Alternative Halloween Treats for Kids



(from Parent Magazine)

You don’t need doctors to tell you that all the candy corn, chocolate, and other high-calorie goodies your kids collect at Halloween aren’t healthy — but they’re happy to remind you. “Given our nation’s alarming rates of obesity and hyperactivity, gorging on candy isn’t smart and sends the wrong message,” says Jessica Grant, M.D., of West Care Pediatrics in New York City. To stop the sweets overload this Halloween, consider handing out healthy snacks and nonedible treats like crackers, miniature toys, and temporary tattoos — items you might find in a typical goody bag. Even if you risk provoking an eye-roll or two from trick-or-treaters, these alternative Halloween treats are creative ways for kids to celebrate the holiday without adding to the sugar rush.

Playful Plastic Jewelry
We’re not talking Tiffany sparklers but plastic jewelry featuring cartoonish ghosts, black cats, pumpkins, and other creepy creatures. You can purchase them in bulk from Oriental Trading Company (144 necklaces for $10; 144 rings for $5.25). Looking for something a little less scary? Party City also sells colorful baubles in bulk. Pick up spiky woolly rings ($3 per dozen) or value packs that include rings adorned with butterflies, hearts, and rhinestones (48 pieces for $8). Some jewelry even pulls double duty: Kids can blow bubbles with bubble rings ($6 per dozen) or play dress-up with lip gloss rings ($10 per dozen). Or you can always buy packs of the ever-popular Silly Bandz from Amazon.com (24 for $2).

Outrageous Accessories
Horrifying accessories are terrific treats, and boys will also appreciate them. Skull key chains with jeweled eyes ($4 per dozen) are available from BuyCostumes.com, and Oriental Trading Company has cool pirate eye patches ($5 per dozen), gruesome glow-in-the-dark Martian fingers (72 for $7), and even fang whistles (48 for $8). Girls may prefer tamer options, like fancy Asian folding fans ($3.50 per dozen), cute animal masks ($6 per dozen), plastic Halloween clappers (72 for $18), or glow-in-the-dark light-sticks (50 for $35).

Bizarre Body Decorations
Temporary tattoos are always a hit with kids. Stick with a Halloween theme and hand out vampire bite (8 for $3) or Pirates of the Caribbean tattoos (8 for $4), both from BuyCostumes.com. At Oriental Trading Company, there are girly and glittery pirate tattoos (72 for $5) and Disney Princesses (72 for $10). Makeup is popular with tween girls, so consider two-tone lip gloss ($10 per dozen); for boys, there are glow-in-the-dark (72 for $5) or neon (144 pieces for $8) vampire fangs, also from Oriental Trading Company.

Awesome Arts & Crafts Materials
Stickers are always fun to collect and trade. At Party City, you can find items like black glitter Halloween stickers, character stickers (Sesame Street, Harry Potter), and generic sports and animal stickers, all for just a couple of bucks. The Hello Kitty sticker dispenser is a good choice for giving out individual stickers instead of sheets ($2.29 for the dispenser and six-foot roll of stickers). Oriental Trading Company has Halloween coloring books ($10 for 72), small boxes of crayons ($8.50 for 48 six-crayon boxes), and big bug stencils ($5.25 per dozen).

You can even make your own beading kits by combining nylon string with foam Halloween beads (500 for $6), packed in sandwich bags. At Amazon.com, you can pick up tiny containers of Play-Doh (24 for $17) or animal ink stamps (24 for $7).

Spooky School Supplies
Even though school’s in session, kids will love showing off brand-new Halloween-themed supplies. Oriental Trading Company has skull-and-crossbones pencil cases ($8 per dozen), cute candy corn notepads (24 for $5), and eyeball pens and notepad sets ($7 per dozen). Or pick up pencil sharpeners (24 for $6), pencil top erasers (144 for $5.25), syringe pens ($11 per dozen), and rulers (48 for $5.25) with ghosts, witches, black cats, and other creepy creatures. U.S. School Supply has bat and ghost pencils (144 for $21.45) and Halloween sets filled with pencils, erasers, and stickers (24 for $10.45).

Terrifying Pocket Toys and Games
Hand out miniature playthings that will entertain kids in the car or on the playground. “Boo Bunch” mini yo-yos ($3 per dozen), tiny pinball games ($6 per dozen), jacks and ball sets ($5 per dozen), and knockoff Rubik’s cubes ($15 per dozen) are all available at Oriental Trading Company. Inspire outdoor fun with bubble sets (48 for $6), sidewalk chalk (20 for $4.50), inflatable mini balls (25 for $10), and squirting fish toys ($5.99 per dozen). Find mini Uno games ($8 for four decks of cards) and safari-themed finger puppets (24 for $6.45) at Amazon.com.

