Weekend Kindness
Reaching Others Through Kindness

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As the mother of a spunky, active, never seeming to sit down for even a moment toddler, my days are often spent averting minor disasters, cleaning up messes, and keeping my lively little girl out of harm’s way. Throughout all of this chaotic activity, I have quickly learned that rolling up my sleeves, putting us both in old shirts, and making messes is *the* guaranteed way to keep my daughter giggling for hours and to let her know just what a valued and special treasure she is to me. In recent months, we have done a whole host of crafty, messy, wet, sticky, and slimy activities together, but there have been a special few that she has loved the most.

Fingerpainting- Although many of my friends have called me brave for breaking out the fingerpaints with a one year old, I have absolutely had a blast alongside Peapod in our painting adventures. Every Thursday is our designated painting day, and each week we try something a little new. Following her second Christmas this past year, we sat down at the table to paint thank you cards to be sent to all of the dear family and friends who had so generously given her gifts during the holidays. Peapod was thrilled to make so many beautiful little creations, and the recipients also shared her enthusiasm. :o)

Cookie Decorating- For a special snack treat, making some fun shaped gingerbread or sugar cookies to be decorated is a ton of fun. I usually break out cookie decorating fun into a two day affair. On the first day, I pre-measure ingredients during naptime so Peapod can act as my kitchen helper upon waking. After the cookies are cooled, they are put away (after a taste test of course!) for the next day when they are to be decorated. I whip up a batch of frosting during her naptime and get the decorations out and ready in little bowls, and once my little sleepy head is ready, we put on our aprons and dive into our cookie decorating adventure.

Almond Butter Balls- Messy kitchen fun can be taken far beyond the cookies with a little creativity. There are many sticky, tasty little snacks that Peapod and I enjoy together, but a particular favorite is almond butter balls. This simple three ingredient snack can be made in a mere minutes and is not only tasty, but also healthful too!

Playdough- Enjoying homemade playdough is probably the neatest activity in our messy fun repertoire, and is very simple to make. From rolling out caterpillars with our hands, to using mini rolling pins and cookie cutters to make “food,” the amount of fun that can come from playdough is endless.

Colorful Bath Time- What could possibly be more fun to a toddler than playing in water? Why playing in water with colorful ice cubes of course! Freezing ice cubes with a few drops of food coloring makes for a giggle filled bath time. Peapod is always just amazed at the little melting cube in her hands and the fun color effects added to the water make her usual ice cubes all the more fun.

Taking the time to get messy with my precious daughter is not only a good time for her, but I must confess that I have a lot of fun myself. I encourage everyone to lay some plastic or newspaper on the floor, tie on an apron, and jump into some goofy, memory making fun with your little ones. The clean-up time is more than worth it!, and if your toddler is anything like mine, you might even have an excellent little helper join you in that as well!

Happy Messes!

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