Halloween can be one of the most fun holidays to enjoy with your children, but with all that candy and high expectations it can also explode in a meltdown!

Here are some ideas that have worked with my family that might help you get through it all in one piece!

1. Avoid the Halloween stores
This may sound weird, but those party stores come Halloween ain't what they used to be - they're pretty scary! Even for wussy adults such as myself. So if you have wee ones, don't risk turning your kids off the holiday for good, with an unnecessary trip to Amityville.

2. Involve your kids in the decision-making
May sound too obvious, but allowing your kids to choose their own costume - even if it doesn't conform with your idea of a cutie pie Tinkerbell will go a long way to making the holiday more enjoyable. Maybe they just don't want to go trick or treating this year and would rather just receive other kids at home. Fine. Go with the flow.

3. Don't overschedule
There's a lot going on, a lot of stimuli