The ultimate Easter egg hunt

Let's rock it with this ultimate Easter egg hunt.
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Hey guys!

I'm writing from Mexico! I'm on vacation right now with my in-laws and having a blast. I have a whole bunch of posts lined up for you guys about my trip but first, I wanted to share a few of my Eater ideas with you.

My kids are growing up so fast and I've been looking for fun holiday related games to play during family events. I hope to turn these into traditions that they'll grow up to love and remember. Anyway, Easter is coming up fast, and I wanted to do an Easter egg hunt but I didn't want to do just a basic "search and eat".

So I came up with a couple of fun twists to the traditional egg hunt.

What kind of games do you play for the Easter holidays?



MATERIALS:

Plastic eggs
Mini chocolate eggs
Paper
Scissors
Pen



1. I started by cutting strips of paper and writing simple instructions on them like "behind the couch", "under a pillow" and "on a chair". These will serve to make the game more interesting rather than a simple "find and eat" egg hunt.



2. After making the tags, I filled some of the plastic eggs with tags or chocolate eggs.



3. Play the game! :)



INSTRUCTIONS:

Preparing
Put aside some empty plastic eggs.
Fill some of the plastic eggs with 1 or 2 chocolate eggs.
Put a written tag from above in a few plastic eggs. 

Setting up
Hide all of the plastic eggs, including the empty ones.
Hide some chocolate eggs by themselves.
Hide small bundles of chocolate eggs according to the tags from above. For example, if the tag says "in a cabinet" then you hide a bunch of chocolate eggs in a cabinet. These will be like a bonus stack for people who find them!

Playing
For a set amount of time, people search for the eggs (chocolate or plastic).
Whoever has the most of both types combined wins a small prize. 

DIY: Nature hunt + fall garland

Fall always makes me want to go on nature hunts. I remember collecting lots of fallen leaves as a child and carefully putting them away in books to dry. I never ended up doing anything with them though. Such a shame since so many beautiful things can be made with them.

This year, my son has been rediscovering the seasons. At 2 years old I find he's a lot more alert and curious. I've been playing a lot of discovery games with him, one of which involves exploring and gathering; a nature hunt! It involves picking random things outdoors and building collections or finding things I ask for, sort of like hide and seek. I'm not sure who enjoyed this activity more, my son, or myself but it's definitely something I plan on doing more often, especially during summer and fall.

We picked so many wonderful things that I thought it would be fun to get creative and make some decorations for our home. Today I'll be sharing my fall garland and next week my acorn mobile so don't forget to check back next Monday. :)

MATERIALS:
Random outdoor pickings (I have leaves, branches and acorns)
String
Thin wire

TOOLS:
Scissors
Glue gun
Pliers



1. The first thing I did is dry the leaves. I just used an old book and carefully placed them between pages overnight.


2. While the leaves were drying, I made sure the tops of the acorns were stuck on properly. When they fall from the trees they come loose so I strongly suggest gluing them. I then attached them in bunches of 2 to hang on the garland.


3. Next, I tied some of the branches to the string by twisting a thin gold wire around both.


4. Once the leaves were dry I glued them together in bunches of 3 and the glued them to the string between each branch.


5. Last, I hung the garland and added the little acorns. I switched them around the garland a bit until I settled for next to the leaves. That's really where it looks best.


There you have it, a super cute fall pickings garland with leaves, acorns and branches. Excuse the spiders and skulls, that was part of my Halloween decor. ;)

Have you made decorations with things you collected outside before?

What to expect when going to the zoo

Last week, my family and I went to the zoo (crossed an activity off my summer bucket list, yay!). I remember going a couple of times when I was little, and I have to be honest, other than the obvious "going to see the animals" part, I forgot what a day at the zoo meant. I made a list of a few things I think are important to know before you head out.

1. Be Patient
This is kind of obvious but believe it or not, I actually expected to see all the animals up close as soon as I got to their habitat. Silly right? Make sure you are ready to wait for them to come out; you could be waiting for a while. If you can, bring some binoculars, that way you wouldn't have to wait around as long; unless you want to take pictures.



2. Plan Ahead
There are often shows planned during the day. Research ahead and make sure you plan your day around these. Sometimes the animators attract the animals so you aren't waiting as long. Even if they don't, at least you get a bit of information while you wait. It makes the trip that much more interesting.



3. Bring Water
Make sure you bring a bottle of water for each member of your family. There are a lot of attractions and you'll be walking a lot, so you'll be very thirsty. I'm assuming you're going on a warm sunny day like we did, but even if you don't, I still recommend bringing water. Having an umbrella is also a good idea, you know, portable shade...



4. Bring Food
It's a good idea to bring some snacks. Food at these kinds of attractions tends to be a bit pricey. You can indulge in a few treats if you want, but it's still a good idea to bring snacks so you don't burn a hole in your wallet. Speaking of which, make sure you have some cash handy, because the food stands don't accept interact or visa.



