Easter Basket Ideas

Happy Holy Week! As my kids get older, it is exciting to create meaningful discussions and start new traditions with them, and this year, my husband and I have decided it’s time to spend more focused time understanding and discussing Holy Week with our children.

Although we’re still researching and picking out ideas that fit our family, one tradition we’ve always done is the Easter Basket. This was something my mom did for my family growing up. She would hide the basket and it was always such fun figuring out where she hid it! Even more exciting was looking through the items my mom had intentionally chosen to gift me with. Every year, I would be so impressed with how well my mom knew me and remembered my interests. From favorite candy to makeup to candy flavored makeup, the basket was always full of thoughtful blessings.

Now that I’m the one in charge of creating those sweet moments for my children, I get the opportunity to design how I want the baskets to be. More recently, minimalism and simple living guide my approach to presents, but even more than that, as a Christian, ‘giving my children good gifts’ and pointing them to their need of Jesus guides my approach even more. You might be thinking, whoah, lady, it’s just an Easter basket! And you know what, it is totally fine if that’s what it is. But for me, I just can’t help but long to make things meaningful and to weave in teaching into everything we do.

So if you happen to be in that camp, or you’re just here for some ideas, welcome to this journey with me! I want to share some non-candy and minimal clutter Easter Basket ideas with you. I hope these ideas can help you create personalized Easter Baskets for your kids while avoiding clutter!

Good Ideas for Easter Baskets:

Let’s chat through the Dos of Easter baskets.

• Set a budget - In a world full of commercialism and heavy marketing, it’s so easy to fall into a consumer mentality and think you must buy all the things for your children. However, it’s just not true. You don’t have to. Set a budget of what you realistically can and want to spend on Easter baskets. Then stick to it.

• Set a goal and meaning for why you are giving gifts on Easter - Similar to Christmas time, decide why you are even giving gifts on this holiday. This will help you pick gifts that coincide with what you are celebrating. For example, my family celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This Resurrection serves as payment for our sins and allows anyone who believes in Him as Lord and Savior the ability to have new life in Him. This theme of new is complimented by a basket of new items, especially when they replace old worn down items like crayons or paints. Additionally, Jesus’ sacrifice was an incredible gift we didn’t earn or deserve but He gave anyway! The way Jesus gives is such an example to me, and I love giving to my children in reflection of Him. 

• Select items that need to be “made new” - Like I just mentioned, in the theme of new life in Christ paired with the new life of nature, Easter baskets are great for replacing items. Here are some areas to give you ideas: art supplies, socks or underwear, slippers, outside toys, beach toys. For older kids, you might consider keychains, wallets, purses, bags, hair tools, shoes, or phone covers.

• Consider replacing candy with favorite snacks or drinks - A favorite and easy item for Easter baskets is candy! However, if you have little children, you might be trying to limit how much candy they get from you, especially if they receive candy from school or Easter Egg Hunts already. Instead of candy, you could gift favorite snacks or maybe snacks you don’t usually buy because they’re more expensive. I’m sure teens would love seeing some of their favorite drinks they don’t always get to have in their basket - guilt free!

• Choose items that encourage your child - Select items that encourage your child in their gifts, talents, and interests. If your child is an artist, maybe select special art supply that encourages them to draw more! If your child loves sports, maybe gifting them new sport gear or even something for their room. Giving gifts that show your child you ‘see them, know them, and love them where they are’ is what makes a present meaningful.

Don’t put this in an Easter Basket:

Now, let’s talk about things I suggest staying away from. The root of this list is to help you avoid clutter entering your home. The best step in living a simple lifestyle is by limiting what gets in the home in the first place. As you may know, once it is in the house, it becomes a lot harder to get rid of!

• Don’t let your focus be on the amount of items - Avoid thinking you need a lot of items to make a wonderful Easter basket. Sometimes I think of the Harry Potter scene where Dudley is complaining about not having as many presents as the year before. Instead of worrying about a certain amount of gifts, limit by amount you spend and choose quality items over quantity.

• Don’t gift things you don’t want them to have - Hate slime? Don’t buy it. It’s as simple as that. Don’t want them to have candy? Don’t buy it. There are so many other options that you can bless your child without the stress of unwanted items in your home. 

