I love Easter, hate buying, but now

[MrsMe]

dd, 9, is upset that I'm not doing an Easter egg hunt with the plastic eggs in our backyard this year! Good grief! What in the world can you put in a plastic egg for a 9 year old (she'll be 10 in June) and when does this buying frenzy end?

 

I bought one big basket full of things for her for Easter! Most of which she doesn't particularily like, just likes the thought of. She doesn't much like a lot of candy and who needs more junk? I mean junk! I'm sick of spending money on a bunch of junk that gets tossed by the wayside. So I bought this neat box to fill with some candy, some writing things, paper, game...sort of a toy/easter box...a box she can reuse.

 

I just wish I could get out of this buying JUNK just because it's Easter and concentrate on doing something fun because of the special day. But what do you do? Let me say, I've had it with her attitude. She's hormonal,and she's driving me batty with her attitude when she doesn't get what she wants. Yes, it's character issue. I'm also sick of holidays that contains buy-buy-buy and mom is the one who takes the brunt and has to come up with the holiday idea, shopping for junk and dinner. I'm just sick of it all.

 

There. Now I feel better.

 

I need some ideas for Easter that doesn't contain my wallet and a "what did I get?" attitude.

[Carol in Cal.]

Then she can make those cool explosions.

[Firefly]

What about lip balm? A packet of seeds? An individually wrapped kid-friendly herbal tea? A small soap? These are the kind of things we put in the kid's Ostara baskets; we don't do plastic toys and junky candy (we'll do yogurt covered raisins, honey-sesame sticks, etc). They do get plenty of candy at the in-laws, though! :glare:

[Supertechmom]

Pencils!!! I use Easter as an excuse to stock up again on pencils, sharpeners, craft stuff and then put one "special" thing like one year the kids got kid sized garden tools (not toys), ice cream maker, snow cone maker, lava lamp, strawberry pot, garden seeds....all things we've given over the years depending on ages and what they were into. Like the lamp went to the kid who got a room redo and was saving for a lava lamp to finish out the "coolness". None of it was a lot per item- all under 20.00 Candy is kept to a minimum. Don't know about an egg hunt though. I have tiny ones too so the olders still participate but it's not geared toward them. We have started doing two. We find one in the community like the flashlight egg hunt for the olders (free) and the do the backyard for the littles.

 

HTH! That's a hard age.. The line of too big but not ready to be too big :grouphug:

[LauraGB]

Then she can make those cool explosions.

 

:D I think this is the route we'll go this year. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

This year I'm not feeling much like digging up the baskets and filling them with stuff we don't need, either. Great idea! They have been bugging me to get the soda and mentos for a while and I never did. I'll bet I'll be forgiven for not getting chocolate bunnies. Hmmm...wonder what else they can blow up...

[AngieW in Texas]

It's lots of fun to watch marshmallows puff up in the microwave.

 

http://exploratopia.com/cooking/candy/activity-mallows.html

 

A bag of jumbo marshmallows doesn't cost much.

[extendedforecast]

I filled my girls' baskets (ages 7-11) with things I felt they would actually use:

 

- an age appropriate craft project

- a book they've been wanting to read

- gardening supplies, such as seeds (flower and vegetable), pots that can be decorated, a trowel and spade, a hat, etc.

- DH took care of the candy; I don't have a sweet tooth and could care less

 

I understand how you feel about all the stuff we are expected to buy for every holiday. DH and I avoid the stores as much as possible this time of year. We used to go all out for easter. However, a few years ago DH and I decided to scale back on the Easter baskets, and each year the contents of the girls' baskets are smaller and smaller. Also, I invested in nice easter baskets that could be used year after year so that we wouldn't have to buy a new basket each year. Next year we will scale back some more. I think if we would have drastically changed things from one year to the next, my girls would have been as vocal as your DD is with you. Perhaps you could gradually make the changes you want so she won't notice as much.

 

Cindy

[Momofeat]

Is it the stuff she wants, or just an egg hunt?

 

My dd(10) loves to hide & find eggs, so we do lots of hunts with the same plastic eggs over & over, but we never put anything in them. All 3 of my kids are happy to do this. Is is possible that this is really what she wants?

