holidays
For many, having a holiday during this uncertain time is upsetting. Parents feel as though their kids are missing out on their last months of senior year, or their first year of Kindergarten, or many other milestones. To toss a holiday in the mix may mean missing out on spending quality time with extended family, losing a loved tradition, and more.
As a special needs mom, I’m so grateful for everyone staying home and I deeply support it, however, I fully see the opposite side of the coin and why others are so sad during this time. Our family is a pro at staying home for Addie’s safety (even for Easter), and we’ve even shared our tips on staying healthy. Still, I wanted to share with you some ways that you can make the best out of a social distancing Easter. Ways that still encourage good, fun family time!
FIND YOUR SUNDAY BEST FOR YOUR SOCIAL DISTANCING EASTER. One of the things I’ve had to do as a special needs mom is fake it til I make it. You will feel so much better about having a social distancing Easter if you’re dressed up for the occasion. Find an Easter dress from Target or cute pastel dress from Amazon to have shipped, or even an outfit from your closet! Once you are dressed the part, you’ll be ready to play the part!PARTICIPATE IN YOUR CHURCH’S LIVESTREAM. Church is really important to our family, and Easter is an especially important day. Our church has a livestream that you can find on the church website and Facebook page. A social distancing Easter doesn’t have to mean going without church! Our church has also announced they’ll be having the Lord’s Supper that day, and our family is making sure that our grocery list has the bread and grape juice to participate.DYE EASTER EGGS! This time-honored tradition is one of my favorites. I love buying the Easter dying kits because they’re inexpensive and there is so much variety these days! You can order a Classic set, Marbled set, Golden egg set, or even the Deggorating set (which has a combination of each of the individual sets.) DON’T SKIP THE TRADITIONAL EASTER BASKETS AND EGG HUNT! I really love Target because I can order everything I need and either have it shipped to me right now or I can pick it up curbside. Make your social distancing Easter traditional by ordering a cute Easter basket and fillers. I enjoy a classic wicker basket, but this chick basket and this bunny basket are too cute, too! I love the Easter basket fillers Target is offering, and don’t forget the Baby Yoda Easter Basket goodies I’ve shared too! Don’t forget the plastic eggs for the hunt, and I hope you’ll make sure to take pictures of your kids with your baskets.MAKE A SMALLER VERSION OF YOUR TYPICAL EASTER MEAL. If you usually have a big ham, tons of side dishes, and lots of desserts, I encourage you to still have your special Easter meal, but scale it down a little this year. Buy a smaller ham, make 1 or 2 smaller side dishes, and 1 dessert. You can even bring the kids in on the fun by having them help make Resurrection Rolls so they can learn about the story of Easter, get festive, and have fun knowing they helped with the meal.
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PLAN ON HAVING YOUR SOCIAL DISTANCING EASTER MEAL WITH YOUR FAMILY VIA FACETIME, ZOOM, OR SKYPE. Family is so important for many when it comes to having holidays. If you know you’ll be missing family, I highly recommend choosing a set time for everyone to eat, and then calling them through whatever social platform you all prefer. You’ll have a feeling of togetherness despite the miles apart, and it’ll make your holiday just that much better.MAKE EASTER COLORED DEVILED EGGS FOR AN EXTRA FESTIVE EASTER MEAL. Just boil your eggs, peel, slice in half, save your yolks, and put the whites aside. Then get some mugs out, fill about 2/3 with water and add 1 tsp of vinegar and however many drops of food coloring you like. Add your egg white halves in until you get the color you like, allow to dry on a paper towel, and then finish them with your favorite deviled egg recipe. If you like a naturally derived food coloring we like Watkins, but if you want vivid colors you’ll want McCormick Neon.HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD EASTER EGG HUNT. Email a template of Easter eggs to your neighbors or post in your local neighborhood mom Facebook group. Have the kids decorate them and hide them in windows for other kids to search for when going on walks or social distancing drives.
Which of these social distancing Easter plans do you plan on doing?
If your house is anything like ours, you are a fan of The Mandalorian on Disney + and love all things Baby Yoda aka The Child. I’ve been thinking what to get the kids for Easter and my first thought was Baby Yoda. We had so much fun at Galaxy’s Edge at Disney World and Lawson definitely had the most fun at Hollywood Studios, so it was only fitting to put together this Star Wars Baby Yoda Easter basket for kids so not only Lawson could enjoy it, but you all could too!