• Don’t gift items they already have too many of - As much as they love Barbies or Legos, if they already have a lot, maybe hold off for now. Sure, they’d love another set. Maybe you just save that for birthdays. Consider keeping clutter in your home down by avoiding items they already have a lot of. Are the other sets overused? Try donating those items so “it’s out with the old, in with the new” rather than both!

• Don’t buy bigger packs just because it is a better deal - I was on the crayon aisle. The amount of crayon packs and choices alone was daunting. I went to grab the smallest one, but then saw the giant mega pack and thought, “oh wow! It seems like a better deal..” and stopped myself. My kids do not need an infinite amount of crayons. That’s hard for them to keep up with. The small pack is just the right size. It can be so tempting to buy a larger pack of items just because it seems like you are getting way more for your money, but remember that it’s okay to spend the money on what you realistically need. Just think about the peace of not having a 100 piece set of something to clean up and remember that is a good deal too!

• Don’t buy things just because you see them - Target dollar spot I’m looking at you! Just avoid it. Just because you see something they will like, does not actually mean it is a gift worth giving. They’ll like many things. But they’ll also forget about those many things. Stores are designed to exploit your weaknesses, so avoid browsing, and stick to what you know they need or want.

Easter Basket Gift Ideas by Age Groups:

Here are some quick Easter basket ideas based on general age groups.

Easter Basket for Infants - Baby snacks (depending on age, you could even put them in Easter eggs for a little surprise), select outfit, swimsuit, hat, sunglasses, next stage sippy cup, table items if needed, travel toy

Easter Basket for Toddlers - Fruit (someone gave me this idea for stockings and I clung to it! Fruit is expensive but they really do love it), coloring books, magic ink books, books in general, pajamas, swimsuit or swim toys, bandaids (the fun character kind because those things are too expensive just to buy on their own), chalk, kite, bubbles, next stage sippy cup, and favorite snacks

Easter Basket for Kids - water balloons, swimsuit, swim gear, water guns, kite, pajamas, travel cup, activity gear (if they are in sports or extracurricular activities you can get them some gear for it), the latest hair trend item (headbands, bows, clips), unique clothing item (team or band shirt), puzzle, book, art supplies, and favorite snacks

Easter Basket for Teens - swimsuit, water balloons, pajamas, socks, the latest hair trend item (headbands, bows, clips), unique clothing item (team or band shirt), organizers for collections (jewelry, hair accessories, Legos, knives), puzzles, books, art supplies, gift card to favorite food place, makeup (specifically what they already wear or something they’ve wanted to try), jewelry, keychains, wallet, travel bags, and favorite snacks/drinks.

I hope this can spark ways to love on your kids this season while also avoiding cluttering your home with unnecessary items! If I missed any great ideas, let me know! 

Happy Easter! He is Risen!

Reasons You Should Hire a Professional Organizer When You Move

Can you imagine being organized from day one of being in your house? Sounds too good to be true, am I right? It is both good and true if you hire a professional organizer to help you!

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Here are some top reasons to hire a professional organizer when you move:

1. It will save you so much time

   Not only can professional organizers unpack and organizer faster than you saving you initial time at move in, but having everything in easy to see places that make sense will save you time every day as you live in your home.

2. It will save you money

   Sure, the initial cost of hiring a professional is expensive. BUT think of all the money you will save not having to buy things you already have simply because you couldn’t find it or didn’t know you already had it. It also saves you money because organizers know the best prices on product and storage systems so you don’t have to waste your money on products that aren’t the best solution for your space.

3. It will bring peace to your home

   Everything have a designated space shortly after moving in will allow your start to your new home to be more peaceful from the beginning. You won’t have to spend countless hours and energy trying to find items, but instead, you can spend it enjoying your new home. You won’t be tripping over boxes or living off of paper plates when all your items have already been stored neatly.

