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Every year around February, do you begin to wonder, "When is Easter
this year?" I know I do. Since I have four kids and I am usually the
one who hosts Easter brunch/dinner, I better know when it is way ahead
of time, so I can get organized and be prepared because I like to enjoy
Easter too!
I really look forward to Easter - I always have. I
think the older I get, the more I enjoy it because it's a lot like
Christmas as far as that 'festive' feeling, yet there's not as much
preparation, and you don't have to buy as many gifts as Christmas.
Easter Dinner Recipes
I
also love the food! It reminds me of my Grandma's Easter hams and
deviled eggs! In fact, I've put together a collection of my favorite
Easter dinner recipes from my childhood that I make and share with my
family every year. What a wonderful way to create new family traditions
than through food!
So, make a ham, or better yet, cheat, no one
will know and buy a Honey Baked ham along with some side dishes. Or,
whip up a quick batch of green bean casserole... everyone loves the
crunchy onions on top! Add some super easy deviled eggs, a sweet potato
casserole, and maybe even a nice green salad with some homemade ranch
dressing, and warm rolls with melted butter - you know the heat-n-serve
kind you can grab at the supermarket?
Keep it simple, but get into the Easter spirit and host a simple Easter dinner like the one above.
Oh,
and for dessert, if you have room after all that Easter candy, make a
simple strawberry shortcake with some whipped cream. My mom makes the
best strawberry shortcake that brings back wonderful memories of my
childhood every time I eat it.
Can you tell, I still get excited about Easter?
Kid's Easter Crafts - Use these to keep kids busy and as Easter gift ideas too!
Now
with four kids on spring break, here's a couple of on fun Easter crafts
I use to keep kids busy. These work great as Easter gifts for relatives
too.
We have coloring marathons.
Here's what you need:
- Print off or buy inexpensive Easter coloring books
- New crayons - fun! What kid doesn't get excited about fresh new crayons?
- Inexpensive frames bought from the local dollar store
Directions:
Tell your kids you're going to have a coloring
marathon, and let them color pictures for an afternoon. After they're
done, let them pick their favorites and frame with the inexpensive
frames and give to relatives as Easter gifts.
Another fun Easter craft involves making kaleidoscope type pictures with crayons and wax paper to hang in the window.
Here's what you need:
- Old crayons
- Cheese grater
- An iron
- Terry cloth towel
- Yarn
- Hole puncher
- Wax paper
Directions:
Tear off a sheet of wax paper about 22" long to start
(you're going to end up folding this in half). Let your kids 'grate' or
'shred' different colored crayons onto one half of the wax paper. Fold
the half of the wax paper sheet with no crayon shreds on it over the
one with shreds and put the towel over it. Iron with a medium to hot
iron (as long as the heat can penetrate the towel to melt the crayons)
until the crayon shreds melt together and form a kaleidoscope type
picture. Punch a couple of holes in the wax paper and thread the yarn
through to hang up in a window. Kids love these and the different
colors look pretty in a window with light running through them.
Easter Basket Ideas
Now
for simple and cheap Easter basket ideas. Get creative, Easter baskets
don't need to be made out of just baskets... use a galvanized bucket,
plastic shoe box decorated with stickers, a tote bag, etc. A basic
container can be decorated and made festive with Easter decorations.
And,
for the Easter gift ideas for grandparents, have your kids use simple
wicker baskets and decorate with colorful paper they've shredded
themselves. They can glue pictures of themselves that you've
photocopied onto the front of the baskets and fill with their
grandparent's favorite goodies.
Don't spend too much money on
Easter baskets. Kids usually just tear this stuff up anyways, so go
cheap and go to a Dollar store, or look in the dollar bins at your
local discount retailer for fun little Easter basket stuffers. I like
to give my kids cute hair barrettes and ribbons, yo-yo's, new tennis
balls (strange, but they love these for some reason), cheap spiral
notebooks to doodle on, crayons, play-doh, and anything else that I can
think of that they like.
Do include a gift or two that is both
fun and educational, yet relatively inexpensive such as ant farms,
butterfly habitats, lady bug habitats, etc. They'll love them!
So,
enjoy these Easter dinner recipes, Easter craft ideas, Easter gift
ideas, and Easter basket ideas. They are sure to get you in the Easter
mood and create many fun family traditions to enjoy for the years to
come.
Samantha Buck is a Professional Organizer and Editor of http://www.LifeOrganizeIt.com/when-is-easter.html,
where you can find solutions to life's organizing dilemmas, get Easter
dinner recipes and other great tips to get yourself ready for a fun
Easter. Subscribe to the free organizing magazine "Organize It Mom!" at
http://www.lifeorganizeit.com/free-e-zine.html
for super easy tips and techniques to get yourself organized. Not just
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