An Easter Roundup

I know Easter is a few weeks away, but in the past two years I have found that I need to decide and shop for things earlier than ever. (Supply chain. No need to say more than that.)

As I was making my Easter lists last week, I thought I would share a few of our traditions with you! Some of our traditions have been around for over a decade. Others we have left behind as our kids got older. I know I am always on the lookout for ideas that layer in a little more meaning to the holidays that we celebrate and I hope you are able to get a few new ideas from our family this week.

Teaching the Easter Story

In our home the focus of Easter is on Jesus and the resurrection (but we also do baskets and an egg hunt). Over the years our family has taught the Easter story in different ways. When our kids were younger we used Resurrection Eggs and opened one egg after dinner in the twelve days leading up to Easter. This set of Resurrection Eggs comes with twelve eggs, each of which has a small object inside and a small booklet to read. When my kids were smaller they loved opening the egg and handling each object as we read a portion of the Easter Story. This is my favorite children’s Easter story book. It accurately tells the entire Easter story starting with Palm Sunday without being childish. While it is a lift the flap board book (geared for younger kids), it’s appropriate even for early to middle elementary aged kids. For years we used this book with the Resurrection Eggs. Now that our kids are older, we read directly from the Bible. A decade later we still bring out the Resurrection Eggs as a way to help our youngest kids have a visual aid as we read.

Easter Baskets

While the focus of our home is on the joy of the resurrection, we also have a little bit of Easter basket fun!

In addition to the traditional Easter candy, I always fill my kids’ baskets with summer things that I would have been purchasing anyway. I’ve found that filling their basket up with things that they need as the seasons change has really helped my budget stretch farther and has prevented more clutter coming into my home.

One simple way to stretch your budget is to reuse the same basket every year. If you pop into your local thrift store you will probably find a trove of affordable and unique baskets. (I think the baskets that are slightly deeper with a single looped handle are the best.) I tie a ribbon to the handle of each basket so that my kids can quickly figure out whose is whose when they are hunting for baskets. After Easter the baskets go into a storage bin in our garage to be saved for the next year.

Our family spend a lot of time in the pool or at the beach during the summer, and our Easter baskets reflect that! Some spring or summer themed items that find their ways into my kids’ Easter baskets:

• flip flops (I like Old Navy for flip flops that are under $5 for kids)
• swimsuits (I like Target Cat + Jack for girls and boys under 8. The Art Class brand at Target has some really great options that come with cute rash guards for preteen girls. Last year I also found a really cute preteen suit at JC Penny.)
• summer pajamas (The Cat + Jack line at Target is great for younger girls. I have found better luck at Carter’s for younger boys. I have also had excellent luck at Carter’s for my preteen girls!)
• sidewalk chalk (I grab a huge box from Amazon and it lasts us all summer. Crayola is the best.)
• bubbles (when my kids were small I liked the no spill bubble container)
• pool toys (Dollar Tree or Target have great options)
• beach towels (Target or Costco have a good selection)
• goggles (my kids swim a ton during the summer and new goggles are needed each year. I always buy a larger pack and split them up.)

Here’s a free template you can download and edit to help you organize your thoughts before filling up baskets this year.

Baking

One fun activity that we’ve done in the past is making Resurrection Rolls. It’s a fun activity you can pair with the Easter story for younger kids (but I’ll be honest they taste amazing no matter what age you are). We still like to make these as a little afternoon treat around Easter.

April Roller

Scent is a powerful way to help your nerve cells release endorphins. When a smell travels through your nose into the brain, it can trigger the release of feel-good endorphins and serotonin, which naturally boosts your mood. Because of this, I usually add a special roller to my kids’ Easter baskets. They love getting a custom blend, and I love that this roller helps to tame meltdowns and calm hormonal emotions. This is the recipe that I am going to be using this year.

You can order the oils for this roller (or a few great alternatives) right here. If you are a new Young Living customer, I have a 10% off coupon for you to use! Just reply to this email to claim it.

A Snippet From My Week

My brother was visiting from out of state this past week. One of his requests was a hike in the SoCal mountains so we headed into Cleveland National Forest and hiked to Fisherman’s Camp and beyond. We even found water (which is a treat this time of year!) Gorgeous views the entire way, but this was my favorite.

Thanks for reading! Does your family have any Easter traditions or any fun Easter Basket ideas? I would love to read about it! (When you hit reply, your message goes directly to my email. It’s a private conversation between just us.) I read all your messages and try to respond, but not always in a timely manner. Sorry! And if you enjoyed this email, you’d be doing me a favor by forwarding it to someone else who might like it.