To go or not to go?
I say GO! But do the kids eat all that candy… NO WAY!
It’s not easy to live in a society where there are only a few months out of the year that candy is not passed out in class or treats delivered to doorsteps for some holiday or another. Today is one of the those days, I just got home from helping out in the kids classrooms at school. I felt like I just walked into “Candy Land”! We were covered in frosting, candy corn, and sprinkles from making haunted gingerbread houses. Then it was doughnuts and fruit roll ups for another game. All of this “fun” is well intended and I will be the last mother on the planet to make my child sit out. I allow my children to participate in school activities. I know that I cannot control all the environments that they will be placed in. That’s why it is so important what they eat when they are at home. I can control what I send in their school lunches and what they eat for breakfast and dinner. This time of year I pump them full of good greens. Extra smoothies and nutrient dense soups. I sneak in greens whenever I can. This part of the year is when the 90/10 or 80/20 rule gets its fill!
I am in no way suggesting that you change what you have been doing if its working for you, I am only sharing with you what I do.
So what to do with all that candy? I have recently tuned in to some fun ideas that I would LOVE to share with you.
~ The Halloween Fairy: This might be my favorite. The kids get to pick 5 or 10 pieces of candy to keep, then they leave the rest out for the Halloween Fairy who comes and takes the candy and leaves a toy behind.
~ A dollar a pound: Again, let the kids pick 5 or 10 pieces to eat over the next week or so. Then weigh the candy and buy it at a dollar per pound or whatever price seems fair for their age.
~ The Classic: Dump all the family candy into one bucket and slowly pass it out over the course of the next year: my least favorite because somehow some of that candy ends up in MY MOUTH!! Who knows how 🙂
~ The Trade: trade their whole bucket for a toy they have been eyeballing for a bit. Make it an easy trade for them. Giving up candy isn’t always easy.
~If you just really want a way out of going trick or treating completely, we have a neighbor who takes their kids to dinner and a movie with all the cousins as the trade off. So a family night out instead!! LOVE that idea!
Today my kids had green smoothies and oatmeal for breakfast and I am making Creamy Asparagus Soup for dinner. For the candy, this year we are going to try the Halloween Fairy idea and see how it goes. I’d love to be rid of all that candy in one night! Then I am shipping the candy off to two friends who are away for a couple of years serving church missions. I am sure they will love it!
What do you do??
Source: WFM 1-10