Halloween candy exchange

03 Nov Halloween candy exchange

Like many of us, I have a love-hate relationship with Halloween candy. I can’t resist it, but my body always protests with a rollercoaster of sugar spikes and then complete lethargy that makes me want to crawl into a hole and hibernate for several weeks. I generally don’t buy many sweets for that reason…out of sight, out of mind…out of mouth!

My kids are not used to having a lot of sugar either, and I’ve noticed the presence of Halloween treats has affected B’s behavior too. She’s well aware there’s candy up in the cupboard and asks for it several times a day. When I give in and let her have some, she becomes antsy and crabby. (The candy isn’t on Miles’ radar yet, thankfully.)

But then I remembered a little trick for dealing with those treats. A mom friend of mine shared this with me: Have your kids trade in their candy for other kinds of treats. A small toy. 30 minutes extra of TV. Staying up a little later than usual. Playing a video game.

I grabbed a Mason jar and told B that if she wanted to fill the jar with her candy, I’d exchange it for a new toy, or we’d go rent a DVD to watch. She said she wanted to watch a new movie, and so she happily poured her candy into the jar.

Now, I just need to decide what to do with her forfeited treats so that I don’t eat them. Maybe I’ll send them to the office with Kris…