[Chris in VA]

We take a dozen eggs to church for their egg hunt--this year, we're putting nickles in them (the church doesn't do candy--we disagree, but it was a parent request).

 

I think it's just hard for some 10's to give up those activities that help them feel like children--maybe they know what's coming, and don't want to leave it behind.

[Kate in Arabia]

As we got older, my parents bought my brother and me each a "permanent egg"; mine was white ceramic with a pink bow, his was brass. They both opened and were empty inside. So each Easter they would generally put money, or a gift certificate (usually to a bookstore -- I think a gift card would have fit in there, although this was long enough ago to predate gift cards, lol) and hide the eggs. We had to find them, they were hidden somewhere inside the house.

 

So still the taste of the hunt, but more adult?

Edited April 3, 2010 by Kate in Arabia
fixing grammar. sheesh.

[Aubrey]

Fill the eggs with clues--something as simple as the location of a gift--"Behind the apple tree"--cut up so that one letter is in ea egg, & then she has to sort them out, solve the puzzle, & end up w/ a non-junk gift. If you do it early, it could even be an Easter dress. :001_smile:

 

You could go more complicated, too. One yr, we put pics of the location of ea egg inside the preceding one, & it was a scavenger hunt. Ds was too young for candy, & nothing non-junky would fit in eggs. We gave him a bug-catching kit.

[Arch at Home]

We reuse eggs every year and fill them with M&M's or chocolate chips, 1 or 2 per egg. TBH my kids get very little candy. Their baskets are for gathering eggs. It sounds like you will though need to do a gradual weaning.

[MrsMe]

Fill the eggs with clues--something as simple as the location of a gift--"Behind the apple tree"--cut up so that one letter is in ea egg, & then she has to sort them out, solve the puzzle, & end up w/ a non-junk gift. If you do it early, it could even be an Easter dress. :001_smile:

 

You could go more complicated, too. One yr, we put pics of the location of ea egg inside the preceding one, & it was a scavenger hunt. Ds was too young for candy, & nothing non-junky would fit in eggs. We gave him a bug-catching kit.

 

This is a great idea for finding her basket!

 

You all have good ideas. It's hard in AZ because everything melts. She's also not energized by money. But this is a older idea that should work good!

 

Thanks!

[Kari C in SC]

We just do candy in the eggs. I don't put a lot in their baskets because I know there will be an egg hunt at Grandma's. I really don't think there is an age where people outgrow the fun of an Easter Egg hunt. My mom has done adult ones in the past with lottery tickets or coins in each egg. We had a blast running around with the other adults trying to find the most eggs. I will be sad when there are no more egg hunts with kids. I am hoping that since my oldest is 21 and my youngest is 5 - I will have grandkids to do this for before my youngest is all grown up.

[swellmomma]

One year I hid empty plastic eggs all over the back yard(it was one of the very few years we did not have snow at easter). The kids traded them in to get their baskets.

 

I spent $30 at the $ store on easter stuff for 4 kids so about $7.50 each, mostly candy but also some craft stuff and books. So it certainly does not need to be a huge expense at easter at all, hiding and finding the eggs is just part of the fun, like decorating eggs. You do not need to fill them all up and spend more. Jsut hide them for the fun of the hunt.

[Ferdie]

My kids love, love, love hunting for plastic Easter eggs so I put their candy in the plastic eggs and fill their basket with things that they need anyway. This year their baskets contain swim goggles, flip flops, airsoft safety glasses, a chocolate bunny, a Reeses egg and beef jerkey. The plastic eggs, (they hunt for 12 each) are filled with chocolate bunnies, malt eggs and jelly beans.

[AprilTN]

One dd is getting a new beach towel, a pair of shoes (she needed both of these anyway), lip gloss, nail polish, a chocolate bunny, and a few books that she wanted.

 

Younger dd is getting a new beach towel, shoes, sketch pad, felt tip pens, a chocolate bunny, and a craft book from Chicken Socks.

 

And we hide eggs for them.

[Aubrey]

This is a great idea for finding her basket!

 

You all have good ideas. It's hard in AZ because everything melts. She's also not energized by money. But this is a older idea that should work good!

