Tag: Easter

DIY

Easter Basket Stuffer Ideas for All Ages (and no candy)

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Hey Loves!

How goes it? I can’t believe it’s April and this is my first organic blog of the year. That should be an indicator of how this year is going. I’ve been doing lots of investment in “me” and the benefits have been great but unfortunately, I have gotten the time balance quite right. All that said, let’s jump into Easter baskets. 

Last year’s baskets were for outside fun and faith building. This year, I took their interest and made some very inexpensive yet incredibly intentional purchases. 

A note on the actual baskets: I don’t purchase baskets specifically for Easter. I tend to use ones I have one hand. They can be wire, woven, wicker, trays, rain boots or galvanized buckets. 

Clothing, Accessories, Summer Styling and Swim-wear

In January, we were traveling and went to a Carter’s outlet. There I found 3-piece short-set pajamas for $4.99 each. I grabbed like 6 sets for each kid and saved one for easter baskets. With the sun shining longer and brighter, sensory sensitive dudes needed a hat to block the sun. I grabbed these from amazon and I might have ordered similar ones for myself because I adore a hat. In the past, I’ve added swimsuits and sunglasses too! The thing for me is not buying excess, just meeting needs.

Books- Activity, Discovery and Faith Building

If you are new here, please know I am fully-aware that I am addicted to books. They are in every basket and I have several book-only wishlists. I stumbled upon DK Star Wars discovery books for only $3.99. I also happened upon these cute and fun Highlights activity books for $.99. They were purchased from Ollie’s but I linked similar. Last year, James got his first personal devotional. Usborne lift-a-flap books have also been a hit.

Crafts, Something To Do/Use Right Away, Outdoor Play

These are honestly the most important to me. Baskets are definitely an eye catcher but can be a let down if everything is for “later”. It is also an added stressor if the recipient can’t do something independently. I made lego trays with items I had on hand. They can use legos they already own and have their own try to continue to work. I also split a box of twistable crayons to add to our nearly non-existent crayons on the art cart. For other inexpensive smaller outdoor play items, you could add hula-hoops, jump ropes or any sort of balls. A new interest my 2 have is fishing and since we joined an awesome Cub Scout troop and will be doing more, I grabbed these sets.

Everyday Essentials

It must be the childhood wonder and innocence that make new “fun” toothbrushes and band-aids or bubble bath a welcomed experience but I am going to ride this until I no longer can. I kept the Star Wars theme going with these electric spin brushes. I may have gone a little crazy and bought an insane amount of band-aids so I didn’t add any this around but they are ALWAYS a hit.

Personalized Items

My kids and I can’t get enough of the personalized tags from Grace and Grain Studio. You  can see the intention and attention to detail in each one. They really seal the deal and “finish” the baskets. You could also add something made just for them. I’ve done brother t-shirts, hats and even bath towels. Personalization really does make a difference.

Treats

For us, we do our best to not add candy. Between birthdays, Valentine’s Day and other Easter activities, candy is rampant. So, I’ve opted for the most scrumptious cookies from Pink Turtle Cookies. You could get any other low sugar or organic snack that is seasonal or rare too.

Eggs

We love to hate the amount of plastic eggs we seem to drown in by easter but they can round out an Easter basket if stuffed properly! We’ve  done coupons before and that was a hit.You can find tons of free printables or create your own. We also add to their “give, save,spend jars” by adding loose change to eggs as well. I found Lego Brick adjacent eggs this year and seriously considered one coupon for each, a money egg and maybe some legos. I haven’t decided.

Whatever you do, do it because you actually want to, not because you feel pressured to do so. Hope this helps. 

DIY

Easter Basket Stuffer Ideas

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Hey Loves!!!

So, really, how is your 2021 treating you? If I’m being honest, there’s still a lot of 2020 energy floating around and lots more Pandemic-style birthdays and celebrations are happening. So, on the with the show, right?

What isn’t changing is how I do any type of celebration or gifts to my kids- NO JUNK!!! I’m the mom that does needs and practical fun items and if you looking for some ideas that are my favorite things-easy, inexpensive and cute- you’re reading the right blog. Leggo!

Something to wear: Seriously, seasons are changing and wardrobes are changing too. If your kids are like mine, they definitely need some additions. I take this opportunity to do something I couldn’t find at consignment and they would enjoy. However, I stay under $15 and have high-hopes for reselling and hand-me-downs.

This category also includes shoes. For some reason, my kids’ feet feel the need to grow entire sizes in a matter of months. For spring/summer shoes, we keep them easy and light. I also keep them low on cost because why not? This year I went with some Vans to coordinate with their dad and I. These were $25 which is a good deal for this brand. 

