Halloween Recap, a Second Sugar Break, & Why I Don't Work Out

I used my trick or treaters this year. I started to wonder what a non candy Halloween would look like and the next thing I knew I was on Amazon buying mini gliders, spider rings, glow in the dark bugs, glow stick  bracelets, and mini bubbles. And I was excited like a nerd about it. I had a lot of apprehension about the possibility of an old fashioned egging or making small children cry, so on October 30th I went out and bought a mixed bag of mini M&Ms, Snickers, & Skittles. The candy lived inside of the ghost (a decoration my grandmother made with paper mache, a balloon & a milk jug) and the toys were in an open bowl. 

 At the end of the night the candy was gone, but I will have no problem with the possibility of not buying it next year. EVERYONE was nuts over the glow bracelets. I didn't make them into bracelets, just kept them straight like little sticks. Kids were running around with them & when we handed them out the reactions were fantastic. The runner up non candy giveaway was the mini bubbles. Everything else was kind of meh. The reason the candy was gone is because after they picked a toy I was like "and take some candy, too" because I did not want that stuff lying around the house. More on that in a sec. In the mean time, please enjoy Ariel and the Strong Man: 

So back to getting the candy out of the house. I decided sometime last week that I was ready to clean out the refined sugar again. I haven't gained weight, but as sugar has been around once a week (or sometimes twice if I can find an excuse) I'm ready to get it all the way out again and feel really great for the holidays. It's a good reason to resist all of those side treats that seem to be around EVERY DAY of December, and why wait until January 1st to feel and look great? People take pictures during the holidays, so let's all try and look good for the pictures. I am definitely not as concerned about it this time and am actually looking forward to how great I'm going to feel having it totally gone. It all starts tomorrow & will run through December. I'm giving myself Thanksgiving, ending it on Christmas Eve, and adding two free days to throw around. The rules I stick to are: no obvious refined sugar, but yes to wine. I'll stay away from honey, pure maple syrup, & dried fruit for about ten days and then pull them back in. All other natural sugars are in. 

Another item on my feel better list is working out. I haven't worked out since my first pregnancy. That would be... August 2012. There. I said it. I'm not proud of it, but I've never been one of those people who is really intense about it. And if I'm being really honest, I was doing pretty well with running until April 2012 and that's when I really quit. Here are my best reasons for not working out:

Morning sickness

All day sickness

So pregnant right now

So tired

I just had a baby 

Breastfeeding. It's like working out and so I've already really worked out

I JUST had a baby (nine months ago)

It's the summer in Texas... It's too hot for this.

Then I had a brief period of walk running and THEN:

Oh, I thought that was morning sickness before, THIS is actually morning sickness

Constantly

for 27 weeks

So pregnant again

Just had that baby, again

Breastfeeding, again

I'll start working out when the baby is one

The baby is one, it's July. If I start now I will die

Maybe when he drops his morning nap

I JUST had a baby (15 months ago) 

Do you know how hard it is to push a double jogging stroller? against the wind?

With my two most favorite workout excuses

 And here we are, all caught up to present day. While I do believe that somewhere around 80% of what you look like depends on what you eat, it's GOOD to be as healthy as you can be. I am not unhappy with my size, I'm not looking to lose any weight. In fact if I start working out, some of my non muscle is going to turn into muscle so I will likely gain weight. The thing is, I can't stand it when people complain about something and ignore the fact that they could change it. So if I'm still looking for more energy, more tone, more stamina, and I want my kids to enjoy physical activities, it's time to lead by example. It's not going to be intense, I'm going to have to commit to it, but there it is. I'm going to start working out again. Just need that new pair of running shoes. The world is your gym. Thank God Houston is so beautifully flat!

 

The Great Halloween Candy Switch - Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Let's get this out of the way first... I love candy. I love candy too much. I have probably tried it all, I still have my guilty candy pleasures and I also have about four filled cavities that back me up. For me, this is kind of a "do as I say, not as I do" type of thing. With all of the things you read about artificial color and your child's brain, corn syrup made with genetically modified corn, and all that other fun junk, I would prefer for my kid to not eat 4 lbs of candy. She can keep a few things to enjoy, but I made a plan for the rest. 

I REALLY love the Switch Witch. It's on almost every mom blog I follow and the whole premise is that your kids pick about 10 pieces of candy to keep and then put the rest on the front porch before they go to bed. During the night the "Switch Witch" visits, taking their candy and leaving behind a present for them. I think next year this will be genius, but this year I don't know if Landon can fully grasp the concept to be ok with the fact that her candy is on the front porch and someone is coming to get it. I guess what I am doing is maybe a simple version of this.

I picked something L loves and it was a toss up between chocolate chip cookies and cupcakes. In the end, I found a great recipe for Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies on 100 Days of Real Food and the horrible weather was a great opportunity to make cookies together this morning in anticipation of all the junk tonight.

cookie monster

I made a few changes to the recipe after reading the comments and they turned out DELICIOUS. I don't know if I have ever made cookies this good. The Whole Wheat Flour really gives the cookie a bit of a nutty flavor. There's more to it. They are a little bit cakey, but in a fluffy way, not a dense way. At the end of the night, Landon can trade her candy for some cookies. Still a great treat, I just know exactly what went into them!

