If you're like most people, at some point in time or another, you've sat down with your children to carve pumpkins. But do you know why you carve Jack 'o Lanterns? Most people don't. Supposedly, it started with a man called Stingy Jack, who tricked the devil and in turn after his death wasn't allowed into hell. Instead, he was forced to wander the earth with only a coal to light his way. Stingy Jack put the coal in a carved out turnip, causing people to start referring to him as "Jack with the Lantern".

Soon, people began placing similar lanterns in their windows with carvings to scare Stingy Jack away. And so, the Jack 'o Lantern was born. The history channel has an excellent article on the full story here: http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/halloween/pumpkin.html

If you're looking to start this age old tradition with your children, or are interested in kicking your carvings up a notch, we've picked some great websites to help you get started.

For the novice pumpkin carver, head on over to PumpkinCarving101.com where you will find everything you ever wanted to know about carving your jack 'o lantern and then some. Learn about different tools that can be used, traditional pumpkin carving, carving with stencils, the lifespan of a carved pumpkin and how to grow your own pumpkins. Don't miss the articles on the proper burial of your pumpkin, how to juggle pumpkins, and how to take photographs of your pumpkins. This site might seem a little obsessive to some, but it's full of great information that's sure to help any pumpkin carver achieve their goals.http://www.pumpkincarving101.com

If you've been carving pumpkins for awhile, and are ready to do something new, try these great free pumpkin templates. You'll find many patriotic images (American Flag, the President, Statue of Liberty) as well as a mix-and-match section. If you don't see what you like, for a small fee you can subscribe to their even larger collection of templates.http://www.spookmaster.com/pumpkin-carving-patterns-freebies.htm

Another great site for both simple and complicated templates is Jack-O-Lantern.com. For the true computer geek they offer an assortment of emoticons, as well as a set of templates to create a "haunted forest". All templates are free, forever.http://www.jack-o-lantern.com

If you're looking for more fun and childish templates, be sure to stop by aHowlingGoodTime.com . This pumpkin farm has a very nice assortment of pumpkin faces. Choose from happy, sad, scary, howling, and more.http://www.ahowlinggoodtime.com/carving/patterns.shtml

Tips, tips, and more tips. That's what you'll find at Walt's Pumpkin Carving Pages. Learn how to get those templates from your computer (or book) onto the pumpkin, which carving tools do what, how to make your own patterns, as well as how to select the right pumpkin to carve.http://wls.wwco.com/garden/pumpkin.htm

To read more articles from the Best of Halloween for Kids series, click here. http://www.raisingourkids.com/hol/halloween/index.shtml

¶ 7:57 PM 0 comments

You can search the Internet or the newsstands in June and July, and you'll find a wealth of information about fantasy football and fantasy football leagues. Most of it is statistics. Miles and miles of statistics. And most sites and magazines claim to offer more than all the others. What few offer, though, is sound advice on how to be successful every year. So, visit all the sites and magazines for your stats, but search no more for the secret to winning, because here it is.

I have played in extremely competitive fantasy football leagues for 15 years. I've missed the playoffs only twice, and I've been to three fantasy bowls. I won more games and scored more points than any other team in my league's history. Now, I'll give you my strategy, and it won't cost you a dime. Here is the three-step formula for winning in fantasy football year in and year out.

The first step is to draft for depth. It sounds easy enough, but many people in my league focus on getting their starters, and the rest of the draft is nothing more than throwing darts at names on a stat sheet. I've selected players beyond the seventh round (we have 14 rounds) who have led my team in scoring. I didn't even have them targeted as starters; I just saw the potential, through all of the research I'd done. For example, take special notice of second and third-year wide receivers. They often go overlooked, because their numbers are not spectacular. Receivers take a year or two, before they adjust to the NFL. Chad Johnson is a great example. Also, watch for rookies who may explode late in the season, once they've grasped a system. Lee Evans was a star after week nine this past season.

Step two is to manage your team every week, down to the most minor details. If you've drafted for depth, you'll have lineup decisions every week, because you'll have a team full of players scoring points. Check their histories against weekly opponents (a vastly overlooked strategy by novices). Some players simply flourish against particular teams, just as some teams tend to score differently against certain defenses. This can definitely affect your weekly lineup decisions.

The third step is to watch the waiver wire and make two key trades. No matter how well you've drafted, near the end of the season, you'll need to make changes. It's time to trade away your depth for stars. Also, watch for available players to pick up -- even if they may only help you for one week. I drafted both Domanick Davis and Chad Johnson last season. Later, I traded both, so I could acquire LaDanian Tomlinson. This simplified my weekly lineup decisions, while giving me a player who would score at least one TD every week.

If you stick to this simple formula, no matter what type of league you play in, you'll make the playoffs 85 to 90 percent of the time. That's not bad in any league.

¶ 5:34 PM 0 comments