 

Thanks!

 

It's always wet here. We do our hunts inside.

 

I'm thinking of filling some w/ grapes this yr. I've got a little guy who doesn't need candy, lol.

[MamaAkins]

I read a neat idea in Family Fun magazine. The mom purchases a small puzzle and puts 1-2 pieces of the puzzle in each plastic egg. After they've been found, the family puts together the puzzle.

 

One idea that we've used in the past is to fill the plastic easter eggs with "coupons" for activities. Like, "one afternoon at the park" or "an extra bedtime story" or "your choice for dinner", etc. It made for some fun family activities that lasted for months and produced much happier memories than a bunch of candy!

[Brigitte]

We take a dozen eggs to church for their egg hunt--this year, we're putting nickles in them (the church doesn't do candy--we disagree, but it was a parent request).

 

I think it's just hard for some 10's to give up those activities that help them feel like children--maybe they know what's coming, and don't want to leave it behind.

 

I was going to say the same. I would put loose change in the eggs for her. In fact, I have a lot of extra eggs and might do the same. Either let her keep the change or put it in the collection at church.

[Crissy]

As we got older, my parents bought my brother and me each a "permanent egg"; mine was white ceramic with a pink bow, his was brass. They both opened and were empty inside. So each Easter they would generally put money, or a gift certificate (usually to a bookstore -- I think a gift card would have fit in there, although this was long enough ago to predate gift cards, lol) and hide the eggs. We had to find them, they were hidden somewhere inside the house.

 

So still the taste of the hunt, but more adult?

 

That is a beautiful idea, Kate. Thank you!

[MrsMe]

I read a neat idea in Family Fun magazine. The mom purchases a small puzzle and puts 1-2 pieces of the puzzle in each plastic egg. After they've been found, the family puts together the puzzle.

 

One idea that we've used in the past is to fill the plastic easter eggs with "coupons" for activities. Like, "one afternoon at the park" or "an extra bedtime story" or "your choice for dinner", etc. It made for some fun family activities that lasted for months and produced much happier memories than a bunch of candy!

 

I like this puzzle idea too. Something fun to do on Easter! Except of course when you find that one last egg come summer. At least I'll know where that last puzzle piece is. LOL!

[EarleneW]

I put quarters in them for my kids. 2 of them are a little older too, but look forward to it every year.

[West Coast Mom]

We fill the plastic Easter eggs with clues and create a scavenger hunt for their hidden baskets. Before they could read, we took pictures of the next location. As they grew older, we started writing more complex clues and riddles. Our kids love this and the oldest (9) wanted to continue the tradition this year.

 

After we are finished, they always write their own clues and do the whole thing over again (without the basket). Or, they just hide the eggs for each other and keep hunting.

[MamaAkins]

One thing we do, since we have multiple children of varying ages, is to "color-code" our children's eggs. Each child gets the same number of eggs (usually 12 or 18) in a specific color. They are hidden according to that child's ability to find them. For instance, my oldest is almost 13 so her turquoise eggs will be hidden really, really hard. The youngest (almost 3) will have pink eggs that are easy to find. The middle kids will be hidden accordingly as well. This prevents one kid from finding too many eggs and keeps everything fair! It also enables me to put things in the eggs that are specific for each child. For example, my oldest has braces, so she can't have chewy candies. The littlest loves m&m's so she usually gets some of those in her eggs.

[Ali in OR]

I agree with not wanting any more plastic junk around the house. My kids' Easter baskets will be filled with things I would have needed to buy for spring anyway. Their baskets are new sand buckets for our sand box and they will have a new Lands End dress, a swimsuit, flip flops if they fit in the bucket, and footless tights that they like. And headbands. I might figure out how to make origami bunnies to put in there, and maybe a plastic egg or two with some change or m&ms in them. They will have an egg hunt here in the house for Dove dark chocolate eggs (good chocolate that Mom and Dad like too). That's it. Pretty simple.

[Mommyfaithe]

As we got older, my parents bought my brother and me each a "permanent egg"; mine was white ceramic with a pink bow, his was brass. They both opened and were empty inside. So each Easter they would generally put money, or a gift certificate (usually to a bookstore -- I think a gift card would have fit in there, although this was long enough ago to predate gift cards, lol) and hide the eggs. We had to find them, they were hidden somewhere inside the house.

