High Maintenance Mom

Easter comes early this year, March 23rd, so I am thinking ahead about how I will spend it with my husband, 2 year old daughter and 4 month old son. I have decided that instead of an Easter basket full of chocolate (since I will be the only one eating it all) I will fill it with books. My daughter can not seem to get enough books in her hands and she does need a few new "big girl books" as I call them. We have decided to tackle church and brunch with my Mom but may decide to hit the local farm for an Easter egg hunt instead. By the way, check out your local produce farm for fun Easter activities...your local library and community centers will have celebrations too. We are an interfaith family so we get to celebrate many holidays. I bought my daughter an Easter and Passover book and she enjoys reading them both. I came across a great earth friendly way to color Easter eggs in a recent issue of KIWI magazine (www.kiwimagonline.com). They suggest using beets or cranberries for red, turmeric for orange, cumin or orange rinds for yellow, spinach for green, blueberries for blue and coffee grounds for brown. Simmer your water and then add the dying agent, strain the dye into a bowl and add 2-4 teaspoons of white distilled vinegar. I think it is a fun alternative to the store bought artificial dyes.