Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays mostly because of the candy - uh, duh.
When I was little I dressed up as a bride at least 3 years in a row, then branched out a little as a princess, then as Pippi Longstocking and an M&M.
But the best costume would have to be the year I dressed up as the dead grandma from Psycho - dressed in my mom's clothes from the 80's with a knife my dad made out of cardboard and black tape. Psycho is still my favorite movie to watch on Halloween, but I honestly don't know what went through my head when I came up with this idea... kind of morbid. Plus, every door I went to had no idea who I was. Halloween fail. Makes for amusing pictures.
Anyway, Halloween is most definitely all about the candy. As a kid I took this whole free candy thing seriously and made a point to trick or treat long enough to fill up my entire pillow case. My Halloween candy truly lasted me till Easter. No lie.
Even though the candy was great I always remembered the houses that gave away different things. Stuff like pencils, toothbrushes, and even a house that let us pick out a book! So it got me thinking about what I want to give out to kids, given that sugar is so harmful to our health.
Here is my trick or treat giveaway bowl for the kids in my neighborhood this year. Everything is from the Dollar Store - glow sticks, skull rings, glow in the dark bugs, and pencils. It all cost about $10, good for at least 50 kids if I were to be stingy, but this will do for the 15 or so kids we get in my neighborhood.
I may not be the house who gives away the king size candy bars, but I will be the house to do something different that doesn't add to the sugar crash these kids will have later. You're welcome, parents.
As a mom, I'm not going to keep my kids from trick or treating since I have such fun memories when I was young. But there are some ways to manage the pounds of candy they may bring home.
Here are some ideas:
1. Let the candy be their trade - trade a piece of candy for things like computer or TV time. A half hour of time on the iPad will cost them 2 pieces of candy.
2. Exercise for the sweets - each piece of candy will require an activity. For example, a Milkyway will require them to run up and down the stairs 3 times.
3. All or nothing - give your kids a choice to either keep their candy or trade it all in for a toy of their choice (within reason). This has the potential for you parents to win the candy war altogether! This will be my first strategy when my girl is big enough. I'd much rather the candy be out of the house than have to try to regulate it.
I ate myself silly with sugar on Halloween night and have had to retrain my brain and body to not crave those sweet treats. Something I hope to spare my kids from having to do when they're my age.
Enjoy the holiday! Stick to your goals. Stick to your health. Don't let one day ruin it for the whole week, the whole month, and then the whole holiday season. Been there, my friends.
