Easter Party Inspiration

Still looking for some inpsiration for your Easter get togethers this weekend?

Fortunately for you, I've done some research and found lots of great, easy (and free!) ideas for you. Just click the link to find the original web site or blog where you can print off the crafts or recipes.

Let's get inspired!

How about making these super easy and adorable Bird Nest cookies? So cute! Check out East Coast Mommy's blog here for the recipe.

 

How cute are these Bunny Tail party favors? Head over to The Idea Room for all the details.

They even have a link to the free printable tag. Love that!

Looking for something to keep the little ones busy while the adults enjoy a lingering brunch?

Check out these free printable Easter Word Searches over at Money Savvy Michele's blog.

 

Maybe you'd like to surprise your family on Easter morning with a fully decorated kitchen or living room?

These free party printables from blu grass designs come with the most adorable pennant banner that would look beautiful at any Easter gathering.

And how about this stunner for your Easter brunch centerpiece?

WOW! I am in love!

And it doesn't look that difficult. Just some dyed eggs in a glass vase with flowers stuck inside. Easy peasy!

 

(source)

And you know I couldn't do a holiday post without some Subway art.

Download this cute design for free over at Hopscotch Studios Design.

 

One last fun idea for the kiddos. 

Have you heard about the experiment where you microwave the Peeps?

Check out all kinds of fun Easter science experiments you can do with your kids this weekend by heading over to Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas.

I highly recommend the Peeps. It's fast and very fun!

 

I hope that I have given you some good ideas for your Easter gatherings this weekend.

I'm off to bake some Easter goodies myself right now!

Easter Basket Ideas

We're in full Easter mode here at the Heckman household.

The house has been "decorated" for a few weeks now, and we've been reading all of our happy little Easter board books. We have even been discussing the possibility of getting a real live bunny. But I'll save that topic for another post...

For our family though, the celebration of Easter goes far beyond chocolate bunnies and egg hunts.

We've been watching the "Bible" TV series with Payton the past few weeks. His reaction has been amazing. He really "gets" what is going on. He recognizes the sacrifices Jesus made for us and I think it has really given him a new perspective on Christianity.

This Sunday is the culmination of the show and in the previews it shows both the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. Payton said, "I don't know if I can watch the part where Jesus dies. It's going to make me cry." So we reassured him that while it will be sad to watch the depiction of Jesus dying, we have so much to celebrate because he rose from the dead and now lives in heaven with God! That put a smile on his face.

We've also been doing our Resurrection Eggs every morning at breakfast, which again is driving home the biblical meaning behind the Easter celebration.

I'd like to think we've found a fairly good balance in our home of teaching our children both the true meaning of Easter, and incorporating the fun and Spring-y Hallmark version of the holiday as well. After all, as the children's song says, "Jesus loves the little children." He wants kids to be happy and enjoy these special holidays. So I say, "bring on the chocolate bunnies and egg hunts!"

And on that note, let's talk Easter baskets for a minute, shall we?

Let me start by saying that both of my kids are sweet-a-holics. No lie. They are addicted to sweets.


I have to really limit the sugar in the house because they won't stop at one or two jelly beans... they would like to eat the whole bag.

So, Easter baskets are a bit tricky because if I fill them up with candy, I'll be battling them for the coming weeks about how much candy they can have, and when. I already deal with these arguments during Halloween, Valentines, and Christmas, so I try to avoid it at Easter if at all possible.

I'm not saying I don't put any candy in their baskets, but I do try to come up with other fun things that don't necessarily cause tummy aches and sugar crashes.

So if you're looking for some ideas outside of candy, here's what will be in my boys' baskets this year.

First off... they're both getting a super, super soft, stuffed bunny. 

They're matching bunnies, so no fighting over who gets which one.

Then, Parker will be getting things like a Water Wow! book,  Play Doh, sunglasses & an Elmo book.

(These Melissa & Doug Water Wow! books are my favorite. They last forever & don't create a mess.)

Payton will be getting things like new sidewalk chalk, some flavored Chap Stick & a prayer book.

Now, on to the fun stuff...

Both boys will get exactly the same items this year.

Here's a close-up:

So don't fear... they will each get their fair share of sugar on Easter.

