Ash & Alys Babes Blog
A Parent’s Solution to the Halloween Candy Hangover October 22, 2012 14:12
Halloween is so much more fun with your own kids than it ever was as a child or single adult. There is so much magic in every little thing leading up to Halloween night. Finding a costume, decorating, crafts, pumpkin picking and carving, school and community activities, hay mazes, the smell of candy corn, the fall leaves and crisp autumn evenings. It is spellbinding for adults and kids alike, and makes it a little easier to say goodbye to summer.
When my oldest child was big enough to understand the concept of trick-or-treating for the first time, my husband and I were so excited and amused watching him hold out his little felt bag and say those adorable words. We tramped up and down our neighborhood street crunching on the fall leaves and loving every minute – completely oblivious to the fact that we were going to have to deal with the issue of way too much candy the following morning.
Being a somewhat strict family when it comes to sugar indulgence, we subtly started siphoning our son’s loot, and implemented a daily ration, until a month later the candy was finally gone and forgotten (just in time to be replaced by Thanksgiving pies and Christmas cookies!). For me, the whole thing put a bad taste in my mouth and took some of the fun out of Halloween. Just another thing to regulate. And then I met my new best friend, the Sugar Fairy.
The Sugar Fairy loves candy. And
although she must brush her teeth dozens of times a day to fight off the candy
cavities, she is very pretty, and very sweet and will do just about anything to
get her hands on more treats. So, on Halloween night, after all the children
have finished their trick-or-treating, and set aside a few of their favorite
treats for later, the Sugar Fairy begins to make her rounds. Any child that
agrees to leave most of his Halloween candy out on the front steps for the
Sugar Fairy to gobble up, will awake the next morning to find that in exchange,
this little fairy has left behind a special toy he has been wanting.
It’s genius. Not only does it solve the candy hangover, but it adds even more fun, magic and anticipation to Halloween.
I have no idea who thought it up, but I fell in love with the Sugar Fairy as soon as my close friend told me about her. The Sugar Fairy made her first visit to our house last Halloween, and was welcomed with open arms by my sons. She is eagerly awaited by us all again this year.
-Ashley
Green Halloween® and Adorable DIY Costume Ideas October 16, 2012 13:25
Halloween is big on fun but, unfortunately, it‘s also big on unhealthy traditions and waste. Many moms worry about the impact of this holiday on the health of their kids and the planet. For good reason. Almost $6 billion a year is spent on costumes, candy, décor and other accessories, most of which are made from unhealthy, unsustainable materials, by people who may not be paid living wages or treated fairly. Most of the stuff – what isn‘t consumed - winds up in landfills.
When many families make healthier and more sustainable choices for Halloween, big impacts can be made for the short and long term. Here are a few spooky statistics from Green Halloween® (www.GreenHalloween.org) that might fuel your desire to change the way you celebrate Halloween:
· One in three trick-or-treaters born today will develop diabetes
· One-third of America‘s trick-or-treaters are overweight; 17% are considered obese
· EPA considers that 60% of all herbicides, 90% of all fungicides and 30% of all insecticides found in non-organically grown food- including goodies - are carcinogenic
· A 2004 study with 1,800 three year old children found that behavior measurably improved after a one week diet without preservatives and artificial colors and dramatically worsened on the weeks they were given preservatives and artificial colors (present in most Halloween candy)
· The chocolate industry has engaged in the use of child slaves and other unethical treatments of growers
· One test of multiple brands of face paints found detectible levels of lead in all of them (according to experts there are NO safe levels of lead)
One easy way to ‘green’ your Halloween (and save money!) is to create your own costumes from safe materials, or swap costumes with other families in your community. You can also check out the National Costume Swap Day™. Here are a few adorable and affordable costume ideas we love.
Baby Dobby
Mouse in a Trap
Clark Kent
Baby Peacock
Baby Movie Popcorn
Baby Sushi
-Alyssa
Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter founders of Green Halloween® and co-authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, available at www.CelebrateGreen.net.