easter bits.

 

growing up, i wasn't exposed to western easter festivities like egg hunts, brunches, the easter bunny and the like. where i come from, holy week was a family affair. while other families would hie off to the beach, my mother made sure that my siblings  and i stayed home and joined in the churches' lenten activities. at home, we would watch reruns of the 10 commandments, benhur and other bible stories on tape and whatever lenten specials were shown on tv. this was pre-cable and pre-internet, mind you. and then there were the superstitions that came with the season. my grandmother (bless her soul)  forbid us from laughing and smiling on good friday! we were told to be extra careful not to get wounded as wounds were thought to heal longer than usual. meanwhile, easter celebration started at the break of dawn on easter sunday where we all eagerly awaited the salubong. kids were encouraged to join the choir of angels to serenade the reunion of jesus and mama mary. these are some of my fondest memories of childhood.

this year, we decided to start a tradition of easter brunch with my little family. we'd like for our daughter  to have fond memories of this wonderful celebration of hope. so on sunday, we went to hear morning mass, ate a few easter chocolates at home, then off to brunch. i had planned to organize a mini easter egg hunt but the toddler hasn't fully recovered from her recent bout of flu, so pffft. next year. next year.

**
during the homily, the toddler girl wanted to lie on the pew and was louder than usual. i shushed her and told her to behave. the more i shushed, the more she protested and grew loud. "no mummy, i don't want to keep kwawet (quiet)." the hubs brought her out but she managed to  let out an eardrum shattering "i-don't-want-to-go-out" scream before they were out the door. all eyes were on me. yes me,  the mother who let her toddler misbehave at church. what a shame, i thought. there was nothing else to do but put my best poker face on. oh well.

**
thankfully, brunch at spruce turned everything around. as expected, the place was filled to the brim. we had made reservations so getting seated was not an issue. waiting time for food was longer than  expected. but i tell you, the food was worth the wait. the hubs had their big brekkie (eggs, german sausage, roasted tomato, roasted potato, mushrooms and foccacia toast) with sparkling wine. i had their signature burger. it has got to be one of the best beef burgers here in sg. it had just the right amount of "beefiness."my SIL had banana pancakes with honeycomb butter and blueberry syrup. while we don't usually order a separate dish for the toddler girl, we made an exception and got her the mac n cheese side dish as it had good reviews. luckily she loved it and finished half the serving.

all in all, we had a restful and reflective easter weekend. hope yours was as well.