The leaves around us are officially changing into brilliants shades of reds, oranges and yellows. The air outside is now crisp, and the lovely sights of fall are everywhere…it’s my FAVORITE time of year! My family begins to get excited in anticipation of the approaching holiday season…first stop, Halloween!
Every year we head to our favorite pumpkin patch, to spend time running through corn mazes, sliding down huge slides, feeding baby goats, and romping around in the hay. At least, this is how I choose to 
always remember it. I choose not to focus on the memories of my kids screaming as if they were attacked by a shark, when a bee gets too close, or having to rinse out the mouth of one kid, who tried to eat the goat food…“what do you mean it’s just for the animals Mommy”? I seem to forget about the 15 hours its takes for four children to choose one pumpkin from thousands, all while my husband and I are yelling “if you can’t carry it, you can’t pick it!” Which never seems to work out anyway, and some how by the end of the day, I am carrying a tired child, with another clinging to my leg, and carrying way more than one child size pumpkin. Really though, this is what I live for! For these chaotic, blissful moments fill my soul…and ensures a good nights sleep!
After we spend a small fortunate on pumpkins, we pack them up and take them home, in preparation of another chaotic, blissful moment…pumpkin decorating. Our house is always split when it comes to pumpkin decorating. The two older kids want to carve, as if holding a pumpkin carving knife is some rite of passage into adulthood. Now our one family carving role they are supposed to abide by is, “if you carve it, you scoop it”! Although again this is something that never seems to work out quite right, and most often I end up the one covered in pumpkin guts. The younger two usually paint. 
In fact, my 8 year old son has sensory issues and the smell and feel of pumpkins guts is just, well not his thing. His idea of Halloween preparation is trying to finish a bag of Reese Peanut Butter Cups all by himself. However, I can convince him to paint one, which he will eventually display proudly.
In efforts to satisfy both the carvers and the painters, I have been looking around at other ways to decorate this year, and thought I would share. Especially if you are like me and 
beginning to think you are seeing the same square eyed pumpkin (as shown above) year after year…because making a curve in a pumpkin seems to require a PhD, or the same brownish, grayish painted pumpkin…because they always seem to just mix all the colors of paint together in the end.
For the family “carvers”: Do we have any Disney lovers? I found these stencils at http://www.clipzine.me/u/zine/47373124543840658552/Disney-Pumpkin-Carving-Ideas 
and they are sure to make any Disney character proud…so have at it and good luck, you may need it! For a large variety of free pumpkin stencils, check out http://dailyleisure.com/free-pumpkin-carving-templates-over-700/. Listed are several ideas, from your basic stencil, to “you will be spending hours on this pumpkin”, and by you, I mean you, because your child will have probably bailed half way in.
Now for our “non-carver” family members: I found a couple of websites with some really cute ideas that I am just not clever enough to come up with on my own. One of my favorite being the googley eye, “I see you” pumpkin at http://www.rocketcitymom.com/3-no-carve-pumpkin-decorating-ideas/. Some of my favorite shown on http://www.babble.com/toddler/toddler-friendly-carve-free-pumpkin-decorating-ideas/#psychedelic-pumpkins, are the not-so scary 
bats,and the melted crayons down the pumpkin idea. Which may I add, is a great use of all the broken crayons we have in my house, considering once a crayon is broken or no longer has a tip, it seems to have my kids thinking they are incapable of making color.
But regardless of what direction you take, get creative and have fun. May your pumpkin decorating endeavors bring you your own chaotic bliss, and be the start of your holiday memories this season!
