Easy Like Sunday Morning (a few links, and a glimpse into my week)

This is the first year I let my kids completely take over the pumpkin-carving process. Sure, I helped them scoop a few of the hard-to-reach guts out of the bottom of the biggest pumpkin, I advised them to make larger eye holes after their first drawn attempts were tiny little circles, and I showed them how to get a good grip on the little serrated knife (how do those things even work?!) they used to cut out the features.

But 99% of the process was all theirs, from the younger boys drawing and carving to my oldest son cleaning and roasting the seeds.

And I couldn’t have loved the results more. First of all, those lopsided, funny-looking jack-o-lanterns are completely adorable, aren’t they? Second, it was so much less work and hassle for me on an already-hectic afternoon. And third, it reminded me of how quickly all parenting phases pass by, including the “why am I bothering to get elbow-deep in pumpkin guts for this toddler who I don’t even think cares and can’t help at all?” phase.

I hope you had a lovely week, and that you get some relief today if you’re in a challenging parenting phase.

Here are some of the links Sarah and I enjoyed this week:

The Food Writer and Her Picky Eater (Debbie of Parents Need to Eat Too, for NY Times Motherlode)
If I Live to Be 100 (Hands Free Mama)
Math Sucks! (…if it requires you to balance shaming equations) (PhD in Parenting)
Easy Thanksgiving Tabletop Crafts (Better Homes & Gardens)

I’d also love for you to check out my latest over at Babble, Check out what these moms said about each other! (It’s not what you think.).

We’re trying something new with our usual Sunday round-up of links this week. Instead of gathering a bunch of links, I’ll share just a few stand-outs, along with a glimpse at our week and some thoughts about parenting and family life. Do you like the new format? Leave a comment and let us know!