 

So still the taste of the hunt, but more adult?

 

LOVE ths idea...LOVE IT!!!! i am going to after easter shop for this...and do exactlyu this next year. Thank You!! Thank You!!! Thank You!!!!!!

 

Faithe

[Renthead Mommy]

Why don't you just hid real eggs? I've never heard of people actually using plastic eggs at home (except for the girl I nannied for who was allergic to eggs). I've only ever known people to use plastic filled eggs at events or for decoration.

 

Why use plastic one and fill them with junk/ junk food? By the time they are 8-10 they can actually make beautifully decorated eggs, (more so than just plain old dunked in a color egg). The older we got, the more intricate the decorations got.

[Matryoshka]

What's with everyone hiding plastic eggs and giving gifts on Easter? :tongue_smilie:

 

We hide hard-boiled, decorated eggs, and their bunnies have chocolate bunnies and jelly beans, that's it (okay, maybe a few other kinds of Easter chocolates). No gifts, no money, no "stuff". Decorating the eggs is always the big highlight of Easter.

 

This is the way we always did it growing up, and I have to say my parents gave my brother and me baskets and we decorated and hid eggs for each other till about the time we got married... :blush: Maybe don't hold your breath on her outgrowing it! :D

[SonshineLearner]

Gosh, my step-daughter was crying that I ruined her Easter when she found out... on Easter Day... that the Easter Bunny wasn't real.(She was almost 10) She still was thinking that she may spend Easter with us this year, because she wants to hunt for Easter Eggs..... (she'll be 18 in a couple of months.)

So....

Hmmmmmm

[Pippen]

You could go more complicated, too. One yr, we put pics of the location of ea egg inside the preceding one, & it was a scavenger hunt. Ds was too young for candy, & nothing non-junky would fit in eggs. We gave him a bug-catching kit.

 

Most years I make a scavenger hunt for the kids to find their baskets. I write terrible, eye-rolling rhymes for them to follow all together and then give them each an individual clue to find their own baskets. My husband or one of the older kids hides hard boiled or plain plastic eggs in the backyard for whoever wants to search--no treats.

 

I've always reused baskets and plastic eggs. I used to put in something like a toy of DVD but last year I just went with some candy and they were fine with that.

 

I'm ahead of the game on the Mentos! I saw them at the checkout lane the other day and nabbed them.

[Pippen]

What's with everyone hiding plastic eggs and giving gifts on Easter? :tongue_smilie:

 

Well, for one thing, the dyed eggs stain clothes and furniture and cute little Easter dresses. I really do like bright pink, but not on my carpet.

 

This is the way we always did it growing up, and I have to say my parents gave my brother and me baskets and we decorated and hid eggs for each other till about the time we got married... :blush: Maybe don't hold your breath on her outgrowing it! :D

 

I hear you. My mom always sent me a "basket" throughout college and even afterwards, and by then she was adding things like really good chocolate and marzipan. The first year I was married it was a big letdown not to get an Easter basket in the mail.

[joannqn]

I'm not feeling like being an Easter bunny this year either. I haven't bought anything and wasn't planning on dyeing eggs. I told the kids that I hadn't bought anything because they kept talking about it. They came up with a solution...they have 36 Webkinz between the three of them (they usually get one for birthdays and Christmas, and spend all of their own money on them) and have requested that we hide their Webkinz for them to find.

[Renthead Mommy]

Well, for one thing, the dyed eggs stain clothes and furniture and cute little Easter dresses. I really do like bright pink, but not on my carpet.

 

Well I've never, ever had that problem. From the time I was growing up to present. (And we had mulitple easters -Mom's, dad's, grandma's, step grandma's) and it was never a problem. Don't ever remember them staining anything. And I've never had any friends have the 'how to get dye out of things" conversation either.

[Janet in WA]

 

What's with everyone hiding plastic eggs and giving gifts on Easter? :tongue_smilie:

Our sons hunted for plastic eggs because none of us likes dying eggs, so we usually didn't bother doing it. We reused the plastic eggs year after year and everyone was happy.

