:the one where we make use out of our art:

 

 

 

art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time

-thomas merton

 

 

art is part of our every day. we are constantly lookng for ways to create and discover. on this particular day we tried painting with marbles. we gathered our supplies: 2 8x10 pans, 2 sheets of white paper, marbles and paint.

 

 

 

eisley dipped each marble in the paint, placed it in the pan and rolled it around. i was quite fascinated with the pattern and new colors created as the marbles crossed paths. it only took a few minutes to complete both pieces of paper.

 

 

 

we let those dry and glued them to 12x12 cardstock and then cut them down to cute little notecards (top photo).

this week before our lessons we have taken time each morning to write an ancouraging note to someone of their choosing. eisley is super excited to see her art useful!

 

what do you do with all the art your children create?

::the one where i pay tribute to the fresh prince and dj jazzy jeff::

***

the to-do list goes on and on and i am a do-er. i like to cross things off my list. i like a tidy home. i like order and routine. yet with three little ones i am finding that the house will not always or even most of the time be tidy. toys will be strewn from one end to the other. dishes will pile in the sink as needs are tended to. dust will accumulate. crumbs will remain on the floor no matter how many times a day i sweep. laundry will pile up. i mean lets be honest that's a task that overwhelmed me with two children and now there are three and i'm considering cloth diapers, so there.

if i did everything on my to-do list every day my children would be very much neglected. they would miss mommy and memories made. when they are grown and have children of their own i want them to look back at their childhood and be able to say i...

played with them every day.
enjoyed motherhood.
made them laugh
extended grace.
made them feel more important than a clean house.
made exceptions to the rules.
was over-the-moon in love with their daddy.
took time to make memories.
was intentional.

in light of my wishlist i start my day thinking of ways i can intentionally engage with my children. i ask myself, how can i know them more today? i find that they talk more, at 5 and almost 3, when we are actively playing together.

{{a few ideas to get the juices flowing}}

craft paper creativity
i took craft paper and taped it across our dinning room table cover each of our place settings.  then i provided markers, stamps, stencils, stickers, fun music and the freedom to create whatever my little darlings' hearts desired.

homemade play-dough
you can find the recipe here. both of my children love to roll out the play-dough and then use it as a stomping ground for their dinosaurs or cars. they make foot prints and tracks galore and then flip it and start all over again.

adventure walk
taking time to walk with my children has proven to be some of the sweetest times we spend together. we look for bugs. we notice flowers in bloom. we climb trees. we collect things. we play i spy. we giggle a lot.

impromptu dance party
when the weather starts to warm up and summer approaches i always think of the song summertime by fresh prince and dj jazzy jeff. yes i realize i am showing my age. i set pandora to {summertime} radio and let the alpine blast and we dance around the house in honor of making memories and the anticipation of summa summa summertime.

toilet paper roll creations
you can search toilet paper roll on pinterest.com and find a ton of different things you can create. we went with butterflies and you can find the tutorial here.

declare it cookie day
we are a low sugar kind of family. something about the way it makes my kids bounce off the walls and is an overall unhealthy habit makes us save sugar for special occasions. so inspired by the lovely amber, we declared it cookie day. and we said it with exclaimation and arms in the air... {COOKIEEEEEE DAY!!!}.

bake together
what adult can't remember the joy of licking the spoon after the baking of a cake or brownies as a kid? it's a favorite past time of mine. so occasionally i let my precious little ones enjoy the indulgence of licking the spoon. look at the joy on her face! makes a mama's heart happy.


what are some ways you spend time with your children?


*linking up with the better mom

::crafty mccrafterson::

at the first sign of cool weather i sat down with eisley and did our first fall craft of the year. durgin still takes a rest time in the mornings in his crib with books for about an hour. this allows for one-on-one crafting with my little art lover.

"every child is an artist. the problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up"

-pablo picasso

eisley has a deep love for the arts. she loves painting, sewing, reading, drawing and story-telling. i have memories as a child of writing stories on our living room coffee table and drawing pictures to go along. in my tween years i took time to sit on my grandmothers rusted yard swing under a dogwood tree sketching wedding dresses like i was a top designer. as the years went on my desire for artist endevors lessoned as sports and boys and responsibility came into the picutre. however, i am now revisiting my love for art and all things crafty and finding that it is a truly a gift from the Creator that we too can create.

supplies:
felt
embroidery hoop
mod podge

i simply covered the hoop with a cream 8x10 piece of felt and then trimmed the edges. i cut out a tree with limbs and eisley glued it to the cream felt. i also cut out all the leaves free handed. i gave the supplies to eisley and she added little dab of mod podge on the back of each leave and meticulously placed them all around the branches.

we talked about fall and how the leaves change colors and {fall} to the ground. so she made sure to demonstrate by having the one little leaf falling. such an eye for detail here. once all the leaves were attached and dry we placed it near our entry way for all to enjoy.


what have you been creating lately?


*linking up with Supermom : wordish wednesday