I’ve been having some pretty incredible heart to hearts with my son lately. He is truly the most loving little boy I’ve ever met and he continues to blow me away by his big heart every day. The latest conversation threw me for a loop so much that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. Thus, I have chosen to write about it…
It was an incredible day… the weather in Washington was at it’s absolute BEST. 72 degrees. Sunny. Not a cloud in the sky. We were washing my car in the driveway and some neighborhood kids across the street started to drive their four-wheeler out on the road. They were really loud and really fast. These kids were slightly older than my son… 8 maybe 9. And I told my son, “Why don’t you get your little John Deere tractor out and drive out to the field and see if they will come follow you?! Makes some friends!” I said. And he got excited and started to drive it around the house… About 2 min later he brought it back around into the garage and had the saddest face. I said, “What’s going on buddy?” And he said, “Mom, their four wheelers are so much bigger than my tractor.” And I asked him if he was jealous… and he said, “Yeah. I am.” We proceeded to talk about jealousy… I mentioned that mommy feels jealous all the time. I’m jealous of my friends with bigger houses, who are successful in my dream career, prettier gardens… and explained that it‘s normal for a human to feel this feeling. It’s not good that we do this… but it’s a very normal feeling when you see someone else have what you want to have.
We hugged it out and he got back on the hood of my car and started to wash my car… and out of the blue he says, “Mommy, I think I was embarrassed. I was embarrassed that my tractor was smaller than their four-wheeler…. And I don’t think I’ve ever felt that feeling before.” OMG. MY MOM BRAIN WENT BANANAS!!!!! I MEAN, WHAT CHILD SAYS THAT?! What child recognizes that he hasn’t felt this feeling of embarrassment before??!! My heart went into a bazillion little pieces. Both in a sad way, but also in a big HUGE monumental mom way!! I wanted to hold onto him and never let him go….
This Play On Project Blog is written for my son… a pairing that’s meant for all the feelings that we feel as humans. And continue to feel… even when we don’t want them. And even when we do. One of my son’s favorite things to eat (Aside from Pizza) is turkey and cheese sandwiches. Its incredible how many he eats in a weeks time and it never gets old! This weeks recipe is a rendition of a turkey and cheese sandwich. Just A little fancier…
Buttery Baked Croissants with Turkey and Harvarti
Ingredients
· 4 large croissants,sliced
· 8 slices creamy havarti cheese
· 16 slices deli turkey, roasted or smoked
· 4 tsps apricot jelly or jam
· 4 tsps honey mustard
· ½ cup microgreens
· 2 tbls melted garlic butter
· EVERYTHING BAGEL SEASONING
· DRIZZLE OF HONEY
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. On one half of each slice croissant spread a teaspoon of jelly or jam. On the remaining half spread a teaspoon of honey mustard. Top one of the halves with two slices of Armstrong Creamy Havarti and top the other half with four slices of turkey. Divide the microgreens (I used arugula) over each of the croissant halves. Close the sandwich and brush the tops with melted garlic butter, sprinkle with everything bagel spice then drizzle with honey. Place the croissants on a baking sheet and place into oven for 6-8 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve warm.
This Play on Project pairing comes with a sweet lullaby… a song that my husband use to sing (and sometimes still) to my son when he was a baby. To rock him to sleep. Sweet Baby James by James Taylor was Taylor's second studio album that came out in 1970. A soft lullaby about a young cowboy who spends his lonely nights in the canyon...he spends his long and lonely hours of darkness singing himself to sleep.
“Goodnight, you moonlight ladiesRockabye, sweet baby JamesDeep greens and blues are the colors I chooseWon't you let me go down in my dreams?And rockabye, sweet baby James”
Children are so brave. And yet, so vulnerable…to be thrown life so quickly. This week my daughter broke her arm… and she only cried once. She’s been walking around with a purple cast… proudly. My kids are amazing and often stronger than I am. Their minds and their bodies and their hearts continue to blow me away. They are learning so quickly that life can be really hard… but I love being alongside of them as they figure it out. I know it won’t last forever, but I can be their rock for now. And I will make them fancy turkey sandwiches and sing them to sleep as long as I possibly can....