[NancyNellen]

Each of my kids gets a book that will reinforce the Biblical teaching they get at home and church. That's all.

[ereks mom]

As we got older, my parents bought my brother and me each a "permanent egg"; mine was white ceramic with a pink bow, his was brass. They both opened and were empty inside. So each Easter they would generally put money, or a gift certificate (usually to a bookstore -- I think a gift card would have fit in there, although this was long enough ago to predate gift cards, lol) and hide the eggs. We had to find them, they were hidden somewhere inside the house.

 

So still the taste of the hunt, but more adult?

 

...the Easter Bunny. ER & EK leave their empty baskets out on the kitchen counter, and they wake up to full baskets. This year, they're each getting candy, gum, iTunes or fast food gift cards, a mini Guitar Hero game I found at Walmart marked down to $1 each, and couple of other little things they'll enjoy.

[Tap]

We used to do bigger gifts in a traditional Easter Basket. Then dmil started having a Huge Eater egg hunt at her house each year. It was a blast. The adults hid 400 eggs plus things like Mothers Cookies, packs of gum, etc for the 4 grand kids who came to her house (it was planned huge in the beginning because there are 9 g-kids invited). As the kids got older small dollar store trinkets were replaced with money.

 

This is the first year in 9 years that she is not hosting the big hunt. She says it is because most of g-kids tha show up are teen and they don't want to hunt anymore, but I know the real reason is that she doesn't want to do it anymore. It is a shame because all of the kids still really loved it (even the 18yo who pretends just to do it for the littles).

 

So, we are back to Easter baskets this year. I have new panties, Eric Carle T-shirt, and special crayons for dd3, along with the traditional Easter basket commodities. Dd11 a T-shirt to match dd3, gumball machine, and something else (I can't remember). Ds15 is getting $$ and treats.

 

We will hide a couple dozen plastic, prefilled, Easter eggs in the yard (or indoors if it is wet out) and then go to g-mas for lunch. The plastic egg stash is at g-mas 2 hours away, so I had to buy new ones.

 

I am just as disappointed as the kids this year. DD3 is going to miss out on the tradition of the huge hunt at g-mas (she had a fantastic egg hiding yard) and dd11 was getting old enough to find the really hard eggs that were worth the big $$. My landscaped mini-yard is nothing compared to the almost 1/2 acre we hid in at g-mas.

[lynn]

I love traditions. Mother always put together nice baskets or bowls for us and gave chocolate bunnies until we were out of the house. She never did do the egg hiding thing but we got colored eggs in our baskets. Now I do baskets for the 2 littles in our home and give chocolate bunnies to the teens. The teens like to hide the eggs for the littles and watch them find them. I don't know how much longer baby boy will agree to hunt eggs with his sister but when they tire of it I guess the tradition will stop. But me being one for traditions, I'll probably still send chocolate bunnies to them.:D

[justamouse]

We didn't have as much time this year, but I LOVE dyeing eggs and decorating them. Next year I want to have a huge egg decorating and blowing party. We've never had problems with the dye, either and ALL of us-adults and kids alike hunt for eggs. And, next year I'll have a KILLER egg hiding yard.

 

Kate, that idea about the big eggs is just wonderful! I think I'll start doing that for the older ones next year. And the puzzle pieces inside plastic eggs is cool, too.

[Annabel Lee]

One year after hiding the kids' baskets I tied yarn to each (color-coded for ea. kid) and zig-zagged it all over the house. It looked like an Easter spider web but it was fun b/c it took the kids a long time to follow each string (I finished by tying the other ends to their beds) to their baskets. Lesson learned: leave a clear path to the bathroom.

[Jumping In Puddles]

Whoa! I think I've been doing the Easter egg hunt wrong :confused:

 

I have the kids dye eggs and then before bed they hide the eggs for the easter bunny to find. The Easter Bunny leaves a chocolate egg where the dyed egg was plus a few more hidden chocolate eggs for the kids to find (plus their basket). Then I make deviled eggs that night for Easter, hehe.

 

How do you all do your egg hunts if you dye your own eggs? Do you dye them and then hide them for the kids to find?