This Star Wars Baby Yoda Easter Basket for kids has goodies for all ages from toddler to tween. There were so many things to choose from but I really narrowed it down to what were my favorites that I thought not only Lawson would enjoy, but other kids would too!
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BABY YODA TEE | I found the cutest tee for this Baby Yoda Easter basket from Target. It comes in a girls tee option and boys tee, and is adorable. If you’ve got a music-loving kid, this is one addition you don’t want to miss out on.BABY YODA PLUSH | Every kid needs their own Baby Yoda plush doll. This one is 11 inches tall and has a soft body, plus a sturdy base filled with beans, perfect for cuddling or display as a collectible. This Baby Yoda even comes in special packaging resembling the crib as seen in The Mandalorian.BABY YODA PLANTER | Teach your child some responsibility and a little science with this handmade Baby Yoda planter. He comes with an air plant to stick inside so your kid will have the most adorable bedroom decoration that is sure to make them smile. Each Baby Yoda planter takes about 6 hours of 3D printing, then they sand, airbrush, hand paint and put a topcoat on him. Each one is so unique!BABY YODA TOWEL | Give your kids a cool, intergalactic look with this Baby Yoda bath towel. My kids are suckers for character towels. They love them! The best part is- this Baby Yoda towel is from Kohls so you can almost always find a discount coupon or use Kohls cash!STAR WARS BABY YODA TOMS | You can’t tell me these aren’t the cutest Baby Yoda shoes you’ve ever seen! if you want to have one incredible Star Wars Baby Yoda Easter basket, you surely won’t want to skip these. These shoes are for Jedi Masters in the making, and are limited-edition slip-ons with 3D appliques.
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BABY YODA CROCHET PLUSH | This adorable crochet Baby Yoda takes a few weeks to make, but if you’re wanting this for your Star Wars Baby Yoda Easter basket, contact the seller! The little beady eyes, his cute brown clothes, and of course, those big ears, make this Baby Yoda crochet plush undeniable.BABY YODA WATER BOTTLE | There is nothing cuter than Baby Yoda with Mickey Ears eating a classic Dole Whip. It makes me miss Disney World so much! This Baby Yoda water bottle is perfect for Easter and comes with a carabiner clip to attach to a toddler or kid sized backpack.BABY YODA EASTER COOKIES | Is it really Easter without sweets? I love this set because you get 1 dozen cute Baby Yoda Easter cookies. You can choose which item you would like him to be holding so ask for an Easter egg, bunny, or even a chick! The Baby Yoda cookies are 3″ and come individually packaged in clear cello bags, so you can put one in your Baby Yoda Easter basket and keep the rest for the family!BABY YODA EARRINGS | If your child has their ears pierced, this is a fun Easter gift they’ll enjoy! These Baby Yoda earrings are 22mm wide and 8mm tall. These super cute Baby Yoda head earrings are handmade from polymer clay with a gloss finish for the eyes, are mounted on stainless steel supports for pierced ears, and have both stainless steel and silicone backings. Not to mention, they’re very comfortable and lightweight. This company even has a full-bodied Baby Yoda earring if you need!STAR WARS BABY YODA EASTER BASKET | No Star Wars Baby Yoda Easter Basket is complete without the actual Easter basket, right? This perfectly sized Baby Yoda bucket is 12 inches long x 6 inches wide x 9 inches high, has Baby Yoda and your child’s name personalized onto the basket in vinyl, and the color can be chosen too!
With Lawson’s birthday in 10 days, I’m thinking about what to get him. I’m not sure about you guys, but my kids have way too many toys. I don’t buy them many toys, but when birthdays and Christmas roll around, it seems like we get an abundance of them. While I’m thankful for any gift given to my kids, I personally love to buy them experience gifts! Experience gifts create memories and fun- something they’ll remember for a lifetime. They can be magical and creative and so very special. After talking to you, my readers, on social media, I comprised this fun list. Ready for some of the most surprising experience gifts for kids? Here they are!
