Hump Day Nuggets:: Breath of Spring, Touch of Craft

Now that it's just about over I can admit it.  This winter was pretty lame.  While I vividly remember scolding the abundance of snow last year with a tiny babe and wee tot to tote around I also recall SO looking forward to THIS winter with my two mobile gals.  Walks in the thick white, sledding fast down hills, making snowmen and snowballs and snowangels and snowscapes.  We had almost NONE of that.  Boo.

While there is a small adult part of me that has turned scroogy about the winter months (anything after that first exhilarating shovel is just dull hard WORK!) I am a winter baby.  I always loved my mom telling the stories of trying to keep me up as a newborn to eat.  Taking my tiny toes out into the cold to wake me.  Sure I love the sun.  Those first hot rays on your face and back each year are renewing like nothing else.  But me and winter?  we go WAY back.

Now spring.  Spring has always come and gone so fast.  As a kid it was agony being indoors at school on those first long warm days.  By the time school was out it was summer! without much ado with spring at all.  In college spring was full of the flurry of finals, farewells to fond friends, and of course a few end of year fiestas (I couldn't resist!).  But much like the holidays have taken on a new meaning since growing our family, seasons have too.  Each change seems more pronounced and  exciting.  The first snow and the first breaking of soil both magical and wondrous. I have definitely discovered a deep love for spring.

With all the mild weather we've had this winter, uncharacteristically warm, breezy, rainy days, I feared that spring would slip by us unnoticed.  I need not had feared.  For this morning as we rose to balmy skies and blowing branches we knew it was here and went full throttle into the next cycle of the year.


This morning the girls and I stopped to marvel at purplish buds reaching for the warm sun.  Instead of rushing off to fill the morning the morning filled itself.  Backyard digging, vegetable garden plotting, raking and tidying, worm marveling, even a picnic!

 ::the season's first wiggly woo, surely a sign of spring!::

Ahoy spring!  We are elated to greet you again.  Oh the plans we have to share with you.  It WILL be grand.

Nuggets::

With the sad realization that I couldn't complete my own sewing projects last weekend for lack of sufficient fabric and other supplies came a renewed zeal for crafting with my girls.  I've had some inquiries regarding the hows and whats of what I do in the crafting realm.  I'm happy to indulge those ponderings. 

1. Be realistic and flexible and in a VERY patient mood.  This is something I've really had to learn.  If I'm not in the right mind set for mess and divergence and creative freedom?  No need to bother, because a well intentioned activity will just end up with everyone frustrated and defeated.

On this particular occasion my plan was to make tissue paper hand cut out butterflies with the girls.  I got out the supplies and let them lose.  Seconds into my well planned activity Ainsley started ripping up and cutting up ALL the nicely laid out tissue paper.  She ran to the art drawer and pulled out halloween stickers and googly eyes.  Then she proceeded to work diligently for a full half hour, executing her own idea and was SO proud at the end.  While it wasn't at all what I had in mind it didn't matter.  The object was to create and have fun and that's exactly what she did.

2. If you have more than 1 child find a way to include EVERYONE in just about EVERYTHING you do.  I've never segregated the girls during projects, I just find ways that they can both participate.  On this project day Louise let me trace her hands and cut out shapes for her to glue to a wooden stick, then I cut hearts out of contact paper for her to slap the tissue paper scraps on.  When she was all done (about 7 minutes in) I let her "help" me reorganize the art drawer.  Oh goodness do little ones LOVE pulling things out and finding new treasures.  All the while we were on the floor, with Ainsley right by all singing along to some Peter Paul and Mary.

3. How to Make a Mess.  I get the most comments on my messy posts.  "How brave!" "I could NEVER do that!"  Let me assure you...you CAN!  And your children will thank you for it.  Befre I started my teaching job I was actually kind of terrified of kid messes.  Sure I LOVED getting my own hands dirty in the art studio but that's where my zeal eneded.  Then I worked with an amazing teacher who taught me to embrace mess because really?  kids can't create without it. The idea here is controlled mess.  While there have been times when I've just let the girls run loose, wreak havoc, DESTROY even, most times we have pretty strict rules that go along with these messy projects, and I find a little prep goes a LONG way.

This morning I did jello excavation and pudding paint color mixing with the girls.  I planned this activity a. on a laundry morning, so soiled clothes could be thrown right in with the waiting wash b. early enough in the morning and on well fed bellies so as to curb melt downs among LOTS of mess c. with plenty of time allotted before and after for set up and clean up.

