I know, I know.
Easter was like a million years ago. But right around that time, my blog got hacked to the moon and back and then Jill had her seizure, and it all got lost in the shuffle. And to be honest, I don’t have much else in my brain right now, so we’re going with the Easter 2014 post. (Also, I just had to retype that date. Because I still write 2013.)
Our Easter traditions are the same every year. We go to church, and then we head home, change into comfy clothes and hunt. For some reason, we told the kids there was no Easter Bunny, just mom and dad out back hiding eggs. Yet, we do Santa. It makes no sense and we never really talked about it, it just happened that way. Intentional parenting isn’t always our strong suit.
But it works out nice because we can say “Kids, stay in the house. We’re hiding eggs. No peeking!” And they do. So that’s a plus.
First things first, they have to find their baskets. Or buckets in this case. Because I don’t have room to store bulky baskets so I buy them $0.96 buckets from Walmart every year. Super Klassy.
Jill had no interest in her bucket.
She beelined for the plastic eggs that stored precious sugar inside.
Mission accomplished.
So Andy and I have this “thing”. (Don’t we always?)
Andy was raised by an oftentimes struggling single mom. I was raised by my immigrant grandmother who worked two jobs. We had happy, full, lovely childhoods. And we certainly had toys and all that jazz. But looking back, and comparing it to what we see around us, and even with our own children, we realize that we want to be careful as we celebrate with our own brood. My Easter baskets were filled with cheap trinkets, and I distinctly remember being THRILLED with them. There were no Barbies or DVDs in them. And you know what? I didn’t know it, nor did I care.
So now…as we find ourselves in a different financial position than the one we grew up in, we try to be really intentional in not just falling into more excessive traditions simply because we can afford them. I’m in NO WAY judging anyone else’s traditions. To each his own. I’m simply saying that for us, because of how we were raised, we don’t want to stray too far…just because we can. You know?
All of that to say, my kids’ baskets included a couple of mini notebooks (because they are obsessed with notebooks), a keychain, a cup, and an extra trinket or two.
And no Easter grass. Because Easter grass makes me looney.
But not 10 boxes on tinsel on my Christmas tree. That’s totally fine.
Because again, we’re super consistent around here.
Owen’s basket included a toothbrush.
Because his love of battery operated toothbrushes knows no bounds. Nor does it have any awareness of blowing through batteries at an alarming rate.
We had a few people over.
It was a super simple, laid back afternoon with the adults lazying around while the kids did their kid thing.
“Owen! Owen! Here! Right here! See that egg? Get it!”
Although to be completely honest, about 99.99% of the reason I wanted to do an Easter post was because of this girl’s hair.
It’s just fantastic.
Sometimes Fantastically Hot Mess. Sometimes just plain Fantastic.
These two weren’t super interested in much beyond finding eggs. And opening them immediately.
And then finding the nearest sucker adult to open it.
In case you’re wondering, our candy rule on special occasions is basically: eat as much as you want for the first day. Make yourself sick. Be a kid. Knock yourself out. Whatever.
Next day? Whatever is left gets thrown out. (Or hidden for Daddy to eat.)
Because if you can’t make yourself sick on special occasions, there’s really no point in living.
(Also, I couldn’t bring myself to buy non fair trade chocolate. It’s just one of those things I can’t unsee and can’t unlearn. So everything was hard candy/jelly beans. Much to Andy’s dismay.)
And then this.
Adults and kids tangled up on a quilt. Soaking up the sun. Unwrapping candy. The BBQ going. Cheap toys littering the grass.
It was a good day.
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What a GREAT looking holiday! I love it! Also, I’m glad you didn’t buy non-fair trade chocolate. Sucks to be Andy. Sucks harder to be those kids working the Ivory Coast.
I hope Jill is doing well and things are settling down.
Your Easter looks perfect.
I’m with you on the fair trade chocolate stuff. My son’s grandparents still buy some non-fair trade chocolate during holidays, but I’m slowly getting them off that (I think! I hope!).