Make Halloween more fun with our homemade hacks for your jack-o-lantern!  Brooke shows us how to trick it *OUT for trick-or-treating.

Pumpkin problems are no fun.  So for this week’s homemade hacks, Brooke found some cool tricks to make our jack-o-lantern a real treat.

First, you know how the edges of the carved parts start to curl in?  Make your handiwork last longer by spreading a layer of petroleum jelly along the cut edges.  And this one’s tried and true – cut the hole at the bottom, instead of the top- it makes it stand up more easily and it’s easier and safer to put the candle in.

Speaking of lighting up your pumpkin, here’s a safer, brighter, longer-lasting way to make it spookier than ever; use a small bundle of Christmas tree lights instead of a candle.  Put them in a baggie, and make a hole in the back for the cord.

When Brooke’s kids were little, she always worried about carving pumpkins with them.  But little ones love mini pumpkins.  They can decorate their own with sharpies or paint them with chalkboard paint and personalize with chalk – family fun without the sharp edges.

Thanks to parenthacks for some of these ideas.