(gluten free) TRICK - OR - (sweet) TREAT!

Isn't he cute!?!?
This little guy was used during  our 2009 JDRF Walk To Cure Diabetes, when it was held on Halloween.

Well, here we are.

Again.

Once 10/31 hits, we'll be pummeled with one sweet treat after another for the next few months...day after day, week after week, month after month....

But there's NO REASON for your child with diabetes and/or celiac to miss out on the fun!

This is our 5th Halloween with diabetes and our 2nd with celiac.

When Sugar was on shots, we'd dump out the loot and let her pick out 10 pieces.  Then we'd pack up the rest, stick it on the doorstep before bed, and the next morning **POOF** it was gone!  A trip to the toy store followed, where she would pick out an item with a $20 limit.  Over the next several days, we'd work the chosen candy treats into her regular routine and life was grand.

She began pumping when she was 3 1/2.  And....guess what!  This is STILL our family's tradition.  EVERYONE gets all the loot they can stuff into their bags, dresses up, and enjoys the lighthearted memories in the making.  At the end of the night, we dump it all out into one big pile.  Then we let the kids take turns examining their options and picking out 1 treat at a time, until everyone has 10 pieces.   The next day it's off to the toy store for everyone. I do have to admit, however, that everyone's spending limit is now $10 each.  The girls just have to figure out how to do more with less....kind of like the rest of us...Life Lesson No. 487 -- CHECK!

There are 2 significant differences for our family when comparing Halloween On Shots and Halloween On a Pump...

1)    Since the pump, Sugar is welcome to ask for one of her treats whenever she wants.  But, when they're gone, THEY ARE GONE!  I don't limit treats strictly to a mealtime -- if she wants a treat right after school, we make it happen.  The ONLY exception to this would be if her blood sugar is over 300 OR if she needs a new site....in those scenarios, I do make her wait until her number is showing signs of improvement (otherwise I have a hard time discerning whether or not the site was the cause for that high blood sugar) and/or a new infusion site is placed.

2)    Sometimes she dives in for a treat along the loot gathering route....and we just stand by, PING remote in hand to make sure she gets the insulin she needs along the way.

It's probably helpful that this is really the only way Sugar has ever known Halloween to be.  She was diagnosed with diabetes when she was barely 2 years old.  As far as she knows, this is just how the tradition goes....and, she's right.....in our family, at least!

What to do with all that left over candy?

I say pack it up, stick it in freezer bags and save it for the candy bowl next year.  I mean....if you can freeze your wedding cake topper and eat it a year later......

But, if you're looking for something else to do with it (I mean, besides eat all of it yourself) then HERE is a list of some pretty cool ideas from parenting.com.

Regarding the GLUTEN FREE thing....

In all honesty, I don't worry about Sugar touching a wrapper or sticking her hands into a candy bowl.  She has to wash her hands anyway before she can dive into the pile to start picking out her 10 pieces.

I do, however, take care to make sure that the candy she is choosing is, in fact, gluten free.  You can do this by searching for nutritional information on a manufacturer's website...but THIS LIST from the National Foundation of Celiac Awareness is also extremely helpful too!

My favorite gluten free flour (JULES GLUTEN FREE) has some tasty tips HERE!

Speaking of Candy Lists....

Here's a great one for you to use for carb counts from Planet D through the American Diabetes Association.

And, for your reading pleasure, here are some other 2010 Halloween posts written by bloggers from all around the DOC (Diabetes Online Community)....

D-Tales
The Superhero and The Princess
Our Diabetic Life
I Am Your Pancreas
The We CARA Lot Blog
Houston We Have A Problem
The Princess and The Pump
Welcome To Our Crazy, Happy Life
Chasing Numbers
Jenna's Pet Monkey
The Diabetic's Corner Booth
Kortnie's D-Life
D-Mom Blog
Life As I Know It

PS -- If you have a post to add, let me know in the comments!  I like keeping these things organized for future reference....Halloween, after all, does come once a year!

AND...LAST, BUT NOT LEAST....

Halloween Through The Years

The Rose Family

****2006****

SNIFF SNIFF!!!!!

It would appear that every picture of our life from 2006 and most of 2007 has been lost to cyber space.

I know I have a snapshot somewhere in our picture box, but I can't find it right now.

If you are a loved one who may have a 2006 Halloween pic, please send it my way!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

From my CANDY HEART to yours,