I am already looking forward to dying eggs with the boys this weekend. Something tells me it's gonna be messy this year! But watching them create memories and carry on traditions is definitely worth a little mess.

I hope you are looking forward to a special Easter or Passover with your family this week as well.

Weekending

Something about all the hustle and bustle of the past couple weeks, plus a baby with a cold that has kept me up more nights than I could count, made me want to be a complete homebody this weekend.

I didn't want to go out to eat. I didn't want to go shopping. I didn't even want to go to the grocery store... but some things just can't be avoided.

For the most part though, I didn't even leave our neighborhood. And ya know what? It was a really great relaxing weekend with our family.

We kicked off the weekend with good news from Payton's teacher after a very successful parent-teacher conference. As with all of his teachers, she told me that, "Payton gives the best hugs! You can always judge his mood by the kind of hug he gives you." Of course we also talked about his academic achievements and social skills, but it's always nice to hear that beyond the learning curve, your child has a really great heart.

So, I celebrated Friday night, by opening up the french doors, letting in the beautiful cool breeze, lighting a candle and toasting to the start of a great weekend!

That evening, we put the baby down to bed, and the rest of us cuddled up on the couch, ate pizza and watched the most recent episode of "The Bible." (Side note: are you watching this series??? It's SO good, and I'm not just saying that because I believe in the Bible. It's like watching a great action adventure movie. It's REALLY well done. I highly recommend it!) Just as the show was over and it was time for Payton to go to bed, a huge thunderstorm rolled in. The sound of rain beating down on the roof was the perfect way to fall into a deep slumber.

Saturday morning, we went to breakfast, only to discover once again: don't order the baby food. He won't eat it. He just wants to eat the jelly and butter packets and drink the creamers. Gross? Yes. Happy kid at a restaurant? You betcha ya. Lesson learned.

After a quiet morning at home, Brian took the boys to a bounce house place. He said the boys had so much fun together. Payton would take a water break and Parker would sit at the entrance to a bounce house and just yell "BU-BBA!!!!" So cute.

That evening, we had some of Payton's buddies come over for dinner and ice cream. They had a great time together. :)

The next morning after church, Payton went to his first laser tag birthday party. He LOVED it! He wants to go back so badly with Brian now. I can only imagine those two playing laser tag together.

The rest of the evening was once again just spent hanging out. Payton played with some friends in the neighborhood, Brian took Parker on a bike ride, we played chalk, took silly pictures with my phone and just enjoyed each other's company.

Sometimes I'm a pretty simple person.

Just give me a weekend with my family, some nice weather, good food, and lots of cuddling, and I'm a happy woman.

 

 Life is good.

Love in a Lunchbox

When I was little, my mom used to write notes to me on paper napkins tucked inside my lunch bag. They were usually just little things like, "I love you" or "Have a great day." But I looked forward to them and they made me feel loved.

It may sound silly, but the smallest acts of kindness can really change a child's day.

They don't need a dozen roses or an expensive dinner out to feel important.

A simple little unexpected note placed somewhere in their line of sight can make a world of difference.

A few years ago, I was checking out at a local toy store when I spotted these little business-card sized notes called "Lunchbox Love" by a company called "Say Please." I thumbed through a few of them and immediately fell in love.

The cards are two-sided. One side has a "Did you know" phrase that can range from animal topics to bodily functions. They are all very interesting, I can tell you that.

 The other side of the card has a little encouraging phrase such as...

And sometimes one side of the card is blank, so you can write your own little note.

I always write a little something on the card. Maybe a comment on what the card says like, "I really do love how generous you are with your friends!" or sometimes just "I love you so much!"

And I always sign it, "Mom." Just in case he forgets who puts them in there. ;)

There is also a blog/web site called "It's Written On The Walls" that creates holiday-themed lunchbox notes. I am currently using their Easter ones and they are adorable! You simply print them off right on your computer - (for FREE!).

If your child doesn't bring their lunch to school, you can always put these notes somewhere else, like in their school notebook, bathroom mirror, under their pillow, etc. The ideas are endless.

Just remember, it doesn't take much effort on our part as parents to make our kids feel really special. But it pays off big time to have a kid who feels loved and appreciated by their parents.

Best Laid Plans

I've been away from the gym for two weeks.

First week away was because Parker was sick, the second week away was because of Spring Break.

