We Have No Time to Do Pumpkins!!

I have seen and actually own some too that are like Mr. Potato Head. You just jab the eyes, nose, ears, hair, etc into the pumpkin and voila in minutes you have a cute fun pumpkin. My kids have fun every year creating funny pumpkins.

Good luck

We are not even getting pumpkins carved this year and my kids are only 6.5, 4.5 and 1.5...we just ran ou of time...

We don't always have time for pumpkin decorating.
Some years we skip it altogether.
A trick from Martha Stewart a few years back was to coat a pumpkin with glue, then sprinkle it with glitter (any colors you want) and let it dry.
It's fast, not very labor intensive and since the pumpkin isn't cut into it tends to last longer and not rot so fast.

No pumpkins here either, nor decorations.. and GASP... the kids don't even care, lol.
Earlier in the week the wife said "we should get out the Halloween decorations..." I said "just give it a few more days and it will be over.."
There is just too much else going on.

Pick up pumpkins and have the kids paint them instead of carve them Saturday night. You can work on your midterm while hubby supervises them. If you have yarn around the house have them glue hair on the painted pumpkins. Life is too short to stress over that kind of stuff.

I second the Mr. Potato Head or the Sharpies. Much faster than carving!

I would say you have time on Saturday. How long are you going to go dress shopping for? Even if you start with lunch or end with dinner, you have the morning or evening. Or just have your husband to it with them on Saturday.
Or Sunday morning.
If you have off Friday, why not get the pumpkins and clean them out and have the kids do them right after school before the dance?

We're painting ours, because I can't figure out a way to safely carve them with a 2 yr old and very impulsive 4 yr old at the same time, without another adult around. Plus, it gives me an excuse not to have to clean up all the entrails :)

I bought pumpkin face stickers at the grocery store for $1.50. Perfect!

Grab pumpkins and sharpies and let the kids have at 'em with markers. If you get a chance on the weekend to cut them out, you can do it on your own time, following their lead, and if not, then they are "decorated".

I got a large pumpkin just yesterday from a garden center that was on my way running errands. Is the wedding dress shipping something that can be a defined timeframe, to help your schedule?

After school Friday
Saturday morning or afternoon or night (wedding dress shopping doesn't need to be an all day affair - give your sister part of the day but not all)
Sunday morning
Sunday between the party and dance meeting
Monday after school

Carving a pumpkin takes 20-30 minutes. I can't tell you how many times we've started at 4:30 on Halloween night and have managed to have 2 or 3 nice looking pumpkins out on the porch with dinner cooked and eaten and everyone in costumes by 6 PM.

Don't get overwhelmed - there's plenty of time to fit this in you just have to find that block of time and stick to it.

I 2nd the idea to carve them Halloween night, that's what we're doing....carve, clean up & get ready to trick or trick or reverse it....trick or treat, check out the candy haul while mom carves the pumpkins (let's face it, we're doin the work) then it'll be dark & they can see them a-glowin! I kinda like the idea because they'll keep longer uncarved & it takes away the chance of them getting smashed before the big day. Relax & just have fun with it, the kids don't really care, we're the ones setting up the traditions so who's to say that's not how it's always done????

Throwing out a CRAZY idea here - bypass the carving this year all together. You have enough on your plate. Pick it up next year and cut yourself some slack:)
Yes, your kids may be disapointed in the short term, but you'll quickly move on to thanksgiving and christmas. Pick it up again next year and the kids will never be the wiser;) Trust me, when they are 25 looking back on all you did for them, this is the least of what they'll remember - the one year you didn't carve pumpkins.
Good luck with your midterm!

Carve them an hour before you trick or treat.... lots of people do it the day of halloween. Or you can paint a face on it this year instead.

Hi, Mom:

Something has to give.
Sounds like you are living in the
fast lane.
Reset your priorities.
Good luck.
D.

Hah. We always intend otherwise, but pumpkins are USUALLY carved before trick o treating.

Shoot. If you lived closer, I would carve them for you! We do about 5 a year. It kind of is a tradition in our neighborhood. So, I would say to bring yours over here! :( If you had any time on monday right after school, it can take about 20 minutes to do one. Make sure to buy a pumpkin that is really orange, and kind of squishy ( they are easier to carve) . An easy option is always triangle eyes and nose and a half moon for a mouth.

Good luck! I know how crazy this time of year can be!

I agree. Sharpies and Potato Heads!

We have very little time as well and I get grossed out by the carving of pumpkins, so I bought the pumpkins, put down newspaper over my table, brought out the markers and told the girls to do whatever they wanted. They drew some pretty awesome faces on the pumpkins and had a ball.

I agree with sharpies and stickers, but I bought some of the stick-in plastic decorations from Target running about $6 each - one is a "vampire" with the vampire teeth, eyes,ears,hands and feet, and the other is "Elmo" with Elmo eyes, cape and hands. Made of plastic they are reusable for years to come. We then draped a white web with spiders over our front door and put the little pumpkins at the door. My boys at 2 and 6 yrs so aren't into carving yet.

I'm right there too!!
We have family tradition of going to a pumpkin patch but the weather here has been so bad! So now its thursday, i have NO pumpkins no decorations..No costume for my 1 y/o and I still have to make my 3y/os costume.

Not to mention I have to go to the DMV tomorrow, & have an insulation appointment. My b/f needs to go to work for a Halloween thing. Also doesn't help that I am now sick. I can barely move today and I have no one to help me watch the kids. :(
Sat is my sil b-day and Sunday is my birthday.
I get to be sick for my b-day and I'm pretty sure its going to be a day of me doing everything I always do and nothing really special about it.

Sorry Im a downer lately haha

If hubby is the dj why do have to go? Isn't he providing enough support as being the d.j? If you must be there reduce your time there (even if hubby has to stay) Sounds to me like your everyday activities run your schedule and you have to choose what's more important. Holiday event that comes once a year and sooner than later kids won't want to do with you? or all day dress shopping, skip the dance meeting? ask some one to take notes for you.

or yes if too much going on skip the additional stress! We decorated last year but no pumkins. this year we gonna do both. Only because neighbor invited us to a pumpkin carving get together on Sun. They've got all the specialty tools, designs and the know how.

I would doubt that you couldn't find an hour of a Saturday of "wedding dress shopping" either before or after to carve a few pumpkins! Between the lunchtime party on Sun & the dance meeting at night?
Honestly, I think unless you are out of town, your schedule sounds like plenty of time could be found. (But I tend to live on a shoestring time budget all the time!
Also, you could just get the pumpkins and carve them yourself & surprise the kids. No biggie!

I can only answer to the DMV.. here there is a 10 day grace period. That might help. Sorry. I do ours by mail.

Saturday or Sunday at breakfast time? We have a similar problem - boy, things are busy this year!