Prairie Girl Wanna Be

Well I did it and I ain’t doin’ it again! 

I had the bright idea of having a gingerbread house party for my 14 year old and three of his friends.  Now mind you, this is boys.  This is boys that are loud, that still love to play and have a good time. 

The first thing I had to do was get them calmed down so they would be a construction crew and not a demolition crew!  They brought all their airsoft weapons and ammo with them so I didn’t even let them in the house at first.  After two hours of being outside, I had them “cement” their houses ~ the walls and ends and roofs together.  Then they teamed up and played video games while the houses dried.  The construction took two sessions cause they were so “wired”. 

They were hilarious.  Just hearing their conversation, you learn an extreme amount!  They aggravated, made fun of, laughed at each other and just had a good time.  In the middle of all the banter they would break out into Christmas carols ~ singing them in very odd voices:) 

I doubt I will ever do this again.  My child is no longer a child and probably won’t care about this again although he did a great job.  I did not understand what this would entail.  I had to make five batches of dough to get these houses.  I should have begun earlier.  I did the small houses on Monday but ended up waiting till Friday night and worked four hours getting the rest of the pieces rolled out, cut out and baked.  I learned a lot doing this.  I got my info from ultimategingerbread.com and it gave me everything I needed to know.

I am exhausted.  I was in the kitchen almost the entire day making goodies to give and supervising the boys.  I did too much on a foot that is still a little too weak.  But it was fun. 

I remember my brother keeping Christmas fun for me as I got older by doing things like this.  He taught me how to make candles one year and that was such a fun thing to do. 

Christmas is for children ~ little, big, young and old.  At our home we get a stocking if we’re eight or eighty!  I do as my parents before me did  and they did as their parents did.  To me Christmas is two fold.  There is a serious side which is the most important.  It’s about a special night and the mystery of what happened.  God showed us unselfishness - to say the least - and that’s what we are to do. 

It also has a fun side.  I’ve been studying on Santa this past week and I believe that is the perfect word for Santa - unselfish.  When parents give to their children and don’t take the credit ~ that’s unselfish.  When we do something for someone (say give a filled stocking anonymously) that’s being a Santa and being unselfish and causing an excitement in the receiver of that gift. 

I love Christmas!  I’m thankful for this time.  I’m thankful that I still have a child that is trying to keep the magic in Christmas as best as he knows how.  He drives me crazy and I fuss at him and I wonder what he will turn out to be but I love him dearly and am thankful that God put him in my care these past 14 years.  I pray that I be the Mother he needs me to be at this time in his life and that I guide him in the way God would have me guide him.

I hope you are enjoying this very special season:)

One last thing ~ this is what my floor looked like the SECOND TIME I swept it!