Easter baskets...

My kids have the big plastic buckets this year. Instead of that annoying Easter grass I am taking some colorful tissue paper and cutting it into wide strips for filler. My son has a Jimmy Neutron DVD and some candy going in his so far. My daughter I have not gotten anything except a little bit of candy for her so far. I am not sure what I will be putting in hers.

My mother always made my sister's and mine. Our Easter baskets were the baskets that she used in her wedding to distribute the netted baggies of rice. I make one for my son and my stepson (his mom has never purchased or made one for him, but I still ask every year if she is or not) and I use the baskets from my wedding that were used for the same purpose (except we used birdseed instead of rice). It's a great way to reuse baskets that might otherwise take up space (cause who gets rid of their wedding stuff?) and it makes a sweet story for the kids to hear every year. I usually get stuff they're interested in and put in the baskets, like construction paper, glue, markers, etc, but not any candy. Both my kids have cavities already without the added junk in candy. When I fill my share of the plastic eggs for the hunt at my in-laws and my grandparents (everyone fills a portion of the eggs for each, and that way no one is stuck with all of the expense) I put little toys and stickers in them. It costs the same or less (if you get multipacks from the dollar store) as candy and it's far less damaging to the kids' teeth. My sister does the same for the eggs she fills, but everyone else (and we come from a dentistry background!!!) fills them up with candy. ARGH! Happy Easter, a little early!

I usually make my daughter's Easter basket. Both of them will have 4 Easter baskets, from grandparents, godparents, an aunt and then ours. So what goes on ours is usually just one item, a toy that we think they wanted. Their other baskets are filled with little nick nacks, stuffed animal, books or DVD. This year, we got our 3 year old a Hannah Montana guitar which she loves because she likes to sing and Hannah Montana is a plus. Our infant just got a baby einstein toy.

Wait a second... I thought the Easter Bunny took care of all that? What are you saying? The Easter Bunny needs help?

I always buy the pre-made baskets for my kids, but we always color eggs together and fill other eggs with stuff so that they can have an easter egg hunt. i love doing things with my kids, but quite honestly i don't have the time or energy after everything else we do to sit down and make them a basket up. i used to before my daughter was born, but she is almost two now and takes up so much of my time that by the time i get all my kids in bed i don't feel like being creative. LOL! God bless

I like to throw in a little bit of everything. Of course there is candy (mostly chocolate), plastic eggs with quarters, little nicknacks (small easter puzzles, pezz dispensers, soft plush bunnies, stickers, coloring books, new crayons, all this nestled on a bed of fake grass in a basket. Of course we all know where that grass ends up (into the vacumm cleaner) LOL. Still weeks after I still find some of it lying around the house or in the car.

Well, I've kind of changed my attitude about this. I used to think that green grass was a great idea. Now, even the wicker (breakable) baskets seem like a bad idea. This year, my daughter gets an easter decorated plastic bucket with a handle. This seems far sturdier than the flimsy baskets anyway.

I fill the easter baskets myself and my kids are still pretty young 1 and 3 iput in a little candy and a few small toys.When I was about 10 my mom would still give us baskets and she would fill them with bath wash and other things like that it was pretty cool since i was getting older.