If you have kids of any age, you know that the most exciting holiday (Halloween) is this week. My kids are grown and gone, but they absolutely loved Halloween.

Planning costumes sometimes started well before the weather turned chilly or sometimes were a last minute scramble. Once or twice costumes planned early were scrapped—I hated when that happened!

One year my oldest son decided to be a Mad Scientist and insisted that we locate some dry ice (to pop in a test tube to make it appear that he had some concoction) around 4 pm on Trick or Treat day. I had to disappoint him. He was my super creative kid and made his own costume most years.

My middle kiddo was pretty low key about his costume. In second grade he decided to go as a Cub Scout. Dear Reader, he was a Cub Scout, so this was not a stretch. His Pack Leader saw him wearing his uniform as a costume and cracked up!

My youngest, a girl, went for all things sparkly and pink. One of my favorite costumes was the year that she and her good friend Sally went as the Pink Ladies and their friend Baden went as a one of the Thunderbirds from Grease. I can’t find the photo of the three of them but here’s a classic of the girls:

I admit that I felt overwhelmed by Halloween and all the candy! Sometimes families that I work with feel that same sense of overwhelm and dread about the excess.

My top tip for managing Halloween night!

One of the best tips I have for families is to feed your kiddos a hearty meal before Trick or Treating (meatballs and macaroni and cheese were popular) and let your little monsters hit the road! Remember, attempting to control how much they gather and consume on Halloween night is futile. Let them have their fill and be sure to tell them how the remainder of candy will be handled.

Need some support feeding your family? Reach out, I’m happy to help.

Snack Idea: Cheese & crackers with a side of M&Ms

Please feel free to share this with someone who may like to learn more about feeding kiddos!