Sweet Silly Sara is a lifestyle blog based in Ohio with crafts and recipes for the whole family. We love traveling and reviewing products.
Funtastic Easter Basket Fillers
I have a list of ideas to share with you that will make fun-tastic fillers for your Easter baskets this year. Samples and considerations of some products were received to inspire my list. We love these options because they provide hands on fun and invitations to explore and create.
1) Galaxy Slimy Gloop
This stuff is so much fun to make and play with! I am always a fan of gifts that encourage both learning and fun. This kit is available at Walmart and Michaels for under $7. It makes a fun option for older kids and teens.
2) Galactic Bath Bombs by Youniverse
Bath bombs are fun to make and create, so this kit is perfect for tweens and teens this Easter. It contains everything you will need to make several great bath bombs. The kit retails for under $13 so it is affordable and packs a lot of fizzy fun into the basket.
3) STMT Signature Scent
This kit is perfect for girls that want to experiment with fragrance. It contains everything you need to make 4 rollerball bottles of perfume. Retailing at under $18 this is a great gift option for Easter. I made a batch of perfume from this kit with my daughter and it smells really nice, and we LOVED making it together!
4) Rock Art Kits
These are my favorite filler for an Easter basket this year because my kids love finding rocks, decorating them and hiding them! This can be so much more than just a art project kind of filler, it can be a totally fun family experience! Retailing at $5 each, these kits are perfect for kids 6 and older.
5) Aqualiens
Maybe it is wishful thinking on my part, but these had to go in the Easter baskets as they will bring my kids so much joy when the pool is ready to go this summer. This dive toy is not just a toss and go kind of toy. It is a transforming diving toy that is really quite impressive! Retailing at under $10, these pods that morph into a creature are awesome for Easter!
6) Squidivers
These are perfect diving toys for my little one who is just mastering swimming. These wiggle and jiggle to the bottom and are easy to see and grab for little hands. Retailing at under $8, Squidivers are a fun filler for any Easter basket that will bring a lot of happiness to the kids as the weather gets warmer.
7) Barbie Water Bottle
The Barbie bottle by Horizon group is a great way to encourage health and creativity this Easter. The bottle comes in a fun barbie style with the pens to color the bottle how you like it! Retailing at under $13 you can find this bottle on Amazon.
8) Welch's Fruit Snacks
I love to add these to Easter baskets not only for the fun design but also because they are a tasty snack that is mostly guilt free. Look for the fun 28 packs with Easter designs at your local grocery store.
9) Board Games
Payday by Hasbro is one of our favorite options right now because my 7 year old needs money management lessons terribly! This is a fun way to learn about money and budgeting in a way that kids can understand.
Jenga Pass also makes a fun way to add family fun into an Easter basket! I love that the classic game of Jenga takes a twist and turn in this new fun version! Retailing at under $20 I love this pick for tweens and teens.
10) Play Doh
As a kid, I got pretty excited for play doh. I love to see that same magic in the eyes of my kids when they open a can of play doh! The Play Doh Kitchen Creations Magic Oven Set is a super fun outlet for creation and hands on fun.
I love that this oven has lights to make the experience super realistic for my 4 year old.
The fun continues with the Play Doh Letters and Language Set and the Play Doh Textures and Tools Sets. These are so much fun for little hands! Each set contains the tools you need for fun like mats, stamps and play doh! At under $20 these are perfect for an Easter basket.
11) Nerf Guns
My son loves to invite his friends over to play. Lately they have been clamouring for Nerf Guns. The Nerf Microshot Series is perfect for Easter baskets. Priced at under $7, these guns pack a whole lot of punch in a small package.
12) Star Wars Force Link Starter Sets
With this new wearable tech you can FEEL the force during playtime! Compatable with more than 30 Star Wars toys, the force link starter set unlocks sound effects, phrases and lights. We love that our starter set came with Kylo Ren for a new twist on play! Retailing at under $35 this option will bring the fun of Easter out in full force!
13) Luke and Leia Muggs Figures
These are so cute that they practically beg to be in an Easter Basket! Retailing at under $10, they are a fun way to bring the force to Easter! We love that the faces change easily to give a new twist on playtime!
