Easter cometh...

Our eldest monkey man hasn't started 'big school' yet (although September is getting far too close for my liking). 

Despite him only attending pre-school three mornings a week, without those sessions the thought of keeping him entertained (and looking after a baby) during the holidays can be rather daunting. 

Having said that I do get rather giddy when it comes to any sort of holiday/celebration and Easter is no exception. It's almost the start of the Easter hols so the chocolate nest cake making has begun! We couldn't decide which was better - chocolate covered rice krispies or corn flakes? So we went with both. Yum.

This is the first year I have been challenged to help the toddler make an Easter bonnet for preschool. He was told he would get a certificate so there was absolutely no getting out of it! I chickened (sorry) out a bit and bought an Easter bonnet making kit from The Range. The kit came with a ribbon to go around the bonnet and egg and animal stickers to stick on. Simple enough, I thought, until I saw the pipe cleaners and the tissue paper. I was instantly intimidated! It's not a secret that I have never been the most artistic person and my brain failed to conjure up any new life related creative masterpiece using said materials. 

However, I reminded myself that it was all about the little man and let him loose with the kit and and some glue! The outcome was this triumph of a bonnet and I was very proud. The chick sitting on top of the hat scares me a little but he was very pleased with himself. The hormones kicked in once again when he sat in front of his class at pre-school with his bonnet on and got a round of applause (weep). Seriously starting to be concerned about how many tears will be shed on a daily basis with all school related experiences and achievements. 

As a family we love our day's out and will hopefully sneak a couple in over the Easter break. I picked one of these booklets up the other day and I think it is going to be a valuable resource in our house for the year to come. I think often we overlook the places closest too us when it comes to planning a day out. It's surprising how much there is  to see and do so close to home that we didn't know about.

We have started filling our Easter weekend with family visits and egg hunts which will be lots of fun.

 I did have a thought whilst making the nest cakes with the toddler today though - I haven't actually talked to my little man about the reason for why we celebrate Easter. He is nearly four years old and no longer just accepts that things are the way they are, he wants to know why. The embarrassing truth is I'm not sure I could explain to him in any kind of coherent detail why we have Easter. Other than when I was in the 'Brownies' and Girl Guides' Easter has only ever been about the chocolate eggs and the time off school. 

It made me wonder how many of us without looking it up would be able to explain the origins of Easter to our children?