Pancakes

This is not a brag. I don't mean it to be, anyway.

My kids got up today and it's a snow day. I offered to make muffins for them, to make the day more special. They said they wanted pancakes. I was reading to my son, so I asked my daughter to pull the Joy of Cooking off the shelf and look up the recipe in the index. They got the idea of making the pancakes themselves. My daughter got out the flour: whole wheat and white. "Where is the baking powder?" I heard from the kitchen. Now, they are both out there. "Careful cracking the eggs!"

I put the butter in the pan and got the temperature up to medium-high. Batter in, we watch for bubbles. Flip. A little too light, didn't flip quite right. Wait. Flip again. Ready!

They eat, knowing that they made them themselves. They taste better that way.

Giver of gifts

My little boy is almost always giving me gifts. I may be typing away on the computer or busy with laundry or cooking and there his is, with a little homemade card and possibly a toy. He surprises me with these things. I know that it's a way to get attention, but what a loving way it is. "It's for YOU!" he announces.

I think I'm supposed to take a break from my work at these times, to give the guy a hug and a kiss and a thank you. To display the work prominently. To notice. Yes, that's it, to notice, to take notice to pay attention. Zen and the art of little tiny construction paper hearts with my name on them. Because we are loved.

At-home mom, a calling

I just want to write a word of encouragement to my fellow at-home moms. There are many reasons for what we do: we want to be our child's first educators, we don't want to fit seeing our kids and housework and shopping into the two days of the weekend and a few hours in the evenings, we want to take time to make a meal and not have to rush to throw something together after dealing with a demanding work schedule all day.
But I will speak for myself and say that if I can help it, I just don't want my kids to fall through the cracks: emotionally, spiritually and even physically. I keep reading news reports of kids who are struggling with obesity, kids who commit suicide (as young as 9 or 10), the rise of juvinile diabetes and other troublesome things. I was telling a friend about how I wanted to be with my kids when they were younger, and she said I think the middle and high school years are even more important. That was a couple of years ago and it made me think. Why should I stop being around just because my kids are school-aged? Who will get them off the bus, be there when they're sick, have half-days, help with homework, etc.? I don't want my kids to reach a point where they think that I chose work over them. Ever. I'm building my at-home businesses, living without a lot of luxuries, because it's always been about this calling, this pull. They need us and there is no replacement. Noone who is paid to watch them will love them as much as we do. So, I hope that you are encouraged about your value. What you are worth in your family is more precious than you are able to imagine.

The Paper Route

I started a little 1 day/week paper route with my daughter so that she could begin to earn some spending money. When I was her age, I did chores around the house to earn an allowance. I felt motivated to do them and wanted to earn the money. My daughter is a different creature than I was, however. She needs a lot of down time at home after doing homework (and has more homework than I ever had)and doesn't do a lot of chores during the school year. But, she IS motivated to do the paper route. We work together to fill the plastic bags with papers and store ads and the next day, we each take one side of the street and cover our route. It gives us a sense of shared mission, we get a good deal of exercise and it gives her a sense of responsibility beyond homework. What was the first work that you or your kids did?

my young photo assistant

I started my shop on Etsy, jenniferdennispotter in March and since then, my kids, especially my son (pictured) have wanted to get in on the fun. Etsy has given me a way to be with my kids, create my work, and have it seen. My latest body of work has been my toy series. I've been using small toy animals in studio or realistic settings to create little scenes. A typical afternoon for us may be: taking the dog and the little toy animals to the park for a hike and to take photos. My son will clear away little sticks, brush and other things that impede the look of the photo at my request, feels like a big helper and learns some things about photography as we work. We look for just the right moss, just the right light, just the right pose of the deer. After he is asleep at night, I edit the image in Photoshop and post it to Etsy, if it's worthy. If not, we've still had a great hike and the chance to work together.