Nut-free, gluten-free, homemade-free? Options for School Parties

The e-mail request on the surface seemed simple enough. The room mother still needed treats for the goodie bag for the class Halloween party.

And then I got to the end of the message.

Also, please make sure none of the treats include peanuts (SEVERE peanut allergy) and 2 kids are gluten free!

Wow. That moment gave me pause. Because while I've learned to adjust to my child's friends' food allergies in real life (play dates, parties, etc.), I had no idea what to do in a classroom setting. And it was even made worse by a school rule that said no homemade treats.

At one of our local stores, I scoured product after product for ideas that might satisfy both requirements. I learned quickly that there is no labeling standard for nut-free or gluten-free products. I even asked a store employee, who asked two other employees for ideas. They just looked at me sadly.

If you're in the position of searching for last-minute party bag treats as I was, here are some ideas to get you started:

• Gluten-free candies: A list of many gluten-free and gluten-friendly candies. So apparently not all candy is off the list.
• Non-food items: Personally, I'm opposed to spider rings, stickers, plastic toys and any other item that can clutter up my home. But think about pencils, glow sticks for trick or treating, Play Dough or other ideas.
• Carmel apples
• Mandarin orange fruit cups decorated with a jack-o-lantern face on the top.
• Rice Krispy Treats
• Popcorn balls
• Clementines decorated as a jack-o-lantern
• Grape "Eyeballs"

Have other ideas for gluten-free, nut-free celebrations? Please share them below!

Book character costumes from the closet

Costumes - whether for Halloween, school plays or book character day - don't come cheap. But a little creativity can help your little girl become a favorite literary character. Here are a few ideas that don't involve a trip to the store, nor a hunt for a fairy or princess costume:

Junie B. Jones: Cardigan, T-shirt, skirt, socks pulled up, dress shoes and hair bow. Combed hair or matched items not necessary!

Fancy Nancy: Take your pick of your frilliest accessories to dress up your fanciest of skirts: baudy necklaces, clip-on earrings, hair bows and barettes, dress shoes. The more details the better!

Thing 1 and Thing 2: Repurpose two long-sleeve red shirts and write "Thing One" and "Thing Two" on the front. Use hair products to create a wild look!

From Winnie the Pooh: Abbie at the Farmers Daughter quickly created a Kanga costume from a sweatsuit.

Little Mermaid: Take that old prom dress or other formal and convert it into a mermaid costume.

Star Wars: OK, in my world, it's a stretch, but given the popularity of the book series, I'll add it too. Here, Suburban Greenmom shows off her Annakin Skywalker costume.

Robin Hood and Friar Tuck: Dressed from old PJs and mom's T-shirts.

And of course, there's the simplicity of the eternal vampire.

What are your favorite costumes that came from the closet?

Excavating the Apple Mummy

Making mummies is not one of my usual fall activities for fun, but it made quite the splash for my family earlier this year.

Although my daughter's class learned about Egyptian mummies in mid-winter, I thought it was appropriate to share as Halloween approaches. It's a simple science project that's easy enough for curious kindergarteners and first-graders. My 4 year old even enjoyed the daily excavation of the mummy for his sister's homework:

How to make your "mummy:"

Slice one apple in half, and place in a bowl, covering it in salt (1-2 lbs.). You can check the apple daily to see its progress toward "mummification" as the water is drawn from the fruit. Here's how it checked out after a week:

Halloween is over...Now what?

Halloween costumes may seem worthless on Nov. 1, now that the Halloween parties are over and the candy wrappers are stacking up.

But this year's costumes don't have to be doomed. Here are just a few ideas on what to do with your "last year's" costumes.

• Princess, cheerleader and other "dress-ups" in good condition can be shared with little girls in need. In our house, we've collected a bag of "dress-up" clothes and costumes that are going to two little girls our day care has adopted for Christmas. (You can always pair them with accessories from the clearance isle, if desired.)


• Store and trade your costumes in for nearly new ones on National Costume Swap Day 2012, held in mid-October.


• Donate or sell them to a resale shop, particularly if they're individual items like pants or shirts in good shape. Even period pieces can find a reuse.


