I just hit the dollar tree for a little bit of candy and a few little toys.

We reuse the same Easter baskets every year. I also make most of my kids candy (I usually buy a big bag of the chocolate disc at Christmas time and save about 1/3 for Easter)- they enjoy the homemade chocolate better. I do usually buy them a few things for in there basket as well. We don't do any egg hunts since we go to a free communtiy egg hunt and both sets of grandparents also provide an egg hunt.

When I was little we just colored real eggs and found them on Easter Morning and got a basket full of some candy, not really any "gifts". Then off to Grandma's for plastic egg hunt filled w/money. So we are pretty much following in that tradition. I may throw in the basket items we already have like applesauce cups or fruit cup/fruit snacks or make some fancy jello, but that's about it!

We actually still have candy canes leftover from Christmas! (I can't bring myself to throw away candy, yet we can never eat everything the kids get--not even if I help!)

After Easter we will crush up the candy canes and chop up some of the Easter chocolate and add it to the ice-cream maker (we use a basic vanilla ice cream recipe). If you don't make your own ice cream, you could use it for homemade blizzards--in a blender mix a few scoops of ice cream and chopped up candy. Yummy and much cheaper than the $4+ they charge at DQ.

Around Thankgiving, when it was clear we couldn't finish the Halloween candy, we made cookies. We melted the remaining couple dozen candy bars (snickers, kit kats, hersheys, etc.) and added the melted cholcoate to our favorite basic "drop" cookie recipe. The result was really decadent chocolate cookies which we enjoyed and could share with friends and at the office.

We will reuse our baskets too. This year I am printing Easter coloring pages and making them coloring books. I'm also making their candy b/c Abbey Beth is allergic to so much. I will probally sew my dd a diaper bag for her baby dolls & my ds a bag for all his power rangers.

Any other ideas on homemade stuff for their baskets?

__________________
The early bird gets the worm but the last mouse gets the cheese!

I have children 9,7,5. For my girls I got them Cute bags from the dollar store and a sand bucket for my son. I got $10 of candy from wallgreen but its $5 after the rebate. After Christmas I picked up some little toys like Polly pockets and cars for 75% off I paid no more then $2 for these items. I'm lining the bottom of the bags and bucket with paper so I can use one bag of grass. $1 from walmart. It adds up to $4 per child.
We have a Tenebrae service that we attend on Thursday and of course church on Easter Sunday. We usually have an Easter brunch with friends after I want my kids to realize that Easter is about Christ but still have fun too. Being with friends is a fun cheap way to celebrate

I plan on hitting the dollar store to fill an Easter basket. Will probably use something she can reuse, like a bucket, dd loves to fill with rocks and dirt from the driveway. We try to limit her candy/chocolate intake as it makes her extremely hyper. So I plan on filling with little candy, and maybe some paper, markers, etc, for an art basket, (she loves to draw and write), plus some fake fingernails, (she lost her last ones and wants more). I just started a part time job and will be getting my 1st check friday, just in time to get her some things before she gets home from school.

I can totally relate to not throwing it away.. we always divide our candy into 2 bags a big one and a small one... the big one goes with dh to work for his dispatchers and the small one will stick around for the occasional sweet craving..

__________________
Kristi
Mom to Eric, Alex, and Taylor
Happily Married to Joe:love:

Well, this is only Simon's 2nd Easter, but he will be reusing his basket every year. Last year after Easter I bought most of his stuff on clearance. He is 15 months and his basket will consist of small garden tools, watering can, a mini canteen, a bug shaped lantern, a bubble wand, small stuffed bunny and two Easter books. I finished it off with a chocolate bunny from the dollar tree. I spent about $7.00 total on his basket.

__________________
~AMY~

My blogs:
http://mylifeoneblogatatime.blogspot.com/

http://thesaltandpepperdiva.blogspot.com/

This must be due to my own childhood traditions but I couldn't imagine a different basket every year. I still remember mine, and where it hung in the basement in between seasons.
When DS was born I couldn't wait to designate a particular basket to be his, and will use it as long as he gets treats from the Easter Bunny!
In DS's basket will be the Elmo video I won from MommySavers last month, some Gymboree bubbles, a book, strawberry finger food and strawberry bb food, a car, stuffed lamb and blow up bunny. The only things I bought special were the bubbles and car. The rest I already had.

__________________
Children Learn What They Live, And Live What They Learn.
What have you taught your child today?
When life throws you a curve ball...it's up to you how you catch it!