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10 "Egg-citing" Easter Events for St. Louis Families That Will Get You Hopping

With Easter less than two weeks away, many St. Louis families are looking for fun, kid-friendly ways to celebrate the upcoming holiday.

Whether you’re hoping to meet the Easter Bunny himself or simply want to partake in a good, old-fashioned egg hunt, we’ve rounded up 10 of the most “egg-citing” Easter events that St. Louis has to offer.
 
1. Hunt for a Cure in Forest Park
 
On Saturday, March 23, more than 50,000 eggs will be hidden on the central fields of Forest Park, and kids up to the age of 12 are invited to hunt for them! Hunt for a Cure is one of the largest egg hunts in St. Louis, and will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – Gateway Chapter. Registration, which costs just $5 per family, begins at 11:00 a.m. on the day of the event, or you can register online in advance. The Easter Bunny will also arrive at 11:00 a.m. – in a carriage pulled by Clydesdales, no less – so be sure to bring your camera and dress in your Easter best.  
 
2. Bunny Hop in Shaw Park
 
Hop on over to Shaw Park in Clayton for an egg hunt, a visit with Mr. Bunny, and even a petting zoo! The hunt begins promptly at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 23, and advanced tickets are available at a discounted price ($6 for Clayton residents or Centre of Clayton members, $7 for non-members and non-residents) by calling 314-727-8100. Tickets can also be purchased on the day of the event for $10.
 

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St. Louis Families Rally to Save Local Businesses

A few years ago, my husband and I migrated from St. Louis City to the Edwardsville area. With a young daughter, another on the way, and two busy careers for which we traveled frequently, we needed to be closer to his family.

But while the move was right for our family, I won’t deny I threw myself on my bed, wailed like a hormonal teenager (“It’s not fair. I don’t wanna gooooo!”), and cranked The Cure to musically proclaim my displeasure with my husband’s plan.

No more spur-of-the-moment trips to the Zoo, no more 10-minute walks to a quaint dinner on The Hill. Home was to be a suburban promised land of chain restaurants as far as the eye could see and happy hours centered on the Applebee’s margarita.  

Yet, as much as big box stores dominate the suburban landscape and as much as consumers and the community depend on their services, to my delight and surprise, Edwardsville has held on tight to its locally-owned businesses –  the organizations that built and fuel small towns like ours. And at no time has that devotion been more evident than the past two weeks.

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The List, Some Nerds, and An Awesome Giveaway

Like most married couples I know, my husband and I have a celebrity “list.”

You know, that special list of celebrities where, if the opportunity arises, we can totally blow off dinner plans and dump the kids on the other to go to a book signing. No questions asked.

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13 Crafty Tips for Not-So-Crafty Moms

March, I’ve recently discovered, is National Craft Month. There’s a month for everything these days – hello, it’s also National Frozen Foods Month – so I probably shouldn’t be all that surprised to find out that we’re devoting an entire 31 days to getting our national craft on.

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Training Teens to Make a Difference

Emergencies and natural disasters – they’re not things that most of us like to think about. But when it comes to situations such as these, proper preparation and training can play a crucial role in protecting ourselves and our community.

Do you know how to put out a small fire, treat the top three medical killers, or search for and rescue victims without putting yourself in harm’s way?
 
If you answered no, you’re not alone. Many other adults don’t either.
 
The local St. Louis teens who participate in the Mid America Teen Community Emergency Response Team, however, do know how to do all of these things – and much more.

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The ABCs of Sleep Every Parent Should Know

In a couple of weeks my little brother is going to become a first-time dad. I was so excited to hear about a new nephew coming into the world — not least because it was a great opportunity to wrest some of those last baby toys from my 6-year-old’s clutches and send them halfway across the country to his new cousin.

As I packed up boxes of crib sheets that my own mother-in-law had lovingly sewn for my boys, I came across a cute moon-and-stars bumper pad that matched my old nursery theme.

Without hesitation, I threw it away.

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10 Awesome Free Things to Do In St. Louis With Your Kids (Part 2)

Last week I shared the first five of my 10 favorite free things to do with your kids in St. Louis. I know this week has been a nail biter waiting for the final five, so without further ado... the finale.

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5 Questions For the Bloggess

A pet raccoon with a hand-washing obsession. A giant metal chicken with a filthy mouth. A homicidal monkey with mange. If you have a crush on any of these characters, you might just be a fan of writer and mom Jenny Lawson, known to the world as The Bloggess.

