Friday, October 30, 2015

Halloween 2015

We made it through another year of trick-or-treating.  Once again I'm very thankful for the neighbors we have.  Last year wasn't as positive for the Babe, but this year many of our neighbors were very thoughtful, having safe options or a special treat just for her. 

This year there was a greater media presence regarding the Teal Pumpkin Project.  It was started a couple years back by an allergy mom from Tennessee.  Last year it seemed to make headlines in the allergy community, but this year I saw articles in mainstream media, and posts from various media outlets.  The concept behind the Teal Pumpkin Project is to offer safe alternative to food for Halloween treats.  This can be as simple as a pencil or eraser, stickers, or more elaborate items. 

We had a sign on our door indicating we had food and non-food treats.  None of the kids asked for the non-food items, which means I'll just save the little puzzles and other toys for next year.  As for the Babe, she received temporary tattoos, stickers, erasers, pencils, pen and paper, and even a very thoughtful craft project.  The Babe was great about going to various houses that only offered candy.  She just said, "No thank you", and went on with her friends.  The only part that upset her were some people had their dogs out trick-or-treating, and she's afraid of dogs.  Otherwise, she had fun.

Afterwards, she went on a Halloween inspired scavenger hunt with our babysitter, who joined us for the night to help out (Daddy wasn't in town).  Then we had some chocolate chip pumpkin bread I made earlier in the day, followed by carving the pumpkin.  Lastly, I did give her a special treat.  I never know if she's going to receive anything she can keep, or how disappointed she might be that she can't do all that her friends do.  So this year rather than stock up on a bunch of little things (e.g. coloring books and stickers), I got her a small toy I knew she'd like.  Based on the hugs and kisses I received, I knew we finished our evening well.   

If you want more information on the Teal Pumpkin Project, you can find it here: http://www.foodallergy.org/teal-pumpkin-project.