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Easter??

SMLIFESUCKS's picture

Ok, so here Easter is sunday. We have all the kids for easter. Last year it wasn't that day and I just made everyone some baskets, the baskets now hold bathroom items for each kid.

DH said he needed to call BM to find out if SD11 and SD9 still believed in the Easter Bunny. WTF??? I made him repeat it because I was like I know I didn't hear that right.

SD11 is in middle school (small school) and SD9 is in like what 3rd grade. Maybe just maybe SD9 believes but not the OSD, come on.

So far he hasn't called but this is what DH is thinking. That he needs to get easter baskets for everyone. OK that includes:

DD18mo
BS13
BD10
SD11
SD9

I told him let's not get a bunch of stuff, they are older, just maybe a few things of candy and some useful stuff. Earphones or whatever, right?

Well then DH wants to get those pre-filled Eggs ( I mentioned for DD18mo) to do an easter egg hunt for everyone. I think this will become a problem.

#1 BS13 isn't going to do it, he just isn't
#2 SD11 and SD9 are going to run to get all the eggs so NO ONE and I repeat NO ONE else can. (they did it 2 years ago at his moms)
#3 BD10 will probably end up with what 3 eggs
#4 DD18mo will most likely end up with NOTHING, unless BS13 helps her or BD10 gives her the eggs she got.

So what's your take? I say the older kids shouldn't participate (BS13 and SD11) especially (remember SD11 is in college, see prior FB blog) and DD18mo should be able to do easter egg hunt by HERSELF.

If he wants to get eggs specifically for SD9 and BD10 fine. This isn't a hill to die on for me per se, but I think the holiday (xmas, easter, thanksgiving) thing is getting out of hand. I think DH see's it as a PASS on buying them more crap. I would like to just get a few eggs for DD18mo, maybe a few for SD9 and BD10 to find. Make a small basket for them all and be done with it.

Well truly I'd like to just buy 5 baskets that are pre-made and be done. I think it stinks that DD18mo will always have to share her "firsts" holiday stuff with much older children, and yes I mean mine too. My first 2 kids were only 4 years apart, so they did stuff together.

SMLIFESUCKS's picture

I like what you did but DH is a "disney dad" and he won't make the SD's follow it. That's what sucks because if it was just me, I'd be like you all aren't taking all the eggs, so it's not a free for all.

I can suggest that to DH, maybe just maybe he'll go for it. Smile

zerostepdrama's picture

You can't enforce the rule?

So if your DH is an ass and really thinks its okay for 2 kids to hog all the eggs, especially from littler kids, then YOU enforce the rules.

Do the color egg idea. Or number the eggs or something. That way they dont have an option.

SMLIFESUCKS's picture

I am totally exhausted as an SM. I hope to get ideas from those of you who have had things work. I am tired of the fight. My DH just returned home after being out of town for 5 months and honestly I'm not all that excited he's back, it sucks.

I just want ONE holiday that isn't filled with stupid drama. ONE where all these kids stopping being selfish entitled little asses and ONE where my DH will take his "they will always be my babies" head out of his ass.

momandmore's picture

I usually host Easter and have an egg hunt for the kids. That includes bio, steps, nieces, nephews, and a few friends' kids.

We go by age.. With 30+ kids, that works for me.
I usually hide eggs in different parts of the yard .. Age appropriate for the kids. We have a huge yard.

This year our yard in the back and side is like a mud pit, we have a pretty decent sized front yard so I will just have them go out at different times, youngest group first and so on.

Sorry if that wasn't useful.. Lol.

I have a 13 mo. I will stage some ages for her to pick up for pictures but everything in her bunny basket is useful .. Things she can use and some smaller toys.

Oh.. In my experience.. The older boys always say they aren't going to hunt eggs but when the time comes.. They are all for it. They want the candy Smile

SMLIFESUCKS's picture

BS13 will have the candy in DD18mos eggs unless we do something she can eat. He is truly not interested in the "show" of it all.

BS13 is really older than he is, if that makes sense. He'd rather help DD18mo or watch her do it and say "look at my little baby sister, she's so cute".

He's my sensitive, always think of others child. Smile

momandmore's picture

That's awesome Smile
Those little things are what makes Easter so fun for me.. Watching the kids have fun.

I mean, you know, because I took over the in laws family and all. Lol.

SMLIFESUCKS's picture

I doubt my EXH even knows it's going to be easter. I'm sure BD10 will remind him she is expecting her easter basket at his house. LOL

I love that girl but she is a drama queen.

Elizabeth's picture

So what we always do is tell each kid how many eggs they get to find. Once they reach that number, they are done. Another option is to let the littlest one go first so she can find the easiest ones and be done. She gets her time alone, the olders still get to hunt eggs. I'm still letting my 11-year-old hunt them this year just because she wants to, it doesn't hurt me to put out a few eggs for her.

SMof2Girls's picture

My SIL hosts a big egg hunt every year .. literally over 1,000 eggs for about 30 kids. It's "her" holiday. She staggers start times by age so the little ones get a longer run at it before the big kids swoop in.

With a handful of kids, the only way to guarantee they all get something is to either pre-determine the number of eggs they're allowed to pick up, or just get a TON of eggs so the greedy brats can't physically get them all first.

If faced with your situation, I wouldn't do an egg hunt at all. The older kids are too old. I didn't have egg hunts or Easter baskets at all growing up and I think I turned out okay Wink

SMLIFESUCKS's picture

I dont mind the baskets, because truly, they need little stuff that we can get. New earbuds, batteries, you know the stuff for the stuff they just got for their birthdays and christmas.

I just think the egg hunt is too much for the older one's. We stopped doing it at like 8. The church my gparents took us too, said "over 8 and you can't participate in the hunt". They had other things for the older kids to do based on ages.

