There are dozens of ways our boys can melt my heart. Some things they do completely aware of the affect it will have on me (accompanied by a nefarious plan that will only work if mom is thinking with her heart instead of her head). Others are unexpected (those are my favorites) and affirm that our children are actually absorbing some of what their dad and I are trying to teach them.

Earlier this month, our younger son advocated for keeping the plastic cups that came with the Paas egg dying kit. He made a good point – they were perfectly good cups, only used once, and it was a shame to just toss them out, even if we were recycling them. So I washed them and set them aside, waiting for inspiration (or less guilt about getting rid of them).

The next day, our younger son asked to start our garden. Remember, this is the child who starts celebrating the next holiday the moment the previous holiday’s decorations have come down. So, the end of Easter means the beginning of gardening.

We dug out the leftover seed packets from last year’s beginning-of-spring project – Nasturtiums, Cosmos, and green peppers. Free seed packets make for an eclectic garden, to say the least. Then he suggested we plant our seeds in the plastic egg cups we’d saved.

I’m so glad we saved them! Not only is this a brilliant idea, but it’s adorable to have all those brightly-colored, egg-shaped cups sitting in front of our window, nurturing new life. Best of all, I believe we have a new tradition in the Bradley house.