Mother-Daughter Egg Hunt Business Brightens Murrieta Neighborhood

MURRIETA, CA — When a Murrieta teenager needed spending money for an upcoming Thompson Middle School trip, her mother hatched a new business idea: Egg My Yard. And it seemed to be the perfect fit for the local mom and her 14-year-old daughter, who has a basket full of entrepreneurial spirit.

Speaking to Patch recently, Elizabeth Reininger said she and her daughter Jay hope to brighten their Murrieta Valley neighborhood this Easter season. What's more, the proud mom said the project is already teaching Jay the value of hard work and ingenuity.

"We were trying to come up with some creative ways for a teenager to earn some spending money," Reininger said.

After seeing a similar idea implemented elsewhere while browsing social feeds, the pair decided on the "perfect" task for their family: They would purchase and stuff eggs with brand name candy and hide them for customers, along with a letter from the Easter Bunny himself.

Jay, who has two younger siblings, loved the idea of working to hide eggs for others in order to meet her goal.

"She loves hiding them, but stuffing them not so much," her mother said. "When I told her we were going to have a 'no sleep Easter,' she was excited."

With a team of three people stuffing eggs right now, the Murrieta "Egg My Yard" business has amassed almost 2,000 eggs so far, Reininger said. There are a few special orders they have filled, as well.

The group will start hiding eggs at 9 p.m. on April 16 and continue helping the Easter Bunny until 10 a.m. Easter Sunday following a pre-determined route for an "efficient Easter Bunny's journey."

"We plan to have a majority of eggs laid for children by 7 a.m., though some families requested an egging during church," Reininger said.

To date, the pair has signed up about 55 customers; a mix of homes, daycare centers, preschools and other businesses, according to Reininger.

Though Easter morning is sold out for yard-egging, pre-Easter "eggings" were still available as of Monday, she said.

Reininger said they are only using brand-name candies for the treats, and customers can make special requests. For example, one father requested all skittles for his "Skittle Girl" and other families asked for vegan candies.

The bulk of business promotion has been done via social media, Reininger said. Over 120 community members responded to a Facebook post about the Easter pop-up, both booking "yard eggings" and sharing support.

"This makes me so hoppy," said JoAnn Summers, a sentiment that was echoed by many.

Now that this business has taken on a life of its own, both mother and daughter are already considering other entrepreneurial opportunities.

When asked what the best part of working with her daughter the proud mom said, "I think the best part is working together with her."

Learn more by visiting the Egg My Yard Facebook post.