i was reading this post and this post earlier and it made me think.i thought i'd share with you ways that i connect with my kids as i work.
as you probably know, i have a 19 year old, 13 year old, 5 (going on 15) year old and an 11 month old. the teen's are (for the most part) pretty self sufficient, but the happiest baby and the little princess requires aLoT of my time and in order for me to get anything done i must find a way to include them or else what'cha doin' wednesday (and every other day) wouldn't exist.
for the most part, i involve the kids in everything from cooking to laundry. the older kids have laundry days and the 5 year old helps sort and fold. cooking is primarily a task that i tackle with the help of the little princess most of the time. she now lOvEs to cook and bake.
but the other stuff, that's what i wanted to share with you.
in my sewing room, i have a basket of toys to entertain the happiest baby. he LoVeS my ribbon and scraps. he makes a HuGe mess and that's totally oK with me because we are together. speaking of together, that's the key.
the other night, i was working on getting a project finished and the little princess was working on her stitching. the baby was playing and making his mess. it was quiet and we were talking. i don't even remember what we were talking about (she talks AlOt!) out of the blue, she says 'this is nice, mommy. you and me stitching'. it was nice. it was time to connect just me and her. there are many days that we spend in the sewing room connecting and creating.
kids LoVe to create and i get a lot done.
so the next time you want to quilt or scrap or whatever, set up a tv tray, give the kids some paper, crayons and turn the tv and music off (unless it's the music with 'no words'...classical) and enjoy the time with them.
a little tip: i cut up 5 inch squares of muslin and let her draw and color on them. later we can make them into a quilt.
i hope you have a great day! i've gotta go clean the trailer, we're going camping tomorrow.
i promise i'll get those recipes tonight. (for some of you, that might mean tomorrow...)
5 comments:
How cute Julie! And great ideas. I am going to check out those links. It's true - kids love being creative and spending quality time with their parents and siblings.
I can tell you are an awesome mom!
XOXOXO
Jen
AWESOME suggestion!! very eye opening as I thought the only way to get to do "My Projects" was to wait for everone to go to sleep..thats the way MY mom did it and that meant she didnt really get to do any of her own projects. As a mom, i think it is great to share how to "Get it done" with eachother! It helps us not try to be super woman as we wonder "How does Julie Isa get it all done:)"
Great suggestions. I know sometimes you just think I can get this done so much faster if I do it myself, but what a reward it is with a childs success and feeling of importance. Happy camping!
You're such a good mom! I want to come and "stitch" with you too. I won't make a big mess either.
I love the idea of having her draw on the muslin squares. I need to do that with my little kiddies.
You are such a good mom! This is something I really need to work on. I way too often ask my kids to "go play" so I can get my projects done. I'll definitely be incorporating your suggestions into our lives!
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