14) Disney Princess Little Kingdom Magical Movers
My little Disney princess can't get enough of her favorite girls, so these tiny little play sets are perfect for dramatic play sessions that she can really get into! Adding a favorite like Ariel, Snow White or Rapunzel to her Easter basket makes for a sweet holiday for sure. We loved that these are affordable and adorable for the win!
15) Adora
With spring comes the need to coo about babies. This year why not bring a new little bundle of joy home for your little girl with a realistic looking doll from Adora. These are so cute and cuddly! Retailing at $15 and up, these are the perfect cure for baby fever this spring! You can find clothes, accessories and more to make the Adora doll the perfect filler for an Easter basket.
16) Strawbees
My kids love to build and create, so we knew Strawbees would be a really fun way to encourage hands on creativity. This set contains the parts and straws you need to create some really cool contraptions, creatures and fun things to play with. Retailing at under $30, this 400 piece set is perfect for filling an Easter basket with fun!
17) Stomp Rockets
This is a fun toy to encourage active play. Kids won't be able to resist stomping their rockets into space! This is fun for kids of a variety of ages and encourages kids to learn about how the rockets launch while actively playing for the hippity hoppity win this Easter.
What are some of your favorite ways to fill a basket that are not candy? Leave me a comment to inspire me at the last minute please!
Free Easter Coloring Pages
Just in time for Easter I have three free coloring pages for your kids! Print as many of these as you like; there is an easy Easter Egg page for little ones, an Easter basket coloring page for elementary ages and a pattern egg page for older kids. But, really all 3 would work for any age!
Share these with a friend, or pin them for later.
These free coloring pages would be great for keeping the kids busy on the rainy days before Easter, or to keep them occupied at the table before Easter dinner.
If your kids color any of these pages, I would love to have you snap a pic and share their artwork with me on facebook. Rolf and Harp will color a dozen of these each in anticipation of coloring easter eggs!
Saturday #205 {Better Late Than Never}
Then we were off to an Easter Egg hunt. It was cute for the kids, Roo enjoyed himself. He found his allotment of 10 eggs and was ready for a snack, Harper had fun at the Easter Egg Hunt as well. Her Daddy carried her around and helped her find her 10 eggs.
After a day of baseball and Easter fun I managed to get a sunburn. My husband and I had a good laugh over that. It was about 52 degrees that day. Since having Miss Harper my poor white skin has only seen the sun a handful of times in 6 months. Apparently 52 degrees and sunny was more than I could handle.
When we made our way home we had Easter Eggs to color and I had to clean for a visit from my mother in law. When the kids were in bed I was feeling quite exhausted myself, but I went to bed satisfied. The house was clean, the kids had a lot of fun that day and life was good.
I hope you had the chance to spend time with the people you love over the weekend. Every weekend that passes makes me a little sad as I think about how fast time has gone. I am so glad I started writing this series last year and I will have a record of how we spent our weekends to share with my children when they are older.
How did you spend your Saturday? Have you calculated where you are in the 940 Saturdays from birth until college?
In The Sky Sensory Bin
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Saturday #152
Sock Roses for Teacher Appreciation Week
These easy DIY photo puzzles are also a great homemade gift idea.
Jelly Bean Infused Rum for the Weary Mom
Have you ever had one of those days that seemed to be the day that wouldn't end? The day where everything goes wrong, everyone is fighting, the mess is never ending and your patience wears thin?
Ladies I had that day... over and over again last week. To the point that on Friday night I said "TGIF" as I had a really fun shot of Blue Chair Bay Rum with a twist.
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Jelly Bean Booze? Oh yeah! |
You know, Easter was not long ago. Do you have jelly beans in abundance? We sure did. This inspired me to make Jelly Bean Infused Rum.
You will need:
15 orange jelly beans
2 shots of rum- I used Blue Chair Bay.
Place the jelly leans in a plastic container with a leak proof lid
Add 2 ounces of rum
Seal, stash in the cabinet and walk away.
I waited for 6 hours before placing the container in the fridge for a few moments.
