this vosges barcelona bunny (hickory smoked almonds + grey sea salt + deep milk chocolate) is my Easter candy of choice...I've been feverishly working on pulling together the girlie's Easter Baskets (somehow Easter snuck up on me this year, it's early!), and I'm facing a candy dilemma.
We are candy fans. HUGE. So much so, that I have to severely limit what we buy so that the temptation just isn't there. If there's candy in the house, Bryan and the girlies (and if it's good chocolate, clump me in there too) can sniff it out...no matter how well it's hidden. That's just how they roll.
I fear if we go cold turkey I'll end up with kids that hide in the closet to eat Snickers bars, so my typical M.O. is to go quality over quantity. I try to make the occasional dessert from scratch or buy good gelato or ice cream to avoid the candy issue altogether. And when the occasion does call for candy (i.e. this Easter basket thing), I'll buy a few really good sweets (no peeps or waxy hollow bunnies in sight) and attempt to deflect attention from the lack of massive quantities of sugar with other goodies like books and bubbles and whatnot.
But deep down (and I know this is crazy given how strongly I feel about eating well and generally avoiding, well...crap) I feel a little bad. Like I'm somehow shortchanging the girlies if their baskets aren't overflowing with Cadbury Cream Eggs and Jelly Beans.
How do you guys handle the Easter basket. Are you all in or do you rein it in??
I don't have kids, but I have been making my husband and I an Easter basket each year. I agree with the quality over quantity idea, but I just can't make it through an Easter without a few Cadbury Cream Eggs. Like candy canes at Christmas, it's just too nostalgic for me to pass on. So, I cave and get a few lame candies, but focus on non-food stuff like little plants and stuff for the garden.
ReplyDeleterein it in:
ReplyDeletemy girlie has nut allergies, so candy's always limited. she gets one or two candy treats & the rest of the basket is other kinds of goodies like books & art supplies. it's never been an issue in our house. Perhaps the reason being is that she's never had a basket full of candy to begin with & has no expectation of one.
I always felt so deprived of sweets and candy when I was little that when I went off to college I went junk food crazy! Now as a mom I look for the balance so my son doesn't feel deprived of sweets once in a while and it doesn't seem like such a big deal to have them. This is the first year I made an Easter basket and it's full of mostly books and little toys he loves, but I had to add a few sweet treats to make it extra special! I must admit, cream eggs are my weakness, so I indulge myself in that guilty pleasure once a year! Happy holidays!
ReplyDeletei put art stuff and toothbrushes in the kids easter baskets.... they will probably grow up thinking that i was lame. ;)
ReplyDeleteWe don't do Easter, but we do a "Spring basket" that we try to give around the Spring equinox, but sometimes our hectic schedules prevent that. I've sometimes included a couple of pieces of decent quality dark chocolate, but generally we use it as a celebration of Spring and the promise of good weather to come. I try to make it about things to do outdoors: kites, sunprint kits, garden gloves and tools, egglings (those cute little ceramic planters that are basically ready to go) or other seeds to plant, fresh spring flowers, garden gnomes, birdhouse kits, magnifying glasses, animal/plant/mineral identification cards or books, jump ropes, bubbles, etc. etc. This can get quite expensive if I go too crazy, so I try to limit and keep it simple. This year we are doing budget-friendly Kikkerland cardboard birdhouse kits and I'm going to order corsages or buy small plants for them. Our littlest one will also get a pinwheel and a matchstick garden, which consists of seeds embedded into cardboard matches, and is packaged in a little matchbook (unfortunately, they only had one left at the store).
ReplyDeleteSounds like I'm on the same page with you....favoring quality over quantity and attempting to limit the candy without deprivation. It's a very tough balance. Halloween is even tougher of course, but at least we have some control at Easter. Anyway, my son's basket will have eggs filled with a few jelly beans each, plus a couple small chocolate items, but then it's books, matchbox cars, bubbles, etc.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm...I did not grow up in a candy house. We kept nothing sweet in the house, ever. Although if you were struck with the urge, you could always bake something from scratch, because we had a well stocked pantry. I run my house the same way - no snacks or sweets in the cupboard, homemade desserts when the occasion calls for it.
ReplyDeleteBut I have to admit that we went all out at Easter. Everyone got a chocolate bunny, a pile of jelly beans, peeps (yes, I love them!)and I got a Cadbury cream egg or two, because I think they're wonderful and they make everyone else in my family want to gag. We also always got a book or two, and some little hair things (bobby pins, hair elastics, nothing fancy) and bubbles.
I think that if you're pretty good as a general rule, you can do something silly and extravagant on special days, without throwing it all off. Mind you, we got enough candy to last for a few days, not for weeks and weeks, so you don't fall into the habit.
