Letting go!!

I decided a few weeks ago that this summer I was going to do at least one really fun spontaneous thing with my kids a day. The ideas I've come up with aren't always BIG things but it has to be something we don't do on a regular basis. Some days I have had to be a little creative because my kids have been super busy with karate, basketball camp, baseball games, dance camp and gymnastics but with some careful planning we have been able to spend some real quality time together. Some of the things we have come up with are: getting lunch at Wendy's and eating it upstairs in the playroom, painting rocks, going to the petting farm and then eating at Maggie Moo's ice cream shop, going on a 4 mile run (I pushed Maggs and Brady and Jacks rode his bike), story time at the library, having lots of picnics on the tramp, riding their bikes in the children's parade..........etc. But I think if you asked my kids what their favorite activity has been I think they would say their lemonade stand. My kids have asked me to do a lemonade stand since we've lived in our house (4 years) but I have always said no. We have lots of neighbor kids that sell things and my kids have been involved in helping. So when I told the kids if they finished all their jobs and if I didn't have to get after them we could do one. They were so excited and cute!! After they quickly did their jobs they came out and helped me make homemade chocolate chip cookies. Jacks read the recipe and they all helped dump the ing. in. While I put the dough on the tray they made signs and ate lunch. While I mixed up the punch Jacks set up the table, taped the signs up and got all ready for their customers to come. Our cute little neighbor Ellie came to help set up and sale too. After all that was said and done they ended up making $22!! Not bad for a half days work. Thanks to awesome friends and neighbors my kids are already asking when they could do another one!!!



As a mom doing all of these little activities with my kids has been so rewarding. Some days it has been a challenge for me because it has been hard to fit in the house cleaning, laundry and yard work but I have decided that I have to let some of those things go and realize that my kids aren't going to be little forever. I have loved every minute of the time we have spent together and I hope that as a result we will be closer as a family!