Saint Patricks Day Fun

Well every year as March 17th approaches my kids start talking about leprechauns and green. They get so excited. I am not sure St. Patricks day is really a holiday we should celebrate. After all we aren't Irish or Catholic and green is pretty much on the bottom of my favorite color list, but my kids love it so we celebrate. We of course all wear green. We put out a little green bag for the leprechauns to fill with candy and hide for us. We eat green food and I tell the same old St. Patricks day story about Chancy the Leprechauns and we go to bed dreaming of pots of gold at the end of rainbow. Well this year was no different. Green outfits were chosen well in advance and carefully laid out the night before, or in the case of my daughter put on under her pajamas. The green bag was hung on the door knob and the green food in the fridge. I mentioned all this to a friend who actually started laughing and asked why we celebrate St. Patricks day. She said don't you have enough to do to worry one more holiday. I thought about it for a while and discussed it with my very supportive husband. He said "ya know, I don't think St. Patricks day is really all that important, but the traditions we have with the kids are." I whole heartedly agree. The kids do love it and after all how hard is it to squeeze a couple of drops of food color in the pancake batter. So come March 17th I donned my green shirt, my wonderful husband whipped us up some delicious green pancakes and my kids searched for the bag of candy the leprechauns had hidden. Turns out the leprechaun who had thought he was a pretty tricky hider - wasn't. The kids immediately found it inside the piano. Dinner that night was our traditional St. Patricks day fare. Green jello, peas, green koolaide, green noodles (I buy the tri colored ones and pick out the green ones) green Alfredo sauce, toasted bread slathered with green butter and mint chocolate chip ice cream. (Sometimes I make green rolls and key lime pie-too lazy this year) I went to bed reflecting on my children's joy and feeling like a good mom. A good mom with green hands.