Hauntingly Healthy Snacks
Cut down on the empty calories and sugar by giving out sensible snacks, like candy’s close cousin, sugarless chewing gum. “It’s a natural cavity fighter,” explains Philip Schnall, D.D.S., of Schnall & Farkas, a dental care practice in New York City. “Chewing stimulates saliva, which fights tooth decay.” Mini boxes, bags, and packages of raisins, apple slices, pretzels, string cheese, cereal bars, Goldfish crackers, and Pirate’s Booty are easy to find at the local supermarket — and are well-liked by kids. Or hand out Halloween-themed bags of baby carrots (BabyCarrots.com has packaged them as Scarrots) or Angie’s Kettle Corn, which is gluten-free.

To reduce or keep away the amount of candy in your home, Dr. Schnall encourages kids to participate in Halloween Candy Buy Back, a national program that pays kids $1 per pound of sweets that are shipped to U.S. troops overseas.

Scrub A Dub, Dub



It’s getting to be that time of year. My skin dries out, gets flaky and looks disgusting. I know I don’t drink enough water (which would help the appearance of my skin), but the dry air from the heater and lack of humidity outside doesn’t help either. I’ve tried dry brushing. That seems to help, but I’m not disciplined enough to do it every day. One thing I can do at least once a week if possible is a body scrub. They’re an inexpensive, easy way to keep you from having alligator legs.

Basically, you combine an exfoliant (salt, sugar, ground coffee, oatmeal, flax meal, rice bran, etc.) with a carrier oil (jojoba, sweet almond, olive, etc.) and scent (essential oils). The possibilities are endless. Here are some favorite recipes:


Lavender Sugar Scrub
2 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. sweet almond oil
1/2 cup white cane sugar
1-3 drops lavender essential oil

Whisk together the olive oil, sweet almond oil (find it at health food stores), sugar and essential oil. Pour into a container with an airtight lid. It should last 2-3 weeks if kept away from water (it dissolves the sugar). Use a tablespoon scoop to dish out a few dollops once or twice a week, scrub, and rinse. The olive oil is full of vitamins and minerals that can help firm and moisturize. Lavender is great for healing damaged skin and regenerating skin cells.


Vanilla Brown Sugar Scrub
1 cup fine brown sugar
1/3 cup sweet almond oil (or other carrier oil like jojoba, kakui nut, macadamia nut)
20 drops vanilla essential oil or 1 tsp. vanilla essence

In a glass or ceramic bowl, add essential oil to sugar and stir thoroughly. Add almond oil gradually, stirring continuously. Stop when the scrub reaches the consistence of moist sand.


Citrus Salt Foot Scrub
1/2 cup sea salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1 or 2 slices of lemon
1 or 2 slices of orange

Add the olive oil and sea salt into a blender. Add the fruit to the blender and blend. For a refreshing foot scrub, omit the fruit and add a few drops of peppermint essential oil. Store in a jar, and rub briskly onto feet to exfoliate and soften skin. Rinse and dry well (be careful, oily feet can slip on tile floors!)


Mocha Espresso Body Scrub
1/2 cup ground coffee
3/4 cup honey
3 tbsp. cocoa powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. sweet almond or grapeseed oil

Blend the ingredients together and store in glass jar. Use in shower to get rid of dry skin. Great for morning use as the coffee wakes up your senses!


Oatmeal Scrub with Honey
8 tablespoons oatmeal
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dark organic honey
2 teaspoon finely ground almonds

Mix all the ingredients until you have a smooth paste. Rub this in a circular motion onto your body and face and gently massage to exfoliate. Leave it on for 10-15 minutes. Then rinse it off with alternately cold and warm water, end with a splash of cold; pat your skin with a towel; tone and moisturize. Honey is a natural humectant (it will attract moisture to your skin). Apple cider vinegar closes your pores and preserves or restores the skin’s natural acidity (pH balance). Vinegar keeps both oily and dry complexions soft and fresh.

Bake An Apple Pie…In An Apple!



Sometimes I bake. Well, it’s not really that often. If I bake something, I tend to eat it and since I’m forever trying to lose weight it just seems counter-productive. But I came across this recipe on Pinterest and thought it was cool, so I decided to share. Enjoy!

Apple Pie Baked In the Apple
Serves 4

5-6 Granny Smith Apples (make sure they can stand upright on their own and not topple over)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. brown sugar
pie crust (I used pre-made but you can certainly make your own)

Pre-Heat Oven to 375 Degrees F

Step 1: Cut off the top of 4 apples off and discard. Remove the inside of each apple with a spoon or melon baller very carefully, as to not puncture the peel. If you’re a skilled interior apple excavator, salvage as much as you can so you can use it for Step 2. If not, you can chop up additional apples for filling.

Step 2: Remove skin from remaining apple(s) and slice very thinly. These apple pieces will give you the additional filling needed to fill the four apples you are baking.

Mix sliced apples with sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. If you prefer more or less cinnamon make adjustments as desired. Same goes for the sugar.

Scoop sliced apples into hollow apples.

Step 3: Roll out pie crust and slice into 1/4 inch strips. You can also add a strip of pastry inside the top of the apple almost like a liner to add a little more texture/sweetness to the pie.

