By BETH BENCE REINKE For Smart

Creative, homemade costumes are the highlight of Halloween for Christy Brooks of Stewartstown.

“One year, I had two girls who both came as Dorothy — one in black-and-white like when she was in Kansas and one in Technicolor like in Oz,” she said.

Dressing in costume is your chance to be someone different, said Andrea Urey of Wrightsville. “You don’t have to spend a lot of money on your kids’ costumes — just use stuff from around the house.”

Red Lion resident Alice Steele agrees. In fact, the best costume she ever saw was made from trash.

“A kid came as a Lego made from a cardboard box with Cool Whip bowls on top and painted blue.”

Once your child has a costume, what’s next?

The candy, of course!

Whether you’re at home handing out candy or on a “trek for treats,” try these local moms’ ideas for making trick-or-treat night go smoothly.

Here’s our Smart experts: *Christy Brooks * Lives in: Stewartstown Family: Married with two children No. of trick-or-treaters she gets: 100

*Alice Steele * Lives in: Red Lion Family: Married with three children No. of trick-or-treaters she gets: 300+

Andrea Urey Lives in: Wrightsville Family: Married with two children No. of trick-or-treaters she gets: 200

How old is too old for trick-or-treating?

Steele: I think any age up through teenagers is OK, because they’re just having fun. Adults who go along with the kids probably shouldn’t ask for candy, though.

Brooks: I think around 13 is too old. At that age, they like to dress up really scary, like as vampires or werewolves, and it frightens younger children. When you get to the teen years, why not have a party instead of trick-or-treating? Then you can dress how you want and spook each other instead of the little kids.

*What kind of candy should you hand out? *

Urey: Make sure you’re only giving out wrapped candy. Many parents will toss anything that isn’t wrapped for safety’s sake.

Brooks: I enjoy giving out anything chocolate, like one snack-sized bar per child.

Toward the end of the evening if there’s a lot left, I might give out a couple.

Steele: I try to keep candy that’s suitable for toddlers separate for when the little ones come to the door.

*What should kids do when they go up to a door? *

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By BETH BENCE REINKE
For Smart

Your first dance as husband and wife should be a simple slow dance, right? Maybe not!

Today's couples are spicing up their receptions with special choreographed numbers for their bridal dances.

Deborah Davis, director of Ballroom Break in Lewisberry, said she thinks the trend toward unique first dances has something to do with today's technology.

"Couples can put their first dance on YouTube and e-mail it to their friends," she said.

The popular trend is to choreograph an actual dance routine to their song, Davis said.

This helps couples feel comfortable and competent on the dance floor, plus it is fun for guests to watch and looks great for videotaping.

Song choice is critical for a bridal dance. Davis said sometimes the bride and groom pick their favorite song, but it's not a good dance number or it's too long.

The perfect length for your song is 2½ minutes, she said. Dance teachers are happy to work with couples on adjusting songs or steps. "Bring your song," she said, "but come in with an open mind."

Many couples choose a slow dance like a waltz, foxtrot or bolero, which is a Latin dance.

If you prefer something upbeat, a swing or hustle is a faster dance step that works well for weddings. Even though they teach brides and grooms most often, dance instructors can customize a special dance for the entire bridal party or for the bride and father, Davis said.

Julie Downing and Justin Mann of York enrolled in dance classes to prepare for their Aug. 2 wedding.

Downing said a friend advised her to sign up so she wouldn't feel awkward dancing at her reception while everyone was watching.

"I always wanted to be fancy in the way we did our first dance," Downing said. "I don't know how to dance, so I knew I had to take lessons."

She said even though her fiancé has rhythm and is already a pretty good dancer, they benefited from the classes. The lessons were fun, one-on-one time that has been positive for their relationship.

What do couples learn at dance class?

Posted in From this issue Wedding

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By Colin Covert Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

Sunny as its Greek island locations and its attitude, "Mamma Mia!" earns its exclamation point. The adaptation of the long-running stage hit is a crowd-pleasing gusher of escapism, not the least of which is respite from summertime teen action fare. 

How refreshing to find a cast in their 50s kicking up their heels, belting out corny Europop and reveling in every campy moment. The ABBA songbook gives me hives, but in a context this joyous, there's no resisting it.

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By NANCY POSTER
For Smart

Re-entering the workforce means redoing the resume

You once traded business suits for onesies and stacks of diapers.

Play dates in the park replaced meetings in the board room.

But now it's time to return to the working world.

You know your old resumé needs to be polished. How do you handle that employment history gap?

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By NANCY POSTER for Smart

Try online check-in. Sherri Snyder, vice president of Bailey Travel in York, recommends going to the airline's Web site to get a boarding pass. It can be done 24 hours before your flight, she said, and will eliminate waiting in line. If there's no luggage to be checked, online check-in allows travelers to skip at least one line and go directly to the security checkpoint.

Go light. Most airlines are cutting back to one checked bag instead of two. If a traveler needs to take that additional bag, most carriers are now charging an additional $25, said Kelly Lawson, leisure agent at Bailey Travel.