Two weeks away and I swear my pants were feeling tighter and my energy was zapped.

"Back to the gym tomorrow!," I proclaimed to Brian on Sunday night.

Not so much.

Parker woke up Monday morning and didn't touch his breakfast. Strange. He was super fussy and clingy too (not so strange these days). Hmm...I wondered...could he not be feeling well?

20 minutes later he's pointing at his ear saying, "Ear hurt!" and then, he pukes up his orange juice all over the couch.

Not the wood floor, or the tile floor, but the couch. Fun times.

One morning of worrying that my baby had his 1st ear infection, a lot of time spent cleaning the couch cushion, and an hour-long pediatrician appointment later...he's fine.

I still didn't make it to the gym that day. Nor did I get to see my good friend who was in town for the day.

Instead, Parker spent the day in his pajamas and we laid low playing outside in the fresh air.

Oh, did I also mention that we missed our first swim lesson on Monday? My best laid plans for the day got totally thrown out the window.

The good news is, the rest of the week has picked up speed, returned us to our normal routine, and today is the first day of Spring! Yay for Spring!

Parker spent lots of time outside with his friends yesterday enjoying the warmer weather.

Lizard hunting...it's serious business for 2-year olds.

And I got the most amazing bag full of fresh picked strawberries from one of our neighbors last night. They are SO much sweeter and delicious than anything I've tasted from the supermarket. Yum!!!

Now that it's Spring, here are some things I'm looking forward to:

• Afternoon sun showers that produce just enough rain to make puddles on the sidewalks where the kids can splash around and have fun.
• Rain boots. Enough said.
• Watching and listening to the wide variety of birds that come to our bird feeders this time of year.
• Seeing new life emerge - like the baby ducklings that always arrive in the ponds near our house in the coming months.
• Visiting our community pools.
• Freshly landscaped yards (something about the Spring encourages people to lay new mulch, weed their gardens and plant colorful flowers).
• Warmer nights that encourage back porch dinners lit only by candlelight.

What are you looking forward to this Spring?

P.S. I did finally make it back to the gym this week, and boy can I tell that I didn't go for two weeks.

OUCH!

It's all worth it...

 

As a stay-at-home mom there are many days when I jokingly send a text to my husband around 4:30 p.m. saying something like...

"S.O.S. I need help! These kids are gonna kill me." 

Not every day is full of sweet hugs and smiling faces. Not every day is ends with hearts full of gratitude and a feeling of accomplishment on my part.

There are some days that are met with tears, feelings of failure, and fears of "Holy crap, what am I doing being a parent?!?"

But, with a mere 8 years of parenting under my belt, I do know this: in hide sight, it's all worth it.

The days where your 2-year old has thrown more tantrums than you can count (and embaressed you in public more than you ever thought possible)...

The days when your adolescent comes home in tears because they just don't understand why a friend would be so mean to them...

The days when your teenager slams her door and screams "I hate you!" because you won't allow her to go over to a boy's house when his parents aren't home (yes, mom, I do remember doing that to you and yes, I am still so very sorry for it!!! Hope you've forgiven me!)...

The day when your last child moves out of the house and you're left with empty bedrooms, clean bathrooms, and milk that spoils in the fridge because there aren't any kids there to drink it...

We'll look back and say, "It was all worth it."

Because we won't remember quite so clearly all of the late-night feedings and zombie-like days that followed. We'll just remember those sweet baby cuddles and the smell of their hair fresh from the bath.

We won't remember wiping all of those runny noses, cleaning up vomit, and and the colds/flus/viruses we got from touching all of it with our bare hands. We'll just remember all of the fun times we had during those cold winter nights, playgrounds, amusement parks, and other adventures that exposed everyone to God-knows-what-kind of germs.

I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it many more times...being a parent is hard work. But... remember, it's the most important work we'll ever do.

Stay strong out there my fellow warrior parents. God loves ya...and so do I!

A Weekend of Spoiling

There was a lot of spoiling going on in the Heckman family this weekend.

It all started on Thursday when Payton went to spend a couple days with my parents. He pretty much has free reign when he's with either set of grandparents. Mostly because he doesn't ask for outlandish requests. But when he picks up his Kindle first thing in the morning and asks Paca to make bacon and cinnamon rolls for him (this is before their trip to McDonald's later that morning), or a second (or third) glass of orange juice, or another game of Candy Land... the answer is always "Sure!"

