Tuesday, March 30, 2010

A Healthy Versus A Happy Easter

This week people will be scrambling to get kids of all ages the traditional Easter baskets. the problem is that we (especially myself) tend to go overboard with buying chocolates and other sweets. The problem is is how w much is too much? Do you just stop at one big chocolate egg? Pare down on the jelly beans? Ice the Peeps?

For parents who are worried about their kids overdosing on too much sugar, there's always the do it yourself baskets. Take a basket and fill it with healthy fruit and nuts.To stop said child from throwing this at you, add some toys to it. Another, maybe softer approach, is to combine the basket half with fun things and one or two candies like marshmallow or coconut eggs. and a small sprinkling of jelly beans. An Easter egg hunt is also good. You can fill some eggs with money while others get a small smattering of jelly beans or Easter themed M&Ms. The kids can still have fun but there's less sugar and more exercise involved.

Another idea is simply paring down. This is what I've done this year. Instead of three large chocolate eggs. I've only bought one along with two candy bars. Of course the chocolate is one of the best, Butler's. After all if I'm going to skimp on quantity I want to make up for it in quality. You can do this too with any of the larger Perugina eggs that are filled with toys and games. These are hollowed out eggs that can be broken and nibbled on. One can last up to two weeks.You can also try the Godiva's Spring collection where there are four truffles in a billotin. Splurge for a better candy but scrimp on the amount. Besides all that chocolate is not going to taste so good or so fresh weeks from now.

Easter always brings about the dilemma of too much candy. This year think about what to buy. Maybe you just want to pare down with one item of a good brand . Maybe you want to try a few traditional candies in your Easter basket. The best bet is don't go overboard. Just hop down the simplest and the wisest bunny trail or route.