Unfortunately, this weekend was a drill weekend for Thomas, which meant the kids and I were on our own. Saturday, I volunteered to help out at Christmas in April. So, the kids were fortunate enough to spend some time with one of their favorite babysitters. When I returned home, Anna was happy to tell me the events of the morning. One thing she was not happy about--Chaiya's refusal to allow them to eat cheetos for snack. Apparently, Chaiya told them cheetos were not good for their bodies and Anna was quite skeptical. How could something in such a fantastic orange shade not be good nourishment?
Lately, I have been reflecting a lot on the food we eat. I try and make sure they eat lots of fruits and vegetables, but we also eat a lot of convenience food. Their favorite is macaroni and cheese. This year, we planted a garden. The kids loved working in the dirt. They especially enjoyed placing the seeds and covering them. Now, we like to examine the garden on a daily basis to see if anything has changed. The little green tops have just started to spring forth. We are all very excited about what the garden will bring. Since this is our first ever garden, I am not very optimistic. I figure this is sort of an experimental year. We threw down a lot of seeds and we'll see if anything takes. My hope is to get the kids excited for vegetables. We could all definitely use more green in our diets. Anna and Kara like salad and most vegetables, but I am not sure Jack has eaten a single green thing (without threats or incentives) in the past year.
I also want us to become a bit more self-reliant. I remember being in fifth-grade and having a Spring Fling. Each girl was assigned a color and a note was sent home to our mothers, instructing them to make ankle-length skirts in that color. There were one or two girls whose mothers didn't sew, but not many. I wonder what would happen if they were to ask that of mothers today? I personally would need some help. I did take sewing classes at 15, but I don't think I could make anything suitable for public viewing. In the grand-scheme of things, it wasn't that long ago (1988), but it seems like a different era. My mother could sew and knit and crochet and quilt. I am pretty sure she could bake bread and can vegetables. I don't do any of those things. She tried to teach me, but I was too impatient to bother to learn. This means that my daughters will probably not learn these skills. But, I want them to know the satisfaction that comes from making something useful with your own hands. Thomas' father enjoys rebuilding cars, his grandfather essentially built a house, but these are not abilities our son will possess.
Certainly, there are many people my age and younger who have these skills, I am just not one of them. Lately, I am feeling a sense of loss because of that. If we lost electricity and the ability to shop at a 24/hour Walmart, could my family survive? I feel a burden, having people who depend on me, and a fear of letting them down. So, we will plant a garden, I will make something using my sewing machine and maybe I will even bake some bread. It's a start.
On a lighter note, every day we ask the kids what their favorite part of the day was. Today, Kara said, "playing outside on our playground." Jack said, "playing in the garden." Anna said, "taking a bath." Why might that be funny? Because we didn't actually do any of those things today. We went to church, we ate lunch, we took naps, we watched a family movie, we played in the basement. Glad all of that was memorable for them.
Lately, I have been reflecting a lot on the food we eat. I try and make sure they eat lots of fruits and vegetables, but we also eat a lot of convenience food. Their favorite is macaroni and cheese. This year, we planted a garden. The kids loved working in the dirt. They especially enjoyed placing the seeds and covering them. Now, we like to examine the garden on a daily basis to see if anything has changed. The little green tops have just started to spring forth. We are all very excited about what the garden will bring. Since this is our first ever garden, I am not very optimistic. I figure this is sort of an experimental year. We threw down a lot of seeds and we'll see if anything takes. My hope is to get the kids excited for vegetables. We could all definitely use more green in our diets. Anna and Kara like salad and most vegetables, but I am not sure Jack has eaten a single green thing (without threats or incentives) in the past year.
I also want us to become a bit more self-reliant. I remember being in fifth-grade and having a Spring Fling. Each girl was assigned a color and a note was sent home to our mothers, instructing them to make ankle-length skirts in that color. There were one or two girls whose mothers didn't sew, but not many. I wonder what would happen if they were to ask that of mothers today? I personally would need some help. I did take sewing classes at 15, but I don't think I could make anything suitable for public viewing. In the grand-scheme of things, it wasn't that long ago (1988), but it seems like a different era. My mother could sew and knit and crochet and quilt. I am pretty sure she could bake bread and can vegetables. I don't do any of those things. She tried to teach me, but I was too impatient to bother to learn. This means that my daughters will probably not learn these skills. But, I want them to know the satisfaction that comes from making something useful with your own hands. Thomas' father enjoys rebuilding cars, his grandfather essentially built a house, but these are not abilities our son will possess.
Certainly, there are many people my age and younger who have these skills, I am just not one of them. Lately, I am feeling a sense of loss because of that. If we lost electricity and the ability to shop at a 24/hour Walmart, could my family survive? I feel a burden, having people who depend on me, and a fear of letting them down. So, we will plant a garden, I will make something using my sewing machine and maybe I will even bake some bread. It's a start.
On a lighter note, every day we ask the kids what their favorite part of the day was. Today, Kara said, "playing outside on our playground." Jack said, "playing in the garden." Anna said, "taking a bath." Why might that be funny? Because we didn't actually do any of those things today. We went to church, we ate lunch, we took naps, we watched a family movie, we played in the basement. Glad all of that was memorable for them.
I love kid memories. They just don't always get time right. Evidently there are lots of fun things happening at your house!
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