I was remembering last year’s Easter activities, and it reminded me of a question my older son, Konner, asked me when he was a little boy: “Mom, do bunnies lay eggs?” I remember then that I thought it was a very logical question. I doubt he thought bunnies laid eggs but when he saw a giant Easter bunny, (who I always thought was a bit creepy), handing out a basket of eggs, he had to ask.
I then thought about Easters when I was young and which traditions I carried into my adulthood for my kids. Here’s what I did as a child vs. what my kids have done:
I then thought about Easters when I was young and which traditions I carried into my adulthood for my kids. Here’s what I did as a child vs. what my kids have done:
1) Dyeing Easter eggs:
Me: When we didn’t want to wait for my mom to hard boil the eggs, we blew the egg yolks out of the eggs via a pinhole carefully tapped into each end of the egg. The tricky part was to blow the yolk out through the hole without breaking the egg. After we dyed the eggs, we had scrambled eggs for lunch. Waste not. Want not. I’m not sure I know anyone else who used the two-hole-blow-yolk method?
My kids: I hard-boiled the eggs mainly so they wouldn’t be so fragile, and they just looked better without the holes in them. My kids got out every bowl and cup in the kitchen so we could have the normal Easter egg colors but also some combination colors which never failed to turn out to be a lovely brownish green color.
2) Easter egg hunts:
Me: Easters were usually cold in my northwest Iowa hometown so my Easter egg hunts were always indoors. (Or was it just easier that way?) My mom would hide nests of that static-y green stuff, the eggs and some candy all around the main floor of our house. My sisters and I would run and find as many as we could but we never found them all. We’d find them behind a curtain or under a cushion weeks later – another good reason not to hard-boil!
My kids: My husband, Kevin, and I went to his Aunt Dorothy’s farm for Easter several years starting when we were dating in college. We were the oldest of Kevin’s cousins but were still considered “kids” since there were no very young children then. Kevin’s mom, Aunt Dorothy, and a few other aunts cooked fabulous food for lunch. Then they sent the kids out on what we called a “nature hike” in hopes the Easter bunny would drop by for a visit.
Continue reading this post on Kathi Prien’s blog, Breaking 50
Kathi Prien
Kathi Prien grew up in rural Iowa and now lives near Des Moines with her husband, Kevin. She is mom to sons, Konner and Keller. Kathi worked in the magazine consumer marketing department of Meredith Corporation for over 20 years. Kathi enjoys running, reading, traveling, good friends, and good wine. She will become an empty nester in 2015. She launched her web site, Breaking50t in February, 2013 to celebrate the freedom and wisdom of post-50 life.
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