This is one you will want to make sure to read until the end because I have an amazing sugar cookie recipe to share with you! I hope your family will love it as much as mine do.

I had a play date at the house not too long ago for St. Patrick’s Day. I got a few little decorations, a craft, and coloring pages for the kids to do. As a little something extra, I made homemade sugar cookies to decorate. (I don’t do this every time we have a play date, but I wanted it to feel special.) Think of a memorable experience you had as a child. Is it a game you always used to play or a friend in the neighborhood that you played with until the streetlights came on? For some reason, a fond memory I have from early elementary school was a Valentine’s Day party at my friend Danielle’s house. Maybe six little girls were invited. I distinctly remember homemade macaroni and cheese being served for lunch. Maybe that part is so vivid because we only ate Kraft from a box at home. The dining room had simple V-day décor, I think we did a craft together and then probably played house. It got me thinking…why is this a memory I have always held so dear? I moved away shortly after so maybe that’s part of it, but maybe it was because besides having a friend over every now and then, I never had little parties at the house. I don’t mean to sound like I missed out or that I am complaining about the lack of party playdates and/or being served Kraft mac and cheese! Let’s be honest, I still sneak a couple of bites here and there when I make the kids some on occasion for lunch. I don’t think I missed out on anything because I had my best friends in the neighborhood, and we played together daily. We still talk all the time and given the opportunity, we would love to be neighbors and keep the tradition of neighborhood best friends going with our own kids…sigh…what a dream!

The memories of the party could have something to do with childhood in general and being completely carefree. But regardless of why it is such a core memory, it got me thinking about motherhood, my own kids, and future playdates. As mothers, we all bring different strengths to the table. Just like with our friends, we are each different and unique, but memorable and complimentary. Maybe my kids will go to one of my friends for fashion advice and another for help with sports questions. There will be one friend’s house with the mom that has the best snacks (we all remember that one friend, right). There will be the friend who has the playdates and maybe their mom will be known as the “strict” mom. No matter if you are the cool snack mom, or known as the crafty one, you are creating memories for all these sweet nuggets. Remember that it’s okay to be the mom you are and lean into your strengths. Don’t compare your motherhood journey or how you handle playdates to the way someone else does. I do hope we can all remember that we can learn from each other and complement one another’s strengths and so-called weaknesses. And that someday, somewhere, there will be a child who used to come over for playdates remembering fondly how wonderful your homemade macaroni and cheese and Valentine’s Day crafts were.

What will my children and their friends take away from playdates at my house? If I’m lucky, the memories will be as sweet as my sugar cookies, but no matter if they are fans of my craft table and homemade snacks or not, I hope they all walk away feeling as loved and as important as they truly are.

Tips and ideas for playdates:

1.       Meet at a park and pack a picnic for lunch.

2.       Make a theme for the playdate and go to the Dollar Tree, Target Dollar Spot, or Joanne’s Craft Store (clearance section) to get easy and cheap craft kits.

3.       Have a water playdate—this is great for upcoming summer playdates (sprinkler, baby pool, water table, etc.)

4.       Meet at a library story time and afterward the kids can pick out books and play while you have a coffee with your mom friends.

5.       Check out kids’ museums or activity centers in your area and plan to meet a friend and their kids there. The kids will be excited to go on an adventure and you won’t have to go alone!

Homemade Sugar Cookie Recipe:

1 ½ Cup softened butter.

1 cup sugar

¼ tsp baking powder

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp almond extract

¾ tsp salt (I usually use a little less than that)

3 ½ Cups flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix butter for 30 seconds on med/high speed.

Add sugar and baking powder.

Beat in egg, vanilla, and almond.

Beat in salt and flour.

Once the dough is formed, roll it out and do whatever cutouts you’d like.

Bake for 6-8 minutes.

Icing Recipe:

3 cups powdered sugar.

1 tsp milk

1 tsp almond extract

1 ½ sticks of butter.

1/8 tsp salt (sometimes I omit this ingredient—we don’t like a lot of salt in our house)

Mix/blend for 3-5 minutes until smooth.

*Store-bought icing works great with these cookies too!