Halloween is one of the most anticipated holiday's for most kids (and in our house). For this mama here, it rings more to "sugar, hyper-kids and cavities, oh my!" But not to fret because I had a secret plan. I barely broached the issue of all the addictive, sticky, high fructose filled candy and chocolate that would soon pile onto my dining room table because I told my sweet little darlings that they would be getting all the candy that their teeny fist sized hearts desired.
Me: "Girls, we're going to get tons of candy this year!"
Girls: "Yay!!" (in unison).
Sabrina: "Mommy, can we eat the candy?"
Me: "Of course you can. But only a few."
Luna: "But why, Mommy?"
Me: "Don't worry, you'll be able to eat some of it."
Sabrina: "But we want to eat it all!"
Me: "Okay, okay girls, don't worry you're going to get lot's and lot's of candy!"
Pouting and confused, they went along with what I was telling them.
Off we went 'trick or treating', one dressed as a 'Gypsy', another as 'Alice' and the third as a 'Hula Girl'. Mommy went as 'Little Red Riding Hood' and Daddy went as 'Zorro'. They loved that we dressed up with them and they loved it even more when we told them that they could break into their 'loot' while they bounced up and down the sidewalks and driveways collecting all that candy.
Luna: "Mommy, can I have another chocolate?"
Me: "Yes!"
Her eyes sparkled as if my face were a fourth of July explosion.
We treated around a neighborhood with an enormous golf course for a view (amazing!) and the girls got lot's and lot's of candy. By the time that we got half way around the one mile rotunda, the baby, Kalina (2 years is still a baby in my eyes) plopped herself in her stroller and helped herself to her candy and chocolate chip cookies someone had given her as loot. By the time we got back to the car, Kalina's face looked as if she had smooched with the Cookie Monster (it was kinda cute!).
Sabrina: "Mommy, we got soooooooo much candy!!!"
Me: "I know, I can see!"
Luna: "Can we eat it all?"
Me: "I have a better idea."
The girls: "What?"
Me: "Why don't we go home and dump all this candy into our BIG Halloween bowl and then give it out to the trick or treaters that come to our door?"
Silence. I waited to see what they thought. I expected the big tantrum and all the reasons why they needed to keep their candy that they trick or treated for and yada, yada, yada... Instead, I got:
The girls: "YES!!"
Sabrina: "That's a great idea Mom!"
Luna: "Yes, I want to give away all my chocolate because I don't want to go to the dentist later."
I was happily shocked and excited that in spite of all the candy loving that goes on around here and I'm sure elsewhere, they were willing to give it all back and share with other kids.
So when we got home, we put on Halloween music, they danced around the dining room table and couldn't wait to have their own trick or treaters to give to. When the doorbell rang and the dog started to yap away, the girls were squealing all the way to the door and gave handfuls of candy to about thirty trick or treaters (collectively). It was so much fun for them, I loved that all that candy was out of the house and the best part, I didn't spend a dime on candy this year ;) It was a win win!
On to the next holiday!!
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