• Those "bloody" shirts your teenager created? Bring them back to a new life as rags to use around the house.

What are you planning to do with this year's costumes?

DIY Halloween Costumes

Halloween costumes don't have to be costly, nor do they have to take much time. Today on the Green Phone Booth, we're sharing quick ideas for do-it-yourself Halloween costumes.

Created a monster

What I thought was a great idea has meant more clutter in my household. How my mom's Happy Meal habit is leading to a pre-Halloween headache is my topic at today's Green Phone Booth. I do have to say, she means well...

Weekend worth remembering

Four states and nine hours separate my children from their cousin, so they're only blessed to see her once or twice a year.

Thank goodness for fall break.

This time, they made the trek eastbound, and despite the fact my house still wasn't in tip-top shape for guests (but then, is it ever with two kids?) I consider the fact it's 7 a.m. and all other parties are asleep a minor miracle.

Take Wednesday, when my toddler woke up at 3 (a most unholy hour of night) to ask if his aunt and cousin were here. The next day it was 5. And naptimes? Forget about it. It's been a losing battle, though one I've largely stuck to at least trying to make happen.

But late, late Thursday night (OK, technically Friday morning), it happened. They arrived. And it's been a whirlwind ever since.

We started slowly, with the painstaiking process of making the world's best cinnamon rolls, forgetting that it's a four-hour process! But every kid got their hands dirty, from rolling the rolls (the girls) to punching the dough (perfect for 2 year old energy!). We went to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, a rare treat that we could afford thanks to an awesome Groupon, to check out all things girl (a Barbie exhibit) and boy (dinosaurs and trains) and to experience the kids' first Haunted House (during not-so-frightful hours).

We went to the Broad Ripple Farmer's Market and scarfed down amazing pretzels that come in braids of three pretzels each - that my toddler knows are at this market and starts asking for the minute we arrive. We joke about the Bloody Mary mix in the bag, which we nix, and savor the chocolate milk from the local dairy.

We burn off our energy at the local park, where the girls opt for swings and mom somehow gets sucked into playing truck - which translates to: Sit on the step, immediately get up, get off the truck, get some mulch, put it somewhere and gt back on the step. Repeat for 30 minutes. I figure it's good for the thighs.

We've gotten our share of movies and Great Pumpkins and have toyed with carving our own pumpkin. We've had our share of minor squabbles and glimpses into funny conversations between the kids. I only wish 10 months didn't separate those.

Today will be another day of memories, and tomorrow they make the trek home. But really, the time is too short, and the breaks too long. Sometimes, I wish you really could click your heels three times to get to Kansas...

Halloween costume swaps in Indianapolis

Finding a Halloween costume without breaking your budget can be a challenge. I've been fortunate in five years of parenting to be able to have found a suitable costume out of our closet, hand-me-downs or just a small purchase of accessories (dog ears and tail) at a shop.

This year was the first time we actually bought a costume, but for a combined $15 at the resale shop, I'm not complaining too much.

Wish I had waited, though. This year, several costume swaps in Indianapolis are scheduled. Here's a few:

Carmel: Re-boo! Re-wear! Re-Scare! Oct. 9 from 1 to 3 p.m. you can green your Halloween at the Cool Creek costume swap. Bring an unwanted costume and swap it for another.

Franklin: Respook Rewear, Rescare" Oct. 14 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Johnson County Solid Waste Management District office. Simply bring in a gently used Halloween costume and swap it with one of our other gently used costumes. Open to Johnson County residents and families.

Not in Indy? Find other costume swaps closer to home.

Most wonderful time of the year?

A quick errand to the store yesterday just made me feel overwhelmed. Right now, retailers are jumbling the holidays together and barfing them up like the aftermath of a bad party. A little Halloween here. A little Christmas there. And a teeny bit of Thanksgiving and fall flourishes crammed in just in case.

It’s no wonder my daughter was thoroughly confused when we were at the store the other day. Is it Halloween time? Christmas time? For a kid with little sense of time, it’s visual chaos. And for me, I’d just like to take a breather.

