March 16, 2017

I had planned on putting together a study unit for Easter, similar to what we had done for Advent, but it didn’t happen. It is still in the works and I will continue to work on it a little at a time. I’ll also be sure to share it with you all as well.

This Easter was a little crazy as I’ve had two children who have been consistently trying my patience on a daily basis. I know this is just a phase and it will pass soon but it had been utterly exhausting.

Luckily I have family and friends to support me and offer advice. Sometimes the best thing you can do is just take a step back and look at things through someone else’s eyes.

We have truly been blessed with the friends we have and there is one person in particular who has went above and beyond to help me lately. He may never know what a blessing he has been to me and my family over the past couple of months. He is so awesome with my kids that it is truly a blessing.

He is a constant source of encouragement and he motivates me to be a better person. The crazy thing is that we probably never would’ve met had I stuck to my idea of what I thought I needed. God knew all along and has so far exceeded my ideas and expectations, just as he always does. It is so amazing to see what God does when you let go and hand your life over to him.

So getting back to Easter, we didn’t do a big get to together or go visiting like we normally do. We stayed at home and had a small cookout with family. It was nice and it was simple.

My older kids did hide some eggs for the younger ones yesterday. The younger kids were too smart and found them all in a minute or two. This prompted the older ones to ‘up their game’ and rehide them so they could have more of a challenge. The challenge was accepted and they found them again super quickly.

It was time to eat after the second go round and everyone was starving. My youngest two surprised everyone with the amount of food they ate yesterday and the lack of complaining about what they didn’t want to eat.

Of course, the kids were all super excited and didn’t want to go to bed. They were hoping to see the Easter Bunny… and get lots of candy.

Well this morning they awoke to a big Easter basket on the kitchen island. It had a small toy for each child and some candy and games as well. I decided several years ago that doing one basket was much easier than individual baskets. I also want to try to keep the focus on the real reason for Easter which does not involve a bunny or candy.

After breakfast we had a mini lesson using our Resurrection Eggs that I found at the thrift store last year. I will post a few pics at the end of the post. We went over the meaning of each item and talked about the real meaning of Easter before letting them inspect the basket.

We didn’t buy new Easter outfits, I had thought about it though, as we could all still wear the outfits we bought for big sisters wedding last year. My dress hadn’t even been worn, or tried on until yesterday, as I had decided on a different dress.  I did find a couple of cute hats for the girls that match with their dresses too.

Later this afternoon, probably after nap time, we will make the Empty Tomb Rolls. I usually try to make them the day before but it just didn’t happen this time around. I will go over the Easter story again while we assemble the rolls.

Then hopefully we will get to color some eggs later on this afternoon as ‘Mr. Awesome’ has said he will come by later today to help with that. I will try to add some of those pics to this post as well.

Life is never going to be perfect and things are going to happen beyond our control. So we need to stop waiting for that ‘perfect moment’ and just live in this moment. Stop procrastinating and looking for excuses as to why you can’t do things. Instead focus on ways to make things possible in some way, shape, or form. Make those special memories and be sure to let each and every person around you know how much they mean to you.

We are living in uncertain times right now and we have never been promised a tomorrow. So take a moment to appreciate all that you have been blessed with and cherish this moment and time in your life.

I pray that you have all had a very blessed Easter!

It took forever to get a decent picture where almost everyone was smiling and (almost) looking in the same direction. Big sister didn’t want to wear her matching dress which was OK. The little girls had snuck into some chocolate while I was getting ready. They smeared their chocolate hands on the fronts of their dresses too. We got them spot cleaned and off to church we went. It was really nice to have 6 of my 9 kids in church with me today too.  While at church the same two girls tore holes in their dresses…. I will have my work cut out for me trying to repair them… but that’s life!

We did make some Empty Tomb Rolls after nap time. This was a fun experience and the kids helped assembling the roles while discussing the meaning of each ingredient. Then they had them for a snack.

We also managed to squeeze in some egg coloring! Oh what a fun day we had!

April 16-22, 2017 Meal Plan

This is our basic meal plan for the week. Sometimes we will switch the days around if I forgot to set something out or put something in the crock pot. Please feel free to use this or change it around to suit your family’s needs.

I have started trying to do easier meals on days that I have square dancing obligations. This helps me to be able to put a nice meal on the table without feeling guilty about having some much needed ‘Mommy Time’. Some of these meals may also help with those that have busy or irregular schedules due to work or extracurricular activities.

