I’m all about bringing people together for fun (and random?) gatherings. My people include my immediate family, my husband and daughter. They are my faves. They are my people. Lately my husband has been working really late and traveling often. Two projects on two coasts going at one time doesn’t leave much time for anything besides work. Poor guy doesn’t even eat half the time, so eating dinner together as a family is nearly impossible.
Growing up, I remember going to Jack in the Box anytime my dad wasn’t home for dinner. Fortunately, it didn’t happen often. I remember it being special because we hardly ever ate fast food. It would be a date with mom for a burger and fries, a real treat. As an adult, I realize now that this worked out well for her too because she had a night off from cooking and cleaning up dinner. Regardless, I loved that burger and I especially loved that time with just her.
I miss my husband these evenings. The older Lola gets, the more she realizes he’s not home. I think she’s missing him too. So I found myself wondering how I can make these late evenings special for her. I wanted an experience that her and I could share, and remember, that was unique to just us. Joel would die if I took her to McDonalds every time he was traveling. She might too if she had to eat it four nights in a row.
So instead we baked brownies together. Ok, she can’t really help, but she can watch and then lick the spoon. We mixed on the kitchen floor where she could get in on the action. I told her each step. (Note: do not let a 15 month old walk away with a chocolate-laden spatula – white shag plus raw brownie equals disaster.) She waited with anticipation as I pulled warm brownies from the oven. We poured ourselves a tall glass of milk, added our cute straws, pulled out some fancy napkins and had ourselves a treat.
It was downright fun. It was a memory for just us girls. I know burgers and brownies can’t replace a parent when they’re gone, but at least it became a special time for those of us at home. It was a simple way of intentionally being together. I hope that this is the first of many fond memories she has of time with just mom.
