Easter Egg Craft and Easter Basket Alternatives

Easter Egg Decoration Craft
M2 loved doing this craft and is SO proud of her egg. Her favorite part was the stickers. I think all kids tend to be obsessed with stickers so they're always a hit.

Supplies
1 Giant Easter egg (I found ours at Target)
2 packs Easter stickers of your choice
3 packs small flowers
Hot glue gun
Hot glue

Directions
Have your child put the stickers on however they want
Place a small dab of glue where ever your child wants to place a flower
Have your child stick on the flowers, alternating glue then flower so the glue doesn't dry too fast

Be careful not to let your child touch the hot glue gun!

Easter Basket Alternatives

Every Easter, there seems to be so much candy involved. Candy in baskets, candy in eggs, so. much. candy. Kids end up with way more sugar than is healthy. If you mete it out in little bits, it lasts forever and takes up pantry real estate until it's finally gone (or just turns nasty, like some of our candy from last Halloween).

Instead, try limiting the candy and use some of these nifty ideas. There are a variety of ideas to fit any budget and age. Some of the bit pricier ideas you could do rather than having a ton of small stuff in the baskets, or do instead of Easter baskets if your kids are older.

1. Light up chicks
2. Bubbles in a neat package, like these butterflies or turtles
3. Reusable sticker pads, like these house, vehicles, town, or dress up ones.
4. Egg shaped crayons
6. Nifty neon or regular sidewalk chalk
7. Paints, regular colors, neon, or finger paints
8. Coloring books and/or workbooks
9. Books
10. Cute cups, silverware, plates, or bowls
11. Socks
12. Toy cars
13. Jump rope
14. Hula hoop
15. Earrings, bracelet, or necklace
16. Action figures
17. Gift card for a store, Amazon, iTunes, Starbucks, movie theater, or something else your child enjoys
18. Event tickets
19. New outfit
20. Modeling clay in white so you can color it or multi-colors
21. Outdoor toy
22. Small Lego set
23. Doll
24. Little People single dolls, animals, or cars
25. Nail polish
26. Sand bucket, rake, and shovel
27. Sandals
28. Fun handsoap or bath soap
29. Tub toy
30. BluRay
31. Subscription service, like Citrus Lane

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Easter Egg Craft and Easter Basket Alternatives

Easter Egg Decoration Craft
M2 loved doing this craft and is SO proud of her egg. Her favorite part was the stickers. I think all kids tend to be obsessed with stickers so they're always a hit.

Supplies
1 Giant Easter egg (I found ours at Target)
2 packs Easter stickers of your choice
3 packs small flowers
Hot glue gun
Hot glue

Directions
Have your child put the stickers on however they want
Place a small dab of glue where ever your child wants to place a flower
Have your child stick on the flowers, alternating glue then flower so the glue doesn't dry too fast

Be careful not to let your child touch the hot glue gun!

Easter Basket Alternatives

Every Easter, there seems to be so much candy involved. Candy in baskets, candy in eggs, so. much. candy. Kids end up with way more sugar than is healthy. If you mete it out in little bits, it lasts forever and takes up pantry real estate until it's finally gone (or just turns nasty, like some of our candy from last Halloween).

Instead, try limiting the candy and use some of these nifty ideas. There are a variety of ideas to fit any budget and age. Some of the bit pricier ideas you could do rather than having a ton of small stuff in the baskets, or do instead of Easter baskets if your kids are older.

1. Light up chicks
2. Bubbles in a neat package, like these butterflies or turtles
3. Reusable sticker pads, like these house, vehicles, town, or dress up ones.
4. Egg shaped crayons
6. Nifty neon or regular sidewalk chalk
7. Paints, regular colors, neon, or finger paints
8. Coloring books and/or workbooks
9. Books
10. Cute cups, silverware, plates, or bowls
11. Socks
12. Toy cars
13. Jump rope
14. Hula hoop
15. Earrings, bracelet, or necklace
16. Action figures
17. Gift card for a store, Amazon, iTunes, Starbucks, movie theater, or something else your child enjoys
18. Event tickets
19. New outfit
20. Modeling clay in white so you can color it or multi-colors
21. Outdoor toy
22. Small Lego set
23. Doll
24. Little People single dolls, animals, or cars
25. Nail polish
26. Sand bucket, rake, and shovel
27. Sandals
28. Fun handsoap or bath soap
29. Tub toy
30. BluRay
31. Subscription service, like Citrus Lane


Affiliate links are included in this post.

Easter Dinner

Our yard in spring last year.

I love holidays. It's a good excuse to spoil M2 some, spend a relaxing day with family and cook up some yummy food. Easter for me means beautiful flowers, warmth returning and the start of something new. The flowers rank especially high on my list.

This year, due to A's work schedule, we're celebrating Easter on Saturday. I'm spending the days leading up to it getting the house spic-and-span (with A's help) since I've been too sick as of late to do much cleaning. A clean house for a holiday is a must for me.

It'll be the first Easter that M2 is old enough to participate, so I'm also planning some surprises. She'll have a fun egg hunt and a bunny basket with a few goodies, along with her first outdoor riding toy in the form of a Cozy Coupe and huge bouncy ball.

