Quarantine Day 7: Banana Pancakes

Can't you see that it's just (snowin')
Ain't no need to go outside

But baby
You hardly even notice
When I try to show you this
Song is meant to keep you
Doin' what you're supposed to
Wakin' up too early
Maybe we could sleep in
Make you banana pancakes
(Because it is) the weekend now
We could pretend it all the time
Can't you see that it's just (snowin')
There ain't no need to go outside

Sunday morning.

The day started off with, you guessed it.. BANANA PANCAKES!

…Aand Jack Johnson to fully experience the fullness of banana pancakes.

You see, when I was little, my father had a tradition of making pancakes on a Sunday morning. With many things, this is one of the traditions that I have continued and now even my girls know that Sunday morning means pancakes. We never have them any other day of the week (it keeps them special), and it provides them with stability and predictability. Not to mention, they LOVE them.

Every once and a while, I add “surprises” in their pancakes. This morning’s variation happened to be bananas. Hence the Jack Johnson. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, please click here and enjoy one of my favorite songs!)

Anyway, after breakfast, the girls ran upstairs to don their craft from yesterday .. T-Shirts! (Thank you to one of our good friends for providing us with a huge box full of grab bag style crafts!)

Our Sunday continued with the live streaming of our church service, a walk in the snow, a family art project (we painted collaborated together to paint, finger-paint, and hand-print a canvas), and bedtime yoga (if you don’t know cosmic kids on YouTube, you should. Tonight we did this one).

Honestly, it has just been a great day. No fussing, no issues, getting along, listening well, it’s been good.

But my favorite part of the day was nestled in our normal bedtime routine.

The girls put on pajamas, brush their teeth, and each choose a book.

We read the books as a family and then we go around and each say three things that we are thankful for before praying and going to bed.

This night was no different, but it strikes me every time that Amelia ALWAYS includes in her list of things “My family”. It seems like something little, but the way she says it and the giant hug and LOTS of kisses that come after it, melt my heart every time.

This is all she has ever wanted. And she has it now.

I draw back on this when I am certain that I am not doing a good job. When I respond in a way that I shouldn’t, or when I am too tired to give her the attention she wants or sometimes even the attention that she needs.

It is so easy for me to scrutinize myself and wish I did this while parenting thing perfectly.

But then I am reminded that she doesn’t care about how perfect I am or how perfect I could be. She cares that I show up. That I am here with her. That she is in a family.

I love days like today.

Day seven.