I realize my plea to let the holidays stand for themselves will fall on the deaf ears of retailers, who are quickly ripping down Halloween costumes to make room for Christmas lights, only by Dec. 24 to start ushering in Valentine’s Day. As a former retail widow, I fully understand it’s all about making the next buck.

But when does it stop? Can we ever enjoy the season for what it is?

Thanks for listening to me vent (and putting up with my horribly bad writing!) today!

Monday madness and a few links to check out

Light on the posts this last week. We had a major deadline at work, followed by short notice that we’d have unexpected company (the in-laws) in town.

I confess I actually have posts written out – the really old-fashioned way - on the back of scratch paper; I just haven’t had a moment to post.

I admit I feel like I spend a lot of time apologizing for not posting as frequently as I should. But I would rather spend time to write something of interest than write to just make a self-imposed deadline. The beauty of the Web (especially if you have an RSS reader) is that you can come back any time!

Until we get the family back on schedule (hopefully by mid-week), here are a few links to check out.

A great-sounding recipe for roasted Roma tomato salsa over on Going Local.

One Green Generation shows you how to clean out that cooking standby – baking soda – and 20 ways to use it up: I’ll add No. 21: Getting crayon creations off your walls!

Parenting has no-sew Halloween costumes – if you're needing ideas

Green Phone Booth has some interesting ideas for a second life for old wool sweaters.

Conscious Shopper has some early fall seasonal recipes to share.

Have a great Monday!

The hunt for a Halloween costume

Halloween is only a few short weeks away, and the coming of fall and the bright costumes in the stores means only one thing: Trick-or-treating is on the minds of my little one.

I'll admit this season makes me cringe. I hate the idea of wasting money for a costume that will be worn for an hour - barring any meltdowns like last year, where we made it about half a block - or is so cheap that it falls apart during the requisite dress-up times. That being said, I also can't shell out for a $45 dollar-plus-accessories princess costume, either.

Thank goodness for hand-me-downs.

My daughter, who's intrigued by her friends doing cheerleading, is happy to dress up in a gently loved cheerleading costume from a coworker's daughter. And the little guy, who in his recent growth spurt outgrew the one costume we'd been given, will be able to be cozy in black sweats and the dog ears his sister wore two years before.

But the best costume ideas were for us. The other day in the car, we started discussing Halloween. My daughter still was very excited about being a cheerleader. And then she offered ideas for mom and dad.

"You will be a Kansas Mommy," she informed me. A Kansas Mommy? "That's when you wear a shirt that says Kansas on it, but not a shirt with a Jayhawk on it." (Smart girl!)

"And Daddy will be a basketball daddy. He can wear a basketball shirt."

I love the way my kid thinks!

Coping with the stash

Despite a near-meltdown over the kids in scary costumes last night, our Mary Poppins came home from trick-or-treating with quite a stash in hand.

Which leads us to a common dilemna: What to do with the Halloween candy. For most, the hunt is more exciting than the reality of overwhelming results.

From what I've seen over the years, parents seem to be grouped into three camps on this:

• Let the kids gorge, spin in circles and race around for hours until they collapse in a diabetic coma.
• Drag it to work, tormenting their stress-eating and chocolate-craving coworkers for a week until the candy is gone.
• Toss it in the trash.

Let me throw in a fourth option, one I've heard from many a registered dietitian: Everything in moderation.

No, I'm not advocating a candy a day, though if it makes you happy and fits within your diet, you're welcome to do so. (I do wonder about encouraging a habit of daily candy for children, though.) But there are other options for families coping with bagfuls of candy that they suddenly don't want.

• Bake. This afternoon, my daughter's chocolates are becoming reborn as chocolate-chunk cookies for a pitch-in we're attending. (The cookies are staying there, by the way.) And those lollipops can be crushed for the "stained-glass" cookies we'd make as a child.
• Toss the candy in the freezer. Christmas is coming, and you'll save yourself the costs and the hassle of a trip to the store for chocolate for your cookie recipe next month.
• Save it for stockings.
• Share it with an organization that gives Christmas stockings to children in need.

Other ideas?

