Memories

For years, I have been encouraged by a dear friend to really spend some time focusing on making memories. With summer finally here....what better time than now to pass on this valuable lesson. Time goes so fast!! I know you have heard that a million times but it is so true. We can't do a thing to slow it down but we can do tons to make the most of the time we have. What does this look like? Well, for me....I have to make a conscious effort to remember to take lots of pics. At the end of the summer, I love to pour over them. I then upload my favs to any number of sites to put a book together. I use snapfish.com or shutterfly.com. So fun. For those that are not creative or the thought of trying to be creative shuts you down....both these sites have the ability to simply take the photos you want and put them in a book for you! Cool. I am confident I will look over these books for years to come. A guaranteed "warm-fuzzy" generator! In the past, I have given each child a copy of the finished product as a Christmas gift. They seem to love them. Some other things we do: bubbles!! (always fun for any age), sidewalk chalk (old standby), water balloons on a hot day, sprinkler (we have a pool but sprinklers get them giggling), bonfires (this is a must!), picnic lunch at a local park, homemade Popsicles, reverse dinner (go get ice cream before dinner!), grow something (we have a garden and each child has an area that they are responsible to weed. This makes my job easier and they really take ownership. This could even be a potted tomato on the patio.), lighting bugs in a jar (I know, I know...this seems so...."yeah, whatever" but trust me..the kids will pull that memory forward forever!), bike rides, and the list goes on and on. These are just some that we do. As you can see, little or no money is involved. When my children were small, I had to think about making sure I did these. They did not just happen! Maybe if I was a Muppet or something, these types of things would just pop in my head to do. Seeing how I am a real mom, that loves her kids madly but would rather just sit and read a magazine on a warm summer day....I had to kind of push myself to do all this fun stuff. I want my children to look back on their childhood and think happy thoughts. I want to be remembered as the mom who was tough at times but was full of great ideas and full of fun. Don't you want that too? Well, if so, then this does not just happen. It is thought about and planned for. I would like to encourage you to think about what ways you can make this summer the best one yet! My prayer is that you begin to understand how significant you are. Significant first and foremost to our Creator and also to your children. See there...YOU ROCK and you didn't even know it!!