Parents' Challenge: Day Two

Invite your children to cook with you.  Sharing the meal prep is a great bonding opportunity as long as you keep it fun.

I had big plans of making BBQ chicken with some fun side dish that the kids could help me with, but by the time Paul got out of class he was in the mood to go fishing.  So...I threw a couple frozen pizzas in the oven and did not complete my challenge.  I did a big no-no and set up my laptop on the table so the kids and I could watch Netflix while we ate.

We ate our fill of cheese pizza and chocolate chip cookies, then I gave my dirty little ones a bath with a couple drops of lavender oil.  Zoe couldn't stop talking about how amazing the bubbles smelled!  She had no idea those amazing smelling bubbles were secretly relaxing her body and getting her ready to fall into a nice, deep slumber.

After the kids were bathed we watched a movie about lions until the clock struck 9:00 and we had our prayers, I tucked all four little ones into bed, and I did not hear one peep!  Wow!  What a lucky mom I was!

For the first time in forever (admit it, the song from Frozen is now stuck in your head!) I had a chance to read some of my book and a magazine!  I even entered a half a dozen drawings to win things for my home from Better Homes & Gardens!  I would say my evening alone was pretty eventful.

But no worries!  Today is a new day and I will let the kids help me with something...  Whether we make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or pigs in a blanket, these kids are making something with me in the kitchen!

Today's challenge is to read a joke book together.  I don't think I have any joke books, plus my kids are still too young to understand them.  Trust me, I've tried telling jokes and they give me looks that make me feel more stupid than silly.  If I get a laugh out of them it's more of a courtesy laugh that, again, makes me feel more stupid than silly.  Maybe we will just read a Dr. Seuss book (he's funny, right?) and I will make the voices sound funny.  Close enough. :-)  I'm still spending time with my kids!

It's not too late to start your own Parents' Challenge!  Jump in any time if you're brave enough to work on your parenting skills! :-)  Some of these challenges will be hard for some while others think they're no big deal, but the bottom line is that you're wanting to improve your relationship with your children.  God has given you these little blessings for a reason!  Please don't waste your time being stressed out and too busy.