A monthly online magazine chock-full of insightful articles for busy mothers.

by Arlene Pellicane

Browsing online, I saw a toddler Easter basket selling for $65. Since when does a parent have to spend so much money on a basket filled with a stuffed animal, candy and plastic grass for a two-year old? You can spend a lot less and create a basket that’s even better because it’s tailor made just for your child.

Here’s how you make a perfect Easter basket that will not break the bank and make a great impression on your terrific toddler:

1. Start with a basket you already have at home. Don’t buy that Easter basket at the grocery store that you will use once and then pitch into your garage to be lost forever. Can’t find a basket? Look for a small plastic storage bin, decorate a shoebox, or extra plastic wastebasket. Nix the cellophane wrap.

2. Skip the candy and load up on healthier treats instead. Your toddler’s favorite fruits or crackers will do just fine. Or try a new brand of cracker. If your toddler is asking for candy, just include one small chocolate egg or a few peeps. Remember the less your toddler is exposed to candy, the better!

3. Instead of filling plastic eggs with candy, fill them with beans instead. Tape them up with colorful electrical tape and you’ve got a new shaker instrument. You can also fill the eggs with small toys or stickers.

4. Include items you need to buy anyway: a toothbrush with one of your child’s favorite characters, nice socks, new character underwear or pajamas.

5. Great toys to include are inexpensive items like crayons, sidewalk chalk, coloring books, toy cars, stickers, play doh, rubber duckies and other toys for the bath.

6. Celebrate the coming of spring with some outdoor activity toys like a Frisbee, bubbles, or ball.

7. Write them a simple note that says “I love you” or “Happy Easter.” Encourage them to say each letter in your note.

Create your basket with your toddler in mind. Include some of his or her favorite things and you’ll be sure to have a hit! And it will cost you a lot less than $65.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Get FREE tips that work at Arlene’s website www.losingweightafterbaby.com or blog at losingweightafterbaby.wordpress.com

by Rachel Paxton

You may think that your kids have outgrown Easter baskets by the time they’re teens, but Easter is a fun time to show your teen how much you care about them and that you’re thinking of them.

This year, instead of the traditional Easter candy I usually buy, I decided to do something special for my coffee-loving teens.

Materials:

Small Easter basket
Easter grass
Plastic Easter eggs
Chocolate-covered coffee beans
$10 Starbucks gift card
A Starbuck’s bottled frappucino
Snack-size donuts and/or cookies

Fill the plastic Easter eggs with coffee beans, then arrange everything in the Easter basket with the Easter grass.

Don’t forget about the teens far from home! These baskets can be mailed to step-children or teens off at college. Everyone loves to get a thoughtful surprise in the mail now and then.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For scrapbooking, card making, gift-giving ideas, and more family memory-making activities, visit www.Crafty-Moms.com.

Hop into spring with this free eBook full of Easter craft projects and
recipes. Find free Easter craft ideas to decorate your home, give as gifts
and entertain the kids. Send homemade Easter cards to friends and families
from our collection or find some different ideas for Easter egg decorating.
Complete your Easter festivities with the collection of hand-picked Easter
recipes. In this eBook you’ll find:

. 130 Pages of Craft Ideas for Easter

. 12 Easter Egg Decorating Projects

. 20 Easter Table Ideas: Centerpieces, Napkin Rings and More

. 10 Easter Chick Craft Projects

. 20 Easter Bunny Craft Projects

. 10 Easter Recipes

You can get this eBook free at:

http://www.favecrafts.com/index.php/hct/Easter-Crafting-and-Recipe-eBook

Holidays Home Easter Page

Easter at Babci’s was very special. Her enamel coffee pot on the back of the stove would be filled with chicoried black liquid, and the ham in the oven gave off a brown sugared warm aroma.

The colored Easter eggs were in a brown basket on top of a hand crocheted white doily right next to the yellow raisin bread. The polish sausage (kielbasa) was wrapped in tin foil and was slowly cooking along with the ham in the oven. Her pickled beets were everyone’s favorite…her recipe sits below for you. All of the food was fine indeed but the focal point in Babci’s kitchen was not the food so much as her love. Her easy smile, her selfless caring, Babci was the draw.

Pickled Beets

2 cans of Red Beets
2tbsp. of brown sugar
2tbsp. of cider vinegar
Touch of salt
Thinly sliced onions
A dash of pepper

Mix all ingredients together and place in a large glass jar…overnight in fridge. You may add whole hard boiled eggs that have been peeled. This colorful array makes a nice addition to your Easter festivities.

© 2000 Caroline Shaw

by Michele Cooking-guru

Easter Brunch

Easter will be here soon. We get together for brunch with our family and enjoy Easter Egg hunts, visiting with each other, and great food. I love to bring an Oven Omelet dish. It’s quick, easy, and delicious.

Oven Omelet

1/4 cup butter, melted
18 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup chopped green pepper (optional)
1/4 cup chopped onion (optional)
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups ham, cubed
1 small can mushrooms, sliced

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter and coat the bottom and sides of a 9×13 glass baking dish. Mix the remaining ingredients together and pour into buttered dish. Bake approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until done.

Visit her website: Cooking-Tips.com. While you’re there, be sure to sign up for my free newsletter.

About the Author: Michele Cooking-guru, is a 39 year old wife and mother of two teenagers. She grew up doing a lot of cooking for her family, and then married into a large family that loves to get together. So of course, more cooking. She’s also the guru at http://www.cooking-tips.com. She’d like to share cooking tips and recipes with you You can reach her at cookingguru@yahoo.com and visit her website at:Cooking Tips and Join her fabulous My Life-Tips Newsletter