Easter 2011

A rare picture ofthe whole family.

Spencer's 1st Easter

Caleb was being super careful while doing it all by himself.

My sweet little Abby.

Lauren and me.

The kids made these pics for the Easter bunny and placed them ever so neatly by the door while I was upstairs with Spencer.

Reading the Resurrection Eggs.

My beautiful girls.

A picture with our friends Kayla and Bethany.

Making Empty Tomb Rolls.

After much reservation, I went ahead and made Paula Deen's Almost Fat-Free Lemon Cheesecake. It was a little more work than the usual cheesecake, but it turned out to be a fabulous dessert.

More Great Easter Ideas

If you are looking for a simple story to explain Holy Week to your kids, go to this site. There is a 12 page printable.

Holy Week coloring sheets here. This is Catholic Icing's blog which has quickly become one of my favorites.

Catholic Icing has many wonderful activities you can do with your kids. There are too many to list, but she has a countdown to Easter as well as the Resurrection Story napkin rings pictured above.

For more craft ideas, visit Oriental Trading.

Print Easter Egg compliment slips here. You write a compliment on them and place them inside the eggs that your kids are going to hunt.

Easter Game/Lesson

I receive a quick email from iMOM every day. Today I received a cute Easter game that I can't wait to try. Check it out here.

Bouncing off my idea from St. Patrick's Day, I might even hide the eggs in the midst of my kids' mess in the playroom and tell them they have to put away their toys to find the eggs. I always try to make clean-up fun, otherwise, I lose it and start raising my voice and it just doesn't make for a fun bedtime at all.

Visit my other Easter posts here.

Be sure to check out my Easter "fun for kids" recipes on my cooking blog. There are about 5 I am going to do with my kids between now and Easter, such as lamb cupcakes, chick cupcakes, basket cupcakes, and cheesy Easter shaped bread (all found on Betty Crocker's website). I'll post those recipes in a few weeks. You can find meatless recipes as well.

What We've Been Up To

I was passing a few extra minutes reading my friends' blogs and I realized I haven't even been to my own blog in such a long time. I have an announcement to make. I get to be a stay-at-home-mom starting this fall. I am thrilled! I have always wanted to be a SAHM. Some moms ask me why, even some of my friends who stay home. Well....the most important reason is that we can be a family. Stephen will be able to work 8-5 and be home at night for the first time in 3 years. He will be able to help me get the kids to scouts, sports, and dance. With Caleb starting Kindergarten and Lauren starting 2nd grade in the Fall, I can only imagine how much time will be spent on helping the kids with their reading and other homework. Maybe we can get outside and teach the kids how to ride their bikes. Another benefit of being home is that I can get more housework done. My friends always ask me how on earth I do "it". My answer is always the same, "my house is a wreck." So I, being the listmaker that I am, have a plan for geting my house in order and keeping it that way. Notice I didn't say PERFECT? I don't expect perfection. Just controlled chaos! I plan on finding time throughout the day to cook more meals instead of giving in and eating out. I hope to do more scrapbooking and I definitely want to have phone time to catch up with friends. The possibilities are endless! So with school coming to an end, our calendar is filling up fast. On top of the scouts, sports, and dance, we have field trips coming up plus The George Bush Library annual Easter Exstravaganza, Spencer's first birthday, Lauren's dance recital, Aubrei's graduation (our Mommy's Helper), and more.