100 Days of Real Food's Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 16-20 cookies (just enough to not “over-indulge”

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup whole-wheat flour, pastry or white winter wheat recommended
• ½ cup white flour (or can use all whole-wheat instead) *I used all whole wheat
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt *I used a bit more salt to sprinkle on top of the dough before it went in the oven
• 1 stick butter (8 tablespoons), slightly colder than room temperature
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ cup chocolate chips *I used a cup of milk chocolate chips

Instructions (From 100 Days of Real Food)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients with a hand-held whisk including the flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large, separate bowl use an electric mixer to cream the butter. The butter is the KEY ingredient in this recipe and for best results it must be “slightly” colder than room temperature. I usually take my stick of butter out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for a half hour or so before making the cookies. If your butter gets too soft/warm you can alternatively chill the cookie batter after mixing everything together.
4. Add the egg, both sugars, and vanilla to butter until well mixed. Scrape sides of bowl as necessary.
5. With the electric mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in batches) to the butter mixture.
6. With a large spatula stir in the chocolate chips.
7. If you have time, and for the very best results, it is recommended that you chill the batter for 10 – 15 minutes before putting the cookies in the oven (even if your butter was the perfect temperature!).
8. Put spoonfuls of batter on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 7 – 9 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack. *I noticed my cookies took at least 9 minutes, two of the three batches took 10 minute.

I know some of you reading this are like LAME and I get it. But this works for us and L is a much better kid on a regular diet of actual fruits, vegetables, dairy and proteins with an occasional treat. Halloween is just OVERLOAD. That being said we are handing out every kind of treat you could imagine, chemicals and all. I don't want to get egged. 

Happy Halloween!

RT

Halloween Recap

This week did not really go according to plan. That's life. Instead of a Sunday night preview of the week, maybe I could present it as possibilities. You MIGHT read about this, OR I might fill my blog with lots of pictures of my little Halloween flower child. 

Cause we're spooky and stuff.

My all time favorite Halloween costume (for myself) is hard to narrow down, so when I thought about it I had to limit myself to childhood. I was snow white one year and LOVED that costume, but I think my real favorite was when I dressed up in traditional Thai clothing. Yes. That is correct. I called myself a Thai Princess. My mom has a fantastic picture of this that I will try and fish around for. My grandparents had recently visited Thailand and brought back traditional costumes for myself and my brother. I was trying to find a similar costume online, but mine was clearly one of a kind. Here is the similar style (based on my memory, so we'll see how that works out when the actual photo surfaces.)

This one is for sure a little more elaborate, but same top and skirt style. Pho anyone?

I loved this costume for all of the reasons some people say little girls aren't supposed to love things. It was silky and beautiful and it made me feel like a princess. Having a daughter I get bombarded with advice and articles on how to make your daughter realize that intelligence is just as important as beauty. Sometimes even more important. Thinking of this costume puts a little bit of that in perspective. I loved Thai Princess and I loved Snow White because I felt beautiful wearing the costumes. The rest of the time I felt pretty smart. Except when I ate that entire pillowcase full of Halloween candy. Let's just say that was a lapse in beautiful judgement. 

Back to the here and now, we could have a problem moving forward when taking Landy for walks. She really liked the part of Halloween where you walk up to people's doors and they open them to give you things. A few hard core days of training her to stay on the sidewalk should remedy that. 

Earlier in the day we carved pumpkins and Landon was all "What's so cool about carving pumpkins? Seems pretty not punk rock at all to me."

Word.

Then she got a little more interested.... in what the inside of a pumpkin tastes like. The verdict: A solid "MMMM" followed by pumpkin insides spit on the ground. Yes, I let her eat the pumpkin. She now knows that pumpkin insides taste like yuck. These are priceless lessons. She will likely relearn this one next year.

Hello Kitty says Pumpkins are for candy, not carving....

Then the big moment. Landon's little Flower Child costume was ready to be put on. We switched the long sleeved more flowy shirt for a short sleeved tee because it was 80 something degrees. She managed to keep everything on once we got going. An All Hallows Eve Miracle.

Peace Y'all! And Daddy's legs.

This costume was so fun and I absolutely loved it. For a family on a budget, the cost factor was a total winner. The vest was mine when I was little, the peace necklace and the headband I bought in 1999 at Dance Fantastic for a high school pep rally. The jeans are on loan from my friend in SA (who says she will never have a daughter, but will), the brown leather sandals are on loan from Aunt L (cousin E is moving one size ahead.. lucky Landy!), and the tee shirt was on sale for $3 at target. 

Hippies still like to roll around in the grass. FYI.

Our neighbor a few blocks away always has every blow up available for purchase on their front lawn during the month of October. On Halloween night they bring out the big guns and pull a hearse onto the lawn. Hearses aren't really my thing, but this was a massive production. It isn't quite the same in pictures, but just imagine some spooky music and TONS of kids yelling. And smoke rising out of the back of the hearse. I was assured it looks even spookier when it's dark out.

That about sums it up. We made sure to stop by our friend's houses and then Landon was like "wow guys, I have never been out this late." So we headed back to our street and made sure to say hi to some of our favorite neighbors. Then S gave Landon a few bites of the melted twix she had been holding in her hands for an hour and we put her to bed. And from this point going forward, Halloween just gets more intense. I choose not to think about that for at least another 335 days. The one thing I forgot to do: bring leftover Halloween candy to the office. I'll save that one for Tuesday.

Hope y'all had a good one! 

-RT