Home Made Easter Baskets

So for the last installment of the Easter posts we're going retro.  That's right.  I'm bringing back an Easter element from my childhood.  Now I don't think it's necessary to say we're going "WAY back."  In fact, I think by saying we're taking a look "back" does the job without having it sound like I mingled with dinosaurs.  So, brace yourself for a glimpse of Easter past..... Now just in case the multi-colored shag carpet and footed pj's with the feet cut out because we grew like weeds doesn't give it away, I'm simply going to say it was the 80's.  Here's me and my little brother (for embarrassment reasons I won't give out his name, but will continue to hold it over his head for blackmail purposes).  I had this particular Easter basket until I was married and sadly one day after moving, discovered it had been crushed and was beyond repair.  Nearly a decade has passed and I've seen these coming back out, so you can imagine my excitement.  So, I gave it a try!

Ingredients:

Mod Podge
Crochet Thread
Balloons
Lace (or other trim for the border)
Ribbon (optional)

I've heard of using liquid starch for making the baskets but I searched high and low and couldn't find any so I turned to the old reliable Mod Podge.  Low and behold, it didn't let me down.  I simply used 1 part Mod Podge, 1 part water for the gluey substance.  

Blow up a balloon to whatever size you want your egg.  You can either roll your balloon in the glue mixture and start wrapping or just throw the roll right in to soak it up and then start wrapping.  There really is no wrong way to do it.  You can use anywhere from a half a roll of thread to the entire thing, depending on the size and how you want your egg to look.  Warning:  It's messy!



When you're done wrapping the balloons, stand them up on cups.  It helps if you've got something down for them to drip on.  It usually takes about a good 24 hours to dry.  Then, just pop your balloon and you've got your egg!


Now, cut a hole for your opening and the last thing you need is lace or some sort of border to seal off the raggedy edges.  I used a glue gun to secure it on.  Top it off with ribbon and your ready to fill it!

Just a few filling ideas.... we have the classic basket with all the junk food you desire.  Another fun twist to the basket is to fill it and give it away as a gift.


Here is the "healthy" basket.
This particular basket is loaded with craisins, apples w/carmel dip, yogurt drink, string cheese, yogurt covered raisins, orange, goldfish crackers, flavored milk straws, low sodium microwave pop corn. 


This is an example of a toy basket.  Just make a quick trip to the dollar store and you'll find plenty of fillers that will keep your kiddo entertained for days without the sugar hangover.


These were such a blast to make and create.  I was surprised at how cute my baskets turned out since I wasn't born with a single crafting bone in my body.  The variations of baskets are endless!

Easter Segment on 2News This Morning

easter nests.

We made these SIMPLE Easter Nests last year and man were they fun {not to mention effortlessly pretty - yay!}. Go here for the full post with more pics, and fun takes with white chocolate, pretzels, crunchy chow mein noodles, and peanut butter!

Easter Fun!!

Easter is less than a week away can you believe it?   In case you were wondering how you can make this last week more Easter-y, here's a few, fun and festive ideas to put some hop into your day.... (I know, super cheesy, but just wait 'till you see what I've got).

K- so first, let's start with the kiddo's lunches.   Pack whatever treats or their whole lunch into Easter eggs. The bigger the eggs, the more treats you can cram in there....  or pre-pack them and let the kids have at it for after school snacks.   These are also some really great and healthy ideas for the Easter Bunny to throw into the baskets so your kids aren't running around on a sugar high for hours.





Another treat for kids, whether it be for snacks or baskets, is make your own carrot snack bags. I just took sandwich baggies, threw some goldfish (or whatever orange snack you have) and tied a green ribbon at the top..... ta da!!!

Fun AND cute!



So, one last idea to throw out there for today... plant some jelly beans... no really.   Start today so you're bean will bloom in time for Easter.


You can take any old pot, fill it with whatever dirt you can find.   Give it some sunshine (no watering required), wait a few days and.....

Viola!  Eat your heart out Willy Wonka!


Check back in soon, we've got some more great ideas for Easter coming up over the next few days.

st. patrick's day fun with the kids

Have you ever totally forgotten that it was St. Patrick's Day and had your kid come home in tears because he got pinched and teased, and he was also just crushed because he felt like he missed out on all the greenish fun?

Oh...you haven't...?
Yeah, me either...
I mean of course I would never let something like THAT happen,
I was just wondering if, um, you ever did, and stuff...
Not that I would judge you if you had or anything...
Moving on.

