When I graduated from high school I had a graduation party, like most kids. But as I mentioned in a previous post sometimes I can be cheesy. So my party had a theme. The theme was "Color Me Happy". There was an article that had printed a year or two earlier about a girl who colored with others as a way to be happy. It was a little more in depth than that, but the short of it was about being friendly to others and enjoying simple childhood activities like coloring. I really liked the story and I ran with it. I had a table cloth that when kids came they could color (I babysat a lot so there were a lot of kids!) and I gave them color crayons and coloring books. And on the refreshment table next to the chocolate mouse served in chocolate shells topped with raspberries, I had a big bowl of jelly bellies. I had everything as colorful as possible.
Fast forward ten years (almost exactly) and here I am in a completely different world. No longer busy into the night with theatre and busy all day with speech competitions. Although I worry about Friday spelling tests, and homework being completed, it's not mine to be done. Now I am up all night with babies and spend most of my day with kids still learning to speak. But somethings are still reminiscent of a younger me. First of all, I still love jelly bellies, seriously, they are one of my favorite things. But that's not what this post is about. In my kitchen there is a craft cupboard, more of a craft pantry really. I have drawers of art supplies. I have markers, chalk, paints, foam stickers, pipe cleaners and other random things, and of course a big bin of crayons. Everyday I let my kids do at least one craft, some messy and sometimes more simple. Timmy is really starting to catch on to the enjoyment of crayons. Coloring really does help cheer someone up. Now lