More of Mommy

I've had a lot going on trying to get ready for our next move... we're only moving like 20 yards away, but still :).  Since my kids had a really hard day yesterday, I felt they needed some more of Mommy.  The greatest thing I can give my children is myself - my full love and attention.  So, I brainstormed ideas and wanted to share this list with you.... maybe your week has been crazy and your kids need more of you too.  

• I let Brayden paint my nails, which means my fingers too :)  Then I wrote letters on the tips of his fingers representing different things he's really good at... so I wrote "P" for puzzles, "K" for being kind, "H" for being my helpful...

• The kids had a bubble bath and then full body lotion rubs

• We played outside... sandbox, bikes, chalk, slides - all that good stuff kids crave
• A couple times I would get down on Brayden's level, look him straight in the eyes, and whisper a secret like "you are my fav" "you are my best friend" and he would just light up!
• I just tried to remember to take time and LAUGH and giggle a lot.
• We looked through old pictures.
• We took a trip to the local library and also sat and watched a construction site - free entertainment!

Some other ideas we didn't quite get to:

• Make homemade finger paint and put different colors in a muffin tin.  Here's a recipe.
• Make a cereal necklace.
• Take goofy pictures of you together.
• Make something yummy and give to a friend/neighbor.
• Try to include them in "helping" you with some of your chores.
• At bedtime, tell your child some things you noticed that day... ways they were kind and helpful, qualities you see in them, etc

At the end of the day, I still have a big pile of dirty dishes and we had leftovers for dinner... BUT, I hope that my kids know how much I love them and that I'm here for them!!