(Photo by stock.xchng user nazreth.)
I’d estimate I fall in the *moderate* range when it comes to parenting and food obsession.
I try to buy local and from farms and companies that follow organic growing methods even if they don’t carry the actual certification.
Related, I like to know where my food comes from.
Also, the Asthma Mom family eats meat and dairy but doesn’t follow a heavy meatcentric diet, and I tend to buy whole foods and grains – with some exceptions – rather than processed/packaged stuff and items heavy on the white flour and sugar.
On the other hand:
We’re not macrobiotic, vegan, vegetarian, or raw food enthusiasts.
We have been known to enjoy fast food on occasion.
We will resort to the frozen food section or pizza delivery on particularly busy nights, when everyone’s too tired and hungry to wait for anything else.
In short, we’re just your typical 21st century family trying to eat healthy and on a budget while enjoying our food.
Which is why the girls trick-or-treat on Halloween and why we follow the Sugarplum Fairy tradition.
Ever heard of the Sugarplum Fairy?
No?
She’s sort of like those dentists and toy stores that pay kids or give store credit to give up some of their candy, only much cooler.
On Halloween night, or really any night after Halloween that fits your schedule, kids choose some of their trick-or-treat candy to place by the front door and keep the rest. In my house, the proportions work out like this:
1/3 = Keep 2/3 = Front Door
The Sugarplum Fairy comes in the middle of the night, takes the candy, and leaves a small surprise in return.
Some years, she left costume jewelry or books or a new DVD for the girls to share. During others, she left a few dollars for each one. In any case, the result is that my kids willingly gave up some of their Halloween candy each fall because who doesn’t like surprises?
Another mom taught me this trick when the girls were younger, and it works so beautifully, you won’t believe it. Even with AG, who’s old enough to know the truth, we still do a cash-for-stash deal every year.
It’s two days after Halloween, but it’s not too late for the Sugarplum Fairy to come to your house, too, if you want.
We do a flat out swap for a toy/treat (lego star wars vehicle this year) when we get home but for more necessary reasons… my oldest is allergic to peanuts and eggs so the only think they could keep was malted milk balls, tootsie rolls & popcorn.. the rest gets given out to the older kids that show up with just a mask & pillowcase after we’ve been home. I buy crayons when they are on sale before school starts (usually 20 cents) and that is what we give out at our house.
LOVE IT.
I have already told you on twitter that this will be filed away in my mind for the world of eventually when I have children. This is awesome!
Cute idea! We usually let them have at it Halloween night, the dole it out over time afterward. This year, I put their buckets in their rooms — high up on their desks — just like my mom used to do, telling them the rules are 1) They have to have a meal first, and 2) They have to ask. In the last 24 hours, no one has asked for a piece of candy. I think that knowing they’re in charge and it being out of site in the main living areas have made everyone kind of forget about it.
But if that changes, we’ll definitely be using your Sugar Plum Fairy idea!