Cover the top of the apple in a lattice pattern with pie crust strips.

Step 4: Place apples in an 8×8 pan. Add just enough water to the cover the bottom of the pan.

Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and sliced apples are soft.

They look pretty cool when you’re done, and the entire dessert is edible. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream if desired. And since they’re just apples with a little bit of extra stuff, they can’t be a diet breaker.

Fall 2012 Make Up is All About Bold Lips and Bright Eyes

It’s my job to pay attention to trends in fashion and cosmetics. I weed out the ones I don’t like, don’t think are practical or don’t think would stand the test of time, which accounts for about 90%. Let’s take a look at the 10% I think are worthy.

Rich Lipstick – The trend this year is to pair natural colors for the face with a bold pop of colors on the lips. I’m seeing unexpected harvest shades like pumpkin and eggplant. Deep plum shades are huge. Think Superstitious, Aztec, Vintage Merlot and Risque. Don’t be afraid to try it. I actually wore Superstitious at the trade show last week and got so many compliments that it’s now a mainstay in my cosmetic bag (and I normally wear very neutral shades like Bombshell, Seduction and Cherokee).

Flawless Skin – I sort of hate this one because who really has flawless skin? All we can do is try. My favorite technique? Twice weekly face scrub, followed by a light moisturizer. I use the kabuki brush to apply just the right amount of our Pressed Mineral Powder Foundation, focusing more coverage on my cheeks, and less on my nose and chin. I love it because this foundation is so customizable meaning you can wear it as lightly or layered as you want without it ever feeling heavy or clogging your pores. You want to keep your complexion matte, so carry blotting papers (or a tissue) if you tend to get oily late in the day.

Bright Eyes – Greens, ocean blues, and glam rock purples are all the rage. And it’s not just one color; fashionistas are combining three and four bright shades in one look. Our answer to this trend: The Party Girl eye shadow palette. The still-popular Smokey Eye goes a step further by adding a metallic sheen to the look. Also hot on runways is the brown smokey eye. Try combining Sedona, Satin Sheets, Passage to India and Chai PowderColors to achieve this look. Eye liners are bold and colorful. Heavy winged eye liner and shadow is all the rage, as is graphic boxy and dotted eye liner (which I don’t like). Well-defined natural brows continue to be popular. Brows a bit sparse? Try our Brown Sugar Eye Liner as a fill in, or our Chai PowderColors Mineral color (or a combination of both).

Colorful Nails – Nail polish sales leaped a whopping 23% this past year. More women are getting manis and pedis, trying new nail products and keeping their nails polished throughout the year. Bold colors are hot: bright blue, bright red, deep plums and rich wine shades are all the rage. Black is still hot as well, which surprises me because I thought that trend would die off after a year or two. I was wrong (hence the addition of Abyss to our color line). Colors we expect to see flying out the door: Oasis, Wild Fire, Tease, Vintage Merlot, and Renaissance.

Use common sense when trying these trends. If you’re going to do a bold lip, keep the eye color soft and neutral. And if you’re going to do a colorful peacock eye, tone down the lips using shades like Karma, Inuendo, Soft Kiss and Dream. But for heaven’s sake DO try at least one of these trends. You never know what’s going to work for you until you try it. And besides, make up is supposed to be FUN! Honeybee wants to keep the FUN in FUNctional cosmetics….okay that was just corny….I need more sleep.

Day 15 of the Lemon Water Chocolate Diet



It started out as all diets do: good intentions and a lot of drive. But five days at a trade show last week made that all come to a screeching halt. Not that I didn’t try. I even brought Fiji water, 6 lemons and Endangered Species Chocolate WITH me to the show. Still, I fell off the wagon. Didn’t even make it through the first day. Trade shows do that to me.

Now I’m home and determined to jump back into my plan. I even have lemons at work, so no excuses. Have I even discovered anything so far from my weird diet experiment? Actually, I have. Drinking lemon water first thing in the morning isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It’s kind of refreshing. And I really think it influences me to make better food choices throughout the day. I’m not sure why, and I’m pretty sure it’s a psychological affect. Perhaps forcing myself to do something ‘healthy’ first thing in the morning gets me in the mindset to keep making healthy choices throughout the day. Time will tell if this trend continues.

The chocolate also has an interested affect. It eliminates the craving for junk food in the evening. While those around me are snacking on ice cream, cookies and cake, I can eat an ounce of chocolate and not feel deprived. I thought I would eat the chocolate and THEN want the cookies and ice cream, but that’s not the case. The chocolate fulfills the need for ‘something bad’ (even though it’s actually good for you) and keeps me from actually wanting the other junk food. Not sure if this one is psychological or an actual physical reaction. But I’d tell anyone wanting to control their diet, especially when it comes to snacking in the evening, give this a try.

Have I lost weight? Honestly I’m afraid to even weigh myself after that trade show. Give me a week, and I’ll check. Not that I’ll share those numbers (only my cats and I know my weight, and I even try to hide it from them). But I will tell you if it went up or down.