My week started out less than stellar. When God commanded us to rest one day per week, he meant it! With all I do, I needed a little down time before this week started. I didn't get it. Mark is "in the field" from before sunup until after sundown all week long this week and is unavailable for the daily, "If you want dinner, come hold the baby!" cry. By Monday, I needed to follow Thomas Jefferson's advice when he said, "When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on!" I really needed something to inspire me. Ian came to the rescue...
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| The Turtle Club |
It all started with a surprise package from our cousin in
Pennsylvania. One of the package items was Bendaroos, which the kids
immediately turned into turtles following the template instructions.
Soon after, Ian created Turtle Club. The goal of Turtle Club is to
have fun! And it just happened to be T week for Fiona, so it all just fit so perfectly!
Ian may be more reserved in public, but he is a strong leader at home. He organizes all sorts of activities and clubs that his siblings join. At ten years of age, he should be growing out of the cuter things (like Turtle Club) and growing into things like tomahawk throwing...or something manly like that. He is already interested in politics and current events which has lead to discussions on the differences between conservatives and liberals and how they view issues. Ian is not my needy insecure baby anymore and before I know it, he'll be grown up and gone like his sisters before him... that thought was all I needed to become an Honorary Member of Turtle Club.
My first order of business was to surprise the club with a gift:
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| Turtle snack |
I made a snack in the shape of a turtle. The body is a pear half, the head is an apricot, and the feet are dried cherries. I almost didn't make them. I thought the kids might think they were stupid or not realistic enough.
Oh, if I only had cloves for eyes and something leafy for a design on its shell...as it stood, there was no way my turtles would ever make it into Family Fun magazine! Maybe I should get online and find a better turtle-themed snack. But they loved it! Ian and Shane exclaimed how awesome they were and how I was the greatest mom and thanked me so much. And my heart refilled with joy!
Today we had peanut butter and jelly in the shape of a turtle (I used a sand mold that I found out in the yard-don't worry, I ran it through the dishwasher first). And the surprise dessert was a...
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| Jello-fish! |
...a big giant jellyfish! I mixed up some gelatin (I buy it by the pound) with white grape juice in a large mixing bowl, let it set overnight, and turned it over on a plate. It really looked like a jellyfish!
The lessons I learned are:
- Don't let Family Fun magazine dictate what your children will think is fun and/or awesome.
- Look in new places for inspiration like your kids!
- Keep the daily schedule open to make room for children's creativity
- Don't let anyone (myself included) tell your kids when they should or should not "grow up"
