Angry Bird Costume and a Peanut-Free Halloween

This is the first year the boy understands what Halloween and trick or treating really means. In fact, at three and a half, its probably the first year that he's even understood the word 'candy'. That means that this year is going to be way more fun, involve way more sugar and probably involve just as many, if not more, catastrophic meltdowns.

Without asking for his opinion, inspired by Pinterest (of course), I decided to make the boy an Angry Birds costume, based on a sweatshirt that I've made it him before. The idea being that it would have a similar feel and fit in the hopes that he would be eager to wear it. I just finished it today and now that its stuffed, its doesn't exactly resemble his other sweatshirt, but I did get him to put it on, for at least a moment.

Getting him to wear his costume however, is the least of my worries.  Much higher on my priority list is watching out for peanuts and potential peanut contamination. I have this fear that the boy is going to grab a candy out of his bag, somehow get it open and eat something delicious and equally deadly like a peanut butter cup before an adult can stop him.

Fortunately, the good folks at Nestle sent me one of their Red Peanut Free boxes of Halloween sized candy that I can allow my boy to eat without worrying. I've already purchased a second box that I'll be using for 'tradsies' with the boy when we sort through his candy; although not dairy free, the red box includes Aero bars, which are a safe treat for those of us living the gluten-free life.

Thanks to Yummy Mummy Club Founder Erica Ehm, Vancouver mom's everywhere will be making Halloween safe for allergic kids. If you're purchasing peanut-free treats, place the box in your window and let Mom's like me know that your treats are safe for their special little person!

Press Pause for Halloween

When I think about Halloween I instinctually think of costumes and candy; I used to wear costumes and get candy and now its more about the kids costumes and giving out candy. For some reason I never seem to think about Halloween at the next level, I never think of it as a special day full of tradition and worthy of effort, though it truly is.

Growing up I was the oldest of three; we always took pillowcases trick-or-treating, they were easy to carry and they could hold tons of candy.  My brother would always be ready to go home first, usually after only a couple blocks, satisfied that he had enough candy to keep him happy.  My little sister on the other hand could trick-or-treat forever, however she could also convince my Dad to carry her once she got tired, which always seemed unfair. When we arrived back home the three of us would sit on the floor in the rec room, dump out our bags and sort our loot, trying to trade away our least favourites to get the best possible candy stash.

And since I've become an adult, got married and had kids my Halloween traditions have, and continue to, evolve.

This realization came about after Hallmark sent me some product; I immediately started to imagine how we would use them. Instinctively I thought that my mom or mother-in-law would love the hokey pokey skeleton, but after watching the boy press the 'button' then 'shake his head' along with it, over and over, I knew that we would be keeping him at our house.

I was also super intrigued by the Hocus Pocus Treat Presenter, which can be used as part of a Halloween display or instead of a bowl to hold candy.  Either way, its an innovative and memorable product for Halloween, I think my mother-in-law is going to love it.

Hallmark also sent me some Halloween greeting cards, including some with removable buttons or bracelets; I'm going to send them to the kids in my family and friend circles.  I remember how exciting it was to get mail as a child and these cards are so fun, I can hardly wait to hear what they all think of them.

Somewhere along the line Halloween has become an important holiday to me, and I think that's exactly what Hallmark is trying to remind us of with their Press Pause panel and 'Life is a Special Occasion' campaign.  That any day, any moment, can be memorable and special if we simply take the time to stop and make it so.

I was provided with product by Hallmark as part of the Press Pause Panel for the purposes of this review, however all opinions are my own.