Gift Cards for the bookstore to choose new books– We have an extensive home library (and are adding more special needs books) but there’s something so great about taking kids to a book store with a gift card and having them pick out a book. Instilling reading in kids early on is so important, and as a former teacher, it’s very high on our priority list. Pass to Little Land Play Gym– If you don’t follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may not know how obsessed we are with Little Land Play Gym in Waco, Texas. It’s an indoor play place where kids can enjoy themselves by playing in various rooms. They learn lots of different fine motor and gross motor skills there through play. I can see such a difference in Lawson from taking him at least weekly! Make sure you bring some socks and don’t forget the snacks for the cafe! Playing makes kids hungry! We love this bento box to keep the snacks organized and the mess to a minimum. Tell them we sent you! Disney World/ Disneyland Annual Pass– Ok I’m not a kid, but can I be one for this purpose? I kid, I kid…maybe. A Disney World/ Disneyland Annual Pass is a great investment for the family that enjoys traveling or lives close to one of the parks. There is something new to see every time you visit Disney and no visit is ever the same. Gift your passes with a gorgeous princess dress or coordinating family shirts for extra pizazz. Cooking class lessons– Lawson loves to say, “Up please” when I’m cooking in the kitchen. I can tell that he sees how much I enjoy it, and that it brings him joy too. Cooking class lessons are such a surprising experience gift for kids and one they can really enjoy. Rather have cooking lessons at home? I love this pizza cooking set and cake pop making set for kids! Swimming lessons– If you’ve gotta little fish like I do, swimming lessons are a great way to encourage kids to swim safely and have fun. Grab a gift bag, throw in a cute swimsuit or swim trunks, and let your child know when lessons start. They’ll surely be excited!
Zoo or Aquarium season pass– This one is probably our most received. Addie loves the zoo and aquarium. Ever since she was little we’ve asked for memberships to take her. Boy, do those things get used! A fun fan with water spray bottle and the pass are a perfect gift combination to make this a fun and surprising experience gift for any kid. Waterpark season pass– Last year we received season passes to our local water park, Schlitterbahn. It was so much fun! Our kids love passes like these because we can take a little day trip, have fun all day, and then come home and sleep in our nice, warm beds. Succulent fairy garden kit– Last summer we got Addie succulents and a fairy garden kit with small gardening tools and it was such a fun gift! We all went outside as a family, mapped out how we wanted it to look, and went to town. Addie enjoyed it so much and it was great that we did it together. Kids will love this experience gift and will want to go plant their succulents right away! Tickets for a train ride– I had no idea how big of a deal trains were for kids until I stumbled upon train YouTube videos and showed them to Lawson. He’s so obsessed that he is actually having a train themed birthday party. Tickets for a train ride with a cute conductor hat and bandanna are a great experience gift to give any kid. I actually bought this whistle for Lawson and can’t wait to give it to him. Sports jersey and baseball/football tickets– One of the most fun trips we’ve had lately was when Toyota invited us to a soccer game. It was a blast and definitely something we would love to do again. If your kid enjoys sports, grabbing a jersey and tickets will be such an exciting experience gift that they’ll never forget.
Camera to take on trips– If you have an older kid, this is a perfect experience gift! Kids will have fun taking their camera everywhere they go and it’s so fun to see life through their eyes. This camera is durable and kids love shaking the Polaroid pictures when they come out.Weekend trip to Great Wolf Lodge– It’s almost like a kid bucket list thing to visit Great Wolf Lodge. It’s such a fun place and we got to visit last year and fell in love. Kids of all ages will love GWL and the best part is- it doesn’t matter what time of year you give the gift because their water park is indoors! So gift your favorite swimming bag and tickets, and have a blast! Disney on Ice tickets– Any Disney fan will appreciate Disney on Ice tickets. Grab your favorite Disney costume to add to this experience. Your kid will be so thrilled to see all of their favorite characters and it will definitely be very memorable. Alphabet silicone mold for crayon making– As a kid, I always enjoyed making various craft projects. This one needs adult supervision, but gifting an alphabet silicone mold and some crayons can make for a fun project. Break the crayons, add to the molds, and melt in the oven. Once they’re melted, kids can enjoy making art with their creative color combinations. At home spa day pampering– This one is an Addie favorite. Grab some relaxing essential oils (Addie likes Young Living Lavender and Gentle Baby), a cute owl diffuser, fuzzy headband, clay mask, and lotion to put in your gift bag. Treat your kid to a relaxing spa time and you never know, you might get some relaxing time, yourself.
