When we take time ahead of a special holiday to prepare for it, talk about it, and stretch it out so it lasts a little longer, it’s sooooo much more fun for our kids!  Even if you’re busy, (okay, the reality is WE’RE ALL TOO BUSY!) taking a few extra minutes each day can make all the difference in how our families experience the holiday.

You know, it really isn’t the big things, the big events, the big trips that our children remember when they’re grown and gone — it’s little things that were done consistently that make the most lasting impression.  Every time I ask the question, "What was special about your Mom?" I get responses that indicate it was the little, caring things she did on a regular basis that added up to feeling loved and special to her.

Okay, today is Monday, so you still have an entire week before Easter!  What if you did one special little thing each day this week, do you think it could be possible to make this one of the most memorable Easters your kids will have ever had? 

It can be as simple as making a note each day for their lunch box.  You don’t have to be an artist, your child will love it if you use his or her crayons and draw some simple Easter eggs!  If you write all your notes at once and put one each day in their lunch, it doesn’t even have to take too much time.  You could even cut out some Easter decorative images from a magazine and glue them to cardstock… your child won’t be judging your art skills, they’ll be basking in the love you’re expressing for them.

If you’re digitally inclined, use some of the D.A.I.S.I.E. Company digital clip art and you can make some beautiful treats with very little effort.  There are some wonderful Easter-oriented kits available there and here are even some FREE resources for you to make use of:

1. Make "Nugget Buddies" to put in their lunch for a special Easter treat.  This Friday Freebie is absolutely the cutest thing!!!  ((UPDATE: the link has expired.  Please check back for other specials about once or twice a month).
2. Make them a special book mark using this Friday Freebie and add your own Easter message: (UPDATE: the link has expired.  Please check back for other specials about once or twice a month
3. Use my Free Craft Kit from last week (UPDATE: the link has expired.  Please check back for other specials about once or twice a month).and make a little basket of blessings.  Add a text message to the template before you print it out and craft it or simply add the message to one of the tags and you can personalize it for your child.  You’ll find that post, seven posts down from this one or here:http://www.daisiecompany.com/blogs/audreyjeanne/?p=74
4. My dearest friend, Karla Dornacher has two special freebies that you can make use of.  A set of Easter eggs on her blog and a basket with egg stands (you can also use them as napkin rings in your child’s lunch).  Karla’s blog is always linked in my blog roll, but you can also find it here: http://www.karladornacher.typepad.com/ and you can find her website link on her blog or here: http://www.karladornacher.com/  A side note here, you can sign up for Karla’s newsletter on her website and there’s always an encouraging word and a craft freebie in each month’s edition.

For those of you for whom Easter has a deep and significant spiritual importance, don’t forget to make use of this week to help your child focus on the real reason we celebrate Easter.  Depending on the age of your child, perhaps you might read a story book that tells the story in childlike terms.  For older children, at breakfast or dinner, read a little more from the bible story each day leading up to Resurrection Sunday.  Help them to enter into the story themselves by asking questions like "How would you have felt as you saw Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey with the crowd cheering?  What would you have done?  Would you have laid a palm branch on the street in front of him too?"   

Some of my most treasured memories of Easter were the crafting days my Mom and I had together.  Perhaps you might take the time to utilize some of the above resources with your kids to have them make special gifts for their teachers, grandparents, an elderly neighbor or a close friend.

I pray that this will be one of the most treasured of all Easters for you and your family.  If any of you know some more free resources to utilize, feel free to share them in the comments section!

Audrey Jeanne Roberts