A few years ago we were in a major life upheaval. When Halloween rolled around, we had just moved our gang of kids across the country, from Utah to New York, bought an old house, and were halfway through tearing it up, so we could build it back right. We had no kitchen, just a vacant spot where the kitchen should be. Everything in the house was covered in sheetrock dust.
Most of our kids were "older," meaning fifth grade to high school age. But we still had Sam, who was a kindergartener, and deserved a decent Halloween, house construction or not.
So I bought the pumpkins and hauled them home. By golly, we were going to carve pumpkins in the middle of the chaos. It ended up being one of the most memorable carving sessions we’ve ever had.
Laying all over the dining room were power tools. And I have kids who have known how to use power tools since they were old enough to hold a screw and aim the drill. So naturally, and inevitably, someone picked up a drill and said, “Wonder what I could do with this…?”
It was a brilliant idea. It worked great, and made some pretty neat effects (although the pumpkin doesn't look too pleased...).
So if you've got a few screwdrivers, drills, jigsaws, or hammers laying around, don't be afraid to pick them up and put them to use. Some years it's the only way I can talk my older kids into humoring me and joining in on the carving tradition.
