Gingerbread Parenting....

DO NOT READ THIS POST IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A PERFECT EVENING OF GINGERBREAD MEN MAKING WITH A TOTALLY TOGETHER MOM! CLICK IMMEDIATELY TO THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!

But if you want to see it in real life continue....

I tend to get all wound up when I am about to do something fun with the kids. It may be hard to believe but when Mom is acting like she "just flew in on a broom" instead of like the gift to her children it can be hard to enjoy sweet times together. But I am determined to make many sweet memories with my family. One thing I am doing is smiling, yes smiling the whole time. I have to remind myself what does your face look like? Are you smiling and setting the mood? I've found it hard to fuss when I am smiling and it reminds me this is supposed to be fun!

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, Proverbs 15:32

So we made gingerbread men I was inspired by 'There is no place like home' and her family making gingerbread men. Now unlike There is no place like home we ran into a few snags along the way! As I was adding the flour I lost count and had to estimate how much flour I had put in my the description of the dough...well I think mine were too 'bready'. Then once that dilemma was solved I realized I do not have a gingerbread man cut out. No problem I sent a child next door to get one from Mrs. Baker who normally has such things. She was not home okay what about the other side with Mrs Martinez...well she does not have any cookie cutters!

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps Proverbs 16:9

Okay these are not the steps that I would take. I would of had a gingerbread man in the 30 or so cookie cutters I do have! But these are the plans the Lord had and golly we are making some gingerbread men so I began to cut those dudes out with a knife. This was not an easy task I am not an artist or a baker so there is definite fear of strange looking gingerbread men. In fact one of them looked like he was running the kids were happy about that and said it he was just like the gingerbread man in the book. So that is why they look so different!

Then we made icing bags for each kid and set the decorations in the plate, put paper on the table and took each child a gingerbread man and a tree to decorate. Pearson's bag never worked right and the frosting kept coming out of the other end we tried a clothes pin and resealing! I finally just iced hers for her because she could not get the icing to come out. I think her little hands just were not strong enough. Peyton & Parker was off to the races once it was explained to them and they required very little additional help except to reload a bag.

Then it was time to read "The Gingerbread Man" we have about 3 copies around the house including the one we just checked out of the library. But could we find even one copy...NOPE! Oh well, we kept rolling with punches . I think we made the best looking gingerbread cookies ever! (We did it's the first time we've made them....)

We had a great time the Lord is really working on me and I could see it on the smiling faces of the children. On their dirty little frosted hands and in their joyful chatter. His truth says to be cheerful, joyful etc.... and learning to walk in his path is this Christian work. All throughout Titus it talks about Christianity as attractive to the world by how we live. How blessed are we to have his word to turn to guide us...

guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalms 25:5

I think we will roll out and decorate cookies when the Watters are here on Tuesday for dinner! Let's see if we can get others really dirty too!

Happy Parenting,

RH