Quoth Olivia: "Mommy...... I LIKE shopping"
This post is a few days late, but I must share. Thursday was a HOT day down here, and so the kids and I stayed inside with the windows drawn ALL DAY. Alex had to go out for the evening, and I really needed to get out of the house for some fresh air. So.... I figured this was a good time to take Olivia SHOPPING. This was a new word for her. This was not just "Going bye-bye", this was going SHOPPING. I figured she had to have at least two birthday dollars in her piggy bank, and that was enough to get a nice little treat. Daddy contributed a dollar to our special trip. So, we headed to TARGET. First stop- the snack bar for the Icee and popcorn $1 combo. Then we set out to look at the new Little Einsteins toys.... Olivia wasn't too impressed and that was fine because Quincy and June would have broken the budget for the evening. Next stop... the SCHLEICH COLLECTION. Olivia's friend Canon collects SCHLEICH animals, and I wondered if this might be a good time to start her collection. After looking over all the animals (while mommy silently chanted Please don't pick the $5 dinosaur Please don't pick the $5 dinosaur) Olivia turned around and held up a fist full of little lambs. I told her to pick out the most special one, and we were off the the checkout.
.... and that was Olivia's first SHOPPING trip :) You know, sometimes I start slipping into the "caretaker" rut where all my focus is centered around keeping the children safe, fed, rested, and clean. That kind of attitude is like building a great house and failing to fill it with comfortable furniture and hand-picked accessories.
.... and that was Olivia's first SHOPPING trip :) You know, sometimes I start slipping into the "caretaker" rut where all my focus is centered around keeping the children safe, fed, rested, and clean. That kind of attitude is like building a great house and failing to fill it with comfortable furniture and hand-picked accessories.
"Through wisdom is an house builded, and by understanding it is established, and by KNOWLEDGE shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches." (Prov 24:3.4)
In recent days, my heart has been very burdened about the fact that I need to build and nurture a relationship with my children. I need to know them. My mom and grandma were great about this. My mom has always known exactly what I have been "into" at any given phase in my life. When I was little and loved He-Man, she bought me He-Man crayons for kindergarten. My grandma took me to Germany with her when I was 11 and then once again when I was 13. I never felt like a tag-a-long. I was my grandma's companion. I want my parenting to be more than just 4 walls and a roof. I want it to be filled with warmth and fragrance.
We had a little fun with "sheepie", Olivia's new little lamb. We appreciated Noah's flexibility to double as the good shepherd. Check out that ferocious looking lion in the backround ;)
6 comments:
Leah, this is such a great post. I am currently home from church with drew because he is running a fever. I really needed this reminder this morning!! I love that verse! My house could use some "comforts" right now as it is a bit upside-down while the basement is being refinished. BUT, we have also gotten into the schleich collection...since canon sprinkled his magic fairy dust on our home as well!! I actually got the boys each a lamb for easter but that was it. Now we have a nice little collection...and growing since the grandparents now know about it!!! :) I love your "shopping trip" idea with Olivia! It is so easy to have our kids tag along with the errands we are constantly running, but making these little special moments will communicate how special they are to us! I like what you said, "companion." I have taken drew on a couple of "dates" just mommy & drew. We have gone to barnes and nobles, picked out a couple books I read to him, then he picks out a cupcake at the bakery. It was so fun & special because it was our special time...no distractions!!! Keep tying those heartstrings...
Leah, Thanks for your post! I have been trying to put it into words the way I have been feeling lately...I think you just did!
I don't want to just be a MOM to my kids, but I want to love them and I want them to know that I love them. I want to know them and what they are doing. I want them to understand that they can come to me when they are older and tell me ANYTHING.
Do you ever think that your kids will just think of you as the person that just disciplines them?? I try so hard to make sure that LOVE is evident whatever I am doing with them.
You are such a great mom and I appreciate your posts!!!
I love going on outings with my kids. For both Kara and Lydia I try to make the routine outings special -- When we go to the bank, I try to make sure each of the girls has a little bit of money to put in their savings account -- even if it's only 1 or 2 dollars. And if one of them has a routine doctor's appointment, we make an afternoon of it and go out for a special treat. I think their favorite outing to go on with me though is grocery shopping. They each get to push a little cart (and they know the rules that if they go ahead of me or run, or don't keep up they have to return the cart and then have to walk through the rest of the trip). And, if they are good they each get to pick out a little debbie (for 25 cents it's worth it to me to encourage them to behave while I shop). It makes our routine activities so much more fun when they are excited about it and participants rather than tag-alongs.
Oh Leah, talk about conviction falling upon my heart! We so often get into our "rutt routines" and forget to make each day special and to LOVE our children rather than just discipline them all the time. Thank you so much for the sweet reminder. I think I need to read this post every day! You are such a good Mommy to your dear children! That's why they always have sweet smiles on their adorable little faces! Keep it up and thanks again for sharing your heart!
Your post hit home with me as last week, I took Kayla to Barnes and Noble to play with the train set and let her pick out books that included her favorite characters and I would read them to her. I was attentive for about ten minutes when mind wandered to thinking about looking for a potty training book that I hadn't seen at the library and reading it while she played with the train. The next minute, my heart felt heavy. Here I was making a special stop for her instead of just dragging her on my errands the whole morning and I couldn't even give her my complete attention without my mind wandering to things on my "to do list."
I think I'm going to take Kayla to the pet store tomorrow. That is another place that brings her such joy and in her words after we had gone to Chick-Fil-A and she got to play in the play area last week, "it was a fun day, mom."
Thanks so much for all the comments... they inspired me all over again :) There are so many little "stops" we can make... simple things we can do that mean so much to our little ones. Thanks for sharing!
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