Jello Excavation:  Simply make a batch of jello and pour it into a receptacle of your choice. Then place small plastic objects in and let it set in the fridge for a few hours.  Then dump out on wax paper and give the kids tools to excavate with.  We talked about using tools and how tricky it is to be gentle and get the objects out.  Then of course the girls just started smashing their hands in it, eating it, finding their tiny toys.  It was loads of fun.

Mine wouldn't come out clean, but the idea was to drop this loaf on the wax paper, instead we kept it in the pan.  Perhaps I'll grease the pan next time?  I think muffin tins would be great, especially for play dates so each child would have their own mold to excavate.  Or you could do a double batch and fill up a bunt pan, that'd be great!

 Pudding Paint Color mixing:  Mix up a package of vanilla pudding and divide into three containers.  Mix in food coloring and let set.  When ready drop spoonfuls on wax paper, two colors at a time to experiment with mixing colors...then inevitably...have at it!

I love doing this because it gives Ainsley and I an opportunity to learn and explore with colors, then drawing shapes, letters, and words in the "paint" all the while Louise is content as can be to smash and swirl and lick.

 ::Louise was a HUGE fan of excavating, and lime jello I think :o)::

 ::I think this is a great circle mommy, with all the colors mixed in.  I think it's pretty green which is funny because I used ALL the colors and it started off orange and then when we added blue I thought it would be kind of muddy but it's really very green!::

Remember that prep and clean up I told you about?  I've gotten good at sensing when the girls have just about had enough (this is important!  if I wait too long, meltdowns ensue) and fill a large bowl with warm soapy water, place it on the bathroom floor with a towel and lead them in one at a time to clean up.  Then we disrobe, get into clean clothes that I have ready and I pop a show on for them while I discard the puddingy wax papers, excavated jello and wipe up the table.  All said and done clean up took about 7 minutes.

Now on to my own crafting.

Nuggets::

Another question I've gotten lots is how I find time to make things.  Truthfully up until a few months ago I didn't know how to find time either.  I felt like knitting projects took FOREVER (can we recall Ian's sweater?!) and when I did sew my novice kept elongating simple projects.  I've been very inspired by Amanda Soule and her blog soulemama.  This woman makes EVERYTHING for her family of SEVEN from food to handknits to sewing to soap and candles.  It's kind of astonishing.  If she can do all THAT surely I can manage a few new items each season?

So really it's been more a matter of making the decision and committing.  I am surely lucky to have a husband that takes at least one of the girls for the entirety of Saturday morning so that I can get some real damage done.

Yet the real change has come from making creating a part of our lives, not just mine.  The girls LOVE creating WITH me and there's almost no better sensory or fuel for creative play than a basket full of yarn and fabric.  I love that they know how much work goes into the making of something, that they get how special it is.  While it used to be torture to get Ainsley to wear anything I made her she now requests her handknit sweaters, sewn nightgowns and dresses above anything else she owns.  It makes me beam with joy.

I'll pull out the sewing machine and Louise will sit fascinated on my lap while Ainsley will go through my scrap bag, using scissors and tape to make outfits for her lambies.  In the afternoons while the girls play and listen to music I'll sit with them knitting, thankful that my hands know my needles well enough that my eyes can remain locked on theirs, ever chatting and singing.  Every night after the girls go to bed I'm committed to making something.  On my lazier nights I knit and watch a movie with Ian, on my inspired nights I pop in headphones and cut out patterns or sew.  I used to spend SO much time thinking about what I wanted to make and now I just DO it.  I've truly been astounded at how much I've been able to accomplish.  And really?  the more I do the better I get and the easier it all feels.

::booties for a new baby of a dear friend::

Nuggets::
And now I have a question for you!  I received my extra fabric today so that I can FINALLY make my wrap skirt this weekend.  I am absolutely agonizing over which color to make the waist tie.  The main fabric (persian vase) is shown below and I have either golden yellow or blue for the band.  I really love both but for different reasons.  Which do you think?

Oh nuggets today, so long and good.  I am thankful today for this spring like weather, for the strong warm breezes freshening our winter home.  I am thankful for digging and cheeks red from sun not cold, for easy afternoons spent outside and fresh air tired girls.  I am thankful for the creating that goes on in these walls and am delighted to see my girls learning of it's place in life, of thoughtfulness and hard work and of course the hope of spring.

Happy Hump Day!