I should have posted this earlier today. In our comics (hope this link is still good tomorrow):
http://www.comics.com/wash/pickles/a...-20061031.html
Make sure you look at Oct 31st.

LOL!! That's funny!

Our solution to the trick or treat problem was to pass out flyers last week to the houses we planned to trick or treat at. The flyers explained that Colin has food sensitivities and can't eat most candy, so he was collecting food for our local food bank and if people would have it ready for him that would be great.

So DH pulled the wagon to put the cans in and they had a blast. People were really cool about it and we have a lot of food to take the food bank.

We gave Colin a bunch of candy earlier in the day that is ok for him to eat.

Rachel

Rachel~ What an awesome idea!!!

Cara

very cool!

did anyone have any kids collecting for UNICEF? we didn't. and by the time i had my wobble brain on straight it was too late for the monkeys to collect.

Colin collected for UNICEF last year. We didn't do it this in part because some people seemed uncomfortable to be giving out money (though others were more than happy about it), but mostly because we donated the money via the internet to UNICEF in Colin's name last year and then he suddenly got a TON of junk mail from charities. Didn't go over well with me at all.

So I wanted a good option instead of UNICEF and I proposed to Colin the idea of collecting food for the food bank and he liked it, too. DH didn't think we needed to pass out the flyers but I thought it would make it easier all the way around. He says it did and several people apparently said "Oh, you must be Colin" when Colin said he was collecting cans for the food bank because he had put his name on his note.

Rachel

We just did regular trick or treating, and the kids traded in what they couldn't have. Dd (8) said "This is so much fun! Its just like playing bank!" (Of course, she hasn't figured out that anything she doesn't trade for will probably end up hers anyways...what am I going to do with glow in the dark bats?)

And next year she wants to dress up the day after Halloween and go trick or treating at a retirement home...to pass her treats back out. I think its an awesome idea, I just don't have my head together to do it this year. (I'd have to find one, call to get an okay, actually get her there...)