When the kids were in bed and I was finally able to unwind I took the 2 shots. They were fun and fruity and a great twist on a much loved White Rum.
After I drank the rum and I ate the 15 jelly beans which were colorless... but they had soaked up alcohol and gave me a little kick.
I felt the stress melt away with most of my cares. I don't recommend getting intoxicated all of the time, but Dear Weary Mom, sometimes you have flat out earned a drink! This is the drink to try as it will soothe your weariness away, at least for an evening!
If you love sugar cookies, then this is the place for you! I gathered 15 of my favorite sugar cookie recipes to share with you. Make sure you click thru to the full recipe.
Almond Sugar Cookies by The Taylor House
These are the perfect cookies to make with your kids, they make great cut outs that the kids can decorate and sprinkle!
Perfect Sugar Cookies by Spend with Pennies
This Sugar Cookie recipe is the perfect year-round holiday cookie! A simple mixture of butter, sugar and flour (with a few additions), these sugar cookies bake up beautifully every time.
Cut Out Cookies with Marbled Icing by Easy Cookie Recipes
These Cutout ugar Cookies with Marbled Icing are basically edible art. Each delicious sugar cookie is dipped into homemade swirled icing to create a unique marbled effect.
Peppermint Sugar Cookies by Gimme Some Sugar
If you’re headed to a holiday party or just love baking during the holidays, try this homemade Christmas cookie recipe. If you’re looking for a quick solution for the holidays, this is the best Christmas sugar cookie recipes out there! Seriously, I’ve never seen one easier.
Gluten Free Sugar Cookies by Cooking on Caffeine
This recipe is like the holy grail of “safe” sugar cookie recipes. No eggs. No milk. No wheat. No nuts or peanuts. Easily made soy-free. Use a different flour blend if you have issues with legumes or potatoes. And no chilling the dough, because who has time for that? We just want cookies!
Soft Lemon Cookies by On My Kids Plate
These sweet and easy soft lemon cookies are the perfect little cookie for a delicious treat. Full of fresh lemon zest, these are bright, yummy cookies you’ll want to make again and again!
Chai Sugar Cookies by Lovely Indeed
These chai spice sugar cookies are the perfect cookie to go with a cup of tea or coffee! The easy recipe makes soft, chewy cookies that will be a hit at any party or cookie swap.
Buttery Almond Sugar Cookies by On Ty’s Plate
Buttery Almond Sugar Cookies — buttery soft almond flavored sugar cookies rolled in almond flakes. It's the perfect cookie!
Crispy Sugar Cookies by Creative Lifestyles
Do you ever just want a little crunch in your cookie? I don’t mean the crunch you get from over cooking the cookie. I mean a little crunch inside the softest yummiest cookie you will ever try. This amazing krispy sugar cookie is so easy to make, but it is hands down one of my favorite cookies of all time.
Swirl Sugar Cookies by Bride on a Budget
This recipe is time consuming, but so worth it for the way these swirl sugar cookies turn out! These are perfect for special occasions!
Vegan Dairy Free Sugar Cookies by Delightful Adventures
Easy homemade cut-out vegan gluten-free sugar cookies you can make for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween…they’re perfect for ANY occasion! These cookies can be made soft or crispy, it’s up to you. Decorate simply with sanding sugar or buttercream frosting or get fancy with a simple vegan icing that hardens.
Spiced Sugar Cookies by Bean Around the Bowl
These Spiced Sugar Cookies are warm and cozy with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
Perfect for the holidays and simple to make. These can be topped with additional sugar before baking to add a nice texture. They are not overly sweet to begin, so don’t worry about them being too sweet with added sugar.
Vegan Lofthouse Copycat Cookies by Strength and Sunshine
Sure, you could make classic cut-out sugar cookies for decorating, but no one can pass up one of the soft, cake-like, frosted gems that have been gracing grocery store shelves since 1994 from Lofthouse! Like a cake and a cookie all baked up into one delicious buttery, sweet, colorfully frosted treat! Can you still have this classic cookie even if you're gluten-free, vegan, or have food allergies? Sure you can! With this easy copycat homemade version of the classic soft-baked frosted cookie, you'll never have to miss out again!
