Happy Easter!

The kids got up early...as usual.

This year the Easter Bunny left a family gift rather than Easter eggs. For several years when the kids were young, they would get so much chocolate it was ridiculous - an amount I was never comfortable with leaving in their sticky little possession, LOL - and we'd eat it for weeks as I dished it out, ration-style. That's if it lasted that long. Sometimes Mummy snuck a few eggs (you didn't hear that from me....) On top of what the Easter Bunny left, the grandparents often made up little baskets and hosted an Easter egg hunt at their place.

Way too much.

So three or four years ago we started the tradition of an Easter gift rather than the eggs. We take what we might normally have spent on chocolate - with three kids that easily tops $50 - and put it toward one family gift. One year it was a Mr Potato Head deluxe set (they're still playing with that one), another year a Fisher Price Lil' People farm set (bought for $8 at a flea market). Ownership is never assigned to these things, unlike Christmas and Birthday gifts, so there's no less fighting. The grandparents are still free to throw a few bits and pieces together, but they keep it small, and the amount of sweet treats the kids get stays at a reasonable level. And they have something lasting after all the chocolate is gone.

This year they got a jigsaw puzzle of a map of the world, with the pieces shaped like the individual countries. Boofah loves his globe and I instantly thought of him when I found this. I'm looking forward to working with the children on this activity, rather than playing supervisor :P We can do a little each night until it's done. It shouldn't take too long, at 600 largish pieces. If they seem to like the concept of jigsaws in general (this is the first 'real' jigsaw they've had) then I'll definitely be getting more. Such a simple, quiet way to spend an afternoon.

Hope you're all having a wonderful day :)

Cheers,
Lizzie