Jellybean Poem

Here is another easy Easter idea. The girls and I had fun dividing up jellybeans by color (a good sorting activity), putting one of each into baggies (one-to-one correspondence), and then tying them up with a bow (okay, I did that part). Then we delivered them to our neighbors to share the real meaning of Easter. We made these at my MOPS group last year (the picture of the girls is from last year, too).
Here is the poem, by Charlene Dickensen:

Red is for the blood He gave.
Green is for the grass He made.
Yellow is for the sun so bright.
Orange is for the edge of night.
Black is for the sins we made.
White is for the grace He gave.
Purple is for the hour of sorrow.
Pink is for our new tomorrow.
A bag full of Jellybeans
So colorful and sweet,
is a prayer, is a promise,
is a loved one's treat.

For more Easter activities, go here and here and here.

Resurrection Eggs

One tradition my family enjoys each year to incorporate the real meaning of Easter are Resurrection Eggs. They are a set of plastic eggs filled with items to help tell the story of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. You can buy a set for $6.99 here, or you can make a set of your own! All you need is an egg carton, 12 plastic eggs, and a set of symbols to put inside, as well as some verses to go along with them.

There are different versions of Resurrection Eggs, so I'll make a list of the versions I've found and you can pick and choose to assemble your set, keeping in mind the order of the story.

1. Bread/Cracker OR Palm Branch/Leaf OR Donkey (a picture would work)
2. Cup OR Coins
3. Coins OR Praying hands OR Purple cloth
4. Praying hands OR Coins OR Thorns
5. Leather Strip
   
6. Cross OR Thorns
   
7. Nails OR Cross
8. Sponge OR Dice OR "King of the Jews" Sign
9. Spear/Toothpick OR Sponge
10. Gauze/Linen OR Spices/Cinnamon Stick OR Spear
11. Stone
12. Empty!
    

Verses:
Donkey: Mark 15:7
Palm Branch: Mark 15:8-10
Bread: Matthew 26:26
Cup: Matthew 26:27
Praying Hands: Matthew 26:36
Coins: Matthew 26:14-15
Purple Cloth: Mark 15:17
Thorns: Matthew 27:29
Leather Strip: Mark 15:15
Cross: John 19:17
Nails: John 20:25
Dice: Matthew 27:35
Sponge: Matthew 27:48
Sign: Luke 23:38
Spear: John 19:34
Gauze: Mark 15:46
Spices: John 19:40
Stone: Matthew 27:59-60
Empty Tomb: Matthew 28:6

I recommend numbering the eggs on the outside, so you know which egg to open first. You can also print out the verses and cut them up to put inside each egg or leave them all together and keep the verse list with the set. Our family likes to take turns hiding the eggs. Then the girls find them and put them in the egg carton and once we have them all, we go through them in order, retelling the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. Have fun making your set!

Want a yummy recipe that ties in the story of Jesus' resurrection?
Try Resurrection Crescents!
Do you have any fun traditions to tie in the real meaning of Easter?

For more Easter ideas, visit the Easter Egg-Stravaganza!

Redbox Ongoing Codes

Haven't tried Redbox before? Maybe the free Mondays and Wednesdays haven't worked for your schedule. That's okay! You can use code REDBOX* to try your first rental for free on any day that works for you!

*This code only works for first-time Redbox customers. If you have rented from Redbox before and want to try this code, you could try a different credit/debit card and email address.

Other ongoing codes: BREAKROOM or DVDONME or SHPNSVE2

Unlike the free codes every Monday, these are ongoing codes. They can be used once per credit/debit card, so you can rent more than one for free by using different cards.

Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!

Resurrection Crescents

Pick up the fixin's for this yummy Easter treat! (There are coupons for crescent rolls on my blue coupon bar!) These are SO good, you'll want to double the recipe. It's a fun project for the kids to help you with, and to illustrate the story of Easter and Jesus' resurrection.

Resurrection Crescents
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
8 large marshmallows
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Separate rolls into eight triangles. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Dip each marshmallow (Jesus' body) into butter, roll in cinnamon-sugar and place on a triangle (explain that Jesus' friends put spices on His body and wrapped it in cloths). Pinch dough around marshmallow, sealing all edges. Dip tops of dough into remaining butter and cinnamon-sugar. Place with sugar side up on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in oven (tomb) at 375 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes. Serve warm. During the baking, the marshmallows melt and when you open the roll, it is empty inside! He is not here! He is risen!

*Some recipes say to put these in muffin tins. They get very sticky and messy, and I've found that cleaning off a flat cookie sheet or baking pan is a lot easier than cleaning muffin tins.

For more Easter ideas, visit Kingdom First Mom!

Firsts

We had a couple firsts this week. F went on her first plane ride to visit Grammie and Grampie. She and I went for a long weekend and had a wonderful time hanging out with my parents. Here is a picture of her looking out the window of the plane.



For the second first. . .
Do you notice anything missing in this picture of H?
She lost her first tooth this morning at church! Anyone know the going rate for lost teeth these days?

New Coupons to Print

It's the beginning of the month and that means new coupons to print! Head to my blue coupon bar to print off the ones you are interested in before they are gone! Some that stand out to me:

• Various coupons for Big G Cereals
• $1 off Yo-Plus Yogurt (doubled makes cheap yogurt!)
• $0.55 off Betty Crocker frosting (doubled makes this cheaper than generic)
• $0.50 off Betty Crocker Cookie Mix
  
• $1.50/2 Kotex liners (use at Walmart on the $1 packages!)
  
• $2/2 Kotex pads
• Various Pillsbury coupons (doubled makes these cheaper than generic)
• $0.50 Cottonelle Toilet Paper
• $1/4 Scott Paper Towels
• $0.75 off Bisquick

You should be able to set your printer to print your coupons in black and white to save some money on ink. Also, go to Walgreens this week to get a free after rebate printer cartridge refill!

Free Movie Tonight

I thought the free movie Wednesdays were only through March, but there's one for today, too! The Redbox code for tonight only is MMM401. You can use it once per credit/debit card. Anyone seen any good movies lately?