Need some sugar free Easter egg filler ideas that are alternatives to candy?
I find myself wishing for Easter egg ideas that are sugar free, since my kids get really hyper on holidays where they consume too much sugar. My children are also dye sensitive, so I find myself cringing a lot over things like jelly beans, since certain dyes can turn my sweet energetic children into miniature versions of wall bouncing Hulks! I don’t even have to worry about any serious allergies, so I can only imagine the parents who do! I was thinking that I am not alone in wanting my kids to have all the fun of an Easter egg hunt with less of the sugar, so I got together my ideas and am sharing them in hopes of helping y’all out.
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Below is the link to plenty of fresh options from Amazon for an allergy safe, sugar high (and crash) free Easter egg hunt!
Before I was a mom, I never thought I would discover things like…
Parenting is smelly.
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The inside stuffing of a wet diaper is like yellow snow. Cold, wet, smelly and impossible to clean up every speck when your toddler shreds said diaper all over the house.
I know which child dealt it as soon as I have smelt it.
Small children especially love to serenade you when you’re sitting on the toilet. Must be the great acoustics in the bathroom, you think? It’s like Singing Toilet Paper on steroids!
Parenthood is dirty work!
Dirty dishes multiply at the speed of light, especially right before unexpected company drops in.
Daily showers aren’t necessary for survival. Taking a shower with 3 small children in the house takes planning and luck, especially when your husband is on a 72 hour shift.
Parenting is amazing!
My children can make me feel more frustrated than I could ever have imagined, then turn around and fill my world with more joy and love than I could have thought to ask for.
Kiddos see differences in their own beautiful way. My oldest daughter saw an interracial couple with an adorable baby girl. My loud, outgoing, unfiltered little miss squealed delightedly at them “Awwwww! Daddy is chocolate, mommy is vanilla, and your baby is such a pretty caramel! That is so cool! “. (Thankfully, they took it in the sweet spirit it was meant.)
Mommy kisses can really cure most booboos instantly. You just have to Kiss Baby’s Boo-Boo to make it all better!
Parenthood is full of surprises!
A human can survive indefinitely on hugs, slobbery kisses, sweet tea and hastily gobbled scraps of food!
There are times when I can’t figure out where my kids got some crazy trait, and then there are times when I look in the mirror and say “Ohhh…you did this to me!!”. Of course, when they do something completely crazy, I look at my firefighter paramedic daredevil of a hubby and say they are Just Like Daddy!
Kids have a mind of their own from birth. Sometimes it drives me crazy. Sometimes it keeps me sane.
I have learned so many unexpected things from the mom life. This is just a few of many. What are some things you’ve learned since you became a parent?
Feeling alone? Struggling with the balance between mother and child? Click HERE to see why you are not alone!
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I listed items on Craigslist because I am broke and was hoping to sell a few things I don’t need to be able to pay for things I actually do need. Instead, I get you. You and your bogus excuses for why you need to pay with a check, why you can’t meet in person and why you are more than happy to buy my items sight unseen.
You know what? I’m sick of you! Your daughter didn’t just give birth to a bouncing baby boy. Your adopted son is not helping you wire money to my account from who-cares-where. Your associates are not going to pick it up via a freight company after you send a bogus check to me. You are a lying piece of doodoo!
I’ve heard from you under many names. Sometimes multiple names supposedly from the same person. You can’t even keep up with your own lies! If it weren’t so disgusting, it would be funny.
I hope you enjoyed my note. It provided me a small amount of giggles in sending you something even more bizarre than the fairy tales you seem to think I’ll believe. I’m still broke, though, you jerk!!
Signed,
A Frustrated Attempted Craigslist Seller
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So, I really wrote the note in the picture in response to the latest of many Craigslist scam emails. The other is what I’d like to say to all of the slime balls taking advantage of people who are less aware of their games than I am. The people who need to study books like this Book on Protecting Yourself From Social Media Scams and Scamming 101: 22 Scams Explained to protect themselves.
