Mexican Cinnamon Buns, Skype and Soccer Balls

Along with most kids, I was always ravenous after school. A day of learning and running and socializing left little time for eating and so I was hungry by the time 3:30 rolled around. One day as I was walking home from third grade, I had a brilliant idea for a snack. As soon as I got home, I asked my mom to help me, and she turned on the oven. I lined up Triskets in neat rows on a cookie sheet, put a square of American cheese on each cracker, and put the sheet in the oven. Voila! Melted cheese on crackers! It is still one of my favorite snacks.

Lily loves creating her own treats, too. When we ran out of bagels but had cream cheese, she put cream cheese on crackers. She thought they were great; I didn’t care for them much. One weekend morning she invented her specialty which she named “Mexican Cinnamon Buns.” We took a flour tortilla, heated it for 10 seconds in the microwave, and spread a little bit of butter on it. The butter melted deliciously. We sprinkled cinnamon and sugar over the butter and folded the tortilla into quarters. Yum!

Emmy is enjoying a Mexican Cinnamon Bun.

As my daughters grow older, I enjoy watching them do things that I once did when I was a little girl, such as creating their own snacks. They will probably do a lot of things differently. I only had an oven in the 70’s and today we have a microwave. Technology is constantly changing the way we do things. My husband tells the girls that he only dreamed about video phones, never imagining his daughter would use Skype in her Kindergarten class to virtually meet a pen pal.

Yet a bike still has training wheels and a soccer ball still begs to be kicked.

And Lily agrees with me…melted crackers on cheese is still a great after-school snack!

Simple BPM

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Starting the Day With a Dance

“Mommy, come quick!” both my daughters cry from the family room. “MOMMY!”

Sometimes I start to get irritated when I hear that call…what could they possibly want at 6:25 in the morning? Can’t they at least let me drink my coffee before they start demanding breakfast?

“MOMMY!” they both yell again. It only takes me a couple of seconds to remember why they are calling me. “CAPTAIN HUGGY FACE IS GOING TO DANCE!”

And so I start dancing along with Captain Huggy Face in the middle of the family room, much to the delight of my little girls. They know I love Captain Huggy Face.

They also know which song on our Vacation Bible School CD is my favorite. “Mom, it’s the shifting sand song!” Emmy will exclaim every time track 2 starts playing. They know that I won’t eat watermelon and I don’t like chocolate shakes.

Just as my daughters know my preferences, I know theirs. Lily loves watermelon, especially when I give her my portion. Emmy like cheese — lots and lots of cheese. I know what they will wear and what they will refuse to wear when it’s time to get dressed in the morning. When I am shopping for their birthday gifts, I know what toys they would love to receive.

What about Ed? My husband hides his dislike for cucumbers. He doesn’t want the girls to stop eating them if Daddy won’t eat them. When the girls don’t wake up early enough to say goodbye to him in the morning, he writes them each a small note and puts it at their place on the table.

All little things. But these little things have big meaning. Knowing these little things shows my daughters: “You are important to us. You matter to us.”

Simple BPM

What small things do you notice about your loved ones?

Here’s a little Capt. Huggy Face to brighten your day:

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