When I had my first child, I was suddenly taken back in time. I started imagining the cookies we would bake together, pool days, birthday parties, lemonade stands, and the zoo and parks we would visit. I was starting a new chapter in life, and this involved going through childhood again with my daughter.
I wondered if this longing to relive my youth was due to the stress of adulthood and work. Did it leave me craving the simpler joys of life? The smell of the chlorine and sun at the pool while ordering from the snack stand. The colorful cupcakes and treats at birthday parties. The crisp fall air and grass at soccer practice. The smells and feelings transport me back in time to when life didn’t feel so complicated.
If there is one thing about Motherhood I was not expecting, it is that it has made me slow down and enjoy the simple day-to-day treasures that life brings us. A homemade cookie, movie night, or s’mores in the backyard. These are things we can all still enjoy as adults, but when experienced through the eyes of a child, they become so much more magical.
Last fall, when my daughter’s teacher gave her a recipe for playdough to make at home, I thought about my own mom making playdough growing up. I can still remember the odd smell it had as the cornstarch and flour mixture cooked on the stove. Sure enough, when I make this playdough for my daughters, the memories come flooding back.
Life’s simple pleasures don’t have to be anything significant. It can be a normal day with your child, making playdough and cutting it into fall shapes. For me, Motherhood has been about creating memories with my children while also reliving my own.
Fall Playdough:
- 1 cup white flour
- 1/2 cup salt
- 2 Tablespoons cream of tartar
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tablespoon of ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
Instructions:
- Whisk together the flour, salt, and cream of tartar. Add to a pot on the stove and add water and oil. Heat together over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Add in the spice of your choice as you stir. Stir until it forms a soft ball. Take it off of the heat and add food coloring of choice.
- For color ideas: RED is 20-30 drops of red food coloring; ORANGE is 10 drops of red and 20 drops of yellow; BROWN is 1 drop of red, 10 drops of yellow, and 2-3 drops of blue.
- Take out and knead in the color until fully blended.
- Play away!
- When done, store in an air-tight bag.