Is anyone else sick to death of Craigslist and all other internet scam artists?? What would you like to say to these jerks? (No expletives, please!) Feel free to share mine on social media! For more of my randomness, check out God Used Couponing To Answer My Prayers! or Struggling? You Are Not Alone!
Periodically, I like to touch base with my readers. I don’t want to continuously post things you aren’t interested in. Sometimes I’m wavering between what to post, and knowing what you’re interested in could make the difference. If you don’t see the options you want listed (i.e. parenting, coping with grief, encouraging messages, etc.), feel free to mention those to me. I’m very open to suggestions, and enjoy writing about a wide variety of topics. I’m just doing my check in with y’all to see which topics you would most like to see here.
Want to see what some of my most popular posts last year were?
Check out My Top Posts of 2015 and my brief review of the excitement of last year!
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Six months of sweet baby snuggles, big blue eyed stares, smooching chubby cheeks, nursing you to fuel those adorable leg rolls and feeling your dimpled fingers curled tightly around mine.
Six months of waking up with you each night, walking the floors with you each day, calming your tears, and wiping the drool off your chin with the dimple just like a miniature of your Daddy’s.
Six months of watching your big sister and brother learn how nurturing they can be and enjoying how sweet & loving they are with you.
Six months of watching you return their crazy attention, incessant kisses and protective helpfulness with adoring looks and delighted wild waving of your little arms when they speak to you.
Six months of falling more deeply in love with you each day as I watch you slowly becoming the individual personality you are.
You may be my third child, but all of my children tie for first place in my heart.
Never forget that. I knew before I ever had my first child that I was meant to have a third. That feeling never stopped until you were here, and I knew this beautiful, sweet baby girl was the third child I’d always known I was meant to mother. The only difference is that Mommy has more patience and more awareness of how fleetingly frustrating and yet how precious the clingy, needy stages really are. Being born third makes you no less special than if you had been my very first.
Every milestone makes me proud. Every smile makes my heart shine. Every slobbery kiss and soft snuggly hug makes me melt into puddles of maternal affection. Every time I see your fascination with new things reminds me again of how wonderful the world can be through fresh eyes. Every moment with you is a miracle and a gift.
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Happy six months, my sweet baby girl!
Mommy loves you “through and through, yesterday, today and tomorrow, too”, as your favorite book says. ♥
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If anyone has noticed my silence the past three weeks, it’s in the largest part due to a sudden death in our family. My husband’s mother, my children’s Ganna, unexpectedly passed away shortly after her 60th birthday. The last while has been a whirlwind of the overwhelming aftermath such a sad and sudden event leaves behind. This experience is not entirely new to me, having lost my own mom far too early and quickly in 2006 when she was only 44 years old. Every loss is different, though, in the same way that every person is unique and every family dynamic is all it’s own. Anyway, going through this loss with small children of our own has given me another perspective on grieving, loss and the process of laying a loved one to rest.
When a friend loses someone close to them, we are often left wondering what we can say or do to make things better. Truth is, there is nothing that can take away the sorrow or fill the void left by death. There are some things that can bring a measure of comfort, help the family feel less alone, and let them know you truly, actively, deeply care about them in a way that words alone just can’t express. You may never know the impact your small gesture made in helping a grieving person make it through. You don’t have to have a lot of time or money to let the bereaved know you are there and care. I’m going to share some ideas of ways you can help ease the transition into life after loss. Some are pretty conventional, some not so much. Hopefully you will find something you can use.
