My, how they grow up fast. That is what every parent says at some point when they look at their children at the Kindergarten graduation, the Sweet sixteen party, and while waving them off to college. So am I so strange that I say that every time I see my girl wearing pair of pant that fit high watered? Or when the boys do amazing stuff like learning to put the lid on the toilet seat down after handling their business (no sitting on bare porcelain in middle of the night for mama Fee).
When I dreamed of having kids, I pictured myself sitting on a rocking chair holding a tiny baby (mind you in the daydream I was perfectly made up, my hair was done, and all of my garments were perfectly pressed.). Flash forward 10 years and I am the all American (Mexican version) stay at home mom. OK, vanity still has a hold of me (make up is still a must), but the hair and perfectly pressed clothes, well...thank goodness for wash and wear blouses, jeans and ponytails!!! The great thing is that to my kids I am beautiful.
I got to thinking, you know how when you look back on your childhood and think back on where you grew up you only remember the good stuff? You don't remember the chipped paint on the fences, the faded curtains, or the threadbare sheets. Just the Good stuff. Like eating watermelon on the front step with my cousins, or playing baseball in front of our house with all the kids from the ranch, perhaps my favorite memory is of sitting up in the pomegranate tree eating them until my stomach hurt and my fingers were stained. Sorry...I got carried away...so I digress. It made me think that someday my kids will look back and I wonder what they will call The Good Stuff. I'm going to work hard on doing more activities with them so that the answers are not watching mom clean, hearing mom yell, and the best...ohhh....cleaning our rooms! As fall starts to peak around the corner I want to do fun things with them and I am requesting suggestions from my friends. What are some of the fun things to do with little kids that are inexpensive that you remember doing as kids? I will make a list and post it on my blog at a later date. Either post it as a comment or on my facebook. Thanks for helping me make sure my kids don't grow up too fast without enjoying them...
One of my girls and my most favorite memory is when I checked them out of school one day because they had an "appointment" and I had packed a picnic and brought their dolls and we had a picnic in the park. They never have forgotten that.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a single mom to the boys, one Saturday a month I'd take one of the boys out and we'd just spend the day together. We'd go eat wherever he wanted and play whatever he wanted to play, or see a movie or something like that. The most important thing was that we spent time together.
ReplyDeleteI also would sleep in the living room floor with them some nights, sort of have a campout in our living room(most of the time I'd sneak into bed after they fell asleep bc that floor was hard), but you are so right, it's the little stuff that matters the most.
A friend of mine told me about a weekend she did this.Her husband & her took the kids "camping" in their own home. They pitched a tent out in the backyard & used no electronics in the house. I jokinly teased & asked if they were going to use nature as the bathroom, but she said that was the 1 rule - they had to use the bathroom inside (she didn't want to sleep near waste lol). They bbq'd in the back, including marshmellows at night. No one was allowed to go inside, other than to use the bathroom & shower once a day. No t.v, no radio, no video games, and no phone. They spent the whole time as a family with no interferences. The kids had a great time as did the parents. I don't think the kids will ever forget that! Also, one weekend when my friend's husband was out of town, my friend played restaurant with the kids. She made menus (could only order what was cooked), set out fancy table cloths, etc. & gave them fake money to pay. She's a preschool teacher & is creative like that, but her kids are always having fun & she does not like spending money at all!!
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