Ok, so I am sitting at my desk here at the Canadian Living office all decked out in pirate gear ... the hubby's white dress shirt, my skinny black pants, high black leather boots, belt with a plastic sword tucked in, red leather gloves, an awesome hat complete with a skull-n-cross-bones emblem and a faux black bird on my shoulder!

My kids helped with the face paint (beard and scars).

I challenge you to find another mom who loves Halloween as much as I do! I'm quite certain I like it more than Christmas. No line-ups, shopping, multiple trips to the mall — just great candy and spooky fun.

My girls love it, too ...

Sophie, 7, is capitalizing on the fact that she has lost four teeth this month and is going trick or treating as a witch. We found a great black velvet and taffeta girl's party dress at Value Village (my favourite Halloween store) for about $6. It has asymetrical layers and looks perfect under her cape.

Liv, 10, is going out as Coraline — the character from the movie by the same name. We bought black boots for $4.99 at Value Village and then spray-painted them blue. We also picked up a blue top ($2.99) and then ironed on white stars. I love pulling together costumes like these ... they're cheap, creative and completely originally.

Tonight, we are going to hang out at home and watch "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken." (Worth renting!) Then tomorrow night, we'll shell out and hit the streets of our 'hood. I can't wait — feels like Christmas Eve ... only better.

What are your kids getting dressed up as?

Happy Halloween everyone!

Congratulations to Lorraine who has won the Finn on the Fly DVD. It's a quirky Canadian family movie that I enjoyed watching with my kids. I hope you like it, too, Lorraine.

Speaking of movies ... I confess that I haven't been to any 'adult' ones this summer. (You know what I'm talking about.)

I was hoping to catch "The Time Traveller's Wife" because I loved the book so much. (I know, the movie is never as good as the book). Has anyone seen it?

It's a sad reality that my summer theatre experience has consisted of ... drum roll please ... Harry Potter, G-Force and Ponyo. All kid flicks. I must say, though, that Ponyo (a Japanese animated movie with an English-speaking voice cast) is very charming and a refreshing departure from much of the kid fare we, mums, are used to.

What movie (kid-oriented or otherwise)  are you dying to see? And what are your all-time favourite family flicks?

Talk to you soon, Kathryn