Easter Fun

Yet another Holiday has passed us by but not without some fanfare on my part.  Easter is a fun holiday.  There is no pressure to give gifts or make a fancy meal.  You don't have to go all out with decorations.  No hustle and bustle of last minute stress prep. Basically it's not Christmas so you make the day as special as you want to make it.

I like to make Easter baskets for my kids but I also like to keep them simple.  There is no need to spend hundreds of dollars on the baskets, as Easter gifts tend to be fun, inexpensive small items that fit inside a basket or bucket for the kids to enjoy on Easter Sunday and the days and weeks ahead.

This year, we kept to our tradition with our annual Easter scavenger egg hunt.  I hide the baskets and the kids follow clues in search of said baskets.  I keep the day fun and special but laid back and stress free.  Breakfast was a simple meal of french toast, store bought beef patties and strawberries.

Hubby took the kids to the park for an hour or so and soon after that, dinner was served.  Our Easter meal was delicious and again simple: breaded tilapia, salad, mashed potatoes and chilli beans with a chocolate cake from the local bakery for dessert. 

I love to go all out for each holiday, making them special and memorable for my children.  But I like simple and simplicity is key when it comes to enjoying the holidays.  Having a good balance of making the day special but keeping it simple is what celebrations are all about.

Celebrating A Milestone Birthday

Eighteen is such a milestone year.  It signifies so much.  It seems like just another number but for a teenager, it is a huge turning point in their life.  Celebrating your 18th birthday is a big deal as it means you are no longer considered a child.  You are legally and officially an adult and that comes with certain responsibilities that can shape the rest of your adult future.

On March 28th, my oldest son celebrated his 18th year of life.  Now, my son is not your typical teenager therefore, he is not your typical 18 year old.  He is a homebody and very much childlike when it comes to what he likes and things that interest him.  For instance, he would much rather stay home and play video games or watch Marvel movies than go out to a club or to the bar (18 is the legal drinking age in Costa Rica).  He is a simple kid so it was no surprise that he wanted a simple celebration for his birthday.

On his actual day, which luckily for us was the week of Spring Break, we headed to Chuck E Cheese for a day of arcade fun.  Chuck E Cheese is new to Costa Rica and recently opened their doors to the public.  My son remembers me taking him to Chuck e Cheese's when he was younger back in Boston.  So he was feeling nostalgic and wanted to relive a part of his childhood for the day.

We ended up spending a good few hours at the Chuck e Cheese arcade, eating pizza, playing games  and trying to win as many tickets as we could.  But the day wasn't over after we finished up at Chuck's.  We were celebrating an 18th birthday.  We needed to go big or go home.  So we headed to the mall in Heredia (Paseo de las Flores) for some dinner at Subway and Quiznos and then dashed off to the Jump Center Trampoline Park that's located inside the mall.  Another hour and some change of jumping to our hearts content and we were ready to head home.  We had spent a good part of the day out celebrating and by the end of the evening we were ready for some down time.  But before we left the mall, we made a pit stop at Dairy Queen and picked up a Snickers Ice Cream cake.

Sometimes simplicity is key and keeping things simple makes it all the more special.

I Have This Feeling

I have a sneaky feeling that Spring break will fly by and we'll have nothing to show for it, except maybe a few late mornings and even later nights, afternoons spent on the PS4 and lots and lots of watching TV shows and movies. 

I want to plan to DO things, like taking the kids to the park and the museum.  Taking them to Chuck e Cheese for the very first time.  Maybe even a day trip to the beach for some RandR.  But I don't know if we'll get to do any of those things.  The park maybe.  Chuck e Cheese is a strong possibility.  The beach, probably not.  And I think we're kind of over the museum for a while. 

It's nice to have plans, especially fun things to do when the kids are on break from school.  But it's so much easier to just stay at home, lounge all day and do absolutely nothing.  Does that make me a bad mom?  Depends on who you ask.  My kids are happy just being home.  They love going out and having fun too but if we don't, it's not the end of the world (hopefully). 

I'll probably make plans to take them someplace fun and if the weather is nice, we will more than likely spend a lot of time outside playing. Kids sometimes just need to be kids and enjoy their childhood too and nothing says childhood more than a regular day outdoors kicking the ball about and just playing. That's all they really need.  Not fancy expensive day trips. 

So, like I said, I have a sneaky feeling Spring break will be spent mainly at home, doing a lot of nothing.  And we're all fine with that.

Meeting Chase

It's not a super big deal, but we met Chase.  Yes, Chase!  The pup from the popular preschooler kid cartoon Paw Patrol.  It just so happens that my 4 year old is a big fan and so when the opportunity arose for him to have the chance to meet one of his favorite cartoon characters, we took it.