Hm, I was raised as a carob-child. That means no candy, junk-food, etc (save for Halloween when we were allowed to keep half of our bounty and trade the other half for a small toy). Plain cornflakes were considered a "sugar cereal" and reserved for dessert the few times it was in the house. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteThat said, my brothers and I were also the first kid to dive in to a box of doughnuts at sleepovers and the last ones to leave the table for fear of missing a sugary crumb.
Now, I'm closer to the carob-days (minus the carob) but it was always a battle. I like your style...quality vs. quantity, plus a few not-food gifts. We were never bummed about trading in that half of candy for the gifts...
I like your approach and do something similar with my toddler. A little candy goes a long way in my book, so better not to deprive altogether. There are other ways to make holidays super fun, so I use that to try not to feel guilty about skipping at least some of the candy.
ReplyDeleteRein it in: a little bit goes a long way! Plus fun little toys, etc are great to add to the basket.
ReplyDeleteI just said to my husband that being more healthful AND frugal is sucking the fun out of my Easter basket prep. I had the hardest time finding candy to fill their basket, but finally settled on a few chocolate items that won't get stuck in their teeth which would be a double whammy! We also do a DVD, books, fun socks, markers, etc. I decided this year to also put some money in eggs instead of jelly beans or sweat tarts. Hopefully they won't use their money to buy candy!
ReplyDeleteThis is a huge problem for us, too....and we don't even have any little ones yet!! :)
ReplyDeleteMy fiance and I are big candy eaters. Ever since we got together and I converted him to a healthier, organic lifestyle, we have pretty much relied on advice similar to yours: we just try to buy a smaller amount of the truly "good stuff" and pretend like we don't notice the whole shelves of high fructose corn syrup in various forms, shapes, and packages!
This website has helped us tremendously:
http://www.naturalcandystore.com/
If we ever get a craving for a "traditional" sweet, I can usually make a healthier version or find something comparable on this site! Best of luck to you with the Easter baskets.
It's one day and we're all in-but I like to get them each a really good chocolate bunny-honestly, after the first half and hour they've moved on (unfortunately I'm usually there to help them along) have a lovely holiday!
ReplyDeletewe have cousins who do NO artificial colors so we go hard in the all-natural snacks. That said...still...sugarfest! And I do get them local Easter eggs that just are the taste of the holiday to me. But--they are like Girl Scout Cookies--made and sold during Lent only.
ReplyDeleteOne day a year with Cadbury eggs does not a year undo, in my opinion, but we also stuff eggs with small change, small toys, and fruit snacks so it's not *only* about the candy. There's our compromise.
After a couple of years of complaining about what I was putting in the baskets, my husband took over. He goes out Saturday night and usually has to go to two or three places before he finds one that's not out of candy, and he gets whatever is left on the shelf. Usually a combination of junk and the good stuff. Sad, but true.
ReplyDeleteLauri -- i love the visual of John shopping for a slew of easter candy! beautiful.
ReplyDeleteLove the post and comments.
ReplyDeleteMy little one is only 18 months - but I'm sticking to no candy as long as possible. The concession to my husband is that I got chocolate Annie's bunnies to put in her eggs, instead of only dried cranberries and such!
I'm trying to focus on spring. Her Easter basket will have gardening tools, a tiny watering can, etc. We've been planting seeds and my green veggie hater is eating mesclun greens as soon as they sprout, pulling them out of the dirt. Needless to say, I want to encourage this attitude :-)
hey girly, i just got a ton of cute spy stuff and bug catchers and nature trinkets for the kids baskets this year! not one piece of candy :)I am sure they will get that from aunt lissa and grandma...so.
ReplyDeleteamy
I'm doing candy (and a small book or two). It's a special occasion! I have fond memories of my Easter baskets, we always got one chocolate bunny, and some small chocolates and jelly beans, and a tiny gift/toy. I don't even like jelly beans, but it was the excitement of seeing this wonderful basket filled with goodies. I want my kids to have that same experience. However, I want to make sure we (my husband) don't overdo the amount of candy because otherwise it can last a long time, then it's too much (and then I sneakily throw some away which is wasteful). I have to remind him, moderation will be key.
ReplyDeleteAll in! I have one daughter and her basket is usually filled to the rim with candy (and more often than not, I end up throwing some it of it away as she doesn't eat it). I also usually add a new set of pj's, a DVD, a book, and a small toy or two - maybe a jar of bubbles, etc.
