Goodbye Easter Bunny...

When does the Easter Bunny quit visiting?  Or Santa or the tooth fairy?  I know the general rule of if you don't believe you don't receive, but what if you're the reason they don't believe anymore? My mom ruined it for me when I was probably 8 years old and then I went on to ruin it for my siblings, but (maybe out of guilt) Santa still came well into high school at my house.  As for my poor sweet SLou, I ruined all of them for her at the very same time.  I felt terrible.  She totally caught me off guard.  I don't even remember exactly how it went down.  I remember we were in the car about a year ago...and she was questioning EVERYTHING!!  Maybe she was spending the night at her dad's or somewhere else and was worried that the Easter Bunny wouldn't be able to find her or something.  I honestly can't recall.  I could probably ask her...and she'd probably be able to recite the whole conversation verbatim, but I really don't want to open old wounds.  It went something like this: "You're the Easter Bunny, aren't you?" And I just couldn't make myself play along anymore...so I said "yes".  "What about Santa Clause and the tooth fairy? Is that you too?"  "Yep."  "So you've been lying to me all these years?"  "Well, I wouldn't say I was lying.  But haven't I been a pretty awesome Easter Bunny & Santa Clause?"  "NOOOO!!!"  <---This was only said out of hurt.  She later took it back and told me that I really was a great Santa Clause, way better than the one that comes to her dad's house.  SCORE!!!

So this year, since Beelay was headed to the beach before Easter.  I decided instead of doing an Easter basket for her, I'd do a super cool road trip care package.  I filled a beach bag (off the clearance rack) with all kinds of goodies.  Magazines, word search books, new flip flops, candy, snacks and a book (she prob. won't read).  It was awesome!!  She was stoked.  Mama scores again!!

But here's my dilemma now.  SLou saw most of the goodies and knows that they took the place of Beelay's Easter basket.  Now she's expecting some BAD ASS super stuffed Easter Basket.  I'm stumped.  I have no idea what to put in her Easter Basket.  She's of course requested a chocolate bunny...which if I haven't procrastinated too long and there's still some on the shelves at Walgreen's, I'll probably get her one.  But I don't want to fill it with a bunch of candy and junk...and that is what describes SLou's definition of BAD ASS!!  Plus, I've been home with her for spring break for the past 3 days and Stella's in the shop...so sneaking away to do a little shopping has proven near impossible.  Maybe she'd be happy with a chocolate bunny and a $20?  Some how it doesn't seem right though.  It's insane how much easier it is to pick out cool stuff for a 13 year old than it is for a 10 year old.  10 year olds love CRAP!!  Pure and simple...I could just go to the Dollar Tree and fill up a basket with junk and she'd be in heaven for about 30 minutes and then she'd never touch the CRAP again and it would be in the trash by week's end.  GAH!!!

I know, I know, I know!!  Easter is not about the bunny and the basket and the candy and the eggs.  It's about Jesus rising from the dead.  I grew up in the church.  The meaning isn't lost on me or my kids.  But the Easter loot is something they look forward to every year...and every year I feel like I have to out do myself from the year before.  I've done this to myself...and I'm kicking myself in the ass as we speak.  I miss the days when they were both happy with some bubbles, sidewalk chalk and a pack of new panties.  HA!!

I'll let y'all know how it ends up...until then, have a great weekend and a Happy Easter!!

Update: I finally escaped to do my shopping. I'm pretty sure SLou will be happy come morning. Minimal candy and everything else is stuff I'd have to buy anyway.