The Professional Expert

Easter Eggs

Today let’s talk Easter eggs!

It was so much fun to get up on Easter morning and hunt for Easter eggs. My mom would secretly hard-boil and dye the eggs and hide them outside on the patio (we lived in South Florida).

One year there was an awful stink a few weeks after Easter.  You guessed it…one egg was never found.

I also loved eating the eggs for the next few weeks.

But I didn’t follow this tradition with my kids. Here’s why…

Egg shells are porous. You can see this when you peel a dyed Easter egg. There is dye on the white part of the egg. It makes it fun and pretty. But as we discussed with the candy, they are linking artificial colors with behavior problems. I have seen this with my own kids…especially with the red dyes.

One way to go is to use the plastic eggs. They are making them with all sorts of colorful designs now. You can put a coin, sticker, Cheerio, or other small trinket inside.

I did something a little different. When the kids were just starting the Easter egg hunt phase, I bought two dozen decorated wooden eggs. We would put the same eggs out year after year.

We could put them out the night before without worrying about rain or other egg-lovers getting to them. The kids would collect them in the morning. Since there were two dozen, we knew when they were done. Then they would sit on the table as a decoration for about a week and then disappear until next year.

The kids never questioned why the Easter bunny would hide the same eggs year after year. I guess they just figured that is how it worked.

Of course, they probably didn’t realize that they were the exact same eggs because one year after Easter, they, along with the neighbor children, were seen rolling them down the storm drain in front of our house.

No one could understand why I was so upset!

The Easter bunny then switched to plastic.

For those why are “dye”-hard fans of the colored Easter eggs, we’ll talk about how to color them tomorrow.

Easter Candy

Easter is coming up, so let’s talk candy!

I used to love the little chocolate Easter eggs and the big chocolate bunny. My sister loved the jelly beans and gummies. Obviously I am the chocolate lover, and she just loves the fruit flavors! So we would set up a candy trade on Easter morning.

Now with my own kids, I have one of each. My son just loves the chocolate, and my daughter loves the fruit flavors.

So at Easter, I want to include a little candy in the baskets. But…have you seen what is in that stuff?

Since they are now linking artificial colors and flavors to behavior problems, getting a basket of that stuff in the morning would just be asking for a meltdown at Easter dinner. 

Luckily, there are options out there.

When looking for candy, here are some things to avoid:
Artificial Colors
Artificial Flavors (this includes vanillin)
Preservatives (including BHA, BHT, TBHQ)
Artificial Sweeteners (including Aspartame and sucralose)
High fructose corn syrup

So what is a parent to do? Here are some options:

If you have a health food store near by or a health food section in your local grocery store, start there first. The have some good options.

Now, I realize that “healthy” candy may not taste the same as the stuff found by the checkout stand, but there are a few good options out there.  You may need to try some different brands to see what you and your kids like.

Brands and varieties vary based on where you are in the country, but here are a few things that my kids really like.

Gummi Bears – Let’s Do…Organic – They have a variety of types of gummi stuff
Jelly beans – Sun Ridge Farms Jolly Beans
Lollipops – Yummy Earth –unusual yummy flavors – Just bought a bunch of these online at www.yummyearth.com
Chocolate – Green & Blacks, Newman’s Own, and Tropical Source

I know there are also natural marshmallow options such as from AllerEnergy (www.allerenergy.com), but we haven’t tried them yet.

Some of the traditional brands such as Brach All Natural line or R.M. Palmer may also not have the artificial stuff in them. Read the ingredients list.

Let me know what you found that you really like.

If you are interested in learning more about the links between diet and behavior, check out the Feingold Association at www.feingold.org .

Filling the Easter Baskets

What do you put in the kids’ Easter baskets? Candy is an obvious choice, but there are many other options.

The most memorable thing I got in my Easter basket as a kid was a diary.  I can still picture it. It was dark green “leather” with “Diary” written in gold on the front and a gold lock and key. It was so awesome I was afraid to write in it!

The Easter baskets at my house tend to have a variety of things in them. There is some candy (we’ll cover candy tomorrow), but I really don’t want Easter to be another candy-oriented holiday.

Books are a favorite thing for the Easter bunny to bring.  Puzzle books, Newberry Award winners, “how to” books, and, of course, diaries find their way into the baskets.

Games are also a favorite. This is a great way to introduce games you played as a kid. These can include card games, jacks, jump-ropes, and travel-size games such as Mastermind, checkers, and Connect-Four.

Adding to collections can also be a nice surprise on Easter morning. If there is anything your child is collecting, i.e. cards, figurines, stickers, etc., these can be included in the basket.

And don’t forget office supplies. I am not sure why, but kids seem to love office supplies. You can include Post-It notes, letter writing supplies (including stamps), pens, highlighters, and special paper.

Make it simple. You don’t have to stuff the basket. Just a few simple items are fine.

And if you don’t like the green plastic “grass” and its special way of finding its way all over your house, you don’t have to include it!

Tomorrow we’ll talk candy!

