Dates with the kiddos

Most of our good parenting ideas, practices, or tips have come either from books or stolen from good parenting we have witnessed from our friends and family. Much of what we do with our kids has NOT come from our own thinking...though I wish we could take the credit at times.

One of the things we have started in the last year has been to do monthly dates with Sammy and Caleb. Even though they were three and one at the time, we realized how important it was to begin doing this regularly...especially since it would be harder to start it once they were older and involved with more activities. And as our family continues to grow, we knew that they would need more time one-on-one with us...especially since we are in full time ministry and are often at church or with students.

And it started with Home Depot. On the first Saturday of every month, they have a "Kid's Workshop" where children and their parents can come FOR FREE...man, I LOVE free stuff...and do projects together. Brad has been taking Sammy to these workshops for several months, and they have such a blast together! She puts on her delightful orange apron,


builds something with Brad, munches on some popcorn, and plays on the riding lawn mowers. They make all sorts of cool stuff, like a little tool kit for dad, a birdhouse, and a bean bag game. She looks forward to this every month...and mentions it almost every time we drive by Home Depot...which may be 5-6 times a week.

So, while Brad is off with Sammy, I've been able to give Caleb some special time. Because Sammy and Caleb are less than 21 months apart, Caleb is quite attached to his big sister. He almost doesn't know what to do with himself when she is gone. And not having Daddy around is really rough as well. So we spend some time doing puzzles, playing with play-do, or doing other things that, well...if Sammy was home...she would want to show Caleb and do for him. We've also done a lot of finger painting, and this little boy absolutely loves it.


He was shocked at first that I let him get his hands dirty...since it seems like I'm cleaning them round the clock, but it didn't take him long to get into it.


We also got a fishing pole for Sammy this summer at a garage sale. She has been talking all summer about going fishing. We live very close to a lake, so one day, near the end of the summer, they (or, shall I say, Brad) dug up some worms and the headed to Rice Lake. Sammy caught two fish, and you couldn't wipe that smile off her face!


Also, when Sammy was a flower girl in August, I decided to make it a really special day and take her to get her hair done.


She had such a fun time, and her favorite part was that she "got sparkles in her hair" and that she looked "just like Tika--the bride."


I have a TON of pictures from that wedding, but I'm still waiting for the CD from the photographer...so stay tuned!

Although it's been hard at time to give up family time for these "date nights" with our kids, it is so worth it. I want to continue to build and create these fun and meaningful times in their lives so that they continue to feel loved, safe, and secure in our family. The time talking with each of them is priceless, and it's been so much fun to see them apart from one another. They play so well together and act so similar that sometimes I forget they are completely different children with different needs and personalities.

These times really let each of them shine...and I cannot help but love them even more!