5. Bring Activities
If you're going with children, make sure you bring some toys & activities just in case you have long wait times. It will be much easier for you, and a lot more fun for your kids. ;)



6. Wear Comfortable Shoes
I can't stress this enough. You are going to be walking all day, and most likely standing; comfortable shoes is a must.



We had a lot of fun (if waiting around a lot can be called fun) and we will definitely make this into a yearly activity. I'm sure our son will appreciate it more when he's older.

Have you ever been to the zoo?

My summer 2013 bucket list

Life has been extremely busy lately with my return to work. It's an adjustment, that's for sure. Not much time to sleep, have to plan meals ahead of time, cleaning is done after my son goes to sleep, and extra activities are on hold. We are slowly getting adjusted to our new schedule, but I have to organize my time better.

What are some of the things you want to do this summer?

There are so many things I want to do with my family this summer. Actually, there are always a lot of things I want to do, regardless of the season. The sad part is, if I don't write anything down, I seem to forget a lot of them. So this year, I decided to start documenting some of my hopes into bucket lists. Here is my list for the summer months.

1. Camp in my backyard Done!
Yup, in my backyard. I have every intention of going to a camping site as well, but there is just something about camping in my backyard that is very appealing; especially with a young child and having everything close at hand.

2. Dance in the rain Done!
When I say rain, I mean pouring down rain. This one is just for me, because I like to be crazy once in a while, it makes me feel free. I'll be jumping in water puddles too; just so you know.

3. Sleep under the stars Done!
I've always loved to look far into the sky and imagine infinity. Yes, I know it's not possible, but trying to understand something inexplicable amuses me and keeps my brain cells occupied for hours.

4. Roast marshmallows
Because it isn't really summer unless you eat burnt campfire smores.

5. Ride my bike Done!
I haven't been doing much exercise lately. I don't like going to the gym, and enjoying winter sports with a newborn is a bit difficult. So this summer, I bought a bike attachment for my son, sort of like a trolley, and I'm going to get back into shape.

6. Pick fresh berries Done!
We have lots of berries in our backyard including strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and gooseberries. I want my son to grow up knowing where produce comes from other than "the grocery store."

7. Plant a garden Done!
I've been wanting to do this forever. Now that we own a house and a decent sized yard, I just can't wait to plant my own garden. I'll be starting with the basics this year and adding more things next year. There's something about eating my own fruits and vegetables that really appeals to me. Maybe it's the sense of accomplishment, or just the fact that I get to learn how things work. Either way, I want to learn so that I can teach my kids.

8. Fly a kite
My son is probably still too young for this, but I'd like to start a summer tradition. Go to the park, have a picnic, and fly a kite.

9. Make a flower crown
I know... so many flower crowns going around right now, but they are so cute! I want to walk around for an entire day wearing my flower crown.

10. Blow bubbles Done!
This one is more for my son. He doesn't understand the concept of blowing yet, but I'm hoping that before the end of the summer he'll learn. Because popping bubbles is a lot of fun.

11. Go for a picnic
I'm not quite sure why I enjoy picnics so much. Maybe it's the day away from daily responsibilities, or maybe it's just the slower speed of the meal. In any case, we'll be doing a few of these this summer, at home, and at the park.

12. Swim in our pool Done!
What's the point of having a swimming pool if you never swim in it? This summer, I'm making it a point to take a plunge every time the water is warm enough to not instantly freeze. Even if it ruins my hair.

13. Roller skate
For the same reason as biking, except if I roller skate, my husband will have to take care of our son. It would give me some alone time, which would be great. I could hear myself think again. Wouldn't that be nice?

14. Farmer's market Done!
I believe in supporting the local economy. Enough said. Oh, and I might stop by the local farms to pick fresh produce with my little family. Who knows, this might become another summer tradition. (:

15. Go to the zoo Done!
I heard of a few zoos around my area, and I'm really exited to take my son there. He absolutely loves animals. He gets all excited every time he sees a dog or a cat. Imagining his reaction to big animals makes me smile.

16. Walk a lot
I find I spend a lot of time planning and doing chores. So much, that sometimes I forget to sit down and spend quality time with my family. For me, taking walks removes all distractions, clears my mind, and allows me to appreciate my family. So walks... here we come!

17. Wear fancy hats Done!
I absolutely adore big hats; the really elegant ones from old movies. I don't know why we don't wear them anymore. It's good protection against the sun, and they look so pretty. I'm totally going to start an old trend back up.

18. Go to the beach Done!
I'm not quite sure where there are nice beaches around Montreal, but I'm going to find one, and we're going to make sand castles.

19. Movies at the park Done!
This one is more for my husband. Free hot dogs are cool. Especially when a movie comes with it.