If I ever tell my son that I don't know how to make it special, he tells me to think about it. So I have put some thought into making things special, and here is what I have found.
Breakfast: I usually hide a treat in their cereal like raisins, bananas, or a couple M&Ms. We buy plain Cheerios, so they get excited when I let them put honey on them. Sometimes I put food coloring in the cereal milk. Once in awhile I'll put cinnamon on their toast.
Lunch: I make a smiley face out of fruits and veggies on their plate; however, I've been told that's not special. I think they say that to try to get out of eating those veggies. I usually just light a couple of candles and put them on the table. If it's really special the boys shut off all the lights.
Dinner: I know when they ask me to make meals special they are really asking for treats, sugar, or desserts, so instead I make something else special. We've all used wine glasses with food coloring water for our special dinner. I've tried family style serving, which we usually don't do. This is special because they can scoop their own food.
When they asked me to make the day special I thought it would be a lot harder, but really you just have to show them things they haven't seen or done before. For example, my boys had never played musical chairs. The first time we played telephone (the whispering in each other's ears game) they were so excited. Blowing up a couple balloons is the easy way to make any day special. Going to the grocery store is special because I bribe them with treats for being good.
Getting something in the mail that isn't a bill, political propaganda, or advertisements is cause for a celebration. So when my mother-in-law wanted to mail the boys t-shirts even though we were at her house I said I would sneak them into the mailbox. This gave me the great idea to put some of their old toys in envelopes and put them in the mailbox. That's what I call a trick and a treat.
Today was made special by Travis Perich and family, an online friend of my husbands. They have been emailing and such for years. They met through a vintage car forum and stay connected through Text and Instagram. See Travis's blog here: http://perichbrothers.blogspot.com/2016/09/40-gets-stick.html Travis mentions a part my husband made and sent to him to install on his 1940 Ford.
A box was sitting on our doorstep, and it was sent through the actual mail. The boys and I opened it to find it filled with cars, trucks, trailers, a bus, and a fire truck. They are the awesome ones with the metal bodies. If you are ranking toy cars, these would be the cream of the crop.
Unfortunately, I have never met Travis or his family that live in San Diego. My husband was able to meet him on our trip to LA last year. They spent a day working on cars while I went to the zoo with a friend of mine. I'm grateful that social media has connected us. Well, social media and cars.
Thanks Perich family. Come to Iowa in January for a visit.
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