Making Memories with Your Kids

How much does a memory cost?  How much more does a really, good memory cost?  I am not sure why we remember the things we do, whether it's from our childhood or adulthood...  Some people say that a scent of perfume or food can bring back a flood of memories, not so much for me...  I do know that I have made the cheapest ever memory with my kids and we all loved it!!

The hubs was going out for dinner with a friend and it was just going to be me and the boys...  Since we had just received a new movie for Christmas, I thought it would be fun to have some popcorn and watch a movie.  It would be even more fun to put on our pajamas and eat the popcorn IN FRONT OF THE TV, upstairs in the gameroom!!!  What?  Is this me who is saying this?  Won't they get popcorn on the couch?  Nope, we ate it on the floor (because momma anticipated a popcorn spill, which happened) and the crumbs could be easily vacuumed up.

My kids LOVE popcorn, not like, but LOVE popcorn.  All three of them... They are crazy for it.  Now we usually air pop it with our machine and don't add anything to it, but not this time.  Recently, I was told that I am called the Queen of Clearance, and I guess that is true because I found some clearance popcorn at the store and bought it up like crazy.  It is pretty healthy with no butter for my boys and a touch of salt, you know because that's the way we roll!  :)  Plus, it's 3 minutes and 10 seconds in the microwave and then it's perfectly done, no more, no less...  Plus, the smell of popcorn seems to put all of them in the best mood!

When I mentioned the idea of eating popcorn upstairs to my oldest son, he went straight to daddy and said it's ok, you can leave now (they never kick him out early!)   The boys had the best time!!  The littlest one was put to bed during the middle of the movie and the two other boys ate two bags of popcorn!!

So, for thirty three cents, a third of a dollar, my boys ate popcorn, in the game room till 8:15 PM (15 minutes past their normal bedtime.)  When the movie ended, I asked them what they wanted to do next and the oldest said, let's just go to bed, I am tired...  When I was brushing my middle ones teeth, my oldest already fell asleep in his bed!

It's times like this, after the flush of Christmas and presents, that the simple things are the ones that really mean the most.  Last night, they got unadulterated freedom eating a snack in the gameroom and could stay up as late as they wanted!  We got to spend that time together watching a movie, they have seen many, MANY times since Christmas, with the added conversation and impersonations they do throughout the movie, all with popcorn falling out of their open, chewing mouths!  I didn't go crazy, even though that's what I would do in anticipation of having to clean up, yet another mess, but I enjoyed it!

These times are going by so fast, it doesn't take much (effort, time or money) to have a fun evening with the kids.  I am not sure if they will look back on last night as a memory for them, but I know that I will remember it for many years to come!  Seeing them and me enjoy the evening for such different reasons (them with the freedom of relishing their favorite snack and movie and me for being slightly lax about eating somewhere other than the dinner table and not freaking out at all when the popcorn was spilled.)  We are all coming along, aren't we?  :)

How do you like to make memories with your kids?

Take care,
Morgan

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