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Ok moms: besides costumes, what’s the first thing you associate with Halloween?  Very likely, candy. 

You may already have children grazing on candy intended for Halloween, and by November 1 you’re likely to be overflowing with acquired trick-or-treat goodies.  It’s hard to keep sugar in check when your house is overflowing with all the candy; what’s a health-conscious mom to do?

Most fall into one of three schools of thought:

Ignore it and it will go away (the candy, that is) – and it will, especially with lots of people helping… possibly in a matter of hours, usually over a period of days.  If you aren’t worried about candy intake, or aren’t prone to excessive snacking yourself, this is fine.  To keep things from getting too out of hand, you can always limit the number of houses you visit during trick-or-treating to begin with, so there isn’t such an overflow of sweets to tempt everyone.

Moderation in all things (the make-it-last approach) – you simply limit candy to a small amount per day.  This is great if everyone has lots of will power, or if your children are young enough for you to be in charge of doling out all the treats.  You may still have candy left well into December, but you get to enjoy it over a long period of time and you won’t have children feeling ill from eating two dozen of their favorite miniature size chocolate bars all at once.

Eat now or forever hold your piece (the use-it-or-lose-it plan) – there are several variations on this, but the common theme is that candy goes away very shortly after Halloween.  Moms have many inventive ways of making this happen:

• Picking favorites – have your kids choose a dozen of their absolute favorite goodies, and toss the rest
• The Great Pumpkin – this concept is similar to the Tooth Fairy.  You leave your candy in a big pile outside the back door (or wherever) and in the morning it’s been replaced by a toy or a dollar or two.
• Cash for Candy – you can do this outright, and simply make a deal with your kids (offering $5 for the entire bag, perhaps), or go to a place that will actually give you cash for your treats.  Lyons Orthodontics in El Dorado Hills and Citrus Heights and select locations of A+ Personalized Dental Care  in Roseville and Lincoln, among others, will give you $1/lb for candy, then send the candy on to troops overseas.
• The looming deadine – simply tell the kids that on Monday all the candy will be tossed, sent to the office, or otherwise disposed of.  Then run and hide (perhaps taking a Milky Way bar with you).

Your assignment:  Decide what you want to do – if anything! – about the Halloween candy that will soon fill your home.  If you plan to limit candy, think about how to do this as easily as possible, and be sure your kids know what to expect so there aren’t any terrible surprises.

Ready to take the assignment?  Want to talk about this?  Share your ideas and thoughts at the M.O.M. Balance Forum.