Comfort for Grieving Children:
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I’d never been through the loss of a close relative as a parent of small children, so this opened my eyes to some ways to bless the grieving that I hadn’t thought so much about previously. Offer to help with the children in the immediate family. It may be babysitting while they make arrangements, keeping them occupied during visitation, letting them sit with you during the funeral or just offering to be on standby in case the parents realize that they do need help at some point. Get busy gifts to occupy children quietly. Give the little ones “busy bags” filled with things to keep them content and quiet during a difficult and confusing time. Some parents won’t realize how hard it is for little ones to behave through all of the tedious rituals they don’t truly understand, and won’t come prepared. Things you could include: Crayons or Colored Pencils , Coloring Book , sketch pad, On the Go Water Painting Bundle ,Reusable Sticker Pad , candy or packaged snacks that are not messy (super important detail, so I’m repeating: NOT MESSY!!! 😉 ), a small stuffed animal, like this adorable Marmoset Mini Flopsie , or any small quiet & clean activities. My daughter literally colored almost the entire time we were having visitation, and gave a picture to nearly everyone who came. She said it was to make everyone feel less sad about her Ganna going to Heaven.
Pictures to Remind the Grieving of Good Memories:
Pictures are such an important thing when you are remembering someone who once lived life with you. Many people now do a photo montage at the viewing. If they need help scanning or copying photos so that they aren’t leaving originals with the funeral home, this is a way you could help. If you have a great picture in your personal collection of the recently departed, that would be an extremely meaningful gift to include with a sympathy card or even put it in a nice frame like this one that has one of my mom’s favorite sayings on it “Live Laugh Love” Picture Frame. When someone has passed away, you will never be able to take another picture of them, so this is a way of getting a new memory when you thought there were no more.
Music For the Funeral:
If the family is going to use recorded music and you have a knack for finding and burning just the right version of that perfect song, offer your services to help them. Chances are that they are overwhelmed and don’t really have the time to search it out. Just make sure that you communicate clearly and definitely have the songs they really want played.
Comfort Food For Grief and Loss:
Families who just lost someone dear to them often forget to eat, and certainly don’t have the desire to cook. If there is good food sitting there, they are likely to eat it just so it won’t go to waste, and it will keep them going. See where they need it most: At home, during visitation or after the funeral. After all, everyone needs to eat, whether they feel like it or not. A handy tip? Use Disposable Aluminum Foil Baking Pans so they don’t have to worry about returning a nice pan and you aren’t concerned about your nice cookware.
Financial Help:
Something we rarely think about is the financial burden a death can bring to family. It’s not only paying for the funeral, but lost work, gas money, and other incidentals that are unplanned. This is not a big deal if you are financially secure, but can be an added devastation if you are barely scraping by to start with. Ways you can help with this when you know the family is struggling? Let them know you included money, a gift card or a gas card in your sympathy card. Buy a small potted plant to hand deliver instead of a big arrangement from a florist, and give the difference, if you feel you still want to give flowers and can’t do both.
Share Your Favorite Memories:
In the weeks and months following a loved one moving on, the family settles into their new life without a significant part of their daily existence. Everyone else moves on, and often forgets they are still grieving and adjusting. Write a letter about a fond memory of the person who is no longer with them, and send it to them. Write a card letting them know you’re thinking of them. Dig out the pictures I mentioned before and share them. Visit and talk about the good times. Remember.
Death is never easy. Grieving is complicated. No one should have to go through it alone.
If you are reading this, you know someone who has lost someone dear to them. If you haven’t already, you will most likely lose someone one day yourself. We will all have our turn to move on. Show compassion, be a blessing, do what you can for others while you still can. Live life while you are living, and love on those who are still here with you.
To read about something that has brought me sweet comfort in the years since losing my mom, read my story about my butterfly greetings from Heaven.
We actually get to celebrate Christmas on Christmas this year!!! You don’t know how rare that is in a firefighter family, so we are pretty tickled! It’s also our littlest baby’s first Christmas, and she is already intrigued by all the lights and sounds around her.
Wishing you a blessed day with people you love!
Want to hear about our more typical firefighter family Christmas? Read about our Firefighter’s Family Christmas last year!
