It seems like once a kid hits two, the holidays are just more real and exciting. Each holiday that we celebrate teaches us a couple of things about being parents, so I thought I'd share the Top 5 lessons we learned this Easter (please keep in mind that we strictly celebrate holidays commercially, not religiously.):
1. When dying eggs find a better way to tell your child not to splash when dropping eggs into the dye without using the word "splash." The word "splash" somehow unleashes an extreme need to do so.
2. Do not compare the Easter Bunny to Santa Claus. These are two very different holidays, but a kid who wakes up expecting Christmas 2.0 is bound to ask, "What else did the Easter Bunny bring me?" after ripping through a silly basket and then ask everyone who walks in the door what they have for him. Or at least my kid will ask these questions.
3. Do not underestimate squirrels when hiding your plastic Easter eggs. One of the eggs was chewed through within an hour of being hidden. (Have I mentioned how aggressive our squirrels are?)
4. Deciding that a kid who doesn't have much sugar can eat all the chocolate he wants on Easter will back fire. W doesn't get much sugar and he has had limited exposure to candy. So, when he opened up the one egg in his basket and shrieked, "TREATS! Please don't take them away from me!" I'd be lying if I didn't feel a little stab of guilt for being a mean, treat-stealing mommy, so I assured him that it was a special day and he could eat all the chocolate he wanted. When Monday morning rolled in and he requested chocolate for breakfast I knew we might have a problem. Then today he asked for chocolate and when his request was denied, he whined, "I need it, because I LOVE CHOCOLATE!" We've created a monster.
5. When making hard boiled eggs do not use salt and vinegar, do give eggs a cold bath after boiling. I heard somewhere that adding salt to your boiling eggs would make them easy to peel. My mom recommended I use vinegar. So, I went ahead and added in both. I blame this move for the tiny, crackling egg shells that resulted in terribly ugly, pock-marked unpeeled eggs. Afterward I did some internet research and realized that I should have also given those eggs a cold bath after boiling them, though I'm confident it was too late at that point.
Regardless of our rookie mistakes, we had a great Easter. Both sets of grandparents under one roof is pretty much the best thing that can happen to W, especially when his aunts and uncles are there slipping him another piece of chocolate on demand.
1. When dying eggs find a better way to tell your child not to splash when dropping eggs into the dye without using the word "splash." The word "splash" somehow unleashes an extreme need to do so.
2. Do not compare the Easter Bunny to Santa Claus. These are two very different holidays, but a kid who wakes up expecting Christmas 2.0 is bound to ask, "What else did the Easter Bunny bring me?" after ripping through a silly basket and then ask everyone who walks in the door what they have for him. Or at least my kid will ask these questions.
3. Do not underestimate squirrels when hiding your plastic Easter eggs. One of the eggs was chewed through within an hour of being hidden. (Have I mentioned how aggressive our squirrels are?)
4. Deciding that a kid who doesn't have much sugar can eat all the chocolate he wants on Easter will back fire. W doesn't get much sugar and he has had limited exposure to candy. So, when he opened up the one egg in his basket and shrieked, "TREATS! Please don't take them away from me!" I'd be lying if I didn't feel a little stab of guilt for being a mean, treat-stealing mommy, so I assured him that it was a special day and he could eat all the chocolate he wanted. When Monday morning rolled in and he requested chocolate for breakfast I knew we might have a problem. Then today he asked for chocolate and when his request was denied, he whined, "I need it, because I LOVE CHOCOLATE!" We've created a monster.
5. When making hard boiled eggs do not use salt and vinegar, do give eggs a cold bath after boiling. I heard somewhere that adding salt to your boiling eggs would make them easy to peel. My mom recommended I use vinegar. So, I went ahead and added in both. I blame this move for the tiny, crackling egg shells that resulted in terribly ugly, pock-marked unpeeled eggs. Afterward I did some internet research and realized that I should have also given those eggs a cold bath after boiling them, though I'm confident it was too late at that point.
Regardless of our rookie mistakes, we had a great Easter. Both sets of grandparents under one roof is pretty much the best thing that can happen to W, especially when his aunts and uncles are there slipping him another piece of chocolate on demand.
1 comment:
We learned lesson 4 too. But instead of chocolate it was jelly beans. Now everyday since Easter B has begged for "j beans" like a man starving. Sigh...
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