With Easter coming this weekend, the bunny is busy trying to find enough chocolate to fill all kinds of baskets!  However, if you want to help out the Easter Bunny and want to add some other items, Adventures with Little Man has more suggestions,

1. Bunny ears
2. Side walk chalk
3. Socks
4. Sand toys
5. Slinky
6. Flash cards
7. Puzzles

There are 68 additional fun ideas on the site if you’re stuck, so take a look!  And don’t forget the chocolate and jelly beans!

Photo of my adorable niece and great-niece!

Photo from Pinterest.

If kids aren’t completely wired on the sugar hearts and cupcakes from celebrating at school and at home, they are likely snuggled in their beds for a sweet February nap.  Just because Valentine’s Day has passed for them, it doesn’t mean you can’t create lovely memories all month long!   Modern Parents, Messy Kids shared a sweet heart garland idea,

My heart just melts at the idea of Isaiah creating his own heart every year. It’s hard for me to believe that someday he’ll be writing his own, choosing his own paper, and even arguing with me about not wanting to make one. (Me: I know you’re 18, but do this for Mommy. Please?)

Maybe it’s wishful thinking on my part. But I can’t wait to see a garland full of hearts one day, that I can put up for Valentine’s Days long after my babies are gone to college.

Such a sweet idea!

Photo from the silliest garden.

If you haven’t already taken down your holiday lights, we found this great tip for wrapping up your lights so they’ll be usable next year when it’s time to decorate again.  From Lifehacker,

When putting away your Christmas lights, instead of stuffing them in a box, wrap them around a plastic hanger. No more tangled mess of lights to struggle with!

If you use a hanger with the little hooks on the body, you can use those to anchor the ends of the lights. And thanks to the hanger’s top hook, you can even hang the whole thing up for storage.

Great tip!

Oh 2012 you were not nice to so many, but very good to others. It’s one year we’re sort of happy to put behind us, therefore WELCOME to 2013!  But there were some GREAT things about 2012 and this post from Buzzfeed was one of them. The 30 Absolute Best Kids of the Year,

The Forward Thinking Problem Solver

I get teary-eyed every time I see one of these reunion videos!  I hope this family had a beautiful, happy Christmas and I hope YOU do too!

With Christmas just days away, this is a good time to remind people who travel to keep it quiet!  Don’t tell people you are leaving, especially on Facebook and Twitter.  I try to be careful about who my social networking friends are, but when my kids have a thousand friends each they need to be reminded as well.

Why wouldn’t you want to tell people you’re going to Grandma’s house for Christmas?  It’s the same as saying “My house will be empty for Christmas” … and open invitation for any would-be thieves to come on in and help themselves.

Another tip to remember is make sure your drapes are closed.  No need to give someone a peek inside at your big screen tv or the piles of presents under the tree.  Also, don’t pile the presents under the tree until Christmas Eve night or Christmas morning because in the days before – again – you don’t want to tempt burglars!

Do you have any tips or suggestions to keep your valuables safe for the holidays?

Photo from U Create.

Raising children costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. There’s the clothes, sport registrations, uniforms, equipment, books, Christmas, Easter, vacation, vacation clothes, school clothes, food, shelter… oh my the list is endless.  And then there’s the gifts. Birthday parties, girl scout leaders, boy scout leaders, secret Santa, Sunday school teachers. I am not ashamed to admit that I was elated when my youngest finally reached middle school because I no longer had to buy her teacher a present at Christmas and at the end-of-the-year!  If, however, you are still obligated, here are my suggestions for affordable gifts for teacher:

1.  Gift card at restaurant or local grocery store.

2.  Tray of homemade cookies or candy.

3.  A nice, handwritten note about why the teacher is special to your child.

4.  A gift card to a coffee shop.

5.  A gift card to a book store.

What do teachers NOT want?  A coffee mug, basket of soaps or lotions, or other dust-collecting items. Now get out and do something nice!

For the readers who haven’t seen this viral video of a flash mob captivating a crowd at at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach, California. This is amazing.

I have always wanted to witness a flash mob, but haven’t lucked into one just yet!