Weekending, a candy-free Easter Egg hunt and some random thoughts

I know what you are thinking – A candy-free Easter Egg hunt? What? But it gets stranger and the story gets better. The Easter Eggs at my children’s backyard Easter Egg hunt Saturday were filled with money – dimes, nickels, quarters and five dollars in one big egg for each child.

This was my Aunt Kathy’s doing and it always has been. The idea dates back to before there were grandchildren, and us kids hunting the eggs were grown kids in college. Yes. Still hunting the eggs. The money was what kept us carrying along with the fun. Silly, but fun.

The last time the hunt was done this way my husband and I were newlyweds living downtown Atlanta and relying on the corner laundromat to clean our clothes. So today, we laughed about how much we loved those eggs filled with quarters back then!

Now a mother, I saw it as a great way to avoid the typical candy and food dyes found in normal, run of the mill cheepo Easter Egg candy. It would also be a great alternative for kids with food allergies. You don’t have to spend a lot, and could possibly get by with spending the same amount you would on candy.

The tooth fairy brings money so why not the Easter Bunny?

All three of my kids, in their varing developmental ages, love getting spare change for their piggy banks. My youngest is still entertained by simply slipping the coins into the piggy bank, and my seven-year-old is just hitting the stage where it’s clicking that she needs money to buy the things she wants (like those pokemon cards). My middle child is, well… somewhere in the middle.

After the hunt we had chocolate cake from a local bakery (a really, really special yummy chocolate birthday cake for my brother). So there was no depriving them of sweets. The sugar was still had. Just in a form that was a little easier for this mom to swallow. All kids were all smiles! And all the kids loved the Easter Egg hunt.

I had no idea my aunt was planning this today until after all the eggs were hidden. Or I might have had the girls put on some nicer dresses for a photo-op. Instead my toddler was wearing this tie-dyed shirt that I endearingly wrote about here, from my early days as a mom.

And I might have rounded up some Easter baskets, versus the reusable gift bags that were on hand. But hey, it worked! 

Taking me back in time again was this blue egg, with me and my husband’s name on it. It was from our newlywed days and being reused. Six years ago my aunt and uncle’s house burt to the ground  when a Dell laptop computer battery overheated sitting on a dinning room tablecloth and caught fire. All the eggs from Saturday’s hunt were stored in her outdoor shed, and were included in the small amount of things that were saved from the fire.

This year my seven-year-old found it with a five dollar bill in it. 

That egg was before her time. It was from a season when we had just adopted our old dog Blair, and he was there for the Easter Egg hunt, at the house that later burnt down. Now he is gone. And so is the house. And we have Lulu, our little natural, wool eating whippersnapper of a dog.

Finally, after two years of having her, she is turning into a great dog and pal for the girls to have around. This year she made it to the Easter Egg hunt and was on her best behavior.

After two rounds of boarding obedience school at Diane’s Canine School of Charm,  our dog who has been described as “stubborn” and “lucky to have us,” is turning a corner. At this Easter Egg hunt I felt happy to have her with us, as we enter into our first spring without old dog Blair. 

And lastly, here is Aunt Kathy. The woman responsible for coming up with the idea to stuff Easter Eggs with money, shown snapping pictures with her lime green iPad. 

Back in the beginning of Blair’s time and our days of going to the corner laundromat, there were no digital cameras. Years come and years go. And so do gadgets, homes and dogs. But sometimes it’s nice to stop and be thankful for the little things, like a 12 year-old Easter Egg that still has your name on it – and all the memories that come along with it.