Racing to Amen

You might remember Little One asking to "brave."  We have changed how we pray nightly.  We have transitioned into praying the Lord's Prayer at the end of our nightly prayers.

Now Little One asks to "brave" with her brothers.  This has turned into gathering in the boys' room where we all pray the Lord's Prayer together.

The only thing is Middle One races... races... to the end.  The kid cannot wait to say "Amen."  He says it with a flourish-y shake of his head and then grins to himself.

Oh, to be God and know what that kid is thinking.

~ G

The Best - Another Culinary Win

Overheard at our dinner table:

Middle One: Mama?  Did you make these cinnamon rolls yourself?

(Truth in advertising requires me to tell you we had breakfast for dinner.  That included sausage, scrambled eggs, and cinnamon rolls.  Back to the touching story...)

Me: Yes.

Middle One: [Eyes wide] These are the best cinnamon rolls I have ever eaten.  You really made them?!

Me:  [Trying not to get misty-eyed] Thank you, honey.  I really did make them.  I am so glad you like them. 

Sniff.  Sniff.  Hmmm.  It just occurred to me that we sound like the Cleavers.  Oh, well!



So, a great big shout-out to the Pioneer Woman, er, Ree Drummond.  Thank you for the best cinnamon roll recipe ever! 

Just in case anyone needs a hard copy of the best cinnamon roll recipe EVER, check out PW's book. 











~ G

A Plan

Our conversation at dinner last night. (Keep in mind that Middle One is in 1st grade and Big Kid is in 3rd) :

Me: What was the best part of your day?
Middle One: Recess.  I ran around chasing girls. (laughs)
Darling: What were you going to do when you caught one?
Middle One: I don't know.
Big Kid: Well, you need to know what you're doing.
Darling: That's right, you need to have a plan. (winks at me)

~ G

Loving Attention

Darling just got home.  Late.

The boys have been waiting for him because they practice spelling words together.  Darling just walked in the door and Middle One immediately started talking about what he's wearing for Red Ribbon Week tomorrow.

Darling stood there and looked at him and gave him such loving attention that it took my breath away.

I love that man.  I love how he loves our kids.  I love that even after a long day at work, he can come in the door and even before dropping his briefcase, he can stand and listen to our son with rapt attention.

How does he do that?

~ G

My Own Beverly Clearly Moment

Little One enjoys a fresh box of crayons with the same abandon Ramona enjoys the first bite of an apple.  Let's just say Middle One and Big Kid have had their school supplies "tested."

~ G

From the Mouths of Babes

Middle One asked to learn the Lord's Prayer.  Precious, I know.  Tonight he was praying with me instead of repeating.  This is what I heard:

"Our Father, who art in heaven,

Howard be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, 

I will be done..."

I choose to believe God's laughing as hard as we are.  

Or harder.

~ G

A Parent's Perception of Perfection

I've been thinking lately about how we set our minds in terms of how we see our children.  Parents, you know what I mean.  We have a "creative" or an "energetic" or a "happy" or a "grumpy" child, right?  We all assign some kind of label to our kids, usually from years of experience with said child.  

This is on my mind today because I have a friend who swears her child would "never do anything to hurt someone's feelings."  Really?  This statement came after her child played at our house and I watched him deliberately tell Middle One he couldn't play with him and Big Kid.  Middle One got tears in his eyes because he wanted to play and begged to participate.  Guest child refused and told him he didn't know how to play "right."

At that point, I intervened and made it clear that in our house we are kind to one another and if we can't be kind, guests go home early.  That settled it rather quickly and all three boys went off to play.

So, when my friend said her child would never do anything to hurt anyone's feelings, I knew for a fact that she was wrong.  Is she delusional or is she blinded to her child's faults or does he have a dark side she doesn't get to see or was her son just trying on his big boy attitude at my house?  I don't know.  I do know that because she doesn't see it as an issue in her son, she likely doesn't feel the need to work to instill in him kindness and consideration for others.

I also know it reminds me to be careful when I declare things about my children.  They're kids.  They're learning about the world and who they are.  Between now (before now?) and the day they leave this earth, they will try on new ideas, experiment with new thoughts, and do things I never thought possible for them.  

Heck, on my wedding day, my mom said to my cousin that she'd "never seen [me] like that."  I was very serious and very focused and thinking very much that I was making a very permanent choice and the weight of that very important decision grounded me like nothing before.  Even my own mother had never seen me like that.  

If my mom, who knew my personality better than anyone and who had watched me closely for 20 some-odd years, saw something new about me on my wedding day, chances are good that as mothers of young children we don't know everything about our children's personalities.  

Maybe we should be open to that and not box our kids in with what we think we know about them?  What lessons are we omitting because we're sure our child will never cheat or lie or be ugly to someone?  Being blinded by our perceptions of our child's perfection doesn't help them.  I'm just sayin'.