Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Once again, it's time for the Easter Bunny to come hopping along. After the kids are all tucked into bed, bags, and bags, and bags of candy will be dumped into the baskets. The baskets will be hidden in clever spots, and the children will squeal with delight when they find them. Then, the parents start cursing the darn Easter Bunny for bringing so much candy.

Two things happen next. Either the parents limit the amount of candy the kids can eat at one time ...or they throw caution to the wind and let the kids go hog wild. The restricted children get mad at their parents, and everyone is grouchy. The other children are all wound up, and won't eat dinner later. Either way, it's a lose/lose situation.

We all know that it's fairly unreasonable to not put any candy in the baskets, but does it really have to be filled to the brim? There are many other things you can tuck into a child's basket, and I guarantee they'll still be thrilled. Depending on what you put in the baskets, it just might keep the kids busy for hours ...giving you time to fix dinner, or squeeze in a little nap.

When my kids were little, we were dirt poor. I'd save little trinkets from cereal boxes to help fill the baskets. Since then, dollar stores have cropped up all over the place. By dollar store, I mean the stores that sell everything in the store for one dollar each. I suggest wandering through the aisles (by yourself, of course), and gathering interesting items to put into the Easter baskets. Don't be fooled by the Easter section, though. Sure, you can pick up some cute things there, but don't limit yourself to that aisle. Once Easter is over, those colorful little egg shaped erasers and fuzzy headbands are out-dated. One of my favorite gifts for slipping into Easter baskets is tape. A roll of masking tape goes a long way. Mark each child's name on the side of the roll, and let them waste as much as they want. Some other cool ideas are small flashlights, little tablets, hole punchers, gel pens, and character toothbrushes. You also might be able to find some little magic tricks. Those are always a hit. The only problem is that you'll have to endure watching the trick over and over all day ...acting equally shocked each time you see the coin disappear. If you have teenagers in the house, you might want to add a little cash to the baskets. You can practice your hand at origami, and impress even that hard to impress teen. Check out the link below for step by step instructions on how to fold dollar bills.

Now put on your thinking cap and think outside the box. Sprinkle a few jelly beans and some chocolate eggs in the baskets, and fill it up with more practical things. I promise, the day will be much more enjoyable.