A Year of Smiles – Day 318

Reason to SMILE #318: CREATIVITY

Once upon a time, I was a crafter. I loved to create all kinds of things – cards, picture frames, topiaries, wreaths, Christmas ornaments and more. I would spends hours toiling away on projects intended for gifts or just for fun and I wouldn’t stop working until the project was complete. Oh, how I enjoyed those times!

Alas! Those times were cut short when I began a family. Raising kids takes a lot of time and effort. Who knew? (😉😉 Hahaha!) Priorities change when babies arrive – as they should. Hours spent on crafting became time spent rocking, reading, changing diapers, bathing, playing, cleaning. After all, children come first but…

There’s nothing wrong with encouraging your kids to be creative! Finger paints and crayons may not be your medium of choice but fostering a child’s imagination and ingenuity is a great way to challenge your creative skills. Besides, when your kids are creating, you have time for your projects, too! It’s a win – win for everyone.

It’s been a while since I’ve had time to be creative just for the sake of creating but I decided to make time today. After all, Christmas is coming and my tree needs a few more decorations. I chose an easy project but I gotta tell ya. I’ve truly enjoyed my crafting time today. It put a SMILE on my face and, believe it or not, a peace in my heart.

Wow! I’m lovin’ these pom-pom ornaments I’m making. They look almost as good as the ones I saw at Cracker Barrel! 😉 And saving money by making these myself – well, that’ll put an added sparkle to my SMILE any day!

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A Year of Smiles – Day 289

Reason to SMILE #289: MOM SUPER POWERS

Faster than a little boy’s ability to make up excuses to skip school.

More powerful than the myriad of sicknesses plaguing his body.

Able to spot a tall tale with a single glance.

Look! In the kitchen!

It’s a doctor.

It’s Dad.

No, it’s Mom – armed with the Pink Pills of Power ready to battle the crippling moves of the stomach’s arch-nemesis, Tum E. Ache. Pills so powerful that with the mere mention of their name, even the worst aches and pains flee in fear.

Our story begins at the Smith household where a little boy is just waking up to get ready for school….

We see our young victim crawling out of his chair, doubled over with his arm around his stomach. The little boy cries, “Ohhhh! My stomach hurts!”

Then from the kitchen, our hero appears and proclaims, “I’ll get the Pepto!”

WHAM! BOOM! POW! Those four powerful words knock Tum E. Ache to the floor and he quickly vanishes to escape his impending doom!

The little boy, now walking upright and wearing a smile on his face, happily ingests the bubble gum goodness of the powerful pink Pepto.

And our hero quietly retreats to the kitchen to enjoy her coffee but keeps a watchful eye on her surroundings. You never know when Tum E. Ache or his League of Phony Syndromes will rear their ugly heads again!

Being a mom means you have to face all kinds of evil foes every day, including that pesky “I don’t wanna go to school” monster. The key is being armed with the right weapons. A whole lotta love and patience and a little bit of children’s chewable Pepto 😉 will ensure the victory and the SMILES every time!

 

A Year of Smiles – Day 230

Reason to SMILE #230: KIDISMS VOLUME 5

In honor of my younger son’s twelfth birthday, I present to you Alex’s Greatest Hits:

3 years old: Clean Up Time

Me: OK, Alex. It’s time to pick up your toys. I’m going to count down from ten and you see if you can pick up all your toys before I’m done counting.

Alex: How ’bout I count and you pick ’em up?

 

4 years old: Rock, Paper, Scissors

Alex and his older brother, Corey, were playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. Corey pounds his fist on his other hand while he says,” Rock, Paper, Scissors, shoot!” On “shoot”, Corey forms scissors with his hand and Alex — well, he makes a gun with his fingers and says, “Ha! Ha! I shot your scissors. I win!”

 

6 years old: The Lord’s Supper

The congregation was sitting in quiet reverence of the observance of the Lord’s Supper. The Pastor raises the cup and says, “This is filled with juice but we know it represents the blood of Jesus…So as we drink this cup…”

Alex sits up and loudly announce: “I’m not drinking that!”

 

7 years old: The Fog

The drive to school was eerie due to a dense fog that covered everything. Visibility was at a minimum and as we neared Corey’s school, the fog was so thick that you could not even see the school building.

“Look, Alex!” I said. “Corey’s school is gone!”

From behind me, I heard an evil little laugh erupting. “Bahahahaha! One down – one
million to go!”

 

8 years old: Spanish 101

Corey: Usted esta aburrido! That means, “You’re boring,” Alex.

Alex: You’re a burrito!!

End of lesson.

 

9 years old: Pizza

Alex opens up a box of pizza and sings “Aaaaaaaah” in his best angelic voice.

He closes the box and opens it again. “Aaaaaaaah,” he sings.

“It would be cool if it did that every time you opened the box, wouldn’t it? I wish there was an app for that!”

 

10 years old: Trust Issues

Corey: What did you see at the College Fair?

Alex: A dead dog’s heart.

Corey: Was there a live dog’s heart?

Alex: No. It has to be dead.

Corey: Then you just saw a dog’s heart.

Alex: The veterinarian told us it was dead.

Corey: You can’t always trust a veterinarian.

Alex: Yeah! Because they take out dog’s hearts!

 

11 years old: European History

While studying for a social studies test, I asked Alex what countries France colonized. He thought for quite a while so I decided to give him a hint.

“One is right above us,” I said as I raised my hand to point upward.

To that, Alex replied, “Mom, France did not colonize heaven!”

 

Alex: On Growing Up

“I don’t get why my voice is cracking!” Alex complained.

“Because your voice is changing,” I replied.

“But my voice has already changed. Is it going to change again?!? It’s like God changed it and then said, ‘No, I don’t like that one. Let’s try another one.’ ”

Poor thing! 😝

 

Although you may not be able to fully appreciate these SMILE moments, I thank God for every single one. Being this kid’s mom is a blessing from God. There’s no one like my Alex, that’s for sure! He’s given me twelve years of SMILES and I’m sure there are many more to come.