My Star DDR!

Here is my Lee-lee dancing it up at Aunt Vicki's house on New Year's Eve. She was pretty uptight that she wasn't getting a chance. I hope she dances like this forever.

Cupcakes

I really like cupcakes. They make people happy. It's like your own private dessert that you don't have to share, you know? I was having a brief conversation with someone the other day about cupcakes. Actually, I overheard this conversation. This person mentioned that cupcakes have to be an 'outside' treat because they make such a mess in the house. I have been thinking about that all day. I think little kids are suppose to make messes. They are suppose to crumble cupcakes, and spill their milk and wipe their hands on their shirts. They need to jump in puddles and play in the mud and take their straw out of their juice and flick it all over the kitchen. And they absolutely have to pull every book off their bookshelf to find that one book, that one special book they've read five times already today. I have been thinking about whether I let my kids make messes. I'm a 'just wipe it on your shirt,' kind of mom. I mean, serioulsy, it's just clothes. And if the stain doesnt' come out, so what. But I have been thinking if I let my kids make mistakes. Messes, as it were. Am I constantly cleaning up after them, or do I let them clean it up. Or, if it isn't going to kill anyone with E coli or some strange bacterial fungus, do I just let it sit so they know they are more important. This was a huge moment for me. If I dont' let my kids make a mess, how will they ever know that 1)It's okay when we make a mistake and 2) Messes are fairly easy to clean up when you ask for the right kind of help. Cupcakes may be messy. But they make me smile. There is nothing better than watching a little person lick the frosting off the cupcake. And then, of course, wiping their fingers on their shirt.