Spring Fever

Filling Easter Baskets does not have to be costly. Baskets can be anything & can be a fun way to create a theme if you have a trip coming up (camping, beach, gardening, baking). For something other than a typical basket, try... a Sand Pail, Purse, Gardening pail or Flower pot, Pan filled with baking items, apron, etc., New lunch box, etc.

1. Gift Certificates or Movie tickets or iTunes certifcates
2. Fun pens & pencils
3. Stickers & temporary tattoos
4. Playing cards & small games... jacks, jumprope, frisbee, yo-yo
5. Sunglasses
6. Flashlights
7. Seeds to plant
8. Bubbles
9. Stationary
10. Play dough
11. Sidewalk chalk
12. Roll of quarters
13. Bathing suit
14. Hair accessories or jewelry or makeup
15. Action figures
16. Sports gear or Water bottles
17. Toothbrushes (there are so many fun styles)
18. DVDs or Books or Video games
19. Webkinz
20. Candy
21. Oriental Trading is a great place to find lots of little items.

If you are planning to stay home rather than go out for brunch, you can find some fun breakfast ideas in our Recipe Club >>>

• Fruit Kabobs... simple, healthy & kids can help assemble.
• Quiche or Breakfast Casserole... an egglicious dish.
• Baked French Toast... decadent but your kids will love you!
• Frog Eye Salad... you will have to check out the recipe to find out what this is.
• Deviled Eggs... a classic that can be done with so many variations.
• Carrot Muffins... A wonderful side dish to go with breakfast and they can be turned into a dessert with a little cream cheese frosting.
• Lemon Squares... our favorites especially if you freeze them after they are cooked.

Are you ready for Easter? How will you be celebrating this year. We did some research to find some creative new ways to decorate eggs... There are many ways to decorate eggs using all kinds of materials. These are some simple ways to liven up the basic dye kits you can purchase at the store. Keep it simple and have fun...

1. 

   Boil your eggs & cool.
2. Follow the directions on your dye kit for putting together your die. You can also make stronger colors using food coloring paste and dissolving a dab of it in a cup of hot water mixed with 1/4 cup of vinegar.
3. Most kits come with an egg drying stand but you can also cut up a paper towel tube into sections.
4. Liven your eggs up...
   Use stickers that are letters or designs and place them on the egg and then dip into the dye. Let it dry before you remove the sticker.
   Drip rubber cement all over your egg. Once the rubber cement is dry, dip into the dye and then let it dry. Peel off the glue and you will see a fun design. (You can also dip again in additional colors)

Wednesday, April 22 is Earth Day.

What will your family be doing to make a change on this day? We reward our kids for potty training and doing chores. Why not reward kids for making eco-friendly choices?

On April 22, 1970, 20 million people across America celebrated the first Earth Day. Now Earth Day is celebrated annually around the globe. Through the combined efforts of the U.S. government, grassroots organizations, and citizens like you, what started as a day of national environmental recognition has evolved into a world-wide campaign to protect our global environment.

Simple things we can all do to make a difference:

1. Saving Energy (turn off lights, televisions, etc.)
2. Conserving Water (turn off water when you brush teeth)
3. Reduce/Reuse/Recycle (reduce how much you use, reuse what you can, recycle the rest)
4. Pollution Prevention (Ride your bike or walk rather than drive whenever possible)

Here are a couple of ideas that you can incorporate into your life that will make a difference and help our earth:

1. Join Project Switch - save energy by switching your inefficient incandescent light bulbs with Compace Fluorescent Light bulbs. The benefits are tremendous: save money on electricity bills, use less energy, reduce your carbon footprint and help stop global warming. Make your pledge today!
2. Make a pledge to drink less disposable bottled water; choose reusable water bottles to reduce waste and save money!

For information on planning an Earth Day event, including ideas, activities and fact sheets, visit these websites:

• Earth Day Network
• EarthDay.gov