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Got Spring Fever? Take Your Kids to St. Louis' Own Tropical Paradise

Like a lot of parents, I struggle through the final weeks of winter. I’m done with the freezing temperatures, the inevitable flus and fevers, and the seemingly never-ending days spent entirely indoors with children in such desperate need of physical activity that they’ve taken to skydiving off my couch.

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10 Awesome Free Things to Do With Your Kids in St. Louis

When it comes to taking your kids out for some family fun, what's better than free?

Our go-to free destination is the Saint Louis Zoo, but it's not on this list.  Don't get me wrong – we love the Zoo with a passion. We are members and go so much we're actually on a first name basis with the anteaters. But the Zoo's reputation proceeds it; everyone knows it's awesome.

So here are the first five of my top ten list of my favorite kid-friendly, free gems of the city. Minus the Zoo, but it's implied.

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Anne of Green Gables is now a Buxom Blonde

Growing up, I was a child who got lost in books. From Little House on the Prairie and Betsy and Tacy to Little Women and Strawberry Girl, I read and re-read my favorites over and over again.

Once I found an author I loved, I would scour library shelves for every book she had ever written. This may be why I’m one of the few thirty-somethings on the planet who can actually remember the plots of such lesser-known Louisa May Alcott classics as Rose in Bloom and An Old-Fashioned Girl.

In retrospect, I probably wasn’t your typical 8 year-old.

Through it all, there was one book that stood head and shoulders above the rest: L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables. It was, and still remains, my all-time favorite, so much so that I once drug my husband and infant daughter halfway around the world to visit Prince Edward Island – only to discover that places which sound amazing in books are often beyond boring in real life. And also that Tim Horton’s coffee is not as good as Canadians believe it to be.

Some things really are better left to the imagination. Anne Shirley could have told me that.

I’m not alone in my love of all things Anne. The feisty, red-headed orphan has been a beloved literary character and “kindred spirit” to girls (and, yes, grown women too) since Anne of Green Gables was first published in 1908. Anne’s feisty nature and imaginative adventures – and her near legendary hatred of her red hair – have endeared her to generations of readers for over a century.

These days, though, die-hard Anne fans are more than a little upset – and with good reason. The homely redhead who once accidentally dyed her hair green in the hopes of turning it “a beautiful raven black,” has suddenly morphed into a buxom blonde.

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Does Your Child Have the 'Write' Stuff?

Does your child love to tell stories? Kids ages 8 to 18 who want to test their storytelling and writing ability can enter the St. Louis County Library's "Write Stuff' contest and win cash prizes. The topic is family road trips, and who doesn't have a funny story about that?

(And if your child doesn't, they can make one up! In other words, both fiction and non-fiction stories are accepted.)

The contest, part of the library system's Art @ Your Library series of events, challenges participants to write an original story beginning with this sentence, “It started out like any other family road trip...”

Entries can be truthful, fictional, funny, sad, serious, sarcastic or anything, so long as the writing is original and completed by the entrant. Winners will be chosen from three groups: ages 8-10, ages 11-14, and ages 15-18.

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Taking the Bait

When I listed my dining room table for sale on Craig's List a few years ago, I was super excited when I had a taker within hours. Excited and shocked, that is - that thing was hideous. It was one of the few remaining hangers on from the big furniture merge when my husband and I got married.

The buyer didn't negotiate the price and didn't want to stop by to see it in person. He would simply send his movers to my house. In hindsight these were some major red flags, but at the moment a big relief that I was finally unloading that eyesore and the fact that I wouldn't have some creeper showing up at my doorstep was a bonus.

A few days later he sent an email saying his assistant accidentally cut the check for $1,000 too much. He asked that once I deposited the check to please wire him back the overage ASAP.

Now, I know what you're thinking. SCAMMER! DON'T DO IT! REEER REEER REEER (that's my siren noise in print). But you know what I thought at the time? “Oh, okay. Sounds legit.”

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Hey St. Louis! Listen to Your Mother!

When Listen to Your Mother began on Mother’s Day 2010, the live series of readings by local writers about the “beauty, the beast, and the barely rested of motherhood” took place in only one city – creator Ann Imig’s hometown of Madison, Wisconsin.

The response to that first production was overwhelming, and in the few short years that followed, Listen to Your Mother grew quickly, “giving Mother’s Day a microphone” in cities across the country, from Austin to Chicago to New York to Los Angeles.     

And this year, Listen to Your Mother is finally, FINALLY coming to St. Louis.

St. Louis has been selected as one of 24 cities nationwide that will host a live production of Listen to Your Mother this spring in celebration of Mother’s Day 2013. The show, which is part of “a national series of original live-readings shared on local stages and via social media,” will feature several local writers reading their personal stories about motherhood, and will take place on Saturday, May 11, 2013 at the St. Luke’s Institute for Health Education in Chesterfield.

