Ahh A Few Good Days

Last week Little Miss Sunshine and I went to the Sewing Expo in Fort Worth, What fun that was, it was her first conference and she really enjoyed it. Even tho their was only one other child there, she is comfortable enough in her own skin to talk to anyone. In fact She talked to a wedding dress seamstress for a good 40 minutes, while I got to peruse the books in silence. Tho I do believe the phrase "They are a fun bunch of old ladies" was on her lips a few times...  

In the family tradition of "weaving" she now owns her first peg loom.  She really loved making simple bracelets on the loom set up at the show. I'm going to steal it borrow it and make a few lanyards. Finally a place to use up all the extra friendship bracelet thread.  

We took classes in what she was interested in, so here was this quilter sitting in on How to sew Luxury Fabrics,  and Sparkle Twinkle and Shine... tho how to use doughnuts to make shawls and really cool ruffles was well worth watching... and No I'm not telling you how delicious breakfast treats make shawls... well at least not till Christmas.  

It was a fantastic time, we planned it this way to make sure each of the kidlets got enough alone time with Mom. I really find PLANNED alone time is so important to our relationships with our children.  I could see when we took off for St. Louis and left the child who would be bored and rolling her eyes at all the attention the other one was getting behind with friends. I knew she would have a good time but also within hours I was seeing symptoms of trauma surface.  Thank goodness we have a friend who does massages and could step in an relieve those symptoms.  

Having just one on one time really allow's us to connect in many ways with our children. She will never forget eating hot wings at midnight, or looking at all the quilts.  Consider we out grow the T-shirt, or toss the souvenir's,  but memories are forever with us. They make up the fabric of who we are.  Yes the pun is intended; that was for you Ann.  

So many issues I face as a parent I can actually see transformed by the correct application of togetherness. Sweet Potato being left behind because at a Sewing Expo she would be the child who would be bored and rolling her eyes at all the attention the other one was getting... was happy to stay and play on campus. This time I did not shoot myself in the foot and give her pure vacation days... Noooooo I gave her all the hard bits of school... *grinning* so these last few days have been fabulous. Her work load is not overly difficult nor is it going extra long.  She also realized I'm a good parent for her, seeing how other households work can sometimes shoot us in the foot because now she wants me to brush her hair like so and so's mom does.  can give us an appreciation for the freedoms and responsibilities we have in our own households. 

We also have started co-opting with another family and I think having that presence in and out of the house has added "everyone is on their best behavior" to the equation.  I'm looking forward to sharing the load with the other mom, and I'm finding it a joy to have another child added into the mix, who has fresh perspectives and handwriting I can read without wondering if it's an E or an I.   Tho whats with all the kids wrapping their thumbs when they write. I think I'll be breaking out the golf pencils for everyone soon...