Can you believe that Spring is right around the corner?  Daylight Savings Time has kind of slayed me this week, but I’m so happy to have that extra hour of daylight.  Since Easter is extra early this year, I’ve been trying to get my act together to have everything ready – wasn’t it just Christmas?  Sheesh.  Momming is hard work.

Most of you know that I try to be as mindful and eco-conscious as possible around the holidays without making my child a total outcast.  I know she’s going to eat candy containing Red #40, Blue #1 and Yellow #6 food dye someday, somewhere, and I know she is going to want toxic, plastic junk made in China at some point, too.  But right now, I get the privilege of creating and curating her little world, and I want to keep it natural and real for as long as I can.

Have you ever shopped at Terrain?  Their flagship store and nursery in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania is close to my parents’ home, and I love shopping there when I visit.  The atmosphere is dreamy, and there is something for everyone, from the minimalist to the girly-secret-garden-type.  Their merchandise mix is carefully selected, and many of the items they carry are eco-conscious.

Don’t these beautiful Easter baskets look like they’re straight out of a fairy tale?  They are hand-sculpted from grapevine in the USA.

Tim’s Real Easter Basket Grass  is a no-brainer for $12 (one package is enough for two baskets).  I bought mine last year, and it still smells SO good.  It’s grown on an Organic farm in Vermont, so Annabel can chew on it all weekend if she wants and I won’t mind a bit.  (If you do buy plastic Easter grass, try to reuse it every year; it’s made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource, and it’s not recyclable.)

I’m so excited to use this natural egg-dying kit with Annabel.  Eco Kids is one of my favorite brands for Clean, kid-friendly creativity.  This kit comes with three plant-based dyes and a natural crayon for decorating, and grass seed that you can grow right in the coconut husk container!  I’m in eco-yuppy heaven.

Some of my favorites for Annabel’s Easter Basket are from Thrive Market.  I ordered some Eco Kids nontoxic finger paints, eco-dough and a drawing pad.  I bought her the eco-crayons last year, and we loved them.  Thrive also has healthy-isn Organic treats like Yum Earth Lollipops, Surf Sweets jelly beans and Annie’s bunnies.  Side note: beware, because not all Annie’s treats are organic.  Check your labels!  If you are not familiar with Thrive, you are probably overpaying for packaged organic food and Clean home goods.  Thrive sells products for about 30% less than other retailers, like Whole Foods.  The membership is $50/year, but it pays for itself in the savings from just one shopping “trip”.  Also, when you sign up for a membership between now and 3/24/16, you get a FREE 15 oz jar of Nutiva Coconut Oil.  Yay!

Eco Eggs are my Easter eggs of choice.  They are just like normal, plastic easter eggs, but they are made from 100% renewable (plant) content, they’re biodegradeable and they’re made in the USA.  And, you know how normal plastic Easter eggs crack and break?  These do not; you can use them year after year.  A win-win-win.

What are you putting in your child’s Easter basket this year?  Am I missing anything?

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