Another surprise is a day of yummy food. We don't usually do fancy breakfasts, meals or desserts, so I'm going to make up something extra tasty and indulgent. Of course, I'm planning for leftovers to cover everyone's lunches for the week.

Here's our menu as a prelude to future posts with recipes. I'm drooling just reading it!

Breakfast
Cinnamon butterscotch monkey bread--this is a family tradition, usually done at Christmas, for which I'm going to try a new recipe.

Dinner
Baked ham
Bunny rolls
Spring veggie mix
Fruit Jello salad
Macaroni salad--another family tradition and a holiday must

Dessert
Mini cherry cheesecakes

Easter Dinner

Our yard in spring last year.

I love holidays. It's a good excuse to spoil M2 some, spend a relaxing day with family and cook up some yummy food. Easter for me means beautiful flowers, warmth returning and the start of something new. The flowers rank especially high on my list.

This year, due to A's work schedule, we're celebrating Easter on Saturday. I'm spending the days leading up to it getting the house spic-and-span (with A's help) since I've been too sick as of late to do much cleaning. A clean house for a holiday is a must for me.

It'll be the first Easter that M2 is old enough to participate, so I'm also planning some surprises. She'll have a fun egg hunt and a bunny basket with a few goodies, along with her first outdoor riding toy in the form of a Cozy Coupe and huge bouncy ball.

Another surprise is a day of yummy food. We don't usually do fancy breakfasts, meals or desserts, so I'm going to make up something extra tasty and indulgent. Of course, I'm planning for leftovers to cover everyone's lunches for the week.

Here's our menu as a prelude to future posts with recipes. I'm drooling just reading it!

Breakfast
Cinnamon butterscotch monkey bread--this is a family tradition, usually done at Christmas, for which I'm going to try a new recipe.

Dinner
Baked ham
Bunny rolls
Spring veggie mix
Fruit Jello salad
Macaroni salad--another family tradition and a holiday must

Dessert
Mini cherry cheesecakes

Delicious Hummingbird Cake

The hummingbird cake is the cousin of the carrot cake and is perfect for Easter (or any time, really). After researching the name, it seems no one really knows how it got its name. It's possible it came from the "mmm" you say once you have the first, unexpected bite.

The recipe I used is adapted from one originally printed many years ago in Southern Living magazine. It seems the recipe is the most-requested one ever since it first ran back in the late 70s. My cousin first introduced me to it and I'll be making it many more times, I'm sure! M2 loves it since it has bananas.

Delicious Hummingbird Cake

by The Stay-at-Home Life

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

6077207

Ingredients (Two Layer Cake)

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 3 beaten eggs
• 2 1/4 pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup oil
• 10 oz crushed pineapple, if from can undrained
• 3 large bananas, mashed

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a stand mixer and mix on stir setting until blended well.

Add eggs, vanilla, oil, pineapple and bananas and mix until all ingredients are moist

Spray two 8 inch round cake pans well so that the cake will come out easy after baking. Divide batter between the pans, they will be very full.

Bake 35-45 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the centers come out clean.

Let cake rest in the pans 30 minutes then take them out and place on cooling rack to cool completely.

Make your favorite cream cheese frosting.

Once cooled, put one half upside down and frost. Then place other half on top, ride side up, and frost.

Decorate as desired. Mine was for a spring party, so I dyed the frosting robin's egg blue, added chocolate sprinkles to symbolize a nest and dusted with clear sprinkles for sparkle.

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I mashed the bananas in the peel to make it easier.

They rise nice and high.

Yummy!

Delicious Hummingbird Cake

The hummingbird cake is the cousin of the carrot cake and is perfect for Easter (or any time, really). After researching the name, it seems no one really knows how it got its name. It's possible it came from the "mmm" you say once you have the first, unexpected bite.

The recipe I used is adapted from one originally printed many years ago in Southern Living magazine. It seems the recipe is the most-requested one ever since it first ran back in the late 70s. My cousin first introduced me to it and I'll be making it many more times, I'm sure! M2 loves it since it has bananas.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

3 beaten eggs

2 1/4 pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cup oil

10 oz crushed pineapple, if from can undrained

3 large bananas, mashed

I mashed the bananas in the peel to make it easier.

How To

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a stand mixer and mix on stir setting until blended well.
3. Add eggs, vanilla, oil, pineapple and bananas and mix until all ingredients are moist
4. Spray two 8 inch round cake pans well so that the cake will come out easy after baking. Divide batter between the pans, they will be very full.
5. Bake 35-45 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the centers come out clean.
6. Let cake rest in the pans 30 minutes then take them out and place on cooling rack to cool completely.
7. Make your favorite cream cheese frosting.
8. Once cooled, put one half upside down and frost. Then place other half on top, ride side up, and frost.
9. Decorate as desired. Mine was for a spring party, so I dyed the frosting robin's egg blue, added chocolate sprinkles to symbolize a nest and dusted with clear sprinkles for sparkle.
   
   
   I'm not sharing the recipe for the cream cheese frosting as the one I tried turned out way too sweet.

They rise nice and high.

Cooling

Yummy!

The frosting didn't spread well either.