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.

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.

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.

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.

Family Portraits

Nothing is more important than your family

and your home. Why not allow your children the

same pride and joy by making a home-and-family

craft with construction paper.

I Love Mom Frames

Proudly display the picture of your loved ones

in this perfect Mother’s Day Project.

Com check out the latest craft projects.

Make tonight a Family Fun Night. Cuddle with your loved ones while enjoying classic movies. Check out these reviews to pick which movie flick you’ll watch.

Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince – Harry Potter finds himself battling against evil forces while intrigued with romance.

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen – Starring Shia Le Beouf, Megan Fox and Josh Duhamel. This action packed movie is a plan on activating a Doomsday weapon that will drain all power from the sun.

It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown – It just wouldn’t be Halloween without joining Charlie Brown and the gang for the classic tale of the Great Pumpkin. Determined to prove the legend is real, Linus spends the night in a pumpkin patch waiting for the appearance of the mysterious Great Pumpkin.

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit – English inventor Wallace and his trusted canine companion, Gromit, have a thriving varmint-elimination service. Wallace has a potential paramour in wealthy client Lady Tottington. Unfortunately, the slick-talking hunter Victor Quartermaine also has designs on the lady, and he’s not giving up easily.

Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie – Roo’s new pal, Lumpy, joins Pooh and his friends for Halloween in the 100 Acre Wood. Halloween is scarier than ever after Tigger warns his friends about the mysterious Gobloon, who’ll turn you into a Jaggedy Lantern if he catches you.

Join us for ‘Dinner and a Movie‘.

Have a great time creating a

Halloween Backyard Carnival.

Intrigue your guests with these creative goulish masks.

Make these spooky targets and test your

aiming skills by playing Knock ‘Em Sock ‘Em.

Halloween Decoration: Banners and Signs

Click here for how-to instructions.

This Halloween try some fun Painted Pumkin Ideas.

For more activities, recipes, and costume

ideas go to Halloweenology.com

Here are some great family fun ideas to make your holiday celebrations both festive and  stress-free for you and your kids.

Comstock

• Don’ forget about your kids when making plans for holiday meal preparation. They love to be involved and spend quality time with you and the family.

Halloween Safety Tips

• From trick-or-treating to overeating, keep the kids safe this holiday.

• Make sure you go over what the true meaning of Thanksgiving is to your kids. Have fun with it by making a Thank-You Thanksgiving Tree.

Planning a Family Trip to a Minor League Baseball Game

Between a busy work schedule and a busy school schedule it’s almost impossible to get togther for a family fun activity. Especially now with the economy down in the dumps, not only is time a problem but money is also an issue. I would like to share with you some tips on places that you can go that are inexpensive. This way you can be sure to spend that fun- family time you all need. The first thing that comes to mind is minor league baseball with New Jersey’s two top teams! Before you head out go to a dollar store and purchase some snacks and drinks for the family. Not only will you be spending time with your loved ones but by staying local you may run into people that live in your area. You can make friends too!

Fun Family Picnic

Another great family idea would be to go to a park and have a picnic. The weather is beautiful so you can have a barbecue too. While your kids are having a good time playing Frisbee, baseball, or volleyball you can prepare a nice barbecue lunch.

Family Picnic at a Pond or Lake

Still another great idea for  family fun is going out to the pond or lake. Bring some fishing poles and enjoy the relaxing isolation provided by the beautiful setting. What a perfect place for you and your family to catch up, have fun and create unforgettable memories that will last a lifetime.

The start of summers brings a big question to the minds of mothers:  “What can be done to make the best use of the summer holidays?” Although children enjoy having fun, adding a twist to it can become more enjoyable and entertaining. There are a number of family activities that can be put into play to make summers more creative and a more memorable experience.

The following are some ideas that you can enjoy with your kids during the summer season:

Nature Walk

• Take a walk and record the sounds: Nature is abundant with different of sounds. A great way to get your kids outdoors is by having them scavenging for treasures in nature. Nature will become very interesting as they collect specimens and take pictures. This can serve as an afternoon project or a fun summer family activity working together to create collages of all your findings. A learning experience can develop from a visit to zoo’s or national parks. You can allow your child to join a virtual summer camp where they can enroll into thousands of web pages of learning material, curriculum and related downloads. This can further enhance your child’s computer knowledge and can help in his studies too.
• Brain teasing exercises: Teenagers are moody and notorious. Involve them with some brain teasing exercises and games that keep their mind going and makes them active most of the time.
• Make your own jigsaw puzzle: A jigsaw puzzle is an array of different shapes, which, when fitted together can form a picture of some sort. You can help your kids to create their own hand-made craft. They can select any picture of their interest and cut out in sizes that can be fitted later. Use some cardboard, foam or wood as a backing. For mounting the picture onto the backing, you can use a dry mounting spray that is easily available at the hobby stores.
• Start a music band: If your child loves to play a musical instrument, or sings beautifully, he or she can start with a music band that allows children from the community to enter the group. You can encourage your child to perform during their band shows. This brings a lot of confidence within the child and they can choose a career in music later when they grow up.
• Visit a city: Plan a vacation to a different city with your family during the summer season as it is the best time to spend quality time together as a family. Your kids would love to visit new places and share their experiences with school mates upon returning to school. A good idea is to allow your kids to get involved in scenic photography.
• Make your own holiday: There are special days in a month that are celebrated for special reasons. During summer holidays, you can help your children to make these special days as their own holiday by involving in some cultural programs and activities. They can select any day as a special day where they can enjoy it to the fullest.
• Make a scrapbook of the things you do this summer: Making a scrapbook is an activity that entails collecting  clippings, notes, pictures and other related things in an organized manner. A scrapbook can be colorfully designed with ribbons and fabrics, graphics and artwork. You can help your kids to create a hand-made book or purchase a scrapbook album to place the materials collected by them.

Summer Scrapbook

Summer Activities

Click here for more fun summer family activities.