It was a quick meeting.  And without all the fanfare that can be caused when it comes to meeting popular TV characters.  At first, my little boy refused to take a picture with Chase.  He would of course say hi and shyly give him a high five.  But a picture was out of the question, until it was time for us to leave.  He not only took one picture with Chase but two and now we will have this memory for a lifetime.

Looking Forward To A Break

Spring break is coming.  It's just around the corner and I cannot wait.  Technically, here in Costa Rica, kids don't get a Spring break.  The term they use is Holy Week.  Kids get a week off from school the week before Easter Sunday and Costa Ricans take the opportunity to go on vacation.  When you go outside and notice how sparse the streets look with hardly a car in sight you wonder if the entire country went to the beach.

For me, the school year has been amazing up to now.  I love the kids' new school.  I love the hours, the ethics, the workload.  I love it all.  It has been a good year thus far so it's not like I am in desperate need for a break.  But a nice week off will be a welcome change from the 6am wake up calls and the day in and day out routine of getting uniforms ready, packing lunches and getting homework done. 

The kids are anxiously looking forward to the week off, as any kid would.  A nice break from school work and just being at school in general will do them some good to unwind and relax.  More time spent in front of the TV or playstation I am sure.  But I will also make sure we have a few fun days outside, enjoying this warm weather we've been having.

As of yet, we have no plans for the school break.  My oldest son turns 18 on the 28th and that is a HUGE deal and a cause for celebration, but as it is HIS birthday and not mine, I await his suggestions of ways we can celebrate his 18th year of life.  We had plans to celebrate at the beach but as it is one of the busiest times of year for vacationers, we were out of luck finding a hotel at a reasonable price that was available.  Honestly though, it doesn't matter how we celebrate,  as long as we do and we will.  And we will also enjoy our Easter break, soaking up the freedom it brings.

Getting All The Things

I will be the first to admit that I have a bit of a problem when it comes to shopping.  I don't have a shopping problem necessarily but I do have to be conscious of how much I spend and reign myself in at times with how many things I buy, especially when it comes to the kids and holidays.

Easter is coming up and with it, Easter baskets and Easter eggs.  Baskets need to be filled, eggs need to be filled, so on and so forth.  I, personally,  like to keep Easter simple but lets face it, I have a hard time simplifying any 'major' holiday.  I do try though so this year, I went for a more minimal approach when it came to the kids Easter baskets and the filler items that go in them. 

I also like to keep holidays budget friendly because I do love a good deal.  But even when I find items on a budget, buying a lot of those more affordable items can add up.  I have to remind myself that it is only Easter, not their birthday or Christmas, so there is no need for me to bombard my children with more stuff they don't need. 

So Easter this year will be simplified as much as I can simplify the holiday without taking away everything that I love.  I still want the holidays to be special because kids are young only once for such a short amount of time and I like to take advantage of that.  I like to make sure that Easter baskets are fun and exciting but not be too overwhelming.  So for 2018, I made sure to get a few fun items I know the kids will love along with a few practical items as well.  That mixed with just a small amount of fun treats, like a chocolate bunny and some jelly beans and Easter baskets are ready to be searched out and found on Easter Sunday.

A Movie Date Day

If you happen to live on earth, you must have heard about a certain movie that has been blowing up the box office lately.  A movie about a place called Wakanda with a king named T'Challa who happens to have panther powers?  I am referring to THAT movie, a marvel of a movie (pun intended), titled Black Panther!  Such an amazing movie with amazing graphics, storyline and characters.  And of course, one of my now all time favorite superheroes.

I finally took the kids to see Black Panther in theaters and it was an afternoon to remember.  The hype was pretty spot on and the movie proved to be  one for the history books.  Finally, a movie with a predominantly black cast and black director shattering box office numbers.  And no coincidence that Black Panther was released in February, a month dedicated to the celebration of black history.

Even though Black Panther is just a movie, it has reignited black pride in so many and given renewed hope to a people still fighting for equality in a time that seems rife with turmoil. Movies are usually meant to entertain us and allow us to escape from our real world problems.  Super hero movies, especially, are meant to be nothing more than a good time, 2 hours of cinematic adventure where the good guys win. 

We should just sit back and enjoy a fictional character in a fictional city fighting fictional bad guys.  But for so many, Black Panther hits too close to home so that the line between fiction and reality seem blurred.  Movies can change the way we see the world, change the way we think, even how we act.  And with Back panther, lets just say black people can start taking their pride back and who knows where that can eventually lead.  Anyway, with all that said, we had a blast at the movies and cannot wait to see Black Panther again.