The Magic Heart
Several months ago I saw these cute little polished heart-shaped stones in a local store when I was getting a watch battery replaced, and had an inspiration.
They felt smooth and silky, and soothingly weighty in the palm of the hand. I chose a particularly luminescent one whose soft blue color reminded me of the Arizona sky.
When I pulled out my wallet to pay, the store owner surprisingly gave it to me for free! A very auspicious start for a symbol that I hoped would cure all manner of ills.
Soon after acquiring The Magic Heart, my three year-old had a meltdown and was quite sad about something that I (and she) no longer recall. I gave her the heart and explained to her, and the other children, that The Magic Heart goes to whoever needs it most to remind them that they are loved.
That person must keep the heart in a safe place (I decided that nightstand drawers were where it should go since my children could lose an elephant within minutes). The recipient keeps the heart until another family member is overcome with sadness or anger, then that person passes it along to the new person in need.
As any parent of a toddler would imagine, The Magic Heart ends up most often with my three and a half year-old. I wasn’t sure she really grasped the concept of what it meant until the other night.
I was moderately grumpy after a bad day when I discovered that my children were bathing without soap or shampoo, and most likely had been for some time! I got very annoyed and washed their hair and bodies myself, all the while grumbling about how at their age they should know how to do these things themselves, blah, blah, blah.
My three year-old came to me after her bath and said: “I have something for you” … she handed me The Magic Heart from her nightstand drawer … “because you were grumpy in the bathroom.”
How to melt a Mama’s heart!!!
After overcoming the guilty feeling that even my three year-old had noticed my Mommy Tantrum, I realized that maybe The Magic Heart really was magic.
Themocracy
Oh man, that melted my heart! With a four and a three year old I think we need a magic heart too ;) I need some magic lungs because I just pushed them a mile up a hill in the buggy.
.-= Kitten Muffin´s last blog ..Kitchen paper and baby wipe Kanzashi flowers. =-.
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Mom Unplugged Reply:
August 19th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Wow, a mile and a half? Poor you! Well unfortunately I can’t help with the lungs, but with TWO little ones I advise you get yourself a magic heart right away!
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I love this idea so much! Brilliant! Now, to find me a heart shaped stone…. Maybe I will make a little heart softie if I can’t find a stone.
.-= Catherine´s last blog ..Owl bookmarks to match! =-.
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Mom Unplugged Reply:
August 21st, 2009 at 9:07 am
Great idea! A handmade heart softie would be a very sweet and appropriate symbol. Love it!
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Oh you’re such a good mom! I would love to steal your idea, now I need to find a stone heart for our 4 kids (it’ll need to be big enough not to be a chocking hazard for the baby!) Thanks for sharing.
.-= Heather´s last blog ..Big lake trip 2009 =-.
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Mom Unplugged Reply:
August 21st, 2009 at 9:06 am
Catherine suggested making a heart softie if she couldn’t find a stone. That would be perfect for your baby!
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Ohhh, what a nice idea! I just ordered some angel coins, so I think I will use one for this purpose! Thank you for the mushy gushy post. :)
.-= Meg´s last blog ..Cry Me an Estuary (They’re Salty) =-.
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Another one I’ll have to try! Thanks for the idea.
.-= Holly´s last blog ..The caramelized pineapple lashed out at the glow-in-the-dark musician, or Unplugged: Pocket. =-.
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oh my goodness, too sweet. kids are so much more observant than we can imagine, and kind hearted to the core. :O)
.-= shawna´s last blog ..Another nursing adventure =-.
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Still wiping the tears from my eyes!!!!!! I think my 5 year old could benefit from this greatly!!!! I’m here by way of MoziEsme’. I just decided this week that we were pitching the TV all week, we are on day three but I must confess I didn’t realize how much I depended on the TV, they are doing okay with it, much better than me, lol. So I think it will be a long night reading your blog from the start. So glad I’m not the only “crazy one” in this world!!!!!!
.-= L2L´s last blog ..Slow Fade =-.
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Kids! They do tend to take us by surprise with their charming moments, reminding us of the things that are important.
.-= Mom and Kiddo´s last blog ..Kitchen Magic =-.
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Mom Unplugged Reply:
August 21st, 2009 at 9:05 am
I guess it is nature’s way of ensuring we don’t eat our young. ;-)
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The chicken shed Reply:
August 21st, 2009 at 11:35 am
Nah. My kids have only been saved because I’m vegetarian. :)
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Mom Unplugged Reply:
August 22nd, 2009 at 8:08 am
LOL!
That is SUCH a great idea! I am going to share it with my daughter’s 1st grade teacher, see if she would like to implement it in her classroom.
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Mom Unplugged Reply:
August 21st, 2009 at 9:04 am
This would be such a great classroom tool! I am so glad you thought of that!
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I loved this idea. I’m wiping off tears too!
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Aww, how sweet. You’re raising a sweet, compassionate child! I love when my 20-month old comes and makes kiss noises if I say “ow” when bumping my leg or something. The heart is a nice idea.
.-= Lymm´s last blog ..There Are Cats In This Blog Post =-.
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Lovely idea. Not sure it would work in our house as the boys would go ‘urrggh!’ and use it as a weapon and dd would just hog it for herself, especially if it was pink. Now if it was made of chocolate I might just go for it myself…lol
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that is so sweet. My little one would love that!!!
.-= Teena´s last blog ..Children’s Parade =-.
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That is so awesome! I definitely want to make a wool felt softie heart…such a great idea!! Thanks so much for sharing that. I know it would really be a welcome addition to our family and with 8 of us, we’ll be passing it around a lot, I’m sure!! :0)
.-= Jenn´s last blog ..Full of Hot Air! =-.
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Wow, I love this idea. Thanks for sharing.
.-= Page´s last blog ..Taking Care of the Family =-.
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I think this would be a great way to get my guys through the indoor, grumpy, winter months! Thanks for the inspiration!
Chrissi, Cyber School Mom
.-= Chrissi´s last blog ..Compostable Drinking Straws?! =-.
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Mom Unplugged Reply:
February 1st, 2010 at 9:00 pm
Good luck, I hope it works!
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