UltimateMama and her family are heading to Cleveland and Detroit this Easter weekend so the Easter Bunny will visit Michigan.  As usual, UltimateMama will be packing only two carry on suitcases for her family of four so the Easter basket contents must be compact.  In an attempt not to overdue it on the chocolate or candy front, UltimateMama spent the past few months buying a variety of fun items and accessories for her tween girls. They will be thrilled to see these “treats” in their Easter baskets on Sunday morning.  Contents include:

–Lindt Chocolate Carrots (4 pack so 2 for each girl purchased at CVS on the Upper East Side for around $4.99)

–Glossier’s new Mango Balm Dotcom flavor as well as Glossier’s Mint Balm Dotcom flavor (purchased in Soho – New York City for around $12 each)

–Brandy Melville hair scrunchies (purchased in Soho – New York City for $3 each)

–LeSportsac ID card case with key ring (purchased in Honolulu, Hawaii for between $15-$20 each)

–Essie nail polish which UltimateMama can’t wait to borrow (purchased at CVS on the Upper East Side for around $8 each)

–Lanikai body mist and lotion set (purchased in Honolulu, Hawaii for under $10 per set)

–Oh K! Caviar face mask (purchased at Twist in Southampton, New York for $8 each)

UltimateMama loves to set aside reading time each evening with her girls. Whether it is 10 minutes or 1 hour it is nice for everyone to gather on the couch with their own book for some reading, rest, and relaxation before bedtime.  A few of UltimateMama’s favorite book series for girls who are 10, 11, 12, and 13 years old as follows:

Ava and Pip is book one in a clever series by Carol Weston

The Lemonade War is book one in an entrepreneurial series by Jacqueline Davies

The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer is book one in the fantastic Land of Stories series

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainaini is book one in a fairy tale journey series

The Selection by Kiera Cass is book one in a fairy tale series for older, middle school girls (more mature content so be advised)

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass is book one in the Willow Falls series

It’s Raining Cupcakes by Lisa Schroeder is book one in her cupcake series

Upside Down Magic is book one in a series by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and Emily Jenkins

11 Before 12 by Lisa Greenwald is book one in her friendship list series

Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordon is book one in the Percy Jackson series

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is book one in a trilogy for older kids due to mature content that includes violence

UltimateMama believes it is never to early to start shopping for books for Mother’s Day and has a few suggestions to alleviate the stress of your search for the perfect gift!  These books below will please mothers of all ages. UltimateMama also encourages everyone to check out Reece Witherspoon’s Book Club at Hello Sunshine for some amazing reads, including a few that UltimateMama discovered too!

Ultimate Nanny: How to Find, Interview, and Manage the Most Important Person You Will Ever Hire — Your Child’s Nanny by Kristen Duca which is available on Amazon.com now

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles is an exciting political novel that one won’t want to put down

Rules of Civility also by Amor Towles is an interesting account of New York City social life in post-Depression Manhattan

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal tells a tale of Indian immigrants in West London

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman depicts a quirky loner who develops an unexpected friendship in Scotland

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante is Book One of the Neopolitan Novels about the struggles faced growing up in post war Naples, Italy

Mila 18 by Leon Uris tells of bravery and determination during the Warsaw ghetto uprising

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is about the paths of a blind French girl and German boy in Nazi occupied France during World War II

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah moves readers with the stories of two very different sisters involving betrayal, resistance, and survival in war torn France during World War II

Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber is a thriller about the reopening of a murder case by an eager investigative reporter who has a hot podcast that impacts families in a Midwestern United States town

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys which is sometimes found in the Young Adult section of bookstores (but is for mature audiences due to content and subject matter) tells of the courage of 4 interlocking characters from different homelands trying to survive and get aboard a ship to freedom in World War II

Ties by Domenico Starnone is a translated Italian novel which fans of Elena Ferrante will appreciate

Opening Belle by Maureen Sherry is a fun, witty novel about a wife and mother who tries to balance it all while working on Wall Street in 2008