He also mentioned coloring eggs, which I feel like is for the older kids, since they hopefully won't be breaking eggs or dumping colors everywhere.

Maybe I can convince him to do colored eggs with the older ones (the ones who want to) and have the hunt for DD18mo. She is going through her terrible 2's a little early so she might fight them for them. LOL Blum 3

SMof2Girls's picture

Oh I wasn't suggesting nixing the baskets, just saying I never had any of it haha Smile

Maybe you could find an egg hunt in your community somewhere that you could take DD18 to? I would think if the other kids didn't know you were going, there wouldn't be any drama over it. DH can stay home and color eggs with the older kids.

momandmore's picture

I'm over 30 and I egg hunt!
They have an adult egg hunt, it costs $10 to get in, it's in the woods and its huge! They have huge prizes in some and a jolly rancher in some. But I think it's fun.. And it's at night lol. I'm not doing it this year but a couple of years ago I won a flat screen and in another egg a PS3. The last time I went I got candy lol. The girl I took with me got candy only the first time and zero eggs the second.
I know .. Totally off topic..maybe?

Rags's picture

I am 51 years old and Easter at my mom and dad's home is still one of my favorite holidays. The Easter Bunny is particularly evil and challenging at my parents home and as the kids and now grand kids get older it takes tools to find the eggs and treats. Literally, screw drivers to remove A/C vents, ladders to get eggs and treats off of very high ceiling fans and lights, and then there are the outside eggs and treats that are 20-30+ feet up in large oak and elm trees all over the property. Under large rocks, in knot holes in fences,etc...

I still have not caught that fuzzy little pain in the ass bunny that is so abusive in how he hides the eggs and treats at my mom and dad's.

I have no doubt that it has to be the Easter bunny because how could my 70 year old mom or 72 year old dad get those eggs so far up into the trees, on the chimney, in the rain gutters, under 100+lb rocks, etc....

Wink Wink Wink Dirol

I don't care how old a kid is, they will participate if the Easter bunny is evil and creative enough to make it challenging.

And the beautiful baskets with treats and presents that that damn bunny leaves each year make even the most jaded snarky PITA teen smile and participate.

To keep it fair assign each kid a color of eggs, plastic eggs, and treats with ribbons. Make sure that there is the same number of roughly equivalent items for each color. One kid gets yellow, one kid gets red, etc..... Of course DD-18mos color are not hidden in as difficult places. The older the kid, the harder their shit is to find.

There is one golden egg that has a fairly large bill in it at mom and dads. That egg is for whoever finds it. Usually the older kids get that one and that is Okay. It gets the older teens involved. The golden egg is made of brass and is all nice and shiny each year. The golden egg and the plastic eggs stay at mom and dads but their contents go home with the kids that found them.

Assigning a specific color to each kid keeps it fair and if a kid has a color that is not theirs they give it to the rightful owner and match with two of their own color. That way if they get shitty or snarky it costs them. If they whine and cry .... they give 4 of their items to each of the non crying or whining kids.

Control it, make it fun, make it engaging, and let them know that everyone has the same number of items.

BarkAtTheMoon's picture

We used to always go to my parents for Easter. There would usually be about 12-14 of us, when I was in college and in my 20s. My cousins are much younger, so they were single digit kids at the time. I would always dye the eggs and then we would have a hunt outside. Next, we would pair up into couples and everyone had a dinnerware spoon, like you'd set the table with. We had a round driveway and the first person would have to rush around the driveway, not drop the egg, pass it to their partner's spoon without using your hands. The second person would then complete a lap around the driveway.

One year my Dad took the big black plastic soup ladle spoon and used that. LOL One year my parents' dog literally came out from the tree line with a dead rabbit proudly hanging from his mouth, and best of all?.....

The two people who won the egg relay would get a special little Easter basket, full of Peeps, chocolate bunnies and jellybeans.

Mom always hid condoms in the bottom under the Easter grass. Yup, no kidding! Blum 3

~ Moon

learningallthetime's picture

When I was with ex, we had 5 kids in the house for Easter. The last year we had BS4, SS6, SD8, SD10 and SS12. We did the colors, each had a certain color to find. We then had "special eggs", just a few, that everyone was allowed to find. We staggered the start times so BS4 started, 2 minutes after SS6 etc. They all had fun and helped each other out. The older kids were focussed on the big special eggs, but the younger kids did not care, so just looked for everyones. BS4 and SS6 were finding everyones and giving them to the older kids while the older kids looked for special eggs LOL.

As long as rules are told beforehand, it should be ok - maybe add punishments - for every egg belonging to someone else you pick up, you have to giveaway one of your eggs?

ocs's picture

This all makes me want to hide under a rock.

Easter Sunday tends to be big at my inlaws from a food/togetherness standpoint. That said, most years we have been away as it is also my birthday. It has been lovely! The one year we were here resulted in bratty kids eating too much chocolate and my SIL commenting on my wine intake. BITE ME.

SD had a hissy fit for 2-3 of those years blaming me for taking away Daddddddyyyyyyy during family time. The year we were here, she came for 3 hrs, inlaws rolled out the red carpet, afternoon interrupted so DH could take her home... etc etc...

She made fun of the smaller kids looking for eggs.. Nightmare. She took the smaller kid's easter eggs and dyed them herself, then there were no more eggs and stores were closed... Ughhhh.

Do the hunt for the little ones and let the older ones help her.

onthefence2's picture

Everywhere we go when there are older kids and littles, the older kids hide the eggs for the littles. The littles get all the good stuff out of the plastic eggs, then the older kids take turns hiding the eggs for each other. The older kids do get candy, like a chocolate bunny or something they like, but the "hunt" is for the littles. In your case, the only little is the 18mo.