With a bit of glaze, they were just right. And she double-batched and froze some for upcoming winter mornings. Her contribution to our preparation days!
getting a little too boring. I decided that we needed a change of pace and fast, so the decision was made to go to Pizza Hut to cash in a free pizza coupon.
My situation with the girls was a piece of cake compared to the variety of times that I placed unrealistic expectations upon myself, my husband, my family…and the list could go on. Ever done the same thing? Perhaps you even did like me with the note from a relative and ‘claimed’ a scripture, a passage from a book, or someone’s advice as the ticket to success, but misapplied it to the situation at hand. I can very much relate.
I think as women, mothers, wives...we can learn to simplify life by dealing squarely with our expectations. If we choose not to, a sickening cycle of hurt, disappointment & then disillusionment will follow. It’s a trap that’s fairly easy to fall into, but not impossible to get out of. So, are there areas of your thoughts that need an ‘expectation adjustment’? Start today by releasing yourself or another, and then enjoy the freedom.
By the way, two nights later at a friend’s home, the girls had impeccable behavior at their dinner table. Prepared for anything, I was pleasantly shocked!
1. Tea Time incorporated into her school days :: oh, the pleasure of watching this little one relish in the preparation--setting the table, laying out 'fancy dishes', and relaxing a moment with Mama. And sisters too if they dare join in the bubbling conversation:
4. The Picnic Game. Check eBay, which of course is where Mama fills {with selling} & drains {purchases!} her Paypal account.
6. drawing in her nature notebook....
7. cooking, seeking to be in the kitchen often :: making butter & biscuits
8. blocks!
9. her Daddy :: a bond that began in the womb I'm convinced
Being cooped up in the hospital gave me plenty of time to think :: well, after my hyper-from-the-meds two year-old settled down for a nap!
It's nothing much really :: a few twigs and branches from outdoors, gathered by the children, an old jar, some river rocks & torn scraps of paper.
And yet, there's so much more represented than the materials used for creating.
For my husband's birthday recently, we opted out of traditional card giving and the children and I made this gratitude tree instead. All five of us sprawled out across my bed with paper and markers thinking of ways we're blessed and grateful :: for him. Daddy. My gift from God.
The activity had us reminiscing about ways he's made us laugh or stories that we'll never forget. Older children shared with the younger of happenings long before their time and we all shared in celebration. That evening we enjoyed a dinner of some of his favorites, and gratitude was expressed as he read the scraps of paper ::
"You're the ROCK of the family, Dad!"
"I love you, Daddy. I like when we go on walks together."
"Thank you for taking me on a business trip with you."
"You are an exceptional father."
"I like when you throw me up in the air--thank you!"
No, no...not just bits of paper, but messages from the heart.
When I taught pre-school, it was always a bit amusing when we had a focus on colors and parents would start in a little tentatively: "But, my son already knows his colors!" or "If they can identify the colors, will you be able to do anymore with that topic?...I mean, they are just pre-schoolers."
And, here are a few other options of questions to explore with pre-schoolers:what happens when we mix {red,blue}, {red, yellow}, etc?
do you see the color_____ in this room? on your clothes? {play I Spy}
what do we eat that is yellow? green? purple? {or take them to the fridge or grocery store to explore this one}
what colors can we find outside? this nature box idea is a great one for this :: try using nature items to make colors to paint with.
share about how God created colors :: read the story of Creation in Genesis and think about the colors that God saw {I've used a pile of different color construction paper & let the child choose which colors match as I read--black for darkness covering the earth, white for stars, yellow for sun, etc.}
share about how colors help us {makes things beautiful, helps to enjoy our world}. inform that some people cannot see colors and everything is shades of black & white.
talk about rainbows
share how our world changes colors :: seasonal changes {ex: leaves, snow blanketing everything in white} or also talk about animals that change color and do a mini-study on camouflage
have your child sort colors :: using pom-poms, buttons, skittles! or other items, have them pile all of the same colors together
use the above items to make either two-color patterns or if your child is ready, three-color patterns {ex: red, blue, red, blue or yellow, red, green...yellow, red, green...}. have them guess which color is next in the pattern
Oh, the list is endless! Have fun and enjoy colors all around.
If there was anything I really wanted to add to the recent food theme, it would have been a post on the joys of cooking with children. Fortunate for me, I do not mind my children joining me in preparing our food :: for a meal that day or to enjoy at a later date.
Applesauce this year was interesting as I used whatever the children picked. Um, yeah. I tried to keep them in the Smokehouse and Honeycrisp rows {what we used last year}, but some Cortlands & McIntosh are in the mix as well. And maybe an Empire or two. It tasted great warm, we'll see what our opinion is in a few months!
But You are always working to get us home. Home to Spirit-controlled living :: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Home to a new character and a greater understanding that while we are weak {yes, we are}, YOU are so very strong. The darkness is not punishment, but the perfecting of mind and spirit :: not a cruel joke or judgement at all, albeit a turbulence allowed by a just and loving God.
