After Halloween last year, I was astonished at the amount of candy my kids got, especially when I counted up the total calories. It really made me think twice and we ended up taking five pounds of candy and selling it to the dentist the week after Halloween. This year we found a healthier alternative to giving away candy for Halloween and it seems like there are lots of people feeling the same way because I keep reading about all kinds of things to do with your leftover Halloween candy besides eat it, from donating it to soldiers to using it to make a gingerbread house. Read on for some of the best ideas of what to do with all that leftover Halloween candy.

If you’re planning a family vacation to Scottsdale, Arizona, there are plenty of wonderful resorts with large pool complexes for plenty of fun in the sun—and there’s lots of sun. But, don’t go all the way to Arizona just to jump in a pool. Scottsdale offers loads of cultural and natural attractions to explore the unique Southwest. We visited to experience it for ourselves so we could share the best things to do with kids in Scottsdale.

English is a tricky language with a lot of words and a whole heck of a lot of crazy rules (and exceptions to rules) about how things should be spelled. When I watch a kid learning the English language I honestly don't know how any of us do it. It's truly amazing that any of us learn how to read and spell.

Parents can support their kids learning to spell and write in school by spending time with them at home, reading and playing word games. Word games can help early writers just learning how to spell, as well as more advanced writers to increase their vocabularies. I've picked out a few word games that help kids with spelling words and tried them out with my seven year old. Not only have I been impressed with his growing ability and comfort (sometimes that's the most important thing) with spelling words, but we've had a lot of fun too.  And great warm up for back to school.