Hey cute Mama! I see you there trying to balance ALL the things. I see you trying to feed and nurture your kids, fit in a work out, help with class assignments, sign up for dozens of volunteer activities, organize your space, balance work and maybe even sleep sometimes too. When did your kiddo outgrow their dance shoes? And were swim team sign ups this morning? It is a wonder that you accomplish what you do juggling all those plates in the air! I also know and see you have a few raw spots where you think you are coming up short. Nope! Let’s not go there. That’s a different article for a different day. I just want to point out: You are killing it! Seriously! You are loving those kids and helping them become amazing human beings. Nothing is more important that that!
So here’s a little something. It’s just tiny, but oh so cute! While I hope you are frequently celebrated and lavished with squishy hugs and sincere thanks, I know a lot gets lost in the hustle to get ready, be alert and show up on time to all the things. This little activity is just a small way for you to connect to the little humans in your home.
The longer I live, the more I understand that people old and young want to be seen, heard and ideally appreciated. So while I do hope you are seen, heard and appreciated this weekend, let me tell you a cute and simple way to connect with your littles and maybe even your middle aged kiddos too!
You’ll need some skittles, (much to the delight of your children) and while you really would not like to indulge in too much sugar, we are going to just ignore that for this little moment. Sometimes you have to. You can make this connection with a fun size bag of skittles that has approximately 16 candies or you can do it with a regular size bag that has approximately 56 skittles. Whatever you choose is perfect.
Find a fairly quiet corner of the house and snuggle one of your kiddos up next to you, maybe start with the middle child who sometimes can be overlooked! Look over the questions and the corresponding colors, then open the bag of skittles. Take turns and don’t peek! Maybe you should go first. Reach your hand into the bag and pull out one skittle. Look at the question key. You have pulled out a yellow skittle! Think about your answer and tell something real from your life. Is this something you have not told your child before? Maybe! Now let your kiddo pick out a skittle–still no peeking! They have picked orange. Listen to the answer! You will be delighted and maybe a little surprised by the things you learn. You will bounce back and forth and maybe after 10 minutes or so, you will find the bag is empty, but your heart is full. You love this kid and it is amazing to be his mom!
Feel free to share with him the things you admire about him. It’s good for him to be seen, heard and appreciated and hopefully in this cute moment he will hear, see and appreciate you too! If you are looking to connect with an older teen, a trip out to ice cream and still sharing some of these questions and answers will do the trick. A teen will play along for some ice cream!
Happy Mother’s Day. Thanks for doing the work, even when it’s thankless and hard. I see you and I am cheering for your success! 🙂
