Easter is Coming!

Easter always sneaks up on me. It doesn't help, however, that it keeps changing what day it is celebrated. Last year, it was March 31st, so we obviously didn't do much of anything with a spankin' new baby at home. Well, except for a lot of this...

Anyway, now Easter is the 20th and creeping up fast. February through April is so busy at work, its a wonder I remember it is Easter at all! With a 3 1/2 year old who is learning about Easter (both the Jesus and Easter Bunny versions) at daycare, we have to do something. He's expecting the Easter Bunny to visit, which is fine with me since its a tradition we had growing up and one we'd like to continue with our own kids. The problem is....what the heck do you put in Easter baskets that isn't 100% sugar?! Because you know what's going to happen....I'M going to end up eating it all.

Charlie's first Easter we made him a little basket of things he needed (and a little candy for us). A 5 month old doesn't realize that socks are a crappy present anyway. His second Easter, we went to Hershey Park and he got some bubbles. Happy as a clam!

For this year, I was stuck! I think he'll love doing an egg hunt, but I didn't want to fill the eggs with (just) candy. With a little thinking (and searching on Pinterest), I came up with a list of things to add to his egg hunt that aren't terrible for his teeth.

• Stickers or temporary tattoos (one sheet can be cut up into multiple pieces)
• Character socks (from the $1 Spot at Target)
• Toy cars
• Goldfish or animal crackers
• Magnetic letters (like the kind you'd put on the fridge)
• Bath color fizz tabs
• Army men or small figurines
• Change (for his piggy bank)
• Chapstick (which he seems to be obsessed with lately)
• Little finger puppets
• Pieces to a puzzle (he can put it together when he finds all the pieces!)
• A little bit of candy. C'mon, everyone needs a Peep before breakfast on Easter morning!

The trick is to find things that are small enough to put in the eggs, but that aren't complete choking hazards for Ginny.

His basket was a little easier since there are a few things he needs for the spring/summer. We are filling his basket with Crayola Color Wonder paper and markers, bubbles, water shoes, and two Disney movies (Toy Story & Toy Story 2) we got from our Disney Movie Rewards points. Ginny's basket was another story. It has sat empty, save for a pair of sunglasses from the Target $1 Spot for like a month. That is still a work in progress. There isn't a lot she needs, but with Charlie paying more attention, an empty basket might be more noticeable. Maybe some socks, flip flops, and a new book will do to fill it up?

What are you putting in your little one's Easter basket?