The Sugar Rush Cometh

It’s Halloween in spring; otherwise known as Easter. Only, instead of going door-to-door to collect sweet treats, kids run around like decapitated chickens hunting for plastic eggs filled with chocolate goodness under bushes, in trees and behind rocks. If parents are lucky, their children will actually make it back to the hunt’s home base with at least a few pieces of uneaten candy to show for their efforts.  The unlucky moms and dads are left to pluck their kids from wherever it is they decide to plant their tiny tushes mid-hunt and picnic from a basket bulging with marshmallow chicks, … Continue reading

Keep It Simple This Easter

I love Martha Stewart, but I simply don’t have the time or money to execute some of the domestic diva’s most popular Easter projects. For example, Stewart’s blown-out pheasant eggs sparkling with glitter are stunning, but with limited funds, energy and inclination–and the fact that she suggests using canned air to remove the excess glitter (what’s wrong with free air blown from your mouth?)–makes super simple Easter crafts that much more inviting. I’ve made these easy Easter projects with toddlers, preschoolers, and moms with compromised creative skills, on more than one occasion without a single complaint: Egg Container Lambs:  All … Continue reading

4 Frugal and Free Easter Goodies for the Kids

Celebrate Easter and thrill your little ones all while still staying frugal. Like so many frugal practices, it not about doing without but in how you go about getting what you need. Even the Easter Bunny is tightening its belt these days, it seems. Here is some advice that will keep the Easter bunny on track no matter how many little ones he has to deliver to. Baskets If you don’t already have the baskets you need around your home, just get creative. An inexpensive sand bucket usually costs less than an Easter Basket and is a bonus toy that … Continue reading

Too Old for an Easter Egg Hunt?

I love the holidays. What makes them even more special to me is having children to celebrate them with. Every holiday whether it is Christmas or the 4th of July, tends to take on a new light when there are children involved. One of the traditions we have had since my children were wee, was the annual Easter egg hunt held by family members. To my shock, this year we were told that the egg hunt was officially off. Since my oldest son was going to be an adult in a year and my nephew was turning 16 soon, family … Continue reading

Disney’s Easter Specials

Disney might not be throwing as big of a party for Easter as it does for other holidays, like Christmas or Halloween, but there are still a variety of spring holiday events and offers going on this year. The official Disney Parks blog has all the details on the various happenings. First, any Disney World guests this weekend should be pleased to know that the Easter Bunny himself, along with his wife Mrs. Bunny, will be making appearances to greet fans. The Easter Bunny’s actually spent the whole past week at the Magic Kingdom, doing a meet-and-greet at Tour Guide … Continue reading

Marshmallow Peeps and The Peeple’s Choice Awards

Do you like to have fun with your food? If so, you may enjoy entering the annual Washington Post’s Peeple’s Choice Awards and possibly win. No, that wasn’t a typo above. The Peeple’s Choice Awards are given annually to the best diorama that is formed out of Marshmallow Peeps. That is right, all of those soft, squishy, brightly colored chicks and bunnies are good for more than just Easter baskets. Creative people all over the world are entering the Peep Show contest, creating Oscar caliber scenes made out of peeps. In the past, the colorful characters have been seen doing … Continue reading

Frugal Easter Egg Ideas

Don’t spend a fortune for your next Easter Egg hunt. Instead try the following ideas to make it frugal. The kids can have fun, and you can save money, too. Kids love to hunt for those plastic Easter eggs that can be filled with treats. The problem is that with three kids (and some of their friends), I have to make sure that there are enough eggs to go around and help everyone to have fun. Putting candy or toys in each one can start to affect the budget, and who needs all of that candy anyway? Here are some … Continue reading

Easter Activities

There doesn’t have to be a lot involved in a “Toddler Easter Egg Hunt” because toddlers don’t need the eggs to be hidden like older kids do. You can just place several brightly colored eggs out in the grass and toddlers will have a blast collecting them. In addition to the traditional egg hunt, there are several other activities that we can do with our toddlers during the Easter celebrations. Let’s look at some ideas: Construction Paper Eggs Using several colored sheets of construction paper, cut out large eggs and allow your toddler to decorate them. Keep it simple by … Continue reading

Crazy Easter Parents

I just got back from Target where I learned that apparently Jesus was crucified so that procrastinating parents could elbow you in the shoulder in order to get the last package of electric blue Peeps. Elbows in shoulders, ribs, jaws; shopping carts running over feet and ramming hips; short tempers and long lines… Remember the reason for the season, people. Geez! Note to self: Bring shin guards the next time you head down the candy aisle on the day before Easter. The kicker (and I mean that literally) to my shopping rant is that I was done collecting goodies to … Continue reading

Easter Traditions and Marriage

It is a tradition of our marriage not to eat meat on Good Friday. We traditionally have salmon patties for lunch or dinner on Good Friday. So does our daughter and her husband. At our current church we have hot cross buns after the service. The same thing used to happen in another church we belonged to in Sydney. I don’t, since I’m gluten free. No-one seems to have a produced gluten free hot cross buns. I can’t be bothered making them just for me. One year Mick and I attended a church in the rural area where we lived. … Continue reading