Which gift on the list is your favorite?
St. Patrick’s Day is a day I love, but never really got to celebrate until I got married and lived in my own house. My sister is a St. Patrick’s Day baby so it was always a day to celebrate her. Sometimes we’d have shamrock themed decorations for her and sometimes random birthday party decor. Now that Mathew and I have been married a good while, he’s learned that I love to have Pinterest-perfect parties. I can’t help it- I just love to go all out. So while thinking about St. Patrick’s Day coming up, I wanted to share with you all my picks for having a Pinterest-perfect St. Patrick’s Day party that everyone in your house will enjoy.
I split the Pinterest-perfect items into two categories: decor and fashion to make it a little easier when shopping! This St. Patrick’s Day party guide is perfect for every single age, and you can take these items and have a toddler party, a mom night out party, or even a party with friends.1| St. Patrick’s Day Party Collection– I love this party collection set of plates, napkins, and cups. They’re fun and festive, and of course, green! Give me cheesy paper goods any day for a party to get the theme going!2| Multicolored Balloons + Balloon Pump + Balloon Arch Strip– Ask anyone in my family- balloons are a staple party item here. With Helium being hard to find and expensive, we opt for a billion balloons and a balloon pump. Once you use your balloon pump to blow up all your balloons, stick them onto a balloon arch strip and you’ve got a snazzy focal point for your St. Patrick’s Day party. I promise, this doesn’t disappoint. 3| Rainbow Party Decor– Another staple for that Pinterest-perfect St. Patrick’s Day party has got to be this rainbow decor set. The rainbow tassles, multicolored dot streamer, and paper poufs will make your venue (or home!) look extra fancy. Plus, you can save them and reuse them for birthday parties. Win all around! 4| Inflatable Rainbow Arch– If you want to make a big impact on decor, don’t skip out on this inflatable rainbow arch for your St. Patrick’s Day party. My friends and family accuse me (in the best way possible) of being “too extra” but I can’t help it! Make an impression and grab this. It lights up and is huge. Perfect to put in your front yard!5| St. Patrick’s Day Photo Booth Backdrop– I’m a sucker for a good photo booth. Put this photo booth backdrop with some props and a camera and let people go crazy. Great to have people do while they wait for more guests to arrive at the party.6| St. Patrick’s Day Photo Booth Props– I mean, can these BE any more hilarious? The best photo booths are the ones with props, right? Kids and adults will get good laughs out of these during the St. Patrick’s Day party. Save them for Halloween too for a quick costume on the fly!7| St. Patrick’s Day Rainbow Clover Handbag– I absolutely love this clover handbag. Such a statement piece and perfect for the kid or kid-at-heart. It’s fun, it’s festive, and it’s darn right cute. Everyone at the St. Patrick’s Day party will be asking you where you got it.8| St. Patrick’s Day Earrings– If you aren’t the “extra” kind of gal, throw on a cute top for St. Patrick’s Day and add these earrings. Bonus for them being just green so you can wear them year-round and not just for a St. Patrick’s Day party.9| St. Patrick’s Day Matching Family Pajamas– There’s nothing more that makes a party Pinterest-perfect than matching outfits. These pajamas are perfect for everyone in the family and will look great on everyone. You and your family will be the hit of the St. Patrick’s Day party with these!10| St. Patrick’s Day Party Favor Pins– When talking to Mathew about this list of amazing St. Patrick’s Day party gear, I let him put his 2 cents in. He said it’s not a St. Patrick’s Day party without pins to wear. I opted for a more classy pin than the “kiss me I’m Irish” pins. These come in a set and are a perfect party favor and will prevent your guests from getting pinched.
Which Pinterest-perfect St. Patrick’s Day party items are your favorite? Are you an “extra” party planner or more the simple type?
This post on Our All-American 4th of July with Toyota is sponsored by my awesome friends at Toyota. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
