Discovering Yourself Over Sprinkles

I discovered something about myself today. I think that really comes with the job here in Germany... You figure out a lot more about who you are and things you like about yourself, as well as ways you need to improve. Anyway, today was one of those moments that I noticed how a good trait within me, can become negative if used the wrong way.

What could she possibly mean by that, you ask? Well, I'll tell you...

This afternoon I thought it would be a lot of fun for me to decorate Easter cookies with the boys! So, I got up this morning and after taking the boys to Kindergarten, I made some sugar cookie dough only to find we didn't really have Easter cookie cutters. Thus, I used gingerbread men, stars, and bells for our Easter cookies! Haha...

When the boys came home I put frosting into three separate bowls and added color to them (green, blue, & yellow), placed the sprinkle boxes out for use, along with the "gel icing" pens, and we all got to decoratin'! This lasted a good chunk of time, but not without incident. Nico LOVED the frosting (points on me), but while I was into decorating a cookie took the bowl of yellow frosting and ate most of it using the butter knife as his spatula. I had to remind him that we needed frosting for ALL the cookies and that he was not allowed to do that anymore. That's the side-note story...

Now, here's where I really learned something (besides watching the kids and the frosting bowls...). Finni was decorating a star and pour HALF the little container of sprinkles onto this one cookie. I wasn't upset, or angry, but was worried for some reason because in my mind I was thinking, "Oh no! He might use them up and we won't have more left... He's not doing it right. I need to help him!" So, I said, "Nein, Finni... Let me show you." I took the sprinkles and added them to my gingerbread man slowly and evenly... Then I took his hand with mine and showed him how to do it. He said, "Beautiful!" Then, he grabbed the spoon for the sprinkles and dumped more onto the cookie man, shouting, "Now he's even more beautiful!"

Haha... Less is more kid.

The point of the story is found back at the point where I had my mini "moment-of-panic" over nothing more than "too many sprinkles." My thought was really that he was "doing it wrong." However, is there really a wrong way to deck out a sugar cookie? Nein. I mean, I guess you could say ketchup on it or something is definitely wrong, but then again, not if you're a ketchup-on-your-cookie-lover. Hm... Haha!

I think that sometimes I like to be in charge a bit too much. I like things done a certain way and to be on a level I deem acceptable. I think most people feel this way to SOME extent, but it runs a bit higher or faster in me. I want to help others "do things right," but in that desire I sometimes hinder others in the opportunities to learn, grow, and try new things. Sometimes I need to just cut others loose and let them fly on their own accord. I don't believe that I do it often, but I do it sometimes. I apologize to anyone who has ever felt that I have held them back from soaring... seriously.

Needless to say, I let the boys decorate however they wanted to after that.

Finni needs to learn how to decorate a cookie, and yes I can show him how I think it might look nice. However, perhaps I'll learn something from his ideas. Why should I deny him the chance to create what a beautiful cookie is too him? Because I'm too worried about running out of sprinkles? So, we'll buy more! It's no big deal. His face, beaming and ecstatic, as he held up the final product is a big deal though. His feelings of success in that he created something beautiful... That matters. Not the frosting, sprinkles, or even the cookies themselves matter in comparison.

Plus, you know what? We still have plenty of sprinkles left to decorate with next time.
*muah*

Song of the Day: Today's melodical piece of magic (haha!) is a little flashback to the 1990s in my opinion.... It's a recently released song, but it's got a little of that 90s beat and background sound. Here's The Spell by Alphabeat - whom, I love! Haha... Enjoy!


Disclaimer: I did NOT take these pics.... If there was any question about that to begin with - haha!