Saturday, October 23, 2010

Celebrating my Children and.......

I have been reading a book that is hands down, the best "self-help" book that I have ever read. It is called, "My Single Mom Life", & it is by Angela Thomas....a Christian author.


I was at the Christian bookstore nearly two months ago to buy a gift for someone else. I found my gift right away but did some browsing. (Even though I couldn't afford to buy anything.) Funny how we do that. I came across this book, opened to a random page, & knew that I NEEDED to read it. I also knew that one of my closest friends would need to read this as well. So, I called up the library while still outside the store to see if I could check it out for free, instead of dropping the cash. They didn't carry it, but they borrowed it from another library.

I got the book the day before I went out of town for my girl's weekend in NYC. I took the book on the plane & I think I cried 3 times in the first 10 minutes. I figured that the lady sitting next to me would think that I am nuts so I put the book away. It felt like Angela Thomas was writing my story, thoughts, & worries. I wanted to read more but I think that I was worried that I would learn something, if that makes sense.

Bascially, Angela is a single mom. Her husband left & she is raising 4 children. She talks about being a Christian mom, the challenges, the joys, etc. I am pretty sure that this book is going to become like a Bible to me. I have learned many things that I am sure I will cover in future posts, but there was one thing that stuck out to me this week that I could implement immediately & see instant reward & joy from my children. Angela is helping me to become the best mom that I can be & I am so blessed to have found this book.

In life in general, I do not feel as though we "celebrate" enough. Birthdays are once a year, there are few holidays that we make a big production of & we spend so much more of our days filled with stress, worry, financial problems, health issues, etc. We need to celebrate more, & we need to celebrate more with our children. We need to make sure that they know (in THEIR daily life struggles), that we love them unconditionally, home is their safe place, & we will always pay attention to them & "celebrate" them.

Just as Angela mentions in her book, we often give our kids our leftovers, the worst part of us. We work all day, go to functions for the kids, work, or ourselves, we run errands, pay bills, do chores, travel, etc. etc. By the time we sit down with our kids (single parent or not), we are spent. They do not get the best of us. I too many times have told them that I can't play, listen, or spend quality time with them....because I am too tired. Well I am TIRED of saying that! My kids need the best of me. They deserve it & so do I.

So, I happened to notice the date yesterday & it was the 22nd. It was Allyson's half birthday! Brandon's would have been the 15th, but better late than never. I decided that we would celebrate our half birthdays as a new tradition. Why not? No presents, just a special day for just them, that day, & nobody else. Since it was last minute & we already missed Brandon's, we had one celebration this weekend & I will let them both choose their favorite meals this week.

We made cupcakes & they are YUMMY! Coconut cake, vanilla cool whip frosting, & coconut on top. My mouth is watering. Here are a few photos.....


 





I hope that you enjoyed our party. We dropped a few cupcakes off already & will be taking a few to church tomorrow. I mean, the three of us don't need 18 cupcakes. LOL

This is where I need your help. How do you celebrate your children? What makes them feel special? What is your mommy tip for making life easier?

Have a great rest of the weekend & I can't wait to hear all of your advice & suggestions! :)

3 comments:

  1. When I got married, someone gave us a red "Special plate". We use it for breakfast, lunch or dinner for random reasons. We always get it on birthday dinners, but sometimes one of the kids gets it just because. They love the plate and I think it is a great reminder that we love them. You can look it up online. Just google "red special plate". I wish I had the money to buy one for you, but maybe it's something you can get in the future.

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  2. I know you are trying to come up with celebrations OTHER than birthdays, but this is the first thing that came to mind. A friend of mine does this with her kids and I just couldn't resist doing it for my own. The night before their birthday (once they're asleep), I sneek into their rooms and decorate...blow up balloons, hang paper streamers on their doors, hang happy birthday banners, etc. First thing when they open their eyes on their birthday, they know that I have planned ahead and really want to celebrate their special day. It usually turns into weeks because they never want to take down the decorations. ; )

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  3. First, I think you are doing a great job, Aimee! I only have 1 young child, but I can't imagine doing it alone. Single moms are my heroes. I only have a 14 month old, so we haven't really started any traditions with our kids yet. But we always make it a point to "celebrate" those weird holidays that don't really have traditions, but you get work/school of anyways. Like Labor Day. My husband and I always plan something special for our family for Labor Day. It's right between birthdays & Christmas, so it's like a miniholiday vacation for us. This year we went to the zoo, last year we had a picnic @ The Grand Canyon (we live in AZ), and the year before we went hiking. I'm hoping it's a fun tradition we can carry on with our kids over the years, and something they can look forward to before school starts.

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