Happy April!  Spring is officially here and Easter is in a few weeks!  Today, I'm sharing my candy free Easter basket guide with you!  (see image attached)  You might be a Momma with a basket to fill, or an Aunt/Grandma/Friend with littles to love on.  If you don't have a basket to fill this year, tuck this away to remember if/when you do!  ;) 

By the time Easter comes, I'm sick of all the candy.  After Christmas and Valentine's Day, I want little to do with more candy.  Plus, my kids' birthdays are February and March so there's no need for any more toys.  We keep Easter really simple, no Easter Bunny either, so these items are perfect!


From Day 1, I decided to make their Easter baskets outdoor themed.  We love Summer and being outside, so I use their Easter baskets to get them a few outdoor items that we can use in the upcoming Spring and Summer months.  {My kids' baskets do not include all these items.  These are just some great ideas I've used over the years and wanted to share with you!}

1. Bathing Suits & Sunglasses
If your kid needs a new suit for the Summer, snag them one and throw it in their basket.  It's also a good way to grab them some fresh new sunglasses for the Summer!

2. Bath Toys
Our bath toys get nasty after several months and need to be replaced.  Their Easter basket can be a great way to do that if you need some fresh clean bath toys!

3. Goggles & Swim Toys
Whether you have a pool you swim at regularly in the Summer, a planned beach trip, or a blow up kiddie pool/water table, pool toys are a must for kids!  Their Easter basket is a great way to trash last Summer's nasty pool toys and get some new ones for this year!  My kids are getting some new dive toys & goggles in their baskets!


4.  Summer sandals
Kids feet grow FAST and I'm sure your kids could use some new sandals.  Throwing a pair in their basket is a great idea!

5.  Hats
Hats are a must in the Summer!  I included a beach hat in Landon's first Easter Basket.

6.  Water Bottle
These Thermos water bottles are my favorite.  They keep liquids cold FOREVER.  They're the only water bottles I use for my kids.  If you don't have these, your kid needs one!

7.  Beach Towels
I love little toddler hooded beach towels and gave my kids some in years past.  Toddler towel or not, an Easter basket is a good way to get your kid a fresh, new beach towel!

8.  Sidewalk Chalk
I mean, it's a no brainer right?  Every mom's saving grace at some point in the Summer.  Throw out all those broken up pieces from last year, run to the Dollar Store and grab a new set!  My kids are getting these this year.


9.  Bubbles
My kids are getting a bubble machine this year for Easter.  They had their first one last year and LOVED it.  It was a huge hit!

There you go!  9 candy free Easter Basket ideas!  Pick and choose what you need/want and works with your kids/family/budget!

Last year, I found myself in several conversations and scenarios with women who were struggling with their beauty. As I walked through those times with those women, it also shined a light on insecurities in my own life. It wasn't necessarily a fun thing to realize or work through, but it was necessary to do. I confided in a few friends, some older and wiser, and remembered some things I've worked through in counseling over the years.

I was in my favorite Christian bookstore in town and ran across "Beauty Begins: Making Peace With Your Reflection". When I read the title and the back of the book, I knew I needed to read this book. I even said out loud "um yep". It spoke directly to those recent scenarios I'd been walking through.

I want you to read the book, so I'm not going to get too much into it, but this one quote: "Beauty is eternal. Pretty is only temporary." was big. The authors took some time to go back into history and describe what beauty was at certain points in history and it was eye opening to me.

1900s = buxom and curvy hips
1920s = trim figure for flapper dresses
1930s = longer hem lines and curves returned
1940s = voluptuous was the shape to welcome home war heroes
1950s = voluptuous was still "in" (Marilyn Monroe)
1960s = the miniskirt was introduced
1970s and 1980s = just strange
1990s = super skinny
early 2000s = extreme exercise and dieting with a shape hard to maintain
(source: "Beauty Begins" page 12 and 13)

When I read through these, my eyes were opened to the fact that beauty has changed so much. The authors even talked about the women in the Middle Ages were considered pretty if they were "large and pale". They were considered "unattractive if thin and tan" because it meant she was wealthy and had plenty of food, not having to work in the fields and hot sun.

Yes, fashion has changed over the years, but so has "pretty". Pretty is ever changing! It was this light bulb type moment for me where I realized we can work so hard to look a certain way and "fit in" with what is considered pretty, and it could change in 10 years! I feel like it's starting to change even now.

God made my body the way it is. Yes, I need to steward it well and fuel it properly to be able to live the life He's blessed me with. And yes, I feel 100% better both physically and emotionally when I eat well and exercise. But focusing too much on "pretty" is a problem I was convicted of breaking in myself. Obviously, I'm not perfect and it's an ongoing journey I'm on, but it was a big starting point to really look at everything different moving forward.

Beauty is eternal. Pretty is temporary. "The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7 Let's not focus so much on what's considered pretty. It could change in an instant! Focus on your inner beauty - your heart for Jesus. THAT is what God sees as beauty and that has to be our standard.

To get a copy of the book, snag it on Amazon (this isn’t an affiliated link, I make no money on this): https://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Begins-Making-Peace-Reflection/dp/1601427298/ref=sr_1_1?crid=19BQSG1DYBB62&keywords=beauty+begins+making+peace&qid=1551646701&s=hpc&sprefix=beauty+begins%2Chpc%2C171&sr=1-1-catcorr

It's OPEN GYM for my brand new Shape Her Virtual Gym! 

My Shape Her Virtual Gym is a year's worth of work, prayers and planning.  It's an online private Facebook Community Group for ladies to join for accountability.  My Virtual Gym is 40+ ladies who have worked with me in the past.  They know the value in accountability and encouragement.  The exciting thing about the OPEN GYM promotion is that it's an opportunity for anybody to join!   Never done a program of mine?  That's ok!  Come join us!  OPEN GYM will only happen a few times a year, so take advantage NOW!

Inside the Virtual Gym:
- monthly focus/educational topics (carb cycling, sugar, sodium, etc.)
- workout information (including a free weekly schedule of what to workout and when, ie: Friday: Core & Legs)
- (optional) workout plans for purchase
- (optional) challenges to push it further
- LIVE videos to answer "Ask Becky" questions as well as sharing tips and information on the month's topic. 
- grocery list & meal planning sheet
- access to my coaching

This OPEN GYM promotion gets you in my Virtual Gym for only $20 a month.  If you wish to bundle and save, you can purchase 3 months for $45, 6 months for $75, or a whole year for $99.  This promotion is only happening February 25 - March 8.  After that, the next Open Gym time won't be for several months!  The Virtual Gym doors will close until then!  Don't delay!   If you're looking for some accountability and support, in an affordable and educational place - my Virtual Gym is for you!

To join during this Open Gym promotion, complete the contact form below!  Remember, this is only available February 25 - March 8, so take advantage NOW!  Starting March 11, we'll be digging into CARB CYCLING (matching your day's nutrition with your daily workout)!

Carb Cycling is a health and fitness hot topic and buzz word, right now.  I've carb cycled several times (currently am now) and have truly found success with it.  I want to share my knowledge & experience as  I teach, educate, and coach you!