Ever feel like no matter how much love and joy you have in your personal life, you just don’t feel very happy? Well there are many just like you. Author and mother Gretchen Rubin felt the same way and decided to write about it. The Happiness Project chronicles her year long quest to get happy. Come and discover how you too can find inspiration in your life as you share your ideas.  WD readers are following Rubin’s advice in real life and writing about their inspirational efforts.

• A famous quote by Albert Einstein says, “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”- –One of our readers state, ” Recently I realized that being able to balance a ton of activities doesn’t make me a success ( most days I think it makes me a fool) .  Kidding aside, I do have a feeling of success that comes from knowing that every now and then I do bring value to the activities that I am a part of because I place personal value on putting the time into making sure that everything I do – I will attempt to do to the best of my ability.”
• Happiness is a Nap–Another reader says, “In a quest to succeed and accomplish we often push ourselves to the point of exhaustion. Sometimes a break in the day is exactly what is needed to give us a fresh outlook and a surge of energy.” Come and read on how you too can find happiness in life by becoming a part of Woman’s Day Happiness Project.

Come on Get Happy!

Enter for your chance to be in Woman’s Day and get happier in the process.

Ribbon-Wrapped Easter Egg Craft

Make these beautiful eggs in just a few seconds for Easter. Your kids will love making this craft. For added fun, play with different widths and textures of ribbons for this project.

Materials:
White wooden eggs
Ribbon or scrapbooking trim in varying colors and widths
Aleene’s tacky glue

Directions:
Cut ribbon so it fits securely around egg in the desired pattern.

Dot back of ribbon with tacky glue and carefully wrap around egg. Let dry.

Resources: Wooden eggs, ribbon, and tacky glue available at Michaels craft stores nationwide; visit michaels.com for store locations.

For more on this Easter Craft, visit Woman’s Day.

Sometimes, even adults crave the foods they ate as a kid. Rich in all the comforting ingredients you loved growing up, your childhood favorites offer an uncomplicated, immediately satisfying eating experience. The best part? Oftentimes, there are no utensils required. If you’re looking for a dinner recipe you know your kids will love, let them indulge in one of the 10 below—from 10-Minute Tuscan Tomato Soup (perfect for pairing with grilled cheese sandwiches) to Two-Bean Sloppy Joes (we swear no one will miss the meat). And, we promise not to tell them who you really had in mind when you prepared these dishes.

Kid-Friendly Recipes:

• 10-Minute Tuscan Tomato Soup
• Corny Quesadillas
• Buffalo Potato Skins
• Crunch Fish-Sticks and Smashed Potatoes

Come check out our selection of Kid-Friendly Recipes.

Dig into this delicious holiday dessert inspired by Easter’s favorite animals.

Abracadabra Cupcake Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• • 1/2 cup Wilton white candy melts from a 14 oz package
  • 2 chocolate-covered pretzel sticks
  • pink gel food color
  • 2 cupcakes
  • 1 cup chocolate frosting
  • Two 2 1/2- to 3-in. soft sugar cookie
  • 1 sour rope candy

PREPARATION

1. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil. With a toothpick, draw two half-circles about 2 in. in diameter for head and four ear shapes about 2 1/2 to 3 in. onto the foil.

2. Melt white candy melts in microwave as package directs. Dip one end of each chocolate-covered pretzel stick into melted white candy for magician’s wand. Place on foil; let set. Place 1 1/2 Tbsp of the melted white candy in a small cup and tint pink. Place both white and pink candy into separate quart-size ziptop freezer bags; snip off small tip from one corner of each bag. On the outline on the foil, pipe in white for head and ears. Use a small spatula to spread. Then on the ears, pipe pink melted candy in center on top of white. Pipe two tiny pink hearts for noses; let set.

3. Remove liner from cupcakes; invert onto plate. Frost top and sides with chocolate frosting. Frost the cookie on top and sides. Place on top of cupcake. Gently peel head, ears and nose from foil. Make slight cut in top of cookie to insert ears; prop head against ears. Place a little chocolate frosting in ziptop bag; snip off tip. Pipe eyes onto bunny head. Use a little frosting to position nose. Cut sour ropes into thin strips for whiskers; insert into frosting behind nose. Place wand on plate.

Come see more on Easter recipes at Woman’s Day.

Celebrate the holiday with delicious recipes, fun crafts and much more.

Easter is a special time of the year for everyone. Not only is it an important family holiday with many traditions, it also marks the beginning of spring. To help you get ready for the occasion, we’ve gathered fun craft projects the whole family can enjoy, comprehensive brunch menus that vary based on how much time you want to spend in the kitchen, easy holiday dessert recipes and entertaining ideas for a hoppin’ good holiday.

Easter Recipes

What better way to celebrate Easter than with a scrumptious brunch spread shared with family and friends? Whether you’re planning on feeding a large crowd or want to spend more quality family time outside of the kitchen, we’ve got a menu that’s sure to make this holiday meal a memorable one.

