Donuts on a string...

 

December...a time of so much fun and so much weariness.

The school boys are tired after a long year at school, kinder boys are gearing up for Christmas concerts, Michael is busy with work and house building and I'm trying to keep life as simple as possible and not get caught up in the stress of the "silly season". 

We have all been a little on edge which is not where I like us to be as a family.

So, I decided to have a little fun with everyone this afternoon.  I purchased some (junky) cinnamon donuts and tied up them up with some string to the clothes line. 

The boys were intrigued as to why I would do such a thing.

I explained that with their hands behind their backs they would each have 1 minute to eat as much donut as possible!

Now, this could be done all at once as a competition, however my boys are competitive enough and I really just wanted them to have fun.  So we let them go one at a time. 

It was such a laugh.

Perfect way to have some fun and the boys got a treat for afternoon tea. 

I find that when we are all feeling off track, and there's tears and tantrums, it's really important to reconnect as a family.  Inject some fun and enjoy the lighter side of life even if it's just for a moment.

As mothers (and fathers) we often set the tone for the home. It's so easy to get caught in a state of complaining about our children's behaviour, wondering why it seems like everything is falling apart. When this happens I find it so important to take a step back and work out what behaviours we need to recognise in ourselves, rather than always blaming our children for their misbehaviours and bad attitudes.

I have found time and time again, that this inward reflection and shift in our own attitude changes the whole dynamic of the family for the better.  As hard as it can be sometimes, all change must start with ourselves.