I've found that making a "big deal" out of St. Patrick's Day helps keep it fresh in my mind, and I am more likely to remember to send my munchkin out for the day in some serious greens.

I am LOVING all of the amazing pinterest ideas out there and I am going to share and rate them for you here!

The first {and probably my favorite} one?
RAINBOW PANCAKES
Oh my.
Inspiration here.
My end result?

Woo-hoo!

*****

{a.k.a. FIVE stars for this pinterest project.} 

If this little lady {ahem, me}who has tried - almost successfully...TWICE - to burn down her kitchen can make these in one attempt...then this project deserved every last star I awarded it. It was really fun to do, and such a delightful departure from the green eggs that made me oh so gaggy last St. Patty's Day.

HINT: For best results, use a non-stick griddle on LOW heat. I usually cook my pancakes at 350 degrees, but that browns the entire sides of the pancakes, and it dims and ickies the colored ones, so I cooked them at 200 degrees and that was perfect. They took about a minute and a half on the first side to get firm enough to flip, but the gorgeous, vibrant colors stayed fully intact. Score!


And for mamas on the go, another really darling way to make your kiddos feel special first thing in the morning is a newly packaged serving of Lucky Charms.

Inspiration for the cereal idea here.


I loved this idea, but didn't want to get quite so crafty with it, and that is where none other than Utah's own "The Crafting Chicks" stepped in and saved the day. {Oh the irony...just when I don't want to be too crafty, some cute lil' crafting chicks help me to...not be so crafty.}

 They shared utterly fantastic St. Patrick's Day printables {they're free, btw} on their blog last year, and thanks to pinterest, I found, and have gotten a ton of use out of them for this year. Blogs are gifts that just keep on a-givin'.

For The Crafting Chicks' AWESOME printables, go here.

*****

{a.k.a. FIVE stars for this pinterest project.}

All in all, it was simple, and my kids will LOVE getting a naughty, sugary cereal on Friday...plus a love note from mom letting them know how much they mean to me.

And for my last trick...

*****

{a.k.a. FIVE stars for this pinterest project.}

Kay, so I am only giving four stars to this pinterest project, because my project turned out reasonably uglier than the one I originally found. This isn't her fault, but the rating is based on how well at basic-level {and even a little spacey...maybe?} mama can execute the project.The idea is WONDERFUL though, and I plan on sending these to all of my son's teachers and the secretaries who run his school's office...mostly as a kiss up bribe in hopes that they'll let him keep coming to their school despite his general spaz-i-ness. {He gets it honestly, folks, my genetics are NUTS... the least I can do is bribe a few teachers on his behalf}.

I also Rolos instead of gold coins, which doesn't look as cute, but tastes OH so much better than those icky chocolate coins!

Inspiration here.

2News This Morning Segment

leprechaun trap.

With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, now is the perfect time of year to try and catch a leprechaun!  So we took on the challenge and put together a sophisticated trap...... OK, not really.  We used the oldest trap in the book.  The classic box (bucket, laundry basket or whatever container you have handy) and a stick. 

Of course the most important part of any trap is the bait!  So we used what's been widely known to attract a leprechaun..... Lucky Charms.  We also added fake gold coins and colored and pieced together a paper Leprechaun so it would fool our green guest that it was safe.... all of this made for quite the deadly combination.

Well, we definitely had a leprechaun in the house but he escaped!  He ran wild throughout the house, messed with the furniture (strong little bugger!) leaving behind him a path of destruction.

He got into the fridge and made a green mess.... and yup... he even turned the milk and eggs green.

He left green treats, complete with Irish Ale...or what we call, Cream Soda. 

He may have gotten the better of us this time around, but that little guy better watch out because we've already started scheming for next year!

Fun Food for Kids on Channel 2 News

Fun Food for Kids.

Fruit Cars:

Simply slice apples and oranges, then use toothpicks or skewers to attach grapes for wheels!


Hot Dog Hybrids:

Skewer sliced hot dogs with uncooked spaghetti, then boil...

and serve!

Dino-scapes:

Use mashed potatoes as your "dirt," then add dino chicken nuggets, broccoli and cauliflower trees, and even a nice cool wading pool {ranch dip with blue food coloring} for dipping.

Bird's Nest:

Spruce up spaghetti by shaping it into a nest with bird meatballs. To add extra nutrients, put them on beds of spinach to act as the leaves on a tree!