Halloween 2025

 

Noah had been talking about going trick or treating with his friends recently and wasn't sure what to dress as. I told him to find something we already had in the house because why buy a costume when you'll most likely wear it once. Luckily I saved a few old costumes and this was a last minute costume Noah put together. I think he looked really classy and give him a 10/10 for creativity! He's also going to turn 16 in 8 days!! I am just so glad that he still has that inner child in him. I miss those days of taking him and his sisters trick or treating. Those days have gone but am glad that he had the desire to dress up and go with his friends. I hope that he will continue to go trick or treating until he's 18 because you're still a teen and a little kid at heart! 

Spooky Season Is Here!

 

Here I am in the middle of October and finally blogging and expressing my love for Halloween! Spooky season is here in NYC and there are so many stoops already decked out in massive amounts of halloween decor! These are stoop goals. Well, first I have to have to be living in a brownstone on order to have stoop goals but every year this creative resident goes all out and decorates every year! We went at night time so this is the photo I captured. My sister will be visiting me in a couple of weeks so I am going to take her here and capture a shot during the day as well as traipsing all around the upper west side, UES to check out all the spooky decor! 

Halloween 2024.

And just like that...October is gone and November arrived like a leer jet. Before welcoming November I'd like to talk a little about October and how trick or treating went this year. First of all, let me mention that this was my first time preparing and handing out candy in about 25 years. All my years I've been taking the kids out trick or treating and mind you I never left a bowl of candy out because in all honestly we lived in an area where we didn't get many trick or treaters and just didn't bother because we weren't going to be home anyway. However, for the first time in the year 2024 I made cute little candy baggies and decorated my tin basket outside and guess how many trick or treaters came? Four! Luckily as I was putting everything inside I saw three more trick or treaters passing my house and gave them bags of candy. I still had at least 20 plus left. Oh well, since Noah didn't go out trick or treating I gave the candy to him and that was how my halloween went. Not sure I will do it again next year as we do live in an area that is near the turnpike where we hardly get trick or treaters but nonetheless I was grateful for those seven humans who came and passed through my space to hand out candy. And although I cried a bit, it was a pretty good feeling when I handed them out. 

Halloween Sunday!

Oh what a night! Had so much trick or treating with the kids tonight until my feet began to ache! Last night we had our yearly trunk or treat at our church and then we had round two tonight in our hood. It was a very energetic evening being that I had two extra kids with me all day! One for a full 48 hours but oh how fun it was to have had a toddler in my home again. Which is why I have Trent as the cover for this post. He totally reminded me of Noah at the age of four wearing this same costume! So happy to have another happy kid put it to use! It fit him perfect and Noah had so much fun having a "little brother" around the house. He wore him out but Noah didn't mind. I told him he had the same energy at that age and Noah was like, "I did??" LOL! I am just so glad these kids had a good time and since UPS doesn't deliver on Sundays it was nice having Jon around too! 

When Noah was little Jon didn't have too many halloweens off and now that Noah is getting older it's not like he cries for hid dad to take time off anymore. I know eventually I'll be the one handing out a bowl of candy at the house by myself while the kids are out halloweening but for now, as long as the kids haven't outgrown trick or treating and I have the strength to dress up and get out with them... I'll take it!

Boo-loon Land in NYC!!

My Instagram has taken over this little blog of mine lately and in all honesty have no idea how much longer I'll keep it active. As long as I have the energy and my carpal tunnel doesn't act up I will continue to document our adventures online. So if you continue to follow and read my blog and don't have an Instagram account I'll share bits and pieces of what's been happening lately on here. 

The Halloween festivities started early for us and I am excited! I love this time of year with all things autumn and Halloween! You can make Halloween fun without having it super dark and scary. Noah and I went to party city in New York and man did they go all out for the kids when it came to candy and balloons! Noah had a bad fall, bruised and scraped his knee a couple of days before and when I heard about this balloon pop-up event had to take him to cheer him up. We didn't dress up but we had fun venturing out and the balloon set ups were amazing! So creative and we loved every minute of walking through them while Noah was trick or treating! Eating wafels and dinges afterward was Noah's highlight of the day and he didn't even think about the pain in his leg while eating it! 

