Halloween Hangover 🎃

How was your Halloween?

I came across this memory below from 2015. How little were my babies?

In this post, I am sharing about this 2015 Halloween experience and how different my approach is in 2024. I realise Halloween has gone for another year, but what I am sharing may give you a new perspective on where your family is at with food. I'm also sharing my 3 tips for the Halloween Hangover which I wrote after this event in 2015.

My Approach to Halloween & How It Has Changed

This was taken back in 2015 when we were travelling Australia on a mission to transform children’s health. We were invited by Lithgow Council to park our big green bus on the Main Street because every shop in the street celebrates Halloween.

They asked me to do Halloween healthy style. Whilst I was busy handing out Green Goblin Juice (Green Smoothies) and Carrot Eyeballs (Carrot Energy Bliss Balls), Israel took the kids trick or treating along the street.

THEY WERE BEYOND EXCITED!You see up until that time, I had avoided Halloween like the plague.But in 2015, I learnt that Halloween can be fun and an opportunity to educate and empower our kids.They came back with a hideous stash of lollies. I recall even being amazed that the dentist was giving out jelly beans with their logo printed on the bag. Anyways, here's how I managed what I called the Halloween hangover back then - in 2015.https://therootcause.com.au/3-steps-to-deal-with-halloween-hangover/Now, 9 yrs later and my approach is different again.Both kids aren’t really of trick or treating age any more. Indrani is now 18. She got dressed up as Napolean Dynamite and went to the pub to do Halloween Trivia with her girlfriends. Rilien happily traded trick or treat to have some screen time with his mates.They both have their own money now because they work. Sometimes they use it to buy food I don’t buy for the house, so there's not as much excitement around having lollies and chocolate now as there used to be.In this season of our life, Halloween is now of a non event.When I reflect on the last 18 years of parenting, I can honestly say it is a series of different seasons. Just like Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring. The seasons come and they go.We have had the season of beige food. The season of no mushrooms, no capsicum, no cucumber, no celery, no curry... No a lot of things. And what about this one - the season of not eating eggs. This season lasted 12 years for Rilien!Then there was a long season of me doing it all. Oh the resentment I had and how I would not say a thing until I exploded because I couldn't take it any more. Ultimately, I invested time in empowering them to help out and so that season ended too. Now we're in a season with a weekly roster where everyone cooks and cleans.

So no matter where you are right now, I hope the idea of your family life being a series of seasons gives you some hope that things will change.But here's the thing, sometimes we have to do things to also make the season change happen.If you want some more tips to help you through the different seasons of your family life, join me across in my Empowering Food Friendships Private Facebook Group where I am sharing tips to help you wade through the seasons. Join the group here.