shops open late, entertainment, specials and surprises. Browse, explore, shop and celebrate the independent spirit of this legendary neighborhood!

3. Old Town San Diego Art Festival

Watch the streets of Historic Old Town San Diego transform into an art extravaganza on Saturday and Sunday, October 6-7. Stroll down San Diego Avenue and see the variety of artists, entertainment, food and wine. And for the first time this year, there will be a Young Artist area that will feature a children’s art competition.

4. Friday Night Liberty & Fall for the Arts Kickoff

October is when arts and culture takes center stage in San Diego. Fall for the Arts is a month-long spotlight on the many vibrant arts and cultural activities throughout the region in conjunction with National Arts and Humanities Month. On Friday, October 5, at the NTC Liberty Station, local arts and culture organizations will present hundreds of free (and almost free!) events to ensure residents and visitors can get more bang for the buck!

For more information see San Diego Org

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