Wednesday, December 18, 2013

An Easy, Fun Treat

A couple of nights ago, we decided to do something more than watch another Christmas cartoon (that has been happening a lot)!  I thought it would be fun/easy to dip marshmallows in chocolate and then in some "decorations." 



I also thought while I had the chocolate out I'd dip a few of these as well...
 The boys did enjoy it!
 But, Carter wasn't too fond of the taste.  He much prefers a plain one.
It wasn't as messy as it could have been, and I thought they'd be a fun treat for hot chocolate some afternoon...especially the ones dipped in peppermint!


I just used straws to dip them because it's all I had, but they worked great!

While this activity worked out pretty well, I find myself forgetting that my kids are as young as they are, especially this time of year.  I want to do so many things with them.  I want to develop Christmas traditions. I think sometimes I even want to just know that I can "handle" it all.  Frankly, sometimes those fun activities aren't so fun when I am so set on making them that way.  I have a hard time really focusing on what Christmas is about.   I find myself on the edge and losing patience quickly.  It's difficult for me to rest and prepare for Jesus' birth during advent as we're supposed to.   I want my boys' childhood to be so full that I often make it just the opposite - filling it with things and activities when in reality they probably just want more of me.  And, while I can recognize all of this, changing me is what's hard.  

Maybe we should just take those marshmallows, enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and be more intent about our focus.  We'll see :)


4 comments :

  1. Oh Britt… You are doing such a GREAT job. Really… I can so relate to how you're feeling… Your boys are so young, and yes, you are creating memories. Maybe they aren't 'perfect' ones - but I'm constantly reminding myself that I'm being 'perfected' as I raise our family… Perhaps growing in patience, in grace, learning along the way. Merry Christmas to your sweet family! And you've again inspired me. We are SO doing this today… :) Well, at least me and the 'big three'. :)

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  2. "Carter would prefer plain." Peter and Tiffany have no problem chowing down on the most loaded up one possible. Good grief do I love him. All of them, of course. But pictures of Peter stuffing his face just make me happy.

    You are doing such a great job with these boys. And maybe dipping marshmallows and watching Christmas videos isn't the typical Advent activity, but you know what? You're there with the boys, talking to them, spending time with them, loving them....that's what matters. And my bet is that Jesus would tell you that he'd rather you be doing than than reading some long, complicated Advent book that gives you a headache anyway.

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  3. Oh my yum!!! How do you make your dipping chocolate? This pregnant pumpkin needs to know... :)

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  4. Those pix look like you had put the marshmallows on peppermint sticks - now that WOULD be a treat to stir hot chocolate with! About the concerns about overdoing, I'm guessing that some of that is pregnancy hormones too. Regardless, the kids won't remember the messy details when they're older; they'll just have the happy pictures in their heads of the times when they had marshmallow lollipops (or whatever the project du jour is). That's the great thing about how God created our memories - it's the happy images that are strongest and that we remember with greatest clarity.

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