There’re No Lemons, Just Lemonade: How Sweet it is to Create and Learn with a Friend
So, have you ever made lemonade? It requires like a year’s worth of sugar to make a decent pitcher of fresh squeezed lemonade. So after I made it one time with my kids, I was like, “No way. We are never doing that again.” And now, if I have the opportunity to drink lemonade, I’m like, “Can I just have a Milky Way instead?” But let’s talk about what’s sweeter than lemonade...our Mom-friends!
Wait, when you said “Mom-friend,” did you mean, an actual “friend”? Can I please just ask, when did having a friend become a “Mom-friend” and why on earth can’t we just say “my friend”? I do it too - seriously. We aren’t feathering our hair, posing for glamour shots, and wearing Jordache high-wasted mom-jeans with tiny little hind pockets (except the cool kids) - so we do not need to be known as “moms” nor “mom-friends” as our identity. But yet, almost every mom (I mean “friend”) I know, uses Mom-friend as our friendship category - just because we are moms and our kids might be friends. And then when we go out - we call it, “Mom’s Night Out.” WHAAAAT? Why do we do that? I mean - yes, it’s pretty awesome to be a mom; it’s totally my favorite role in life. And yes, this deep connection you get with other moms (I mean women) because they are moms too is pretty incredible - but can we just be “girls” or “ladies” or, dare I say it, “FRIENDS”?!?!
Anyway, however we want to label ourselves, Mom-friends are a pretty sweet gig. We totally get it. We totally are there for each other and want to help, comfort, and cheer each other on through the struggles, the difficulties, and the trials of child-rearing and homeschooling. And when the joys happen and the happy moments are shared - true Mom-friends celebrate together and rejoice in missions accomplished, goals reached, and most importantly, love embraced. Now, here’s where the lemons come in.
The other day, us Coop homeschool moms - I mean FRIENDS!!!! got together to take a watercolor class taught on Zoom by a Mom-friend and fellow homeschooler of mine - who knows her stuff. And it was free (added bonus). Jessie popped in, brought her watercolors, and we got to create and learn a new skill together for about one hour. It was peaceful while we painted lemons, blossoms, and vines - and it was super sweet. It reminded me of the decade I was an adult without children, before I was a “Mom-friend”, where I would meet weekly with one of my besties to either scrapbook, or hand quilt, or sew embellishments on t-shirts, or make greeting cards, or create magnets with glass, or paint furniture - all real weekly groups or individuals who shared a passion for learning creative skills.
I love getting to grow my mind in a creative way to be able to teach my children better. We have community colleges nearby...why not grab a friend, dare it be a “Mom-friend”, and take a community evening class - whether it be swing dance, sculpting, cooking, glass blowing, Civil War history, community Spanish, whatever the catalog of classes is offering. Or, create a Creative Group and get together to just create even just on a monthly basis. There’s just a lot to say about growing an interest, learning new skills, and doing it with a good friend. It just fills your cup with something sweeter than lemonade.