I don’t have many unshakable Christmas traditions, since I didn’t grow up celebrating. I do have a couple that I started with my own little ones. One is that we always decorate Christmas cookies, even if it’s like last year when we did the kind of cookies that come from premade dough because Mommy’s morning sickness was kicking her hiney. The second is that we make some sort of Christmas decoration. So far this year, we made pinecone angels!
These pinecone angels were so much fun for my 3 and 6 year olds to make with Mommy! It was easy enough that they could do most of it themselves, but hard enough to keep their attention.
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The materials you need are so simple:
Pinecone for the body. (We have tons in our yard, but if you don’t, get your Pine Cones here for relatively cheap.)
A sphere for the head. We used hollow plastic balls I had from who-knows-what, but Wood Round Balls should work well.
Foam craft sheets for wings. Fold the piece in half and cut a heart with the middle left connected so you can glue them to the pinecone.
Give your kiddos the wings and stickers. Let them choose the colors for the halo and bow. I did a simple circle halo and twist wings. Either let them draw or paint the face on the head or do it yourself if they are too young. When they finish, assemble and glue and set somewhere stable & out of the way to dry. You could tie a ribbon around them to hang to the tree, but we chose to just set them beside the kids’ TV.
This week God used my couponing and bargain shopping skills to answer my prayers. I was literally down to my last pull-up for my 3 year old (and it was a princess one left over from my 6 year old’s potty training days) and a couple of days worth of diapers for the baby, squeezing my toothpaste tube for the last drops and about to start using my children’s, nearly out of shave gel and moving on to random substitutes, and still needed to get things like milk, bananas and such to feed my kiddos in the way they are accustomed. I was figuring on skipping the extra stuff I needed, since I can live without them, but getting everything we needed for the kids and to get the extra things we needed to cook within budget. (I’m a couponer and hubby is a hunter, so we could eat without shopping for awhile, but we needed the things we go through weekly.) Hubby makes enough money, but we have been carrying two mortgages & double electric, water, insurance for over six months now due to multiple closing delays and it is killing us. I said a prayer, put it out of my mind and went to bed trusting. That’s something that comes hard for me- to simply trust.
The morning came and I got online with my list and coupons handy. I looked up my local stores for deals on the things I really needed, browsed my coupon sites (like Swagbucks, my personal favorite place for printing coupons). I found bargains on most things we needed, with many store and manufacturer coupons I could stack.
I spent $26.94 for $104.90 worth of items at CVS, which is over 74% savings! I walked away with a bunch of things we truly needed- like three packs of Huggies diapers, a pack of pull-ups, wipes, toothpaste, shave gel, razors, canned veggies. I also scored plenty we could just enjoy, like three packs of gum, a candy bar, mentos, vitamin water, some mascara and lipstick. I also have $4 in Extra Care Bucks I can use later if something else comes up that we need, and I didn’t count that into my totals. They paid me a penny each for buying the makeup, 50 cents for buying the veggies and 99 cents for buying the packs of gum! I haven’t bought makeup for myself in a very long time, since I was unable to coupon for awhile due to bed rest and recovery. I could make do with my old makeup, but I am grateful for fresh supplies. I would share how y’all can do it, but I was only able to go shopping and verify the deals on the very last day they were available and that’s not really the point of this post.
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From there I went to Winn Dixie with the goal of spending only $30 so I could qualify to get a $5 ham, and using coupons to keep it at that total, since I needed to keep it at that. I was able to get everything we needed, four packs of cream cheese & two bottles of McCormick vanilla extract for a steal to use for special treats (coupons and BOGOs), and keep the total after coupons at that $30!
If you are still reading along, bless you! I am sure you can probably appreciate the joy of a great deal when you have a very tight budget. If you can’t understand the joy of God allowing you to use your gifts and hard work to provide when it’s difficult and you’re struggling feeling helpless and anxious….well, I hope you can discover that feeling! It is both humbling and hope restoring all at once.
