Easter Memories with Grandchildren

What does a grandma do with the Easter candy that the grandkids didn’t take home? Eat the leftover candy, of course. Jelly Beans. M&M’s. Fruit snacks. Smarties. Rice Krispies Treats. It’s all good – and full of SUGAR. Ten small jelly beans have eight grams of sugar. Milk chocolate M&M’s, fun size, have ten grams sugar. Welch’s Mixed Fruit Fruit Snacks, one pouch, have seven grams sugar, and Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats snack has only four grams. Kellogg’s is the lowest at four grams of sugar. You can count Easter-egg hunt day being full of hyperactivity with all that sugar. The upside part of it, however, is usually there is ample room at an outdoor egg-hunt to run, play, and work off the sugar’s energy spike.

Cupcakes and Candy

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My husband and I kept three of our little grandchildren for six nights and seven days last week. During their stay with us, we attended a family pre-Easter picnic and potluck gathering. One of my aunt’s cooked purple hull peas. My one-year-old grandson loved those peas and had two big helpings. He also loved the spaghetti and the goulash. But the girls reminded me that there were cupcakes.

“Grummy, can I have a cupcake?” 

“Yes, you can.”

 “Angie, do you want me to give them a cupcake?” another aunt asked.

“Sure, you can give them one.” Minutes later, cupcakes were eaten and the sugar kicked in. It’s amazing how sugar from only one small cupcake can cause a child to bounce up and down and escalate the voice volume.

Then there was the Easter-egg hunt that included colored boiled eggs – AND candy. Coloring boiled eggs with the help of your children or grandchildren makes special memories for keeps, and the kids love to help dye them. Choosing boiled eggs over sugar-filled candy is wise, of course. But eating boiled eggs that have been left out for awhile isn’t the best thing either. Whatever you choose to give your children/grandchildren to fill their Easter baskets, have fun making sweet memories. I love this Easter book that we gave our three little grands:

Maybe you prefer not giving your children any candy because of so much sugar. How do you fill Easter baskets for the little ones in your family? Some people buy colors and coloring books, books, juice packets, or inexpensive bubbles. Those are all good choices. Kids love frisbees and balls, too (great for running off the sugar at family picnics and potlucks!).

What Easter traditions do you enjoy with your family? What type of Easter-basket gifts do you like to give your grands? Do you hide eggs, candy, or toys for your children to find on the Easter-egg hunt?

Picnic Recipe Snack Ideas for Easter

1. Pear Dessert – See this easy nutritious pear recipe. It’s one my mother used to make when I was young. Simple and so easy!
2. Ritz Cracker Sandwiches – What kid doesn’t love Ritz crackers? My three grands thought this was the best go-to snack when they came to visit us!! Put peanut butter in the middle between two crackers or cheese and ham, turkey, or chicken lunchmeat. Easiest snack ever.
3. Graham crackers, dark chocolate, and marshmallows – make a sandwich.

Those are easy recipes you can make fast.

What’s Coming in April

Next month I’ll be blogging daily about vegetarian meals and recipes. Though I’m not a vegetarian or a vegan, I can appreciate eating healthy and do not feel that I have to eat meat at every meal. Mostly, I eat chicken. Sometimes, I make meals without meat, and they’re good. If the only meat you eat is chicken, though, you’d quickly become bored with eating meat. But I do like a good beef hamburger every once in awhile. After all of this Easter candy and sugar, I could greatly benefit from becoming a vegetarian for a month. Not sure that’s going to happen, though.