being intentional with Raeca
We all know kids copy their parents in everything they do. Sometimes we see them copying in ways that warm our hearts (like this photo I captured earlier in the year) and sometimes it is in ways/areas we wish they wouldn’t.
Raeca’s thing lately is sitting and my computer and saying she is “busy” or “writing an email”. Uh, oh. Red light. Guess what I often say to her?
At the beginning of this week I decided to be intentional with my time with Raeca. Now don’t get me wrong, we do stuff together. We play together everyday (she’s usually “making” me pancakes and orange juice), I read countless books each day, we frequently color together and she is always there “helping” when I am cleaning, cooking or baking. But it is really about more than that, it’s about being present when we are doing these things and not thinking about emails I have to send, cleaning I need to do, texts I need to check and my ever growing to do list.
I thought this was a great time to start taking advantage of my “with the kids” board on Pinterest, we haven’t done much from there but hope we will do more in the weeks to come.
One of my favorite things we have done together so far is this hand print art:
We’ve also colored some Dora (in pearls and pajamas of course -her not me):
And some abstract finger painting:
Obviously we tend do do crafty things together. What do you like to do with your kids? I would love to hear all your ideas!
Linking up to Casey Leigh and Christian Mommy Blogger.
with love,
Chantel
I love her little hand print pictures! She’s so adorable =)
Thanks Chantel, this is exactly the encouragement I needed to slow down and be present with the boys. Often I go to bed at nights feeling guilty that I haven’t actually ‘been’ with them even though I’ve been with them all day. But I need to just get my act together and do it.
Love being inspired by you. You’re an awesome mum.
Ronnie xo
I think it is something that is all too common these days. Hopefully giving our kids our full attention is something we can learn to do on a consistent basis.
Kids are such tape recorders! I was continually embarrassed by hearing things that I said come out of their mouths. Of course it was usually in public at the WRONG time! But thank heavens you did something about your red flag instead of ignoring it! 🙂
Haha yeah, we haven’t had one of those wrong moments yet but I am sure they are bound to happen!
Very true! I’m striving to be present in the moment as well. Our recent favorites…tee ball in the backyard, hot wheels derby in the basement, and markers on my craft paper. My little guy has recently discovered scotch tape and now every conceivable surface of my house is covered in “scribble art” pictures taped up. 🙂 I’m also trying to remember to use rides in the car to share bible stories or verses instead of mindlessly driving along.
Oh I love the idea of sharing Bible stories and verses while driving!!! I’m totally going to start doing that, thanks for the idea!