A few things....

There have been a few changes in our house as of late. The biggest is that my middle, Sawyer, is lactose intolerant. He has been for a while. I only recently got around to investigating the reason that my three year old could fart like a 50 year old man after a chili eating contest followed by a few pints of draught beer. For real. It was a good source of entertainment, but the tummy pains were not. Basically lactose intolerance occurs when the sugar that naturally occurs in milk, lactose, can’t be broken down. This sugar then ends up in places it shouldn’t. The healthy bacteria in our gut have a total feast/party resulting in a lot of gas, bloating and pain. It is a good time to be lactose intolerant because lactose free milk, cheese and yogurt are widely available. A huge upside is that if Sawyer does want to have something containing lactose he can take a chewable pill that helps him digest the lactose. For the most part we aim for avoidance at home and have the pills for when we are out and about.

It does put a bit of a new spin on holidays like Easter. Milk chocolate = lactose. I decided this year to have a less candy/chocolate Easter basket. Not because I am a total candy Scrooge (or whatever the down on Easter version of that is). The kids are attending three Easter egg hunts. Plus two Easter dinners. There are going to be so many treats. Four day treat and lactose extravaganza. I feel I can easily pull back on the candy in their baskets without inciting feelings of hardship.

So I have decided to share with you what I did put in their baskets. The two older boys were essentially the same:
       - spring t-shirt
       - skipping rope
       - An Elephant and Piggie book
       - six pack of mini Play-Doh
       - a fun rubbery egg that looks like a splattered broken egg when you throw it at a hard surface
       - locally made little chocolate bunny (dark chocolate for Sawyer as good quality dark chocolate is lactose free)

For baby Milo:
        - a sippy cup
        - two t-shirts, one says "messy hair don't care" but I wish it said "fluffy hair don't care"
        - a felted egg shaped rattle
        - the cutest pair of Vancouver made Minimoc leather moccasins that I have been lusting over for a while

This little box alone kills me.

There are endless filling ideas: colouring books, crayons, little toys, stickers, puzzles, gift certificates for activities like a swimming pool visit. Endless.

On another note, I started this little blog four years ago today. I might not get to it as much as I once did but it still provides me with a creative outlet. I like that. A lot.

My little Easter Bunny this morning.

Happy Easter all, hope you are inspired to create a less candy Easter basket too.