A Fair Trade

We love Halloween! But I really don't like all the Halloween candy. The kids hit the jackpot this year and got tons of full sized candy bars and all their favorites. We didnt do as many houses as we do in Denver, but there was no junk.

I am on a very low sugar diet (more about that later) and haven't been tempted by their candy this year. So it doesn't bother me at all. But its just too much! Archer already threw out dozens of candy bars that didn't meet his high standards. Skyler traded everything with peanuts in it (he claims he is allergic) with Archer. Archer has one piece a day, maybe two. If Skyler is left alone and quiet for a few minutes, I can usually find him in a corner unpeeling wrappers and stuffing them in his mouth. He looks up at me with that grin and says "What?"

I think the whole Candy Witch or Great Pumpkin idea is over the top. Put out your candy and its replaced with a toy. My kids have enough toys and a birthday is just around the corner.

I read the blog of women who is renovating a second home in France (okay... I stalk her) and she had this brilliant idea to trade the candy for coupons. The coupon ideas were so sweet and family oriented I decided to do this myself! I used a few of her ideas and the rest my own. They are things that the kids love, but we never do enough of. I made most be a 5 candy trade and a couple 10 candy.

Our Coupons are:
Stay Up Late 30 Minutes
1 Hot Chocolate
In n Out For Dinner
Trip to the Yogurt Shop
Hot Tub Afternoon
Daddy Cleans the Playroom
1 Lunchables for School Lunch
Family Game Night

When I told the boys we would be doing this in the morning they were so excited! I was thinking through the ideas as I told them, and when I got to "Daddy will clean the playroom" they went crazy!! "Daddy!?!" Mind you, Daddy is in Moscow at the moment and has no idea of this plan. So I knew it was a hit and I'd get all their candy in the end. Hahaha!

I just thought this was a great way to spend quality time together and thought I would share with you all. I have to say, later tonight on the monitor I heard them plotting to give me only "bad candy" or try and trade empty wrappers.