Easter Baskets

Mrs. Professional Expert here…

When my kids were little and ready for Easter baskets and Easter egg hunts, I thought back to my Easter mornings growing up. I wanted to incorporate the fun and magic of Easter morning while incorporating healthier, more Earth-conscious ideas. I am hijacking the blog so I can let you know what I came up with. Let’s start with Easter baskets…

Growing up, I had a new Easter basket every year. It was typically a small plastic basket with a really long handle. After Easter, there was not much use for it. It would typically get mashed up and thrown away after a few weeks. Seems a little wasteful.

When my kids were little, I got two deep, sturdy plastic buckets. They did look a little like Easter baskets, so I probably got them in the Easter section of some store.

I wrote their names on them, and we used them year after year. The rest of the year they held cars, shells, cards, and whatever else needed a home.

The night before Easter, the kids put them on the kitchen table for the Easter Bunny to fill, kind of like stockings at Christmas.

A few years ago, they both wanted more updated Easter baskets, feeling that they were too old for the plastic buckets. So, after Easter we cruised the aisles and found some great Easter baskets for ½ off. Now they put those out the night before Easter.

One woman I know bought Longaberger baskets (think $$) for each of her girls. The baskets are only used at Easter and then put up for the rest of the year. But as her girls grow and move out of the house, they can take their baskets with them as a special keepsake.

Tomorrow…What to put in the baskets!

How to Change the Oil Yourself…

Changing the oil yourself is not that difficult. It just takes about 45 minutes and a willingness to crawl under the car and get dirty.

If you want give it a try, you will need:

Parts List:

• Oil – Find the specifications and quantity you will need for your vehicle in the owner’s manual. We usually use 4 or 5 quarts.
  
• Filter – Filters are pretty much all the same. You can spend anywhere from $2 to $15 on an oil filter. Some will say the more expensive one is the best. I use something that is mid-range. There are really only three different places that make filters, despite all of the different brands out there. When you change the oil you must change the filter.
  
• Pan to catch the oil – It needs to hold that 4 or 5 quarts that will drain out. Auto parts stores carry a container that is made specifically for this purpose that can be closed up so you don’t spill any oil. Trying to use old oil containers would get really messy really fast.
  
• Wrench to fit the oil plug – The owners manual will tell you where to look, and may tell you the size. (I think they know so why don’t they put it in there?) 
  
• Oil filter wrench – The wrench is for taking off the old filter, not putting on the new one.
  
• Ramps – Many cars are so low that you cannot fit underneath (or I have just gotten bigger), so it is good to have ramps to raise the car.
  
• Rags – You will get oil on your hands.
  
• Kitty Litter – It soaks up spills.
  
• Funnel – for pouring in new oil

It is best to wait an hour or so after you have last driven the car so that things can cool off a bit – but you want to make sure it is “warm.”  The engine should still be somewhat hot to the touch.  I go to the parts store and get my oil and filter, come home and eat lunch before I start working on it. That seems to work pretty well.

Instructions:

Drive the car up on the ramps, shut off the engine, and set the parking brake.

Place the drain pan under the oil plug and remove the plug.

After the oil has slowed to a drip, replace the plug and tighten firmly.

Place the pan under the filter and unscrew the filter a little bit; be careful, oil will drain around the filter as soon as it becomes unseated. 

Once the oil stops coming out around the filter, remove the filter completely.  Make sure the rubber seal comes off with it. The old filter should look just like the new one, so you can compare and see where the seal is.

Now you are ready to install the new filter. 

First, put a little oil on the seal. You can use the dirty oil in the pan or, if you got oil on your fingers, just wipe a bit on the seal.

Now screw the new filter on until it touches, then turn it ¾ of a turn further. That is as tight as it needs to be.

Check that you tightened the drain plug. I forgot this step once and put 5 quarts of new oil in my drain pan!

You are now ready to go up top and put in the new oil.  I find it best to use a funnel to prevent spills.

After you have put the new oil in, replace the cap and use the dipstick to check the oil level.  The level should be well over the “add” mark. The oil has not made it through all of the passages and through the oil filter yet, so it will read high.
 
Now clean off your hands and start the engine. The oil light may take a couple seconds to go out, but it should go out. 

Check under the car to see if there are any leaks around the plug or the filter.  If so, shut off the engine and tighten them ¼ turn.  This should stop the leaks.

Now you just have to clean up and dispose of the old oil!

What do I do with the old oil? 

Please don’t pour the oil on the ground, in a hole, or down the storm drain!  At best this can be a slick, dirty mess and at worst, the oil could end up in your drinking water.

So, where do you take it?

The most likely candidate is the auto parts store where you bought the new oil. The parts store usually has a recycle tank.  When you buy the oil, even if it is from a big-box store like Wal-Mart, ask if they will take the old oil. Sometimes they will take the old oil if you buy your new oil there, but they don’t advertise it or make it obvious since taking old oil is probably a pain for them.

The local dump may also have a recycling or waste disposal center that accepts oil. You can also check the local “quicky-lube” place. They already have lots of oil to get rid of!

Depending on your drain pan, you may be able to take in the whole pan and dump it. This is where the sealable pan from the auto parts store comes in handy. You can also carefully pour the oil into the bottles the new stuff came in and take them in.

Changing the oil yourself not only saves a couple of bucks, but also gives you the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself.