Today we went to a relative’s house to pick strawberries. All the kids were thrilled to go. And once they got there Patches stayed interested long enough to eat a strawberry and tromple plants. Gleek picked a dozen strawberries and wandered off to play. Link did the same thing, only he picked about 20 berries. Kiki loved it. She picked baskets full. And then she was really excited that we had enough to make strawberry jam. I could tell that the jam-making would have to begin the moment we got home or I’d be pestered unceasingly. This necessitated a trip to the grocery store for a few supplies.
Taking all four kids to the grocery store is not on my favorite-things-to-do list. I usually have to plan ahead and get myself in a journey-not-destination frame of mind. I also try to cultivate a spirit of calmness for when the fail to do what they said they would (I’ll stay right by the cart.) This frame of mind was not going to happen today. I needed to grab the groceries and get home so Patches could go down for his nap. We got in and out in 30 minutes, not to bad for a 10 item shopping trip with four kids. While we were buckling back up in the car Kiki said “Mom why are you mad?”
I explained to her that I wasn’t mad. I was just wearing my Business Mommy Face because Things Needed Done.
“Oh. I don’t like your Business Mommy Face.” She thought a moment more and added. “I made a promise to my (future) kids that I would always be a nice mom. But mom’s sometimes HAVE to be mean, don’t they?” Hallelujah! She gets it!
We arrived home and hauled kids, groceries, baskets, and strawberries all inside. Then Kiki and Link ran off to a neighbor’s lured by the promise of swimming. So much for strawberry jam.
You’re a good mommy. 🙂
You can’t blame a 9-yr old for choosing that …
Well, given the choice between swimming on a hot summer day, or making strawberry jam on a hot summer day, swimming wins with me, no contest! I remember helping my grandmother make jam and preserves … the kitchen becoming a sauna as various things boiled and simmered and sterilized and so on. Yep, swimming.
Re: You can’t blame a 9-yr old for choosing that …
Oh, I don’t blame her at all. It just amused me. She did come back later in the afternoon and make the jam. In fact, since we were using a no-cook freezer jam recipe, she did all the work herself. I just supervised. It was nice for both of us.
Re: You can’t blame a 9-yr old for choosing that …
No-cook freezer recipes? That’s CHEATING!
Unfair! *I* had to slave away in a stifling kitchen watching the jars in the pressure cooker. And we had to walk to school uphill. Both ways. In the snow. In Florida, no less.
Grumble kids today …. ok I admit it, I’m jealous.
Re: You can’t blame a 9-yr old for choosing that …
Ha! Walk! Lucky you!
We didn’t even have LEGS, so we had to crawl to school!
Yes, really! 😉
T*