Pinata Dilemma

Tomorrow is Theo's sixth birthday party. He is excited beyond belief. We will have a bouncer, strawberry shortcake, capture the flag and three legged races. Yesterday we went to pinata alley to get an AMAZING pinata (more on that later!!!!). But here is my dilemma. My boys don't love candy. Or I guess I should say one does, and one doesn't. But our house is filled with party favor bags full of candy from pinatas. They love pinatas, but the candy bags become trophiess and ant magnets stashed in secret drawers and under pillows, and little more. So I have been wracking my brain trying to find a creative way to fill our big green tyranasaurus rex pinata with something different. I decided on art supplies, but some are heavy, and could fall like bricks on their heads. I also wonder whether they will like them. Or rebel. Or roll their eyes.

When I was buying my various erasers and sprarkly glue containers and wacky pencils at the art store I told the woman my dilemma. She said she knew a grandmother who decided to boot the candy habit and fill her child's pinata with oranges, peanuts and empty pill jars filled with multi-vitamins. She said when the pinata broke open and the loot rained down, the children ran towards it with their baggies then stopped in their tracks in shock. They were not happy.

So I wonder, am I being too PC? Too health conscious? Too coercive? I also realized that it is cheap to fill a pinata with candy. Will the children run for the hills when they see erasers, pencils, stickers and buttons raining down instead of lollipops?

What would you do?

I'll let you know how it goes. Perhaps this will start a pinata revolution!