“Life is more fun if you play games.” ― Roald Dahl
Happy Easter Weekend =) We did an Easter Egg hunt with Jamisen. He was beyond euphoric about the whole concept of sugar. Trying to explain to him why Easter happens was a little tricky. The internet was no help either. I stumbled over an explanation to him but had vastly underestimated the need for an actual explanation. Jamisen didn’t ask one single question about why he was made to get dressed up, carry a pink basket and go find plastic eggs filled with candy. Ah, so sweet: childhood innocence.
The whole “candy candy candy” thing worked so well that we told Jamisen that the Easter Bunny had left some more eggs out along the road. This convinced him to go on a very long family walk. It worked like a charm. I think that the Easter Bunny might be leaving little happy sugar eggs along the road for many more months. I am not above light bribery to get more fun family outdoor activities happening.
Lily gamely played along with her rabbit outfit though did not get any candy because I failed to get any candy for gumless babies. I will make it up to her by mainlining sugar into her morning meal. (Joke. That’s a joke. Just in case anyone thinks I feed her anything besides delicious green smoothies in the morning).
We also managed to get some of our garden planted today. We planted kale, chard, spinach, and broccoli separated by rows of marigolds for their anti-slug properties. We’re hoping to plant blueberries, potatoes, corn, cucumbers, zucchini, garlic, tomatoes and peppers later in the season. The weekend feels like it went way too fast but it was happy and full.
I hope you had a laughter-filled weekend with your family and friends. =) Also, if your Easter Egg hunting was creative or cool, I would love to hear how you made it extra great. I need to plan for next year because I’m pretty sure just plastic eggs + candy won’t make it past Jamisen when he’s the wise old age of 4.
My mom made gold beaded eggs over plastic ones with each of the kids names on them. When they find them they get a prize that the Easter Bunny (or EB in our family) has left.
This year EB made the kids to a treasure hunt. The first clue was in a plastic egg next to their basket. My son who is 7 read the clues for his sister, who is 3, and then the two of them, charged all over the house, and outside, looking for the clues.
EB left my son a new bike because he had outgrown his old one, and it was too long to wait for his birthday. My daughter got a unicorn helmet which she found at a store and wanted. We don’t buy our kids things “just because” so we felt that giving them at Easter was better.
If reading clues won’t work for Jamisen next year you could try it with picture/drawing clues (like the washing machine, car, etc) and have him do a hunt.
Next year if you decide to dye eggs Wilton colors work great. 3/4 c hot water, 1 tbsp white vinegar, and dye to your preference.
I just love reading about your little family’s adventures! 🙂
Oh my niece and her little ones had the cutest Easter egg hunt they did a neighborhood hunt it looked so fun!!!
When our now-15 yo son was cooling to the whole easter bunny thing, we switched over to a treasure hunt. Clues led to clues led to clues led to a prize. Some chocolate was to be found along the way, but the Transformer toy or DVD or whatever, was the treasure.
We’re not religious, so dressing up for church was ever needed. We dye eggs and hide them because it is fun.
For our family, easter is more of a Hallmark holiday.
You are Mommy with the Mostest for sure. A treasure hunt takes huge amount of preparation and time investment. Nice work – and I like that idea for when they older for sure. Plus, the whole candy thing doesn’t thrill me anyways =)
We did NOT dye eggs this year. I am a ‘cool Mom’ but the idea of food coloring water everywhere just was more than I could mentally prepare for this year. Next year though, I’ll be all over it …
=)
We do Passover, but!
I have a friend who prepares eggs all year by blowing them, not cracking when she’s cooking. By the time she’s ready to color eggs, she has a large collection of hollow, dry eggs for her kids to dye. I’ll bet they would make cute Christmas tree ornaments, too.
As for the why… it’s spring! Eggs are a symbol of renewal. Rabbits are a sign of… fertility. Explain that one in a few years. 🙂 After the long cold winter this year, celebration is definitely in order!
Oh wow, I have heard that blowing eggs is ridiculously (hair pullingly) hard =) I do love that idea though. I may just have to give that a try. Thank you for the suggestion.
Right now, Jamisen LOVES to help me crack the eggs. He tries so hard to be a good helper in the kitchen. My poor husband (who has a much lower tolerance for chaos than I do) is constantly going behind Jamisen and I with a rag and hand-held vacuum cleaner =)
Ohh my goodness they are getting so big!!! They’re adorable!! Happy Easter!!
Right? Lily is almost a year old. The time has passed by so quickly. =)
Easter happens because Jesus Christ rose from the grave. Hope that helps! 🙂
It was a challenging conversation. I went with the concept of renewal and spring but I think the candy may have overshadowed the message =)