Holiday Craft Project

Pink Bunny Knitting Project–Check out our holiday craft from Softies Only a Mother Could Love

Family Fun

Kids Easter Basket Gift Ideas–Find unique ways to fill this fun holiday present holder

Come see these holiday activities inspired by EasterFun.

The main goal of a family fun night is to have a good time. Ignite your competitive side with an entertaining alternative to going out—board game night.  Make sure that the board game you choose won’t be too challenging for your kids. Because of this, choosing the right board game can become a problem. The best way to approach this dilemma would be to select a board game that your youngest child won’t have a problem with.

• Cranium — A perfect game for a variety of ages, interests and skill levels, Cranium is probably the furthest from a passive board game you can get.$17.78;  Amazon.com
• Balderdash — Good at bluffing? Turn that talent into points when you make up phony answers to real but unbelievable facts in categories such as People, Words, Initials, Movies and Laughable Laws. $22.40; Amazon.com
• Taboo — Trying to get your team to guess the phrases on these cards will prove more fun than you expect, especially when the tension builds as you try not to utter any of the forbidden clues. $23.22; Amazon.com
• Clue: Secrets and Spies — Go undercover and use quick thinking, a spy light and even your cell phone to become the top agent. $19.97; Amazon.com

Family Game Night is a ton of fun. You’ll find ideas for board games for all ages and interests in these top picks.

Board Games

Here’s the deal. We only have $20 to spend on recreation activities and 23 fun ways to do it. For starters check out our creative ways to spend

$5 or less:

Bring the outdoors in. Treat yourself to a bunch of flowers or “buy potted herbs for your kitchen, like basil, chives or parsley,” says Susan Troche of Marlton, New Jersey.

Give your hair a little luxury. Summer’s heat and humidity can leave hair frazzled and you looking, well…less than glamorous. Our beauty editor, Melissa Matthews, tames her curls with hydrating TRESemmé Smooth No Frizz Shine Spray ($4.99; CVS.com).

Go back to school. Want to learn architectural design, computer science or Spanish? Massachusetts Institute of Technology OpenCourseWare offers free lecture notes, exams and videos for 1,900 courses in undergraduate and graduate subjects. Go to ocw.mit.edu for more information.

$10 or Less

Host pizza night. Try making your own pizza by making your own dough from scratch, buy marinara sauce and a bag of shredded cheese and throw on any leftover veggies or meat you have in the fridge

Get your house cleaned. Tired of doing all the work yourself? Do what our Tip Talk columnist, Arianne Cohen, does: Put the money toward a professional cleaner. She squirrels away $7 every week, and in two months (for around $56, less in some places) she can hire a pro to scrub her house from top to bottom.

$20 or Less

7. Take in a game. Nothing says summer like baseball! For an all- American date night, grab your husband, pack some sandwiches and go see a minor league game. To find a team near you, visit MinorLeagueBaseball.com

18. Buy a gift card. Shopping just got a little cheaper now that there’s PlasticJungle.com. They’ve got discounted gift cards to your favorite retailers for up to 40% off. There are no shipping or commission fees, and you can even bargain with sellers to pay a lesser amount. At press time, we found a $10 Gap gift card for $9 and a $20 Borders gift card for $17.75.

Fun Ways to Spend $20

For more on ways to spend Under $20, come visit us at Woman’s Day.

Inexpensive and Free-of-Charge ideas for spending quality time with the family.

Frugal doesn’t have to mean a drag! Come see our frugal family tips on getting the most for your dollars on recreation and outings for your family. If we were to believe the commercials on TV, we would believe that kids can’t be satisfied unless they have the latest gadget in technology. The truth is that kids love spending time with you and having your undivided attention. Guess what? This is free! Time spent as a family can be a treat for all involved and it doesn’t have to put a dent in your wallet. It may however involve some imagination.

• Search Online for Deals–From mommy blogs to local tourism offices, listings of great values—including free activities—are out there for you to discover.

• Eat for Less–You don’t have to avoid restaurants to save money—just know when and where to go.

• Go Early–Another way to hit up a trendy restaurant is to make it a daytime affair. If you’re hankering to try a new hot spot but hesitant to drop a lot of cash, trade in a Saturday night for a Sunday afternoon and enjoy a brunch instead.

• Save on Cinema–Costco offers members Super Saver movie tickets for theater chains such as AMC, Cinemark and Regal Entertainment.

Come join us for more ideas on frugal family fun.

Frugal Family Tips

Children will jump at any opportunity they have to help out in the kitchen. Measuring this, pouring that, mixing this, spilling that…They love to crack eggs and cut vegetables. Being included in the cooking makes kids feel responsible and it is a really great way of putting the fundamentals of math into practical use.

One of the biggest advantages to cooking a meal with your kids is that it’s cheap, which is especially important in this recession economy, and, you already have the equipment to do it. So, if you find yourself looking for  fun family activies-bake some cupcakes with your children. It’s sure to put a smile on everyone’s face.

Find more fun family activities on WomansDay.com.

‘Tis’ the Season to be Merry!

Get ready for Christmas by setting time aside for

good Holiday Cheer with your loved ones.

Holiday Entertainment

Keep the holiday simple with these

great holiday entertainment ideas.