Mom regrets

A friend sent this today and it arrived at the exact moment that I needed to read it. 

If I had my children to raise over again...I'd build self-esteem first, house later, I'd finger paint more, and point fingers less, I'd do less correcting, and MORE connecting ,I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes, I'd care to know less, and know to care more, I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play, I'd run through more feilds and gaze at more stars ,I'd be firm less often and affirm MORE often, I'd model less about the love of power and more about the power of LOVE!

We struggle so much with buying and preparing and doing and then before you know it your kids are graduating and you are sending emails like this because you wish you had done more.  I DON'T WANT TO BE THAT MOM.  I want to feel like we did a lot. I want the kiddos to feel like they touched, saw, ate, experienced so much. I want them to be interviewed by a magazine years from now and when the interviewer asks them what their childhood was like, they will say "It was so amazing.  We had the most caring and loving parents.  We saw the world."

Which brings me to one of my struggles.  In our new house, we have a craft room(Like, how cool is that!!). My issue is that Kendall literally could spend all day in there creating and decorating and the sort, which is a good thing.  BUT...she absolutely hates cleaning up after herself and she wastes soooo many materials: paper, glue, tape, you name it.....  How do you find the right balance?

My first step in my goal to smother my kids with love is start with this holiday season....every few days doing something fun.

1)Make Gingerbread Houses
2)Go to the Holidazzle Parade
3)Bake cookies
4)Give presents, hats, jackets to the school drive
5)Make some ornaments and decorations