Chaotic Crafts!

Let me begin this post by saying that I usually don't have much patience for craft time. I'm not a big fan of messes, chaos, or coloring outside of the lines. Today I was feeling a little artsy and Reid wanted to paint, so I decide to go ahead and begin what I feel like is one of my "stay-at-home-mom duties"...craft projects. Let's just say it didn't start off too well. LilliAnn was tired and in desperate need of a nap, and Reid desperately wanted to paint. Try telling a 3 year old to wait for a little bit....it doesn't work very well. So here we are, trying to do red footprints with Reid standing up on the kitchen table and LilliAnn screaming at my feet. It takes us at least ten tries AND ten red footprints on my table to get it just right (remember...I'm a perfectionist!). The footprint art and the chaos was enough to hold Reid over while I got LilliAnn down for a nap. After thirty minutes of Curious George and a little sissy who was fast asleep, Reid and I were at it again!

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Our little kitchen studio

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It was worth the mess! Look how cute this lobster turned out? It was very fitting because we went to Red Lobster for dinner tonight. Reid's hands and foot were almost too big to fit all on one sheet of paper (which means he's getting big...tear), but we were able to barely squeeze them all on the page. It kind of ran together more than it should've, but it's the imperfections that give it character right? I hope I don't make Reid as "crazy" as I am! After each attempt Reid would say, "that' a good one mom." And I would reply, "yes, but let's do a little better." Gosh, I feel like I'm already putting too much pressure on my 3 year old during craft time! After several projects, I noticed he was starting to pick up on my "no coloring outside the lines" attitude. When we got to the handprint for the fish bowl, he said "awww, that's not a good one!" I thought it was perfect. I looked at him and said, "Reid we did our best and it IS a good one. I'm so proud of you!"

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My favorite project was this ADORABLE fish bowl! Reid had the idea of putting cereal down for the aquarium rocks...he's so creative!

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Next, we traced Reid's hands and made a present for Gam-Ma Missy. The hands said "I love you," and then when you pull them apart it says "this much!" Soooooooo cute! Reid thought this one was super cool and couldn't wait to give it to Missy! While I was cutting out hand prints, Reid was cutting too. This is his new favorite thing to do...which worries me because I know what's next - his hair or sissy's hair!

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We made a thumb print tree for Papa Kelbo. Reid said, "Papa will be so happy!" And, of course, he was! I was helping Reid do his thumb prints and he said, "That's enough, mommy. You're pushing down way too hard." He was kind of over crafts by this point.

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The craft ideas were amazing and we had SOOOOOO much fun! And, Reid and I both learned some great lessons. I need to let go a little...make messes...have fun...and learn that LIFE DOES'T HAVE TO BE PERFECT TO BE WONDERFUL! Reid learned how to be patient, creative, artistic, and even worked on his fine motor skills by cutting and gluing. I must admit, I can't wait to do more craft projects next week! I'm going to designate one afternoon a week for craft time. It was all worth the craziness...after all, isn't that what usually makes the best art? In life, it's usually the mess, chaos, and coloring outside the lines that we remember the most.