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Creating Family Memories

5th July, 2009 - Posted by Raheema -

This week I took our kids to the local farm and went strawberry picking.  This was a first for myself and our kids.  We have gone apple picking and pumpkin picking, but never for strawberries.

It was a weekday, so of course, like many families dad was at work.  If I have not mentioned this before, my husband is a workaholic.  We do love to spend time together on weekends, however, sometimes it simply can not not happen.   By any means, I am not complaining, he provides us with a great life and we love him dearly, but over the years, we have learnt that if daddy can not make it - it is OK there is no need to cry, just because Mommy is a clean freak maniac at home, it does not mean that she can not be fun sometimes too!

It seems that I have two sets of friends.  I like them all…but I have the ones that will not venture out with their two kids without either a husband, grandma or nanny in tow.  What are they missing out on -  special memories with mom!  The other set of friends, are hardworking mothers - some work part time and some don’t, we all take care of our houses and kids and we all have husbands in IT that (LOL) live in an IT-based world.  Nothing in an IT world can wait.  Every disaster happens in real time and needs immediate attention. So, often us moms, will do something with the kids so that they are busy and entertained… and not complaining at home…

So, getting back to my story, we went to a farm on this beautiful Friday picking strawberries.  My husband grew up on the neighbouring property which was also a farm… so before getting there we stopped at his old house and took a quick look around.  Then off we went strawberry picking. My husband loves strawberries and cream.  So, even though he was not a part of it, I made him a big part of it in another way.  We only picked the shiny dark red strawberries that Daddy would like.  Both kids would show me the strawberry they would pick.  At first they would ask “Will Daddy like this one?”  By the end they were singing songs about how Daddy will like his strawberries!  We talked about how we will coat them in sugar and pour lots of cream on them and then Daddy would love eating them.  After we went strawberry picking we went on a wagon ride, played in a massive sandbox, looked at the animal and many other things… but when they came home, all they wanted to do was give Daddy his strawberries!  My Mission was accomplished!

We all have our rituals and routines, and no matter what, children will always have fond memories of their child hood.  It is however, our responsibilty to make the little things count.  To make sure when they look back they can remember things we would never thought are important.  I can remember things from my childhood that my mother probably doesn’t even know… the slight scent of perfume she would put on after her bath, her tucking me in every night (she stopped this the night before I was married and moved out!) and the sound of her bangles after being in mosque (I would frequently play and then lose my mom, but the sound her bangles would make would help me find her when I was close), skipping home from school….  I can go on for a long time!

With our kids, we do some silly things…

My husband is famous for his cow kisses  (a cow kiss is when you lick cheeks) This is personally not for me… I much prefer  a Mumo (My daughter used to call Mickey Mouse ‘Mumo’) this is a nose to nose kiss my daughter likes Horse kisses, where she will give you a kiss and then Neigh like a horse…. my son only likes to recieve kisses, and will only really give you one if there is a Sweety Treaty in your hand:)

About 3 times in a week, have a picnic in our family room.  We do this for a weekday lunch or Sunday dinner.

We also hang out in Mommy and Daddy’s bed before tuck in at bed time.  We cuddle and read stories before giving the children their one on one time.  Before we tuck them in we always say a prayer and ask them what their favorite part of the day was.

In the summer, every Saturday morning, we let Daddy sleep in, sleep is something he does not often get! So, we pack up a breakfast to go and look for garage sales.  We listen to The Wiggles, “super duper loud” and the kids scream when they see a garage sale sign and then we go and search for treasure… they often get a toy that they really do not need, but it’s all part of the fun!

I know lots of people that scrapbook or play sports… these are just a few unique ways of creating a small touch of warmth when you are together!

So, now, please stop reading this blog (for now) and go out there and make some memories of your own!