This was the week that my big kids would be doing VBS and my five year old and I would have some time together. He said he didn’t want to do camp and he wanted time with mommy. Knowing all too well that these days won’t last, I told him we would have a week together of “Mommy camp.”
I could have made him go to camp or tried to get him interested, but deep in my heart I realize something that I didn’t with the older children at this age. This isn’t forever.
I remember when my older ones were babies and I worried about everything under the sun- did they get their naps, were they on schedule, should they have a pacifier, should they be allowed to sleep in the bed with Mommy, did I cuddle them too much? HA. It wasn’t forever. The things that seemed so big then passed so quickly.
SO when the five year old says he wants mommy camp…I knew all too well most likely this time next year he would be running off to camp without looking back. I would embrace the moment and give him a week of mommy all to himself.
The first two days weren’t picture perfect though. We had fun, but lots of hiccups too. Snakes (YES, I said snakes), rain storms, and salt-less pretzels (huh?…more on that in a minute…) all tried to dampen our fun, but they didn’t. We just pressed on and I knew all too well this wasn’t forever.
Then came today. Out of nowhere he announced, “I am going to camp!” He ran around his room trying to find blue and orange clothes- after all those were his team colors! he informed me. His big brother filled him in that it was team color day and they’d be on the same team, so he NEEDED blue and orange.
He leaped around the room withe excitement. And here I stood, feeling the sting of nothing lasting forever. Even mommy camp which was supposed to be a week, was cut short. When they are ready, they are ready…and here he was ready for camp.
I guess two days of Mommy camp was enough.
The solace I find is that even though mommy camp was short lived, we had those two days. Careful not to dwell in the past, we now embrace the fact that he LOVED camp, and even though my baby is growing up, there are always new moments to be made.
Time moves on and we have to move with it,
or we are left behind in a place all alone.
Here are some pictures of Mommy camp, along with some captions that I shared on facebook. I will always treasure those two days.
My big kids are helping at VBS this week and one other is attending, but my little guy wanted a week with Mommy instead. So we are doing “mommy camp”- Today was an attempt at catching little fish at the pond until we were chased aways by SNAKES. Ick! Next was ice cream, and then an archeology set we bought at the craft store. Ended with a pillow fight (as per his request) #boys Enjoying every minute, because I see how fast time has gone with my teenager- and I want to embrace every second with this little guy. I know it’s cliche, but moms of littles- take time to enjoy all the little things- it goes by in a blink!
So today Mommy camp was full of hiccups- we got rained out at the park, took a looooong way to find a place for lunch, only to end up having lunch at Target, which ended up being an Icee and pretzel (with no salt mind you…ick!) Anyway, in the midst of it all we chose to find a silver lining-while at the park, it started to downpour and thunder. We saw a nanny there with a small child in a stroller starting to run. Realizing they had no car and were attempting to run home, I asked if they would like a ride. She was so glad for the offer and we gave them a ride home (which would have been a LONG walk in the pouring rain!) Afterwards my son and I decided, God didn’t really want us at the park to play…He must have brought us there to give those people a ride home, and to show our neighbor His love. The best part of the day…when I picked up my older son at camp and said, “Guess what awesome thing we did today at the park?” His response, “You told someone about JESUS??” #unpluggedsummer #makethemostofeverymoment#loveyourneighbor #evangelisminthepark
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Join me on my journey to clear the clutter as I am simply living...for Him! I am a homeschooling mom sharing about my faith, family, hobby-farm life, and Jesus. I am also an author and speaker and love sharing my journey with others- and I am all about keeping it real and authentic! Join me as I seek less of this world and more of Jesus!
Karen DeBeus is a homeschooling mom learning to live more simply and keep God at the center of it all. She is the author of three best-selling homeschooling books and writes at Simply Living for Him. She speaks nationally at homeschooling conventions and recently was a speaker at the Family Bible Conference in Washington, DC. Her passion is to help others clear the clutter from their lives, seek God first, and to encourage women and families to get in the Word every day.
In 2016, she founded the Simply Living for Him Retreat, which is a time of rest and renewal for all women seeking Jesus. She enjoys life on her hobby farm with her husband and four children. Together they are a work-at-home family pursuing a simple life with purpose and, above all, seeking to glorify God in all they do.
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