4. It will create good habits

   Having items organized from the beginning allows positive habits to take form. This is especially helpful for children who will quickly form their own habits if not assigned ones. Example: if your child’s toothbrush and toothpaste are given a set place from day one, they are more likely to maintain that order for the rest of their lives than if they were just left to making up their own system (such as leaving it on the counter opened and exposed) and try to break that habit later on. Getting each closet, drawer, and room set up with easy to manage systems sets up each family member for success and good habits.

5. It will spark joy

   All of the other tips are more practical and logical, but at the end of the day, our homes are full of emotions because the people living in them are! It feels good to have a home that looks and feels beautiful while making sense for your family and needs. It is joyful to look around your home and be content with what is around you, and getting organized when you first move in is the best place to start!

Getting organized when you move in really makes a difference! Having professional organizers unpack your boxes and create smart systems for you and your family creates a peaceful home that works for you rather than against you! The Organized Drawer would be honored if you chose us to help you move into your new home! Contact us today for a free consultation!

Top 5 of the Best Mother’s Day Gifts

Finding the perfect gift for the moms in our lives can be so challenging! To help you find a great Mother’s Day gift, here is a list of 5 things a lot of moms really want:

1. Really thoughtful gifts that prove you know her and listen to her with a card telling her why this made you think of her

2. Professional Organizing and/or House Cleaning Service

3. A massage or spa package like nails (by professionals)

4. Time (either time spent with loved ones or time away without feeling guilty)

5. Food (and if needed, schedule the babysitter and arrange all the plans for her so she doesn’t have to work for her own gift)

All of these gift ideas can connect to the 5 Love Languages (which if you’re not familiar with 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman I suggest giving it a read) which are very helpful in knowing for gift giving. Basically we love and receive love in 5 different categories and some categories are more preferred by a person than others. The categories are: Time, touch, service, words of affirmation, and gifts. To figure out which item on the list best fits the mom in your life, you can read the book, take the little quiz, or reflect on comments she has made or responses to gifts given in the past.

• If she asks about your opinion on what she looks like or how she is doing in her job or latest hobby, she might feel loved through hearing how you love her or what you love about her. Number 1 - a thoughtful gift and card telling her how thankful you are for her or how proud you are of her would mean a lot to her. Be specific and thorough in your words. Example: I’m so proud of how hard you work to take care of our family. You sacrifice many things in order to give to our family, and I know it isn’t easy. I love how <insert trait you love about her here> you are, and I have seen you do <give an example of her doing something you love> . You are <insert wonderful adjectives and even throw in a simile or metaphor here>.

• If she expresses frustration with her home and feels she is the only one who helps take care of the house, then she probably would feel very loved if she was gifted an act of service where her loved ones help complete a task for her. Hiring a professional organizer to makeover her space and bring order into her home could be the exact thing for her! Number 2 on the list would be a great fit for these moms and something I personally would love to help with. You of course can browse the rest of my website for more information if you want to take that route.

• If she expresses frustration with her appearance, feeling over stimulated, or often loves holding hands or hugging, then a gift that meets a physical need such as a massage or spa package would be a match! Plus giving her a hug when she gets home all relaxed would just be the icing on the cake!

• If she expresses wanting to spend time with you or just wanting to hang out, quality time sounds right up her alley. Spending focused time together is super valuable and this can be gifted by taking her somewhere she loves just the two of you or sending her off with her friends. What is important here is to make sure her needs and personality are considered and that guilt is far from the gift.

• Okay so this is just because food seems to be a great gift idea always! 😂 Sometimes I feel like food is a love language all on its own (not Gary Chapman’s opinion, just mine). Not having to cook and not having to plan can really help a stressed mom out. Depending on how you do it, you could make this one fit multiple love languages and add on to any gift!

For the mom in our lives, we ultimately want to tell them we love them and how we appreciate what they’ve done for us, but flowers and a store bought card never seem to cut it. And to be honest, even hiring a cleaning service doesn’t express the proper amount of gratitude for everything they’ve done, but it is a beautiful gesture of giving them something that helps them like they’ve helped you! Most importantly, moms love to feel cherished and thought of. We love to be known. No matter what gift idea you go with, if it shows you thought of her, I’m sure she will be grateful! The fact you’ve already read this far shows you really are trying - GOOD for you! I hope you this helps!

Happy Mother’s Day!