Edited April 4, 2010 by Jumping In Puddles

[Renthead Mommy]

Whoa! I think I've been doing the Easter egg hunt wrong :confused:

 

I have the kids dye eggs then before bed they hide the eggs and then in the morning, the Easter Bunny leaves a chocolate egg where the dyed egg was. Then I make deviled eggs that night for Easter.

 

How do you all do your egg hunts if you dye your own eggs? Do you dye them and then hide them for the kids to find?

 

We all dye them sometime on Saturday. Saturday night the night owl bunny, (me), sets up the basket with the chocolate bunny and if there is anything else. Sunday morning the early rising bunny, (the husband) hides the eggs.

 

Christmas works basically the same way. Night owl Santa sets up stuff. Early rise Santa turns on lights, does finishing touches, and finishes off the cookies left on the plate. And if I'm really lucky, Early rise Santa makes coffee for Night owl Santa, because my son takes after the early rise side of this family!

Edited April 4, 2010 by Renthead Mommy

[Matryoshka]

Well, for one thing, the dyed eggs stain clothes and furniture and cute little Easter dresses. I really do like bright pink, but not on my carpet.

 

Hmm. I've been dyeing Easter eggs for over 40 years, about 3 dozen a year every year, and I have never had one stain anything ever once. Not clothes, not carpet, not anything - once the egg is dry, the dye does not transfer at all. We get dressed up fancy for Easter in cute clothes, and live where it's cold and many egg hunts have been inside with eggs hidden in the sofa, on the rug, next to the curtains... not a problem.

 

Have you ever dyed eggs, and if you did, did you remember to put vinegar in the water? That sets the dye.

[Matryoshka]

How do you all do your egg hunts if you dye your own eggs? Do you dye them and then hide them for the kids to find?

 

Well, yeah. After the kids go to bed I hide them all over the living room, and put their baskets with all the chocolate on the coffee table.

 

We have to be at church at 8:30 tomorrow morning, and they're insisting they're going to do the egg hunt first! Ugh. (Usually we go to the later service, but my dds are in the choir/accompanying at the early service this year.)

 

Speaking of traditions, when they were little I had this idea it'd be nice to have a tradition of making an Easter Crown bread for Easter morning breakfast. Now I'm always up till the wee hours making the darn thing, waiting for the dough to rise, and I'm wiped on Easter morning! :glare:

Edited April 4, 2010 by matroyshka

[Janet in WA]

Whoa! I think I've been doing the Easter egg hunt wrong :confused:

 

I have the kids dye eggs then before bed they hide the eggs and then in the morning, the Easter Bunny leaves a chocolate egg where the dyed egg was. Then I make deviled eggs that night for Easter.

 

How do you all do your egg hunts if you dye your own eggs? Do you dye them and then hide them for the kids to find?

I don't think you can do it "wrong". I do think that most of us hide the eggs and our kids hunt for them. But I think my sons would have enjoyed hiding some for the Easter Bunny to find and leave a chocolate egg for them in its place.

[Crissy]

 

Have you ever dyed eggs, and if you did, did you remember to put vinegar in the water? That sets the dye.

 

We have always used vinegar, but when the egg sits in the damp grass for any period of time, the dye runs.

We *always* have stained fingers and clothes after an egg hunt.

[Matryoshka]

We have always used vinegar, but when the egg sits in the damp grass for any period of time, the dye runs.

We *always* have stained fingers and clothes after an egg hunt.

 

What kind of dye do you use? I just use regular old food coloring. Eggs have never run even in damp grass, or even if I ran one under water. And a tablespoon of white vinegar.

[Crissy]

What kind of dye do you use? I just use regular old food coloring. Eggs have never run even in damp grass, or even if I ran one under water. And a tablespoon of white vinegar.

 

Always those little tablets of color you can buy at the drug store. I don't belive I buy the same brand every year, but I'm sure they are all the same.

[Pippen]

Have you ever dyed eggs, and if you did, did you remember to put vinegar in the water? That sets the dye.

 

I do always use the vinegar. I had problems two years in a row with some brightly colored variation of the PAAS kits (not the classic kits) when the kids were quite small. It probably was just those kits, which is good to know.