Before you and your family set out trick-or-treating this Friday night, you might want to read up on some Halloween safety tips from these great sites. It’s a fantastic way to make sure your little ghouls and boys have a frighteningly fun time this Halloween!

• Before you slather white makeup on your son’s face to turn him into the Joker, check out these tips on makeup, candy and more from the FDA.
• Make sure your munchkins have a safe and stress-free night with a little advice from the Los Angeles’ Fire Department.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics has an exceptional list of Halloween safety tips for the kids of all ages in your family.
• Worried that your pets might get spooked or sick from all the Halloween festivities? The ASPCA Blog offers a variety of tips for keeping Fido and your felines healthy and happy throughout the holiday weekend.
• aPARENTly Speaking offers some great tips that we wouldn’t have thought of, including using a glow stick instead of a candle to light your jack-o-lantern.

Keeping your kids together when you go out may seem like a nightmare-imagine big crowds and little kids. Kate Gosselin from Jon and Kate Plus 8 used special rings (Lakeshore Learning) to get her kids together during 4th of July and some moms are now using leashes (Amazon.com)and velcroed straps (Perfectlysafe.com) made just for kids. Some teachers use the walking rings them to keep their students together during field trips. Check out “Safety Craft for Teachers” for information on how you can make your own.

One of my best memories as a child were the times I spent camping with my family. It’s a great way to bond with your kids and a creative way to celebrate their birthday. Here are a few ways to help you get ready for fun, fall nights, roasting marshmallows and camping under the stars.

1) There are specific camping equipment made for kids. Check out some of these cool camping gear. (Kids Dome Camping Tent and Youth Glow-in-the-Dark Solar Quad Chair from Coleman.)

2) Then, before you go make sure to test out all your equipment and gear outside or inside of your home.

3) Don’t forget to pack the essentials such as lots of water, sunscreen and an emergency kit. These are from REI.

4) Choose somewhere nearby and make sure to find out if you’ll need to obtain a permit to camp there.

5) Have fun with food! Check out Familyfun.com for recipes from everything from s’mores and trail mix to pan-fried trout! Yum!

6) And if you’re throwing a camping birthday party or just a casual gathering with family and friends, send out one of these fun, party invitations.

7) Check out Budget Travel’s article, “Camping Tips for Parents,” for more information.

For at least a month now, my house has been plagued by ants. I find them on the tile, in the cracks of the sofa and climbing my bathroom walls. They never find any scraps of food or bits of grease to latch on to, but still they persist.

Desperate to get rid of these pests, I started searching for alternatives to  that horrible, toxic and smelly ant spray. Here’s what I found:

-Environment, Health and Safety Online recommends vinegar, cayenne pepper, salt and perfume placed at points of entry and at various points along the ants’ path.

-The Frugal Life has similar advice, with a huge list of testimonials from readers who add cinnamon, black pepper and bay leaves to the list of natural ant-deterrents.

-There’s even a WikiHow article recommending a whole onion or some drops of 100% orange oil to keep your house ant-free.

-Some of the best advice I found comes from the NCAP, an organization committed to reducing the use of harmful pesticides. If you can spot a colony by following the trail of ants until it disappears, the NCAP recommends pouring a pot of boiling water on it–what could be easier than that?

With a puppy in the house and several friendly neighborhood squirrels running around, there’s no way I was turning to pesticides before trying out these safer remedies. And with such great advice on the web, those ants won’t even know what hit ‘em!

Sandals, shade and sundresses aren’t necessarily enough to keep your kids cool as the summer heats up. Since children are particularly susceptible to heat stroke, dehydration and sun poisoning, it is important to keep them cool, comfortable and safely sunblocked.

But this doesn’t mean your kids need to be tucked away in air conditioning and long sleeves! Try these tips for beating the heat and giving your kids a safe and stylish summer:

• Make homemade popsicles by pouring sports drinks and fruit punches into molds and inserting your own popsicle sticks before freezing.
• Get kids their own stylish personal fans, like the ones below, to use when they feel overheated at camp or when playing with friends.
• Revive old summer pastimes by making lemonade or sun tea with your kids.
• Keep the elements at bay with the proper outdoor gear. In particular, look for a good hat that will cover their ears and neck, like these from REI.
• Put oranges, apples, carrots and celery in the fridge before you cut them up to serve as snacks.
• Save the environment while keeping the kids hydrated with fashionable aluminum water bottles like these from SIGG.

These simple tips and tricks will have your family on the fasttrack to a fun summer in the sun in no time!

Summer has hit full swing, and that means pool parties, beach bashes and, sadly, the occasional scorched skin. But, you don’t have to lock your kids away this summer to protect them from sunburns, ticks and the other ailments of summer–give your kids the right to bare arms this Fourth of July weekend by following these simple summer safety tips.

Skin Care Sunblock, sunblock, sunblock! Stuff for Sprouts offers some great advice on how to keep your kids’ skin in good shape all summer long, including the idea of making a routine out of sunblock application to establish a healthy sun protection plan to last for many summers to come. This “mompreneur” also recommends having the kids bathe every night during summer to reduce the effect of allergens and insect bites.

Water Safety Telling your kids not to run at the pool or stray too far from your cabana at the beach are great tips, but for a more comprehensive list of water safety info, turn to Kids Heath. This organization is dedicated to providing kids with health and safety tips in a way that’s easy to understand. Go over the safe swimming guidelines with your kids, whether you are headed to the water park, pool lake or beach. They remind everyone to swim with a buddy, beware of rip tides and to have a blast (safely!) this summer.

Once you and your family are covered in SPF and sporting your Coast Guard-approved floaties, you’ll be ready to party! Check out our great selection of party invitations perfect for your next safe summer soirée!