Eggs from the springy chicken

It's spring break for the kids this week. So far we have had an uneventful week, but the things we have done were necessary. For instance, today was a completely free day. The kids got to do whatever they wanted at home which worked out because it was too windy and cold to go out. I didn't plan on not enforcing any routine until Dave left for work at 10 AM. The kids were all playing well with each other which gave me some time to just chill out. I didn't feel like doing any housework or things on my to-do list, so I wasn't about to make the kids do them. We played games, read stories, watched a movie (Milo and Otis), colored big pictures on the kitchen floor, ate the kids favorites for lunch, ate ice cream for dinner, and enjoyed the day with nowhere to be. I even stayed in PJ's all day. It was fabulous!

Dave was kinda slow at work last week, but slammed this week. I half teased him that he should have switched those weeks so we could do more together as a family while the kids are home. We are slowly learning the small nuances that come with Dave owning his own practice where business has highs and lows. Sometimes it makes it harder than I would like to plan family outings. Really though, I can't complain when Dave only works 4 1/2 days a week, on average.

We were low key for Easter this year as far as the stuff you find in the stores goes. Now that I think about it, we usually are. Let me first say that I think worrying about filling Easter baskets with loads of candy and toys that will be broken or discarded in a week is ridiculous. No judging here if that's how others do things. I just don't think it's necessary to the holiday, and I certainly don't want to hear kids asking for stuff to put in their Easter basket. I'm not a complete prude, though. :) We set out a small basket for each chilly with a couple small treats and some muffins. Last year, I wanted to surprise the kids with a basket and needed to fill space in their basket of a few treats. I decided to make some muffins that they could eat Sunday morning without getting their clothes dirty. To my surprise, they loved getting those muffins in their baskets. I made muffins again this year and will probably do so from now on. It's funny how some traditions start in our home. This year little Syd devoured mini muffins two at a time and the kids thought it was nice for the Easter Bunny to leave them breakfast.

While we were getting ready for church J asks, "Is the Easter Bunny real? I think you and Dad just filled our baskets when we went to bed." ;) She took me by surprise because she didn't ask that about Santa this last Christmas. The only thing I could come up with was, "Sure. If you think he exists then he does." That was good enough for her.
Saturday was busy with preparations for church and family coming over for lunch and an Easter egg hunt for the kids. We dyed eggs and had a review of the real story of Easter using these eggs from FamilyLife.com. I had a handmade set from a church activity that got destroyed quickly once the boys got bigger. This set was at Walmart last year for $10 which was worth it to not have to make another one myself. It's a great idea that makes it easy for youngins to put together details about Jesus and his last week.

We busted out colored crayons and egg dye to create our masterpieces this year. We are a pretty crafty bunch when it comes to these sort of things. The kids all enjoyed making up different designs and Dave showed us all how it's done this year with his animal-inspired eggs. This was what we saw most of the afternoon- his nose stuck in creating his eggs.