Sugar sugar

It's that time of year - the 4 month sugar high beginning with Halloween and ending with Christmas. Since having kids, holidays have taken on a new level of importance. And while its fun to experience the magic of the holidays through a child's eyes, its also exhausting. Instead of a single night, Halloween has morphed into a "season" - beginning in late September and ending - finally - on the eve of October 31st. By the time the big day actually arrives, the kids are worked up into a fever pitch. Thank goodness the experience actually lived up to the hype - after all, what is better to a kid then going door to door and recieving free candy? Woo hoo!

Halloween doesn't really end on October 31st though. There is a period afterwards where the days revolve around candy and treats. What meal do we have to get through to make it to the treats? How many more bites of chicken before we can have chocolate?

What is also making me laugh is how different my girls are when it comes to rationing these treats. Tonight for example, we finished dinner and I bribed the girls into helping me straighten by saying we couldn't have candy until the house was clean. After that, I got their bags out. Little A immediately chose the candy laying on the top of the bag and stuffed it into her mouth. She was done in about 15 seconds. Big A on the other hand dumped the entire bag out on the floor and methodically worked her way through it to make the best choice. She held up multiple options and commented on them, relishing in the fact that she had yet to even take a bite while Little A was long done. Finally she chose a pack of gummies. She ate each one with care, occasionally taunting Little A with the fact that she was still eating. By this time, Little A was yearning for another and asked if Big A would share. She wouldn't.

I think I'll give the treats another week or two before they go in the trash or in my stomach, whichever comes first. And then we'll move on to the next holiday. Big A was asking me this morning what was next. I told her Thanksgiving and she asked what we did for it. I told her we went to mom mom's and ate a big meal. "That's it?" she asked? No presents? No candy? I told her she could play with her cousins. "Okay," she said, satisfied. Personally, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days for that very reason. Its just about getting together with family and eating. No pressure (except for the cook, of course, and it ain't me).

Let's not even talk about Hanukah and Christmas. One day at a time. Let the handprint turkey and tissue paper cornucopia begin!