Moral of the story? It pays to talk to God about your needs and trust that He will provide. It also pays to use whatever skills, resources and abilities you have of your own to meet those needs. When you put His blessing together with doing your best with what you’ve already been given, amazing things can happen… even if it’s just getting everything you need with a few extras!
In the midst of the holiday shopping frenzy with Black Friday, Cyber Monday and all of the high pressure advertising of specials being ran to tempt us, it can be difficult knowing that you have to pass up the bargains no matter how great they are. It can be tempting to spend money you don’t have for things you don’t need. I know I can’t do much shopping this year. I’m okay with that. I have a couple of things tucked away that I managed to get one way or another and know I can at minimum afford to go to the Dollar Tree to stuff my children’s Christmas stockings. If you’re stretched thin this year and feeling bad about it, just know that it’s okay. Adults can understand no presents. Children don’t need as much as most of us think to be happy. Take the focus off of gifts and you can make it joyful without much money!
This has been a year of change for my family. Change can be expensive, overwhelming and difficult. It can also bring about wonderful results. I’m sure a seed isn’t particularly happy about being thrown in a hole, buried under dirt and drowned by water day in and day out. After many days, when the sun shines down on the seedling now peeking through the soil, the seed can just begin to see that it was for the best that it went through that dark time. When that seedling becomes a full blown flower, it can rejoice in the miracle of that dark time turning into something so bright and beautiful! I’m hoping that is how things turn out for us! I feel like I’m in the barely peering through the dirt phase now.
Are you going through a rough time? Having trouble trusting God and calming your anxiety? You are not alone. He has not forgotten. You are not the only one who just can’t handle it all sometimes. It will be okay!
If you are like most women, finding budget friendly gifts for the men in your life is a big challenge! Since I am no exception, but have been married for several years to a man who is an avid hunter, fisherman and all around outdoorsy kinda guy, I thought I’d share a list of some gifts your guy is sure to love without breaking your budget!
All of the gifts I am sharing are less than $20 as of this moment, but prices are subject to change at any time.
Useful gifts for hunters and outdoorsmen.
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This is nine tools all in one! We are talking an axe, shovel, saw, bottle opener and….well, just check it out! You and the lucky recipient will love this one!
I have to add these for the little ones of hunters, because they are just too cute and I am wanting them for my littlest hunters now! My little ones are seriously obsessed with deer, both for eating and for looking at, since we see them a lot on our property.
Love pure quality essential oils, but have a tight budget? I love Barefut Essential Oils, and they run some amazing specials on top of the usual great prices! https://barefut.com/?a=1116
I hope this helped some of y’all find great gifts for the guys or outdoor loving women on your lists! I’m just wishing I had the funds to buy mine all the neat things I just found that he doesn’t already have! Did you find any gifts you just had to buy for your hunter?
Need a ring that’s safer for the most active, rough person (like my firefighter husband) to wear? Check out Qalo Rings!
Looking for even more creative ideas for everyone on your list? Check out the amazing variety of gifts- from fudge to decor, natural soaps and skin care to surprise candles- at the program I am an affiliate with- Endless Xpressions!
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on steroids!
, though!
to make it all better!
!
and 
says. ♥
is just as surprising and lovely as I do!
or 
, 
, sketch pad, 
,
, candy or packaged snacks that are not messy (super important detail, so I’m repeating: NOT MESSY!!! 😉 ), a small stuffed animal, like this adorable 
, or any small quiet & clean activities. My daughter literally colored almost the entire time we were having visitation, and gave a picture to nearly everyone who came. She said it was to make everyone feel less sad about her Ganna going to Heaven.
. When someone has passed away, you will never be able to take another picture of them, so this is a way of getting a new memory when you thought there were no more.
so they don’t have to worry about returning a nice pan and you aren’t concerned about your nice cookware.
here for relatively cheap.)
should work well.
for wings. Fold the piece in half and cut a heart with the middle left connected so you can glue them to the pinecone.
for halo and bow.
is free with the 
Penny Pinching Peach 