Image by Jaytay / Flickr.com
I have been touched by a story of a young mother with four kids, almost the ages of mine, who was in a plane crash and has been in critical condition for several months with over 80% of her body burned. She had been keeping a blog for several years and had quite a following of people she didn’t even know because of her positive attitude on life and especially on motherhood. Reading some of her posts has made me reflect on some things I want to do better with my own children. I have felt the need to try harder to help create fun memories with my kids. It is far too easy to get into the rut of our daily routine, and I’ve often felt too exhausted to even try an attempt at something more.
I geared myself up, and one Sunday we decided to make the messiest, but most fun treat…sugar cookies! My kids love the entire process, from cutting out the cookies to frosting and then decorating. Because of the mess and work involved, I rarely instigate this project. By mid-morning we had all the cookies cut (almost 70!) and baked. I started getting tired, so I was grateful when, while listening to the words of an inspirational speaker, he encouraged mothers to enjoy the moments with our young children! It gave me that extra boost to move on to part two –frosting and sprinkles!!
Sprinkles drowned the cookies (no surprise), while orange and green frosting clung to chairs and walls, but the kids loved every minute of it. The best part? After our masterpieces were all decorated, we piled up plates of cookies and took them around to the neighbors. The excitement catapulted as we drove to some of our friends’ houses and the kids sneakily crept to their front doors, rang the bell, and ran with all their might back to the van so they wouldn’t get caught. We were the “Cookie Phantoms”, and I think the kids could have done that all night. It was fun for Scott and I to watch the three older kids race with such glee—Ellie almost gave us away screaming and whining because she wanted to be in the run as well. Jared was in heaven being included with the girls, and was sure he could run just as fast as them since he has big muscles. At the end of the day there was a lot of mess to clean up…but it was definitely worth it!
QUESTION: When was the last time you did something messy with your kids?
CHALLENGE: Stop what you are doing, find your kids and make a fun, maybe messy, memory!
Submitted on 10-27-2008 at 10:49am
I need to hear more of your attitude. It is gearing me up for messes this week and sweet memories of homemade pizza. I think I can do it AND enjoy it!
Submitted on 10-21-2008 at 10:58pm
What a sweet experience! Thanks so much for sharing. It is so true that as we focus on the opportunities to have a great time with our families, we actually do!