Carl Grimes & Princess Juanita Sanchez from The Walking Dead!

Going a bit backwards here on the blog and sharing a few pics from our Halloween this year. This Halloween, although extremely different was filled with last minute costumes, and last minute trick or treating. We were going to have a chill evening and dress up, but because the kids have had one hell of a year decided that they should go trick or treating. Chelsea wasn't going to dress up at first but at the last minute decided to be Princess Juanita from the Walking Dead and so we did some last minute shopping and she found all the pieces of her costume at Goodwill. Noah was her motivator since he was dressed as Carl Grimes from the walking dead. We went around our neighborhood first to trick or treat but to no avail. Not many neighbors were giving out candy or had candy out for kids to grab. Luckily our old neighborhood had a ton of houses who had treats already set out for kids to grab. The kids had so much fun and they came home with their bags full of candy. I am so happy that our old neighbors pulled through and made this Halloween fun for the kids. They truly deserved all the candy they got! Hoping that next year will somewhat be filled with more trick or treaters, but then again it was nice being outside with an abundance of caution all while the kids were smiling all throughout the evening while trick or treating!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween season this month has definitely been different this year and here's hoping that whatever plans you have that it is filled with fun, and laughter. Whether your keeping your distance and staying home watching scary movies, and answering the door to give trick or treaters a treat I hope it'll be a good memory.

Here's a young "Carl Grimes" going on a scavenger hunt-trick or treating at the shops at Hudson yards. It was a fun adventure and we were able to do this with an abundance of caution. Our kids still want to go out for a bit tonight so we will keep our distance while we're out and about. Although it doesn't feel like Halloween we will make it fun for our children, and I hope y'all do the same too. They deserve all the treats! 

Here's a little scary video to end this post! Happy Halloween everyone! 

King Kong In Brooklyn.

Noah is a huge fan of King Kong and whoever installed this gorilla prop is pure genius. And the fact that they added a mask to it is doubly cool! It truly is the coolest halloween decoration ever! The drive to Brooklyn was worth it. I sure do love how New York goes all out for Halloween. Even in Brooklyn. I love this small island and how big they go out to make it fun for everyone. Especially the kids. This year has definitely been a rough one and to see New Yorkers adding spooky fun, and joy this Halloween warms my heart and I'm sure the kids get a thrill out of it too! So looking forward to Halloween! 

Halloween Week In The City!

 

It's Halloween week and all month we have been venturing out to see all the creepy displays in the city. October is my favorite month and as long as we live on this side of Jersey you better be believe that we will make numerous trips just to see the Halloween decor and there are so many brownstones and blocks that are filled with all things spooky! Last year we went to a few homes and I posted most of them on my Instagram, but the more I see more of these amazing displays online the more I want to venture out and take the kids to see how creative New Yorkers get with Halloween. The fact that we have no backyard or even a small space to majorly decorate (thanks to our landlord being our neighbor) we get our Halloween fix by going to some of the best spots in the city to capture these amazing creepy creatures! This amazing home which I call 'the Addams Family' is located on 10th and photo is located 10th e. 67th st. Most of these decorated homes are located on the Upper west side. 

Here are more halloween decorated photos below with the locations if ever you're in the neighborhood!

The Pumpkin Arch At Pier 17 In NYC.

Happy National pumpkin day! This pumpkin arch is the best thing that has come to Pier 17. We found out about it last year and captured a few photos and when we heard they had it up again had to come back for more. It's a picture perfect moment to make memories and it's even dreamier at sunset with the lights lit. It truly is a beautiful display of pumpkins so if you need a pumpkin fix this is the place to go but you better hurry because it's only up until October 31st. 

More photos below....

The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze

For family night this past Monday we had tickets to go to the Great Jack O' Lantern Blaze and it did not disappoint! This was our first time going and to be honest don't know why I never bothered taking all the kids when they were younger and living at home. Well, once Sierra and Lexie are home for a visit we will definitely take them there. There are over 7,000 carved pumpkins displayed. From The Statue of Liberty, to the headless horseman. A unicorn, carousel, dragon, dinosaurs, sunflowers, and a graveyard to name a few. There are sooooo many pumpkins that are tastefully displayed in this blaze and it is definitely worth the price. It was a perfect beginning to start the witchy season. I love how New York does Halloween! You can see a little snippet of it on my tiktok here. More photos below...

