Easter Baskets

I just went back to last Easter's post to remember what I wrote and also what I even put in the kids' baskets. Those Target baskets were cute. Unfortunately Ginger stood on one shortly after Easter - before I had the chance to put them away - and broke it, so the other has been relegated as Ed's or an all-purpose basket. This year I let the girls choose out some cheap felt pails, and I have my eye on hitting World Market Monday morning to see if I can buy the baskets I really like on sale for next year. Eventually we will use the same thing two years in a row, though I don't know if I dare get baskets with their names embroidered on. Seems like jinxing myself somehow.

Anywho, I think everyone will be happy with their loot. Here's what they're getting:

• Candy - One tiny chocolate bunny and two Ring Pops each. It's not like the kids suffer for treats around our house, and they don't even like some of the traditional stuff like jelly beans. Whenever they get goody bags at parties, or even Halloween candy, they forget about it as soon as they're home, and we just throw it away.
• Playdoh - one can each
• Groovy Girls - these are one of the new interests around here. I took the girls to a toy shop recently to buy a birthday gift for Hazel's friend and out of all the amazing stuff she chose a Groovy Girl and has been talking about it ever since. They are very cute with cool hair, funky shoes, and non-curvy soft doll bodies (and thank goodness no MAKE-UP like Barbies or Bratz, eew!) Some of them are even dressed modestly. But the $20 price tag is a bit steep. Luckily Ebay exists, so I got this set of two fancy-dressed ones for $13 or so, and popped one in each basket. (Got two more for $1 each at a consignment sale recently; I'm saving those for a moment of desperation after the baby comes.)
• Hair clips
• Tinkerbell pens
• Grow capsules - we love these in the bath
• Fancy Nancy underwear - each gets a set of 3. I'm finding that undies can be great motivators to getting out of the bath, getting pj's on, getting dressed in the morning, etc. if they have ones they like. I recently got Hazel a set of days-of-the-week underwear and not only is she motivated to change her panties and get dressed, she is also motivated to READ them and to finally get the days of the week straight. What a revelation.*
• DVD - they are each getting a new DVD and it is almost completely self-serving because I am anticipating needing some new entertainment for them in the next few weeks. Ginger is getting Charlie and Lola - we have 1 and 2; this is 3. I think there are 10 or so and each one is adorable and fabulous. We love this British brother-sister team. Hazel is getting Shaun the Sheep, which is so freaking awesome it's almost criminal. I meant to do a whole post about Shaun sometime but never got around to it. The show is done by the same people as Wallace and Grommit but is not as intense/scary/ominous (my girls are tenderhearts and I'm OK with that). It's just positively silly and very smart as well. Especially after visiting Yorkshire last year, where it is set, with its stone hedges, fields of grazing sheep, and folks who look and "talk" just like the farmer.

This year Ed is getting a basket because I had a little stroke of inspiration, but I can't explain it here. Once in awhile he actually checks the blog so I'll have to tell about it after Easter.

And of course I will be thoroughly hooked up through the exchange. My package is sitting on the chair in my bedroom waiting for Sunday morning.

I just realized yesterday that we have not, and have no plans to dye eggs this year. I just never thought about it, or planned for it, and I think there's just enough going on. No one will miss it. The girls probably don't even know it's traditional. Whatever, we have their whole lives and next year I won't be 36 weeks pregnant. Knock on wood.

*I am actually thinking of starting my own line of little girls' underwear, starting with CHORES and RULES sets.

"Hey, Mom, I'm wearing my FOLD THE LAUNDRY panties today so why don't you go rest while I do that?"

"Ginger, today we're wearing NO WHINING undies so we'll just have to find another way to communicate." These could really take off!