This is one of Little Princess’ new shoes that I got for $2.00 and yes they are only size 3 – yep size 3 for her tiny feet 
First - Recently I have been reading about so many people whose jobs are in jeopardy or who have been asked to take pay cuts (I will not be linking to any of them for the sake of their privacy) and to tell you the truth I became a tad concerned for our now one income family. I finally set Aaron down and said so tell me how secure is your job…I love his company and it has been around for some time and he is one of the employees that has been with the company for so many years I have stopped counting (though the company has not). He told me his job is secure and that we will be OK – even though we are still trying to get to that “perfect” budget which means I need to get on top of that as I have offered to take over some of that so that he does not have to work and keep track of all of that. I really think that we are doing ok with the budget as we rarely eat out anymore because (1) has anyone ever tried to eat out with two toddlers who until recently could not feed themselves and still have a hot meal yourselves and (2) I have been able to plan some meals that are pretty budget friendly (Thanks Jen for being a kick in my rear on that – she wrote a great post that I am just too tired to link back to specifically, sorry) – including shopping lists, coupons etc… and we have both not been doing that much shopping period because no time and no money. I have started Amazon wishlists for myself and both kids (and Aaron as well but he has added NOTHING to his list) – I add anything I see that I would like the kids to have or would like myself to this wishlist and then anyone can use it to get the gifts! (I believe my Valentine’s gift from Aaron came from my wishlist….not sure yet though.) Also, we are going to shop our local Mothers of Multiples sale for spring and summer clothing for them (or at least what we feel we may need). I am really trying very hard to do fun things with Little Man and Little Princess (and as a family) as well as save money right now so any other money saving tips would be greatly appreciated…
Second- I am starting to think ahead to upcoming holidays and some traditions that we as a family should look forward to such as Valentine’s Day and Easter. We plan to take Little Man and Little Princess to the zoo that is less than a block from our house on Saturday so that they can help celebrate the local bear’s birthday and maybe have a little fun! We will dress in green and eat some fun food for St. Patrick’s Day (Aaron’s family is Irish…). Then we come to Easter – a LARGE topic of discussion in our house. This year probably will not matter so we have some time to make some decisions here BUT we would like to start some things this year. For us, church is a MUST on Easter and then an Easter lunch/dinner but this is where our tradition decisions end. The topic of discussion at our house is the Easter Bunny (we had this huge discussion about Santa Clause as well – the decision there is still a little up in the air). So I thought I would pose our issues to all of you and see what everyone has to say (for those related know that we would only be doing this ourselves and not be putting any rules or restrictions on any relatives just like Christmas) – here are our points in no specific order and our discussions change daily on what is the way to do this so all view points are welcome, I just ask that you be respectful to each other and us.
- We believe that the real reason to celebrate Easter is the resurrection of Jesus – that is what our children should be told about and should be celebrated. So do we leave Easter at only a celebration of the resurrection with no mention of the Easter Bunny, no died eggs, no candy, nothing at all, etc…
- If we introduce the Easter Bunny to our children then how do we do so in a way that still leaves the resurrection as the number one part of the celebration and not the Easter Bunny, gifts and candy (or even Easter clothing – which I will admit I am so excited to make or look at)?
- If we do not introduce the Easter Bunny what happens when our children begin to attend school and hear about this bunny…how do we handle that?
- We do not really want to support telling our child that this Bunny exists and then later saying oh sorry it is just Mommy and Daddy and later having to explain why we are not just making up God and Jesus and they are not just Mommy and Daddy (we actually have figured out how to do this with Santa Clause but there is a Saint that had something to do with Santa Clause and that helps – if you want to know our thoughts on that let me know and I will share)
- Our hope is to respect our faith and our beliefs and not totally deprive our children of normal childhoods and we managed to find a way for Christmas now please help us with Easter
This Grandma thinks that if you stress the religious importance and that is the orgin of the holiday you can still introduce such things as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. As the children get older you can explain how the tradition of Santa claus and the EB came about and why they are now held in conjunction with the religions holidays.
I believe Childcraft has this info. And you can look it up in our set.
First, money saving tips: Target and Old Navy clearance racks. I have found things for as little as $0.75. When you find cute things that cheap, buy a couple of different sizes (assuming the article of clothing is not so trendy that it would be hideously unstylish by the time they reach the next size).
