Making Easter Baskets

This year, I decided to be a tiny bit creative and do something different over the "norm" of Easter baskets for the kids. With six kids, why would I want to do spend a bunch of time doing that? Well, because my stepson just tossed his basket aside (with different sports toys, lots of candy, etc.) aside last year (after he devoured all the candy) like it meant nothing to him (it most likely did but still). He left it here when he left on the floor of the boy's room. I thought I'd find something that had to mean something to each child and make it reusable.

Instead of Easter baskets, I bought tote bags. I am going to embellish them with different things (depends on which child and what means the most to them). Here's what I'm doing:

• For my stepdaughter and oldest daughter, I have a "green" bag. It's not technically green but it will be about peace, earth-friendly, etc. because my daughter is huge on environmental issues and my stepdaughter is a vegetarian. In addition to candy, there will be a book in each one (teen vegetarian cookbook for my stepdaughter and a Harry Potter book for my oldest daughter who just recently started the series and is becoming a huge reader - - like her momma!). I am going to also add their name and bling it up a little bit.
• For my stepson, I am going to make his all "rock guitar" because he inherited great musical ability on the guitar from his dad. I figured he could use it to carry his music back and forth to his lessons. Besides candy, I bought him a rock music book so he can learn some new rock songs with his dad while he's here for spring break.
• For my son, I am going to do a rock bag for him too but use drum graphics instead. His book is one of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books he loves them.
• My middle and youngest daughter will have a bling-bling bag because they're both really girly. My middle daughter's bag will include a book with different stories about High School Musical (one of her favs) and I haven't bought the book for my three-year-old yet.

A lot of work. If I do all this work, only to have my stepson toss it aside again (or thank his dad and ignore me), then I'll deal with that if (or when) it happens. After 13 years, any appreciation probably isn't going to happen given how he's been taught to treat me but I'm hoping it will mean something on the inside where he can keep it hidden from his mother? Probably not, but who knows. I won't know until they're 18 and out from under alienating momma but we'll see.