Sometimes the anticipation is half the fun. At our house, Halloween doesn't begin on October 31. It starts weeks earlier. There are costumes to choose—and sometimes reconsider. Decorations appear. Plans are made. The girls start talking about where they'll go, who they'll be with and, of course, how much candy they hope to bring home. By the time Halloween actually arrives, we've already spent weeks enjoying it. It reminds me that looking forward to something is part of the e

Teamwork, friendly rivalry, and the hidden strengths that show up when the stakes are sweet. If you’ve ever watched a gingerbread house competition unfold, you know the stakes get very real, very fast. Suddenly, people who were quiet in meetings are engineering load-bearing gumdrop roofs… and the “non-creative” folks are designing architectural masterpieces out of pretzels and icing. But here’s what we love most about these moments: Friendly competition reveals hidden strengt