He was treated to non-stop fun all weekend including...

A trip to their local Science Center:

(Which for this smart computer-lovin' kid, is like heaven!)

A exciting round of mini-golf at Congo River Golf, which also included an alligator feeding!

Making his own pizza...

And making Nana cookies...

And lots and lots of board games and Lego building...

 They also had a wonderful night where they lit a fire in the fireplace and watched a movie together that Payton had been dying to see.

Payton is an incredibly fortunate child and he truly does appreciate these special weekends with both sets of his grandparents.

Of course, a little someone was VERY happy to have his "Bubba" back on Saturday.

I don't think he let him out of his sight for one minute.

I was also treated to some nice spoiling this weekend as well.

On Thursday morning, I had a wonderful breakfast date with two of the most handsome men in our community...

My sweet hubby treated me to my all-time favorite dinner...

Cedar plank salmon & asparagus on the grill:

I got lots of sweet one-on-one time with my little man while big brother was out of town.

I received such a special letter from my 93-year old grandmother. 

I keep a stack of her letters in my keepsake box. I will treasure them forever.

I also had a wonderful phone call with her the same day. She is so very important to me.

Saturday night we hung out with our neighbors for a bit in their hot tub enjoying a clear night with lots of stars above our heads. 

And then Sunday we had an awesome church service followed by a really fun St. Patrick's Day party in our community.

Green beer... why not?

A weekend full of memory-making moments for each one of us.

I hope you all had a great St. Patrick's Day and Spring Break too.

Now... on to Easter!

One of my most favorite and meaningful holidays of all year.

What fun plans do you have for Easter?

Any fun crafts? Special recipes? Travels to see family?

Whatever you have planned, I hope you are excited about it and looking forward to celebrating our risen Savior!

Recipe: Oven Baked Sliders

Popping in quickly today to share a fun new recipe that I tried out last night.

We had our neighbors over for dinner last night and Payton really wanted to have cheeseburgers. If it had been a weekend, we could have easily accommodated his request, but because it was a weeknight, our grill master wouldn't be home from work early enough to grill up all those burgers (9 people total). So I wanted to come up with another option that still fit the "cheeseburger" request, but that could be made ahead of time and baked inside. Oven baked cheeseburger sliders it was!

I searched the web for a good recipe (and there are many) and kind of combined a lot of their suggestions and made my own. I was able to make them in advance and then pop them in the oven when we were ready to eat, which is perfect for any type of party or dinner.

Here are the easy steps:

1. Take 2 packages of  12 dinner rolls and cut them in half to make mini hamburger buns.

The label on these even says "Makes great buns for sliders."

2. I combined 1 lb. ground beef with 1 lb. ground chuck and added a 1 tsp. garlic salt, 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs. Mix gently with hands until combined (do not over-mix or it will make the patties tough).

3. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and then pat down the meat mixture to fill the entire tray.

I then sprinkled the entire thing with coarse sea salt and pepper, because I'm a firm believer that meat needs lots of seasoning, but you can skip this step if you're watching your sodium intake.

4. Bake the meat at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

5. While meat is baking, place the "bottoms" of your dinner rolls on a foiled-lined baking sheet (I needed two baking sheets because I made 23 sliders). Then cut up your cheese and set aside (I prefer thick-cut block cheddar cheese, but you can use whatever your family prefers).

6. When your meat is done, remove from the oven and let rest. The meat will pull away from the sides of the tray while cooking. Very carefully, hold the meat against the pan with a spatula and drain the tray of excess grease.

7. Using a pizza cutter, slice your meat into equal-sized squares to fit your mini buns.

8. Top your bun bottoms with a slice of the meat.

9. Then add your cheese and the bun "tops."

10. Cover entire tray with foil and let rest. If you are serving it within the hour, you can let it rest at room temperature. If you are serving it much later that day, refrigerate your trays and remove 30 minutes before baking.

 11. Bake at 350 degrees (with foil on) for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve with a super-healthy side dish like crinkle-cut french fries (har, har) and some carrot sticks, and voila! Oven Baked Cheeseburger Sliders!