ReplyDeleteWow, it is tough and I feel the same way. We aren't huge candy fans because I do care about my children's health and dental health. Just today my son was given a very hard (stale) Starburst in class for a birthday party snack given with a cupcake. He can eat the cupcake but that candy I said No. I felt it and I could even budge it with my hand and I know the teeth wouldn't either without it digging in and almost breaking a tooth. Is it worth the dental visit and the pain of cavities? NO. I treat them many times with healthy alternatives and say if they don't get that, they will get something better that they like later and sometimes they are good at it and understanding. So far so good, they have good teeth and are almost 5 and 7. I would make them homemade smoothies, give them those Annie Gummies that are fruit sweetened instead of corn syrup, etc. They get a bowl of good icecream or fresh strawberries or both and love it. I'm proud of them because food peer pressure is tough these days but I don't care if I look like the "bad mom". :) I think I'm a good mom, nutrionally at least. Yes special occassion I let it slide and so that is why I keep it to one egg hunt and not join so many egg hunts and just do the family one because that is the necessary one. I limit how much they can try, like maybe a piece of choc and some jelly beans and throw away the rest that is worse and/or give to my husband to bring to work and the kids are fine with it because it's not a habit for them.
ReplyDeleteI usually invest in the best fruit I can get my hands on to satisfy my family's everyday sweet-tooth. But for easter, I'm planning a few fun books and toys and probably one special chocolate-y treat. I'm sure my son will get loaded up with jelly beans at our big family gathering, but guess I'm OK with that. The junky stuff wont be coming home with us.
ReplyDeleteThe kids get so much candy from the school Easter party and the church Easter egg hunt that it just feels absurd to load their Easter baskets with more candy. But I do anyway - because childhood only happens once. I reign it in though - and use Easter as an excuse to get them a couple of small presents. Candy is secondary and limited to two things they love: Jelly Bellys and Easter marshmallows - just enough to put a few in each of their little plastic eggs.
ReplyDeleteWhat I didn't account for was the Easter Eggs at my mom's house -- so many! So. Much. Candy! That's a place to improve next year.
ReplyDeleteBut, successes this year were that the kids' Easter baskets were filled mostly with items from the dollar bins at Target. Love the dollar bins. Books, coloring books,etc.
And, the Easter Egg hunt we did at our house had no candy -- Easter Story eggs instead. Lovely. I recommend. It's my first year to do it, but it will be a tradition.
http://tiny.cc/8t4vx
I think I'm much looser than most of the commentors but then part of that is because my kids don't really care. I've never really been obsessive about it and let them have candy once in a while. I figure it's part of Easter - the chocolate bunnies/eggs and such. They each had a chocolate bar in their Easter baskets & got a big chocolate egg from my Mom plus the little chocolates that were in the egg hunt eggs. The thing is that this chocolate will sit in our pantry until I decide to throw it out! They just forget about it... Sure, they like candy and ate some yesterday but that's it...they won't be asking for it today. If I had a bowl of M&Ms out all the time, they would eat it but if it's in the pantry, they don't bother - out of sight, out of mind. My husband on the other hand, can sniff it out like Joslyn's family so he's the one I have to keep an eye on! :)
ReplyDeleteWe never had candy, soda, white bread, chips, or any processed/junky food in my house when my sister and I were growing up. We were allowed to pick on junky cereal each year at the beginning of summer vacation. We now would NEVER drink a soda or eat a bag of chips. I haven't had fast food in about 20 years. I think a candy at Halloween, Easter, Christmas is fine. But the rest of the year probably not. It will most likely have the disired effect. At least it did for my sister and me. That being said, I am a cheese glutton possibly from lack of cheese in my childhood.
ReplyDeleteThis is totally after the fact, but usually I do toy/outfit heavy Easter baskets with a few things of candy, peeps, marshmallow bunny, etc. But this year for some reason, it's almost all candy! She was sick on Saturday night, so she hasn't been able to eat any of it yet, so we'll see. I imagine that she'll eat a bit and then get tired of it pretty quickly.
ReplyDeleteI on the other hand polished off the cousin of your Barcelona bunny on Saturday night in one sitting. Toffee Bunny is my new best friend!
How funny, I have the same strategy - quality of quantities of crap - but I found myself pausing for several very long moments in front of a shelf of huge, big-as-your-head bunnies going for $2.95 at the supermarket. I knew my boys would love those bunnies. It would make their day to wake up and find them in their baskets. I knew in my heart that the divine, handmade chocolate hens and solid eggs I had hidden in my closet would never give them the same kind of thrill, no matter how velvety the chocolate was. I put two enormous, waxy bunnies in my trolley. Then I got to the checkout and there was a que. Which gave me time to pause, rethink and struggle. I put the bunnies back. Easter morning, the boys were happy... but not thrilled. And I wished I'd shelved my standards, just for day, and given them a big, cheap thrill.
ReplyDelete