Remember the 3-1-1 rule for carry-ons. Each passenger is allowed one carry-on, in which they can have one quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag holding 3-ounce or smaller containers of liquids or gels. If you're in doubt, put liquids in checked luggage. Finish reading 'Make the most of your vacation by avoiding airport headaches' »

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By BETH VRABEL For Smart

Riding for a cause

What is therapeutic riding?
If you have a disability, such as needing mobility or you need limbs to be loosened, we use the motion of the horse to do that type of therapy instead of a machine or therapist manipulating the body.
If it’s a mental disability, if they can’t function and do sequencing, this gives them a format in an arena where they learn these everyday abilities.
We work on all types of disabilities. We have students with age ranges from 3 to 89.

How has Shining Stars helped students?
There was a little boy, he was 8 years old. He never spoke. He had cerebral palsy. We had a team getting him on the horse, talking about the plan for that day.
He said out loud as plain as day, “Walk on” to the horse. It was his first words. He was impatient and wanted to go.
The parents were crying.
There was a little girl, who was 4, who took her first steps six weeks after riding the horse. It straightened her legs enough to take a few steps.

What’s the best part of your job?
Seeing the success stories and the interaction with the families. The families are tremendous. They go through so much on a daily basis. To see them sit back and relax when they’re in the program, it really benefits the whole family.
We have a counseling team that works with the whole family. We have a theater camp, too. We have discipleship class.

What’s the most difficult part?
We are confined to four months of riding. We’re working hard to build an indoor arena. It’s difficult to be so confined to a few months.

How many students?
We enroll 70 students. We have a waiting list of another 30 students.

What is the cost involved?
Students pay $12 a lesson. If they can’t afford it, we find scholarships. To run the program is very expensive.

Do you have a favorite memory?
A little boy who is autistic had a brother who would come and sort of acted like a interpreter.
His brother had music along with him from their week at vacation Bible school. When he played a song, all of the kids and volunteers came around and sang “Jesus Loves Me” to the little boy. You could feel God’s love.

When did you begin riding?
Professionally, I was 19 years old.
I grew up in Baltimore. I worked at a youth ranch when I was a teenager. I ended up
marrying the head wrangler, and that helped a lot.

You were a 1993 World Champion trick rider on the rodeo circuit. Do you still do trick riding?
I trick ride for the kids. I stand on the horse and that type of thing. The kids are still impressed.

Are you open to new volunteers?
Always.

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How to shop for a bra . . . and other things nobody told you about this all-important undergarment

By JENNIFER VOGELSONG
For Smart

Bethany Westover never had a problem buying bras. She could always count on finding a few cute, cheap ones almost anywhere she shopped.

Then, in August 2006, the 26-year-old Red Lion woman had a baby, and everything changed.

Her old bras started to feel tight.

She bought a sports bra, but that didn't fit right either.

So she bought a different bra.

Then another.

And another.

Finally, Westover broke down and spent nearly $40 on a Victoria's Secret number. "That really hurt," she said. "I'm a waitress and that's half a day's tips sometimes."

Posted in Beauty Fashion From this issue Smart Ideas

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By BETH BENCE REINKE for Smart

Whether you're heading to the pool or the beach this summer, add these essentials to your bag.

This checklist will keep you from returning to the hotel or car - and keep the whining (kids' and mom's) to a minimum, says Patty Jacobs, owner of Lincolnway Swimming Pool in West Manchester Township.

For the pool:
Sunscreen

Towels

Sunglasses

Water toys and goggles

Deck of playing cards or Uno

Snacks and bottled water

Comb or brush

Hair detangler

Camera

Money

Cell phone

For the beach:

Sunscreen

Towels

Sunglasses

Blanket

Sun visor

Sand toys and beach ball

Snacks and bottled water

Book or magazines

Mesh bag for collecting shells

Band-Aids and antiseptic

Camera/video camera

Money

Cell phone

Baby powder

Posted in Food and drink From this issue Smart Ideas entertainment

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By McClatchy-Tribune

Here are 10 things you need to know about swimwear this summer season.

1. One-pieces are back, especially with plunging silhouettes.

2. Cover-ups and accessories are essential. "We're doing a lot of dress cover-ups," said Gina Powell, a swimwear buyer for Dillard's. "Everything is not so matchy-matchy now."

3. Retro '70s stylings are grooving back into fashion. Dig the paisley prints, bohemian florals, bandeau tops and triangle tops worn with boy-cut or side-tie bottoms.

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By Leslie Garcia
The Dallas Morning News

Ah, spring. Picnics and ball games and potato salad and milkshakes and hot dogs -- enough to give winter calories a little competition. But during spring and summer, you can’t camouflage the resulting poundage with parkas and overalls.

That said, we present, for your gastronomical pleasure, five of spring’s most fattening foods, plus suggestions for making them healthier. We found these on www.webmd.com.

Posted in Cooking Fitness Food and drink Health Nutrition Smart Ideas

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