Thank you notes and creating

Although I'm not perfect, I really do try to keep up with thank you notes, and have my kids do them too. 

I think this one is my most favorite one ever.

 The art on the outside I just love.  Do you see the yellow circles? That's the honeycomb. And all those striped ones are the bees he cut out and drew.  100% his idea.  He spent three days making this.

 You know, I'm a wee bit of a crafty gal. I used to bring my babysitting tote when I was a teen with all these craft ideas. I'd create with all the little kiddos I'd babysit.  I thought I would be the pinterest type mom, but I've come to a different realization as of late. 

For me, what's even better than an adorable project from pinterest is the project that is planned and executed by little ones and their tiny hands. 

It's actually not that fun doing pre-made ideas with Adrian in particular.  He gets so obsessed with the model and how his must look precisely like the model.  Then when each meticulous detail isn't a carbon copy of the original, he bursts into tears.  (Audra just does her own thing anyway....so she's no problem with anything structured). 

On the flip side, when I just leave the art supplies out and let them create with no provided models by me, the creations are SO much better than planned projects.  For real. I have pictures of cows, mosquitos, Jesus on the cross and a lovely picture of Audra picking flowers from Adrian. Audra fills entire papers full of tiny brushstrokes of watercolors.  She also does tiny spirals and circles and then colors them in (on the wall too, sigh). I have all these Valentines with red hearts drawn on them in piles to make me feel cheerful. I have this house with bears in all the windows.  I have these hidden picture designs that you have to search to find the stickers hidden with all the elaborate pictures around them.  I have creations, creations and more creations.

I sort of love my decision to just let them create. Multiple times a day, they head to their craft area I leave set up in the kitchen to create. Which is really the best way to go about things, yes?

It's really a good lesson for me. When I feel like I need my mind to be a little better organized, I really ought to escape to my creative world, even for 5 minutes or so. When I feel my mind is cluttered (which is the case lately!), I tend to abandon my crafting stuff, which is the opposite of what I should do. I'm betting a little art interspersed into my day would do wonders for my tired brain. 

Must get on that.
More crafting.

A good goal indeed.