by Rosie Blitchington Centeno


early afternoon easter sun. late afternoon shadows in bruce's gardern.

I absolutely adore celebrations. Not only do they provide an opportunity to put my creativity to work on more focused level, now that I am a parent, they also allow me to give to my daughter in a more profound way than I do in the everyday.

Celebrations serve to pass on culture and values to children. Since I am committed to living consciously, I want to make sure that I am making choices in my family, as well as in all areas of my life, that are in-line with my values and beliefs, to make sure that I am living authentically. This is a premise of Life Coaching and one reason that I was drawn to it. I enjoy supporting others in identifying their goals and values and designing their lives according to them. It is all too common to get caught up in everyday pressures, as well as pressures others impose on us, and before we are aware of it, we aren't living authentically. Nor are we parenting authentically.

While I value these more serious elements of celebrations, which include connecting with our own parenting beliefs, connecting with each other and with the transitions of the life, I also believe they are a time to have fun and enjoy each other. That just feels good! And bear with me a moment while I circle back to the previous point, we all learn best when we are having fun. (That's why I make sure my NYC Parenting and Family Workshops are fun, while I'm presenting material that is serious in nature.)

With this commitment to authenticity in mind, I prepared a Easter and Welcoming Spring Celebration with my toddler.

To honor my desire to keep our food as healthful and chemical-free as possible, we went the natural route described on Slashfood when dyeing our Easter Eggs. We used frozen blueberries, one of Ariella's favorite foods. Along with two tsp. of white vinegar, we put them in a pot with just enough water to cover the uncooked eggs.

This dyeing technique was a toddler's dream--sticking her hands in a pot full of purple water and squeezing each of the berries until the juice popped. Below is a photo of the eggs, which will give you an idea as to the actual colors they took on, after boiling for fifteen minutes and then sitting in the water for about two hours. Keep in mind I used brown eggs from the farmer's market, each with its own "imperfection."


the beauty of natural imperfection

Originally, we planned to draw on the eggs with our Stockmar beeswax crayons, but the eggs were so striking that we held off.

While Ariella slept, I placed them on the table with all of the other Spring Bounty: a wooden bowl full of Clementines, a plant that Ariella picked out for herself called pocketbook flower, and a basket full of some of her other favorites, including grapes, plastic eggs with balls inside, bubbles and almond cupcakes with Cacao Bliss icing. And a stuffed bunny acting as a sentinel to keep Kitty away.



The next morning, I was behind the scenes, as we parents often are, quietly experiencing a heart filled with the joy of giving and watching with wonder at my child's discoveries.

Later we took the baskets out for our picnic and the Easter bunny made off with the eggs, hiding them at the base of a copse of trees. After we found them, we went looking for that mischievous bunny, who left his ears behind.


i heard he went that-a-way, around the corner!

I'd love to hear how all of you celebrate. I invite you to share in the comments section below:

Tags: Values, Culture, Joy, Young Chidren, Celebrations, Parenting toddlers, Parenting help, Natural family living