Halloween Candy Hangover? What To Do With All the Sugary "Goodies"

So, are you sitting at home, inundated with candies galore? Are those candies -- that are supposed to be your kids -- beckoning you while your children are off at school?

It's time some Halloween Hangover Candy Coping help!

Here are some ideas on what to do with all that candy.

What To Do With the Halloween candy

1. Forget the office! Don't even think of schlepping candies to work to share with your co-workers. They'll inevitably over-indulge and then be annoyed with you and themselves for doing that. And who knows what will happen to their ability to focus and get things done if they over-indulge. This concept of bringing candies to work -- which almost everyone does -- makes no sense to me. You don't want to send your colleagues into sugar shock, do you? You don't want to ruin their diets, do you?

2. Set limits. First, be honest with yourself: Can you handle all that candy in the house? If so, let your kids have 2 to 3 pieces a day. That's it. But ONLY let them have the candy after a healthy meal -- we're talking ample protein, healthy carbs like veggies and quality fats such as olive oil and avocado. Then, after a week, dump out the candy. (But, seriously, this could be the most dangerous option.)

3. Trade treats for toys. Make it a game that if your kids give you a bunch of candies, you'll give them really cool party favors or toys in their place. Tell them that toys last longer and can be more fun and won't give you type 2 diabetes or obesity. (Then jettison the candies. I'll get into how later.)

4. Bring on the Halloween Fairy. (For younger kids) Tell them the Halloween Fairy is coming tonight, and she'll take all your candies if they leave them outside their doors. In their place, the Halloween Fairy will bring all kinds of fun toys. (Thanks to Karla Pittman for this idea, which I wrote about earlier.)

5. Share with our soldiers. Ask your kids to turn in all their candies to ship to our servicemen and servicewomen in Iraq. Let America Supports You  or Packages From Home help you reach them. (Thanks to This Mama Cooks On a Diet blog for tipping me off to these groups.) FYI, I have mixed feelings about this idea, because do we really want our servicemen and women going into sugar shock over there?

6. Turn candies into crafts. Use candies to make necklaces, bracelets, mosaics or gingerbread houses.  "The House Fairy,", who wrote on "FlyLady" Marla Cilley's blog, has a great story about using all those candies to create a snazzy gingerbread house.

7. Toss the sugary tricks. Just forget that old adage that you're supposed to eat everything on your plate. That's a stupid idea -- not good for your or your children's health. Just shove the sweets down the dish disposal. Let's face it -- if you stuff candies into the trash, they may still end up in your children's (our your) mouths, as some of us will attest. If you don't have a disposal, then spray something inedible like pest remover or hairspray on it and you'll never be able to eat it! The only dilemma with that idea is that if they candies are wrapped, some desperate sugar addicts (you know who you are!) might still eat them. Another option makes more sense: Just take the stuff and immediately dump it down the incinerator. Go ahead -- this blog will wait for you -- do that right now! (And please don't worry about feeding your Halloween candies to the homeless -- they don't need this nutrient-lacking stuff either.)

8. Don't be a Halloween bandit. Parents, this isn't a time to take all your kids candies and then mindlessly shove it into your own stomachs! And, if you do, 'fess up here -- it'll help you to begin to break free from your mindless candy-crunching!

Hope these ideas help.