Ten things to do with all that candy...

Have you seen the size of the  trick-or-treating buckets at Target this year? The thought of that much candy makes my head hurt (and I cringe at the thought of the next trip to the dentist).

But what to do? Closely packed neighborhoods, which practically have a "no tolerance" policy for anyone who would dare give fruit or pencils to candy-seeking kiddos, now throw a sugar extravaganza on this night, with parents frantically stashing away gigantic bags of sugary goodness to make sure they're not  the ones who find egg on their house.

My kids, of course, are already buzzed at just the thought of all that sugar. Yay for me. And yay for you too. And I'm thinking, as I prepare to ration Sweet-Tarts and survive numerous sugar highs and lows for the next few days...what should I do with the rest of it? You know, all the candy the kids don't like or that I just won't feed them?

Well, here's my list, in no particular order..

1. Eat it myself. While at first an enticing idea, the thought of facing the scale over the next two months, even without inhaling excess Halloween candy, seems like a quick ticket to buying new clothes--a size up. So maybe not...

2. Take it to work, or playgroup. Yes, this option seems much more acceptable. Let someone else invest in a new, larger wardrobe. But I will have to contend with all my friends'/colleagues' misery. Hmmm....

3. Give it to the church. Yes, yes! Anything wrapped I'm sure they'll accept. Won't they? Yep, this idea's a possible keeper...

4. Save it. But then find it six months later, break a tooth on something completely stale and not delicious, and throw it in the trash. Scratch that!

5. Find a way to make crafts with it. I can see all sorts of fun ideas from Pinterest sparking a craft inspiration. Of course, the candy is still there, in full sight of the children. But I like this idea as well.

6. Hide it in my parents' suitcase. "What? There was candy when you got home? Well, I bet it was the three-year-old. That crazy kid..."

7. Throw it away. Okay, it's not like this isn't the end result of several of the aforementioned ideas. And if someone says something about starving children, I will tell them that I am sorry, but a bag of Gobstoppers will not solve world hunger. And then, because of the guilt trip, I will go online an donate to someone who can solve it. Everybody wins.

8. Give it out at a race. I've had enough people holding out plates of gummy bears--not wrapped--at races to know giving candy to tired, sweaty runners is not exactly frowned upon. Then again, I've never taken candy from a stranger...

9. Candy bomb my neighbors. Two questions. 1) Is it illegal to put wrapped candy in a mail box? 2) Do candy wrappers show fingerprints?

10. Send it to my brother. Because he's serving his country in the desert. Ding, ding, ding! Yep, that's the winner. In the interest of getting a head start on the season of giving, I'll give my extra candy (and even some of the good stuff) to someone who not only deserves a little extra thought, but will also appreciate it. (And if you'd like to give to a soldier too, check out Adopt a US Soldier.)

There, problem solved.