NAPERVILLE, IL — What began as a routine Easter egg-hiding operation Sunday morning ended with Diane Kowalski, 41, discovering a concealed cache of Halloween candy behind the guest room baseboard heater, confirming that her three children had been successfully deceiving her since October 31.

Kowalski, who had personally confiscated and disposed of what she believed to be the remaining Halloween candy on November 4th after a family meeting about sugar consumption, described the discovery as “a masterclass in long-term strategic deception from people who still need help tying their shoes.”

The stash, estimated at 4.3 pounds, included full-size Snickers bars, a quantity of Reese’s cups that local authorities have not yet confirmed, and what appeared to be a single candy corn saved as a trophy.

“I hid the Easter eggs. I found the Halloween candy. I need a minute.”

“They looked me in the eye at that November meeting,” said Kowalski, standing in the guest room holding a Butterfinger. “Owen was nine years old and he thanked me for being a good mom. He said, and I remember this clearly, ‘You’re right, Mom, too much sugar isn’t good for us.’”

Owen Kowalski, 9, declined to comment. His sister Lily, 7, stated only that she “doesn’t know anything about a heater.” Marcus, 11, offered to broker a peace agreement in exchange for immunity.

Diane’s husband, Greg, 43, noted that the kids hid the candy better than the Easter eggs he hid that morning, three of which he still cannot locate.

At press time, Diane had confiscated the stash, placed it in a new secure location, and eaten eleven Reese’s cups while sitting alone in the laundry room.