Help Comes in All Forms

The Girls eating cookies just out of the oven.

Um...keeping our of Mama's hair while she cooks.

Yep, her too!

"Breaking up" pineapple while Mama makes the juice into syrup for our popovers.

You get the picture.

My girls want to help me. As the title of this post indicates, it could be ANY kind of help. When I am making supper after Josh comes home, Shalom will come over to me and tap my leg, and then use her head to position herself between me and the counter, oven, etc. The girls like to "help" with dishes, which usually consists of some of the plates, utensils, etc ending up in the strainer, but mostly it means Mama and the daughter rinsing will end up wet...me in the ever-growing belly, and the daughter all down the front!

The dish scenario started to irk me...I have been doing dishes for almost 15 years now, I can do the dishes faster, and get them done better WITHOUT help. So why mess with a toddler helping me? Good question.

My girls want to be a part of my day. They want to spend time with me. Sometimes, they are not content to just be in the same room with me...they want to be doing what I am doing. They WANT to help me. They enjoy it when I encourage them by telling them how strong they are, or what a big help they have been. More importantly, though, they are picking up by watching me, what it is that a Mama does. One day, my girls will be doing the dishes, cooking for their siblings - or future husbands, and they will remember the times they spent doing these same tasks with their Mama. Will they be good memories? Will they cherish their time spent with me?

It is my hope, goal and prayer that my girls will look back with joy on the times we have spent together keeping house for their Papa. I pray that they will want to be keepers-at-home someday, because of their time with me. (NOTE: I am not opposed to them getting jobs, etc.)

My Babies are a gift from God to me. I admit, sometimes I lose sight of that (i.e., dishes are piled high, I just want to get them done, and the floor is soaking wet because Shalom dumped water everywhere, etc.), and get frustrated at their lack of help! But they are only toddlers! They are supposed to make messes, and when we are done with the dishes, we all clean up the water (if you think of it, how many people do dishes in the sink and don't have to wipe the counter when they are done)! It is a part of the growing process, and teaches them to clean up after themselves!

Life is a journey - in so many ways - and it is my job as Mama to Ruth and Shalom to make sure they get as much out of their journey right now as possible! A big job...a Mama size job, and I pray I accomplish all that God wants me to!