Second, the Easter Bunny: I know what you mean. We do Santa and the Easter Bunny around here, but I have wondered if finding out they aren’t real will make my kids question whether God, also, is something we just made up. However, we’ve come to the conclusion that since we go to church every week to learn about and worship God and Jesus, and Santa and the bunny only come up once a year, there probably won’t be much confusion about all that. I do still think that if I could start over as a parent I would give Santa and EB a smaller role in everything, but I’m not sure how I would do it. I wouldn’t cut them out though. Good luck figuring that one out!
Oooo – Easter. In my opinion, the Bunny and Jesus (and Santa too for that matter) are all separate beings/events. The Bunny and Santa show up for specific religious holidays, as celebratory characters. Jesus, well he’s there all the time. I notice a big difference between kids that go to church and kids that don’t and what their interpretation of Easter is. (The ones who don’t go tie it in much more to the Bunny than those who do… ditto for Santa and Christmas) FWIW – The Easter Bunny showed up at my house while we were *at* church. No church, no Bunny. I thought that was pretty witty of my parents.
I am a coupon nut. My family and friends are shocked how I can walk in a store and walk out with 6 bags of groceries and only spend 30.00. look for store who double coupons. I also sale my baby stuff throught the mulitple if mother here in Pittsburgh. I do not have mulitples. but the let me join and they get 20% of what ever I sale to put towards their club. I have done wonders through them. I Made 500.00 one time and 250.00 the next time. Also my friend and I switch clothes for our children we mark back of the tag with our intails and if her son is done with shoes or clothes and Jacob can fit them I take it…use it then give it back so she can sell them. Target and Old Navy clearance racks. also the outlets childrens place will have things clearanced for .99 usually for the next season.
I also picked up a house to clean …. 1 time 2 times a week. Also if you like going to the pool look into a membership…we saved as a family doing that. Also make your life easier…. walmart price matches…bring those other store adds.
Walmart is not alway cheaper… Use Craigslist to buy or sale old items.
Also sometimes if you call certain manufratures of products and tell them how much you like something … they make send you free products or samples and coupons….
Just some ideas
I really have no thoughts on the easter bunny…. I think you can teach them both. But its all what your comfortable with
What works for us:
Easter: WE give our son a little Easter basket filled with a few treats, a small toy and a new outfit. It is our way to help celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, while still incorporating a few Easter novelties. We dye eggs, but eat them with our Easter dinner…I think you can emphasize the true meaning of the holiday while still enjoying some of the novelties that have come about. Easter egg hunts, etc., are still fun, but not the ‘main’ focus…We have no plans of letting our son really believe that there is an Easter bunny (or Santa) but still find ways to incorporate them and their fun stories.
Everyone has different traditions. Only you will know what is right for your family. And most likely, you will change things up as you go along…
Awesome pictures!!! So sharp and vibrant! Good job!
The bunny stays as does the fat man! Seriously, you need to chill.
We had the same thoughts… we wanted to focus on the real meaning of Easter on Sunday… so what we do (which we learned from a friend) is to have the EB come on Saturday. Along with the normal goodies in the basket, we also have things that are “religious” in nature, like Veggie Tale DVD’s, coloring books, etc. A lot of people in our neighborhood do this, so it doesn’t set our kids apart from their friends. (Well, except some of their friends get stuff like swingsets and bikes from the EB, and our kids get things like sidewalk chalk. LOL!)
ugh. i hear you. my husband lost his job and it has been so awful. it is so easy to spend money when you have a kid/s. but i am a big believer in hand me down clothes. dont know how i would have done w/out them. lulu would have been naked most days, i swear!
your kids are so adorable. they are getting BIG!
Adorable photos. Your kids get cuter by the day! About the Easter thing. Don’t over think it too much. I grew up knowing the true meaning of Easter and still getting to enjoy the fun easter egg hunts and easter bunny as well. My parents always told us the Easter story on Easter, we went to church and then we had a great meal with family followed by a super duper fun easter egg hunt. It was always one of my favorite holidays, and still is. Your kids are going to feel like they are missing out by not getting to do the bunny/ egg hunt stuff when all of their other friends are. You can have both, it’s possible. Let them be kids, enjoy the fun traditions we have here in America, but just make sure they know the story behind the holidays. They’ll understand (when they are ready to) the difference between make believe and real life.