I do have ‘Snacks/Desserts’ listed as well. I always try to keep a bowl of fresh fruit out on the counter or table for the kids to snack on. Sometimes I will make a special snack or treat for us to enjoy.

Sunday

Breakfast:

Bird Nests, Grits, Fruit

Lunch:

Tuna Salad Sandwiches, veggies

Dinner:

Easter Dinner (We have opted to do a cookout this year. )

Snacks/Desserts:

Coconut Cake

Pickled Eggs


Monday

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

Lunch:

Hot dogs, Veggies

Dinner:

Red & White Pasta, SaladCheesy Garlic Pull-apart Bread

Snacks/Desserts:

Cinnamon Toast


Tuesday

Breakfast:

French Toast

Lunch:

PB & J, fruit

Dinner:

Crockpot Tortellini Soup, 30 minute Rolls

**(Crockpot Meal as Momma has a class in the evening)

Snacks/Desserts:

Cupcakes (** I will try to make a few extra to take along for refreshments later.)


Wednesday

Breakfast:

Basic Muffins

Lunch:

Scrambled Eggs Sandwiches, veggies

Dinner:

Root Beer Slow Cooker Pork, French Fries, Cole Slaw

Snacks/Desserts:

Muffins


Thursday

Breakfast:

Pancakes

Lunch:

leftovers

Dinner:

Chicken PillowsMashed Potatoes, Veggies (maybe a vegetable casserole?)

Snacks/Desserts:

Fruit


Friday

Breakfast:

Cereal/Oatmeal

Lunch:

Egg Salad, veggies

Dinner:

Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Macaroni and Cheese, Veggies

** (Another crockpot meal as I have a dance this night.)

Snacks/Desserts:

Easy Donut Holes (again I will try to make a few extra to take along for class.)


Saturday

Breakfast:

Cheese Danish, scrambled eggs, fruit

Lunch:

Soup, grilled cheese

Dinner:

Smothered Burgers, Chips, Salad

Snacks/Desserts:

Cake

Empty Tomb Rolls (aka Resurrection Rolls) and Resurrection Donut Idea

I found this recipe on Facebook a couple of years ago and my kids love to help make these. This has become an Easter tradition in our home. They are a good way to teach about the resurrection of Jesus at any time though! 

You can find this recipe listed in our Perpetual Meal Plan – Spring 2024 along with some meal plans for other Spring holidays… 3 months’ worth of meals are all planned out!

There is also a Trim Healthy Mama version HERE. Continue reading “Empty Tomb Rolls (aka Resurrection Rolls) and Resurrection Donut Idea”

Easter

Easter is the day set aside to remember that Jesus rose from the dead. Click here to learn more about this holiday.

Below are some of the activities I found to celebrate this day:

(Use at your own discretion.)

Easter Kids’ Crafts and Activities | Martha Stewart

Easter Crafts, Coloring, Worksheets and Activities – DLTK-Holidays

1000+ images about Kids – Easter Activities on Pinterest | Sock bunny …

Easter – Activity Village

Easter craft – Kidspot

11 Creative Easter Egg Activities | Parenting

Easter Activities for Kids – Fun, Family Education

Easter Activities, Crafts, and Fun for Kids and Families – FamilyEducation

1000+ images about Easter Preschool Activities on Pinterest | Peeps …

Easter – The Activity Idea Place – preschool themes and lesson plans

Resurrection Rolls Recipe – Allrecipes.com

 

Also check out:

Homeschool: April on Pinterest

Easter for kids on YouTube

Good Friday

Good Friday is the day set aside to remember that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Click here to learn more about this holiday.

Below are some of the activities I found to celebrate this day:

(Use at your own discretion.)

Hot Cross Buns

1000+ images about good friday workshops on Pinterest | Easter story …

Good Friday activities for kids – SheKnows

10 Good Friday Traditions- Ideas For Observing This Day In Your Home

Bible Activity: Helping Kids Understand what Jesus did on Good Friday

7 Easter Ideas for Your Children’s Ministry – Children’s Ministry Magazine

Holy Week Activities for Kids – FaithGateway

Good Friday Coloring Activity – CatholicMom.com

30+ Christ-Centered Easter Activities and Crafts – I Can Teach My Child!

Also check out:

Homeschool: April on Pinterest

Good Friday for kidGood Friday for kids on YouTube