The solution to Halloween candy

One week ago from last night we were traipsing through our neighborhood, passing adorable superheros, princesses, and other ghostly creatures.  The boys bags were growing heavy and mama could feel her jeans starting to get tighter...just thinking of the full size Snicker bar, mini kitkats, and the Butterfingers (this years favorite). 

The first day Henry was obsessed with his bowl.  I think he counted and sorted his candy at least four times on Tuesday.  All. DAY. LONG. he was begging for "just one more piece mama."  And many times I gave in.  Day 2 he asked far less.  And by day three it was only an after lunch and afterschool snack requests.  The big issue wasn't necessarily the boys...it was me!  I had my hand in the bowls EVERY. SINGLE. TIME I passed through the kitchen.  Amazingly, there wasn't a single dish piled up on the counter for a week.  I felt the need to go in and wash a dish every 5 minutes.  Seriously, NO SELF CONTROL. 

So this weekend we solved it.  We went down into our basement and pulled out the "Countdown to Thanksgiving Halloween Candy Board" that we created last year.  It needed some repair so we tossed it and went for a new style.  Envelopes!

I gave each boy 19 envelopes and had them number them.  Charley is working on writing his numbers!  And Henry cut and glued the numbers that I wrote.  Then they decorated the envelopes - too fast and furious for my taste.  But they are boys.  Then they laid them all out and did some serious contemplating over what 19 pieces of candy would make the cut.  Only 19 pieces would fill those envelopes.  Each boy would then take out the few special pieces they wanted to keep.  The rest went to the Candy Witch (a new and loved Tooth Fairy relative). 

Then the boys stickered the envelopes shut and we hung them with clothes pins.  Each day they get to open their envelope anytime after breakfast.  This morning it was immediately following...8:13.  Normally, this would make me cringe.  But I decided, better to get it over with, let the school day wear off the sugar, and not deal with it after dinner. 

No longer is it as easy to nibble on the candy.  The guilt would kill me if I started dipping into their countdown stash! 



P.S.  The Candy Witch swapped out the rest of the Halloween candy for the Lego Advent Calendar that they will share and then they each got a Star Wars guy.  Everyone was happy! 

This is linked to Tackle it Tuesday!