Classic Sugar Cookies by Healthy Kitchen 101
This sugar cookies recipe makes fun treats for Christmas and any other occasion. Also, making and decorating cookies is a great activity to get everyone in the kitchen to spend time together.
Super Soft Sugar Cookies by Emily Fabulous
These Super Soft Sugar Cookies are easy to make and taste just like the Lofthouse sugar cookies in the grocery store. This recipe is perfect for making with kids and will work for Valentine’s Day or any occasion because you can choose whatever color and decoration you want to use!
Handprint Crafts for Kids
- Thanksgiving Hand Print Tree by Crafts by Amanda
- Cactus Handprint Art by A Little Pinch of Perfect
- Handprint Snowflake Art by In the Playroom
- Hand and FootPrint Easter Art by Mimosas and Motherhood
- Handprint American Flag by In the Playroom
- Handprint Turkeys by The Keel Deal
- Handprint Elephants by Seaside Sundays
- Handprint Flower Vase by Mama of Minis
- Skeleton Handprint by Mom Brite
- Handprint Flower Poem by Mom Hacks 101
Paper Plate Spider Craft
We are big on holidays! We get excited about them all; Easter, Valentine's Day, Memorial Day, of course Halloween is a big one too!
This year we started crafting up Halloween fun maybe a little too early, but we couldn't resist! This is one of the first ones we made and it was so easy and cute!!
This post contains affiliate links.
All you will need is:
A paper plate
A piece of black construction paper
8 googly eyes
A black kwik stik
school glue
Scissors
Paint your paper plate black with a Kwik Stik.
Cut 8 strips of paper for legs and glue them on, 4 to a side
Add 8 eyes
Give your spider a smile and you are done!
Find more of our favorite halloween ideas here
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Saturday #206
How We Afford the Holidays Without Credit Card Debit
I have had people say things like "That is a flat out lie Sara. The gift you gave us last year cost at least $30!"
They always want to know how I can decorate, gift and give without spending more than $50 out of my own pocket. Today I am going to share the low down with you too.
First, being a family that lives on a budget, events such as back to school, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and birthdays are always on my mind! Creative ways to accumulate funds or gifts is a year round project.
I do a variety of things online to add to my kitty.
If I see a great item on clearance I will buy it, but only if I have the extra cash on hand. I don't buy on my debit card or credit card.
At the end of each season I buy the goods I need next year on clearance. I use my stash of gift cards to do this. I buy wrapping paper when it is down to 50 cents a roll or less. Instead of going out and buying decorations, I usually make my own using items that I already have at home. For example, I use Christmas ribbon to decorate not only the tree, but to also add finishing touches to garlands, wreaths, and wrapped gifts. Same with bows, gift tags, bags etc. Seasonal trinkets are also great to get when they get marked down to 80-90% off. I get stocking stuffers for 20 cents and stash them for the next year. Or I might buy Easter coloring books for 10 cents and stash them too.
Inbox Dollars I spend about 25 minutes a week reading emails, playing games, watching videos and more. I have cashed out several times. It is pretty easy money and you get a $5 sign up just for joining!
I shop Zuilly. I shop here because it is easy to earn credits and they have such super deals. I get really low priced deals here through out the year and add to my "Gift Box".
I use the WalMart Savings Catcher App. I scan each receipt I get from WalMart and accumulate savings on products. I wait to 'cash out' until there is something I need to buy for a holiday.
I have the Shutterfly app, so I watch out for special offers, free prints and more. Photo gifts are always a hit. If you are not using Shutterfly sign up here for FREE Prints!!
I of course watch amazon for deals. I save money on everything! I do tasks on m turk to earn money too. I don't have much time for this, but I would estimate I spend about 30 minutes a week turking and making some spare change on easy tasks.
As a blogger, if I participate in a campaign that pays via a gift card, I save it.
That is how I can afford to celebrate all of the major holidays without dipping into our budget for any extra expenses. I limit us to about $50 for last minute things like batteries.
How does your family afford the holidays?