April Showers Ready: It rains everywhere, some places more than others. I also know kids enjoy kid size umbrellas and throwing on rain jackets and rain boots. These make great additions or can even be the easter basket.

Books: If you know me at all, you know I have a problem when it comes to books. Simply put, I can’t say no. I am always on the hunt for quality books and my kids are budding book-a-holics. Books as gifts are always a hit here.

Crafts: This can be anything from crayons to a craft kit. My kids are getting personalized crayons to keep those hands busy when streaming church and a wooden box they can paint to store their watches and necklaces

Something they can do/use right away and/or Outdoor play: This is a biggie for me. There is no greater annoyance than having to drop everything to assemble something or deal with the emotions because it can’t be used. So, I get something they can use inside or out, rain or shine that doesnt require batteries or an exorbitant amount of my patience. I am pretty sure jump ropes will be a staple for the next couple years and this year I found kid-sized hoola hoops. I would also suggest skates, scooters, sidewalk chalk or card games.

Personalized Items: I mean, why not throw a monogram on a shirt ot bow? You can also add some personalized touches to items that doesnt include their name. I added these “biggie” and “smalls” caps to their easter baskets.

Summer Styling: Sunglasses, caps, swim suits, beach towels, you name it! Let’s get ready for summer fun and look cute while at it. 

Everyday Essentials: Because band-aids, body wash, sponges, character toothbrushes and toothpaste are essential and will be used!

Discipleship tools: This one is near to my heart. James accepted Chtist as his savior on Easter of 2020 and I gotto be there for it and walk hum through it. I will never forget that. I marked that occasion by getting him a cross necklace but I knew then I wanted him to have tools to grow his faith and deepen his relationship. I decided on this devotional for James and this book for Jude. 

I want to wrap this up by saying your easter basket will not be pinterest perfect and that is what makes it beautiful.

Love you. Mean it.

Family Activities

Our Favorite Easter Traditions

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Hey Loves!

If you are new here, I love a holiday. I love traditions. Why? Traditions are what make you remember. Growing up, I had very little traditions, like little to none. I am so glad my kids will not have that and they’ll have a slew to help them remember. So, today I am sharing some of my favorite Family Easter Traditions. Let’s hop to it! (Pun very much intended.)

Easter Outfits: I know this may be the least important of all but man, do I love a coordinating family and cute photographed memories. True story, I have always had an easter dress. Even as a married adult mama, my mother always bought me an Easter dress. So, I also love how this tradition continues with my boys.

Communion/Last Supper Story: Since my kids were 4 and 2, we have re-enacted the last supper story and it is so powerful. I love explaining to them the meaning of the bread and wine (juice, elderberry syrup or water and food coloring) and reading them the words of Jesus. It is so sweet and special.

Good Friday Service: This one’s for me. Pre-covid, I would get up and head to a sun-rise Good Friday service and honestly, just feel. I would feel everything, big and small. I would remember that Jesus, while fully God, was very human and it was that human body that broke and bled for me.. My pride, my selfishness, my anger. I would worship. I would pray. With Covid, and the following restrictions, I’ve resorted to ensuring the same at home. I would stream a powerful word and do the same thing I did when I attended in-person… feel all the feels, worship and pray.

Washing Feet: Later in the day on Good Friday, I consecrate a special time to wash my sons’ feet. I think it is a great humble submission to show your children how you, in all your authority, can meekly kneel and wash their feet. It is even more powerful when you explain the true story of Jesus doing this for his friends. I got this idea from a veteran boy-mom when I had a 2-year-old and an infant, swimming in depression and anxiety, and this was one of the few moments I was truly present for. It is timeless and so special.

Easter Baskets: I guess this would be the second on the list of “least important” but again, I love this tradition as  always had an easter basket and now I get to ensure that joy for my sons and husband. I don’t do junk though. Everything must be sustainable. You can get some ideas for kids here and for your boo here.

Staircase Photos: What can I say? It had good lighting and the best way to get us all in a selfie? What ever the reason we started this tradition, it continues today and I am so thankful when those memories pop up on my phone. You can see how we have all grown over the years, physically and mentally. No matter the weather or what is happening outside our home, we are together and we are filled with a great great love.

The Food: Y’all. As just about every holiday before Easter is on or very close to a person I live with birthday and I am spent and tired, Easter I can feast without making sure we have a theme or it is someone’s birthday request. Yes, I make sure my mouth waters as I plan the menu and I am not mad about it at all. I mean, to date, I haven’t gotten a complaint so it is a good strategy.

What is your favorite Easter tradition? 

Love you. Mean it.