Happy October!!!

I can't believe October has arrived! These photos were taken last year in the upper west side of Manhattan. We love coming here during October to see all the decorations in this neighborhood. I'm hoping that the residents of this location will decorate their stoop again. It's soooo aesthetic and since halloween is not cancelled in new york here's hoping that the UWS will go to town and spook up their stoops! Here's hoping for a fun month of tricks and treats wherever you live and that this pandemic won't ruin Halloween! 

Our Halloween Was A Happy One!

This is most likely the last photo to blog about this Halloween. With the light rain and gusty winds we had yesterday didn’t stop all the ghouls & goblins from trick-or-treating. Everyone was out and about and although the candy slowly filled up their bags all the kids in our hood had a great time. These kids managed to go to town receiving a lot of candy and we’re so grateful to our neighbors who go out of their way on Stockton Street & the little town of Windsor to make Halloween a fun and safe place for our kiddos! Hope everyone had a safe, and fun Halloween! Here's to November! 

The Headless Horseman & Katrina Van Tassel.

Ever since I introduced Noah to the Legend of Sleepy Hollow movie last year he wanted to be the Headless horseman for Halloween this year. He also wanted Chelsea to team up with him somehow and so luckily I found the perfect costume for her to be Katrina Van Tassel minus the blond hair and I think they both look great in their costumes! 

It's Spooky Season In Manhattan!

New York in the fall never never disappoints especially when brownstones and their stoops look like this! How fun it would be to live in one of these only so I can decorate it! Man would I love that! When fall comes around we drive into the city just so that we can walk around the upper west side to see if anyone has done any early decorating yet, and there were a few that did. Instagram helps us out with that! It's never a waste of time when we come into the city no matter what season we are in but New York in the fall is breathtaking and beautiful and so far we have seen some decorated, halloween magic among city life!

A Monster Mash Lawn!

Is it me or does it feel like October is rushing along! There are so many things we love to do during the fall season, but have come to terms that we can't do them all and that's okay. One thing we look forward to is going pumpkin picking. No matter how many kids are left in the house that will be one family tradition that we will never oversee. Since we live in a small space with a shared porch I don't really decorate anymore. Mums, carved pumpkins and a fall wreath is as far as my porch will take! I do miss it going all out but I am happy that the kids understand and that they appreciate the little decor we have to decorate our apartment. Since we don't have a yard to decorate wanted to share this photo from last year. One of our neighbors goes all out on Halloween and decorates his heart out of his lawn! He has been doing this for 16 years, and every year says he isn't going to do it anymore but he does it anyway...for the kids! Pretty spooky! 

Little Red Riding Hood & The Big Bad Wolf!

Happy Halloween everybody! I can't believe we are at the end of October, and that another Halloween is happening! I still remember last years halloween and feel as if we all celebrated it yesterday. It's such a fun holiday, and since we've moved have really gotten into the halloween spirit. Maybe it's because our street is decked out with spooks, and neighbors who actually know how to do halloween! 

Salem In October!

Going to Salem village in October was pretty crazy with all the crowds, carnivals, and festivals that were going on. I didn't realize how crowded, and crazy it gets up this time of year, but that's what happens when Salem is infamous for the witch trials, Hocus Pocus, and Stephen King. 

Boo At The Bronx Zoo!

There are days when I need an energy boost, and long for the city where there are a million and one things to do, and there are days when I just want to stay home, and relax. Thankfully we live close to the city where we can venture out for a few hours, and yesterday I literally felt time slipping through my hands with this kid because like the hustle that New York City brings-so is his birthday.

New York in October!

I have to tell ya each year for us Halloween just gets better and better. Even though these kids are getting up there in age they still make this holiday fun! I love that Chelsea is 13.5 years old and still likes to go trick or treating with us. All of my girls were like that until they left for college. I am hoping that these two will continue to celebrate Halloween every day in many different ways. Whether it's going on simple walks to see Halloween decorations, pumpkin picking, or going to sleepy hollow!