Tricks and treats

Alternatives to candy giveaways for Halloween seem far and few between. For weeks, we've been teased by rows of tiny candys, wrapped individually, then secured in a big plastic bag. And, tomorrow, families around the country will divvy up these treats by the gallon to children and teenagers who just don't need it, between their dental health and the growing obesity rate among kids.

Most stories I've seen on non-candy Halloween treats focus on buying little trinkets. You know, the junky plastic items that get ground into your carpet, ripped to shreds, imbedded in your car seats and sofa cushions, or, worse, eaten.

Of course, the fast-food industry is quick to jump in with gift certificates you can buy. Just what we need, another trip to McDonald's.

For years, I've been the odd woman out in the neighborhood. I've bought microwave popcorn and Play-dough. Not entirely better, but at least it's not chocolate-covered.

So are there more green options out there? Yes.

• Scavenge all the toys from fast food kids meals that are still in package and pass them out to trick-or-treaters.
• Give cash. OK, if you have a large neighborhood like mine, change. You could even toss in random foreign coins you'd somehow acquired.
• Pencils, pens or crayons. Pick up fun varieties in the clearance from the back-to-school sales.
• Boxes of dried fruit or raisins.
• Packets of hot chocolate.
• Leftover favors from past birthday parties.
• Stuffed animals. One writer shared how her family shared stuffed animals one Halloween.
• If you're going for individually wrapped items, consider fruit bars, pretzels or crackers.

Or, if you're like me, you can simply remove the temptation for the whole family. I plan to "recycle" my child's bounty and pass it out to others in the neighborhood.

Disney leading ladies and the Halloween Grinch

Frugality and the holidays aren't a natural pairing. Christmas shopping, of course, is what you hear about, but Halloween is a close second. The rows of wrapped-up treats that threaten to rot your teeth, the overpriced, under-quality costumes that will last one hour of your child's life, the aftermath at home and the temptations in the office.

Sometimes, I truly feel like the Grinch that stole Halloween. For starters, I refuse to buy candy for trick-or-treaters (I get popcorn or play-dough instead. Two reasons: The incidence of childhood obesity and my personal fondness for chocolately goodness). And I admit to having major issues with the give-me attitude that heats up among the neighborhood children, who practically climbed all over my swollen, pregnant belly to grab things out of the treat bowl last year.

But now that my oldest is 3, we're tackling a new issue: What to wear. 2008 is different. It truly is a year of decisions.

So far this month, I've heard random comments about being Alvin and the Chipmunks (not sure if she means all three), a frog, a cheerleader a turtle, Cinderella (with "yellow hair" -- and she means it), and a few others that I've managed to purge from my brain. Of course, none of these options are particularly simple or cheap. And all require a shopping trip, something I cringe about these days.

It could be worse. My daughter's friend wants to be a pink Power Ranger, which comes in at a costly $46 for a costume, her mom reports.

Coming from a family that made their costumes (I was raised in the era of those horrible too-tight plastic masks and wrap-around sheaths for costumes), I struggle with the idea of buying cheaply made, un-reusable costumes to dress up my children in for Halloween, especially at such a young age.

The first year, my oldest wore a hand-me-down costume for exactly five minutes, long enough to take a photo. The next, she toddled around in comfortable black sweats, dog ears and a tail. The third year, a Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader dress, found on eBay, which fit her until literally last week.

I tried to convince my daughter that she could wear a pink princess dress (fashioned out of last year's bridesmaid dress). No dice. I told her that the fairy godmothers changed Cinderella's dress pink and green. She got hung up on the green. Nevermind I've got the wrong Disney story -- it was Sleeping Beauty, not Cinderella.

But last night, a burst of inspiration hit. There's one Disney leading lady that my princess can pull off.

You see, tucked away in a box that I found recently was my first communion dress, circa 1983. And you know, it doesn't look that far off from the cover of Mary Poppins. I brought up the idea. Her face lit up. She was sold.

Yes, she'll be drowning in that decades-old dress, but only for that hour. But I can guarantee in the sea of princesses, she'll be the only Disney leading lady on the block who'll be prepared for rain.