Holiday Activities

Homebound Egg Hunt Ideas

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Hey Loves!

Spring has sprung, a pandemic is raging and Easter 2020 will look a bit different for us all. I’m sure you were looking forward to cute outfits, fun times with friends and/or family and continued or new traditions. I get it. I lament with you. We must adjust and adjust we will, together.

With “Stay In Orders” and #SocialDistancing in full effect, group egg hunts are not going down on a church lawn near you, instead, you can make them happen right in your yard or your home. Here are a few different ways how!

I’ve done an egg hunt at my house every year sine James could walk. My sons have lots of sensory needs and have issues with crowds so it was initially to “practice” and then it became a tradition. Below are some we have done and some I certainly want to try.

Traditional Egg Hunt

Listen, times are hard. Emotions are raging and your house, well if it is anything like mines, is being cleaned one minute and destroyed the next. Buy eggs, fill with candy, hide all over your house. If the sugar rush is too much, let them run, six feet from other people of course. 

Scavenger Egg Hunt

We are going to try a Scavenger Egg Hunt this year for the kids to find their Easter Baskets (a video on Easter Basket ideas for you here). I found this free printable, (we also used her verse cards as a Lent Count down) and I knew it was perfect. We traditionally go to church on Saturdays but I wanted Easter morning to be filled with Resurrection Joy. Now, it still can be!

Glow-In-The-Dark Egg Hunt

This was one of my all-time favorites. Again, my kids have lots of sensory needs, so very low lighting soothes both of them. You will need to buy mini- glow sticks to fit in traditional size plastic eggs. We did this indoor as my boys are younger and already had to stay up a little later so it could be dark (Thank you, time change.) but this would be great outside in a contained space as well. If you’re concerned about a “one-time-use” of the glow sticks, don’t be. We then used them for sensory baths, pattern practice and did the glow in the dark egg hunt about 3 times.

Magnetic Egg Hunt

James loves science. He really should be the STEAM poster child. He was gifted this magnetic fishing set about 2 years ago and used them to “experiment” (his word, not mine), with everything in my house to see if it could be “magnetized”. He experimented with items that included but aren’t limited to: Everything in my lower kitchen cabinets, combs, brushes, hangers and bras. So, I decided to put to those blasted fishing poles to good use. I had these magnets on hand from making their chore charts (inspiration from that is linked here ) and put them in plastic eggs. Because I didn’t participate in James’ above research, I had to learn the hard way you must not put these close together because they attract like love bugs. I also put non-magnetic things in eggs for a little more science fun. This hunt did take a little longer because they had to “attract” the fishing pole to the egg and James had to use the fishing pole to put in it in his Easter Basket, not his hands, insert eye roll emoji right here, friends. No magnetic fishing poles around your place? No problem! Get two of those magnets linked above and glue them to a popsicle stick, Let em dry and BOOM!

Themed Egg Hunt 

Dinosaurs, princess, legos, Oh My! Fill the eggs with a theme of choice, and hide. (Note* you can put things they already have in the eggs.) The great thing about this is you can truly tailor it to your child(ren)’s interest and likes. One year, a friend and I split a package of 50 dinosaur eggs. They “hatched” baby dinosaurs that we still play with today. The sky is really the limit here. If you have multiple themes, separate them by giving each theme a specific color egg because your sanity matters!

Coupon Egg Hunt

I will be adding these to our Easter Baskets. COVID-19 really threw us a “fun activity out of the house” curveball. Things I actually planned and promised my kids we would do, we can’t. While they are understanding, it still hurts them a bit so I will be adding coupons for fun activities they can cash in as soon as this pandemic goes bye-bye. Some will be free, some will be things we were going to do anyway, some will be low-costs and one will be a big family fun day. The coupons also include some fun activities we can do in our house that are VERY rare (special dessert, late bedtime, etc.). You can also tie this in with the scavenger egg-hunt if you like.

Non-Candy Egg Hunt

This is my jam. If we just met, here’s the deal: I am very picky about what goes in and on our bodies and sadly, the candy joy of my childhood, my kids have not experienced. I have found some ahhhhhmazing candy choices that my kids get on birthdays and I may add to Easter baskets, but 24 eggs of candy is a hard pass. This is where you can also get creative. Erasers, stickers, bouncy balls, pretend jewelry mini figurines, you name it! Put those dollar spot finds in eggs, hide and let joy ensue. You can also make this a theme and put each kid’s items in a specific color egg, something I may try this year.

Did I miss anything? Tell me! I want in!

Also, happy Easter. (If you want more Easter Fun ideas, follow me on IG where I share all the deets.)

Love you. Mean it.