For Suzanne Tucker, one of the four local women co-producing and directing the St. Louis production, bringing Listen to Your Mother to the stage represents an amazing opportunity to start a genuine conversation about what being a mom REALLY entails.   

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Field Trips For the Win

My husband doesn't get many days off, so on the rare occasion we're hanging out at home all day together it sort of reminds me of when I was in sales and the district manager would pop into town and see what I'd been up to.

Which, on a good day, was blowing off my clients and taking five hour lunches at Lion's Choice with my co-workers. And, on a bad day, was blowing off my clients and sleeping off the night before in the back seat of my Mitsubishi Mirage in a mall parking lot.

I didn't really like sales all that much.

Let me be clear – for the most part Nick is so exhausted on his days off that he mostly just lays on the couch and mumbles incoherently every once in a while for some water. But being the praise-crazed (and starved) person I am, I find myself narrating my every move, giving him the “look what an awesome stay-at-home Mom I am” play-by-play of our daily routine.

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When Two Picky Broads Bump Heads

Every toddler has the touch of the OCD. One minute, your child is the sweetest little ray of sunshine, and the next, she busts out with a Courtney Love on Mountain Dew level meltdown because you poured milk in her Dora cup instead of her Elmo one.

There are some kids who easily adapt and simply roll with the punches. Forgot the pink sippy cup? Well, that’s alright, mom – the green one is just spiffy! These toddlers are a rare breed and often cause a mom to stare at them with a mix of awe and wonder usually reserved for a free Hermes bag stuffed with Skinnygirl and Dove bars.

However, the breed of toddler most often observed in nature is that which mysteriously sprout talons and fangs if you put too much toothpaste on their brush.

My three-year-old falls in the latter.

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Red Rover, Red Rover, Send Recess Right Over

When it comes to education, I have a lot of – and some would say too many – opinions.

I don’t believe in homework – at least not the ridiculous amount that so many elementary-age children are given every night, often to the detriment of quality family time, extracurricular activities, and some nights even sleep.  

I’m not a fan of the current trend towards full-day kindergarten, and the belief that we have to force our children to be “smarter faster” if they’re ever going to succeed in the adult world.

I often wonder if all the rules and schedules and bells and detentions in our schools are really preparing our kids for their future – or just teaching them to fall in line and do as their told and never truly learn to think for themselves.

Most importantly, I believe that our children need more time to play, and that the current trend to limit recess time to accommodate extra academics is both misguided and irresponsible.

And while I know I’m in the minority when it comes to many of my opinions, it turns out that even the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) agrees with me on that last one.

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St. Charles Riverfest
Saturday, July 5, 2025
Sunday, July 6, 2025

Riverfest 2025 features fireworks over the river, a carnival, live music, craft and food vendors, and lots of fun kids activities.

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Popular Stories

Festivals & Fireworks to Celebrate July 4th in St. Louis

It's time to celebrate Independence Day in St. Louis, and because this year July 4th falls on a Friday, your family can look forward to a full weekend of festivals and fireworks. Check out these family-friendly celebrations that include carnivals, fantastic fireworks and lots more.

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Why Summer Camp is Great for . . . Parents

Being able to focus on yourself, your partner, and other people in your life who mean a lot to you is no small matter. As parents, we’re used to being responsible providers and caregivers. However, there’s so much more to a person: we’re also partners and friends. These are important parts of our identities that we need to cultivate. Sending your kids to summer camp may bring out your more playful side that you haven’t shown for a while.

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7 Signs Your Kids Are Ready For Their First Sleepaway Camp

It’s time to decide whether to send your kids to sleepaway camp, but how do you know that's the right thing to do? How can you tell whether your kids are ready for their first extended stay away from home? Here are 7 important signs that experts say should inform your decision.

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Want Your Kids to Learn? Teach Them It’s Okay to Make Mistakes

It’s normal for parents to want to protect their children from failure. It’s also normal to want them to achieve, win, and do their best. But here’s the truth: We don’t learn anything new without making mistakes. I’ll say it again. Making mistakes is a crucial step in learning. If we’re fearful of making mistakes, learning comes to a screeching halt.

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10 Ways to Improve Your Child's Listening Skills

Focused listening is one of the most important skills your child will ever learn. Children with strong listening skills do better in school, sports, relationships and, eventually, in their careers. But many children lack this important skill and parents are rightly concerned. First, listening is much more than just hearing.

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