...as my boys sat discussing the viability of a popcorn house they planned to build, requesting information from me about the height of our home, I secured a large, gold bow to my head. It's mid December, I can't seem to leave the house without an elf hat on, or a Santa Claus getup, and because I'm going to work today to help put away an order, I felt it best to give my coworker and customers a good laugh at my obnoxiously large bow and ribbon head.

A popcorn house will now be discussed at recess... the boys ask for a blank notebook to jot down their plans. They are serious about this, I realize, as they go into the snack drawer to see how many bags of microwave-popcorn we have. They are doing the math by seeing how many square feet each bag produces. I smell and hear a test bag heating up, and although part of me wants to tell them to slow down and not waste popcorn, I realize it's not being wasted at all. This is a dream, a goal, something they are, in their young boy minds, quite inspired by. And, because I see numbers being jotted down and a sense of teamwork between them both, I think of how small a price to pay, less than a dollar for a bag of popcorn, for this kind of excitement.

They expect to make it over thirteen feet tall. They might even, with careful planning, get a teacher involved to help them make this a reality, who knows. They are that industrious.

And while I straighten out the bow on my head, I think of my own whimsical ideas, goals and dreams, and how happy I am that my mind takes gentle pauses not to stop the goals and dreams of my sons, no matter how goofy they sound at first. I let them ride their dreams out, take steps towards a goal, and am here as much more than just their mom... it's my responsibility to let them know it's ok to run with their creative thoughts, as much can be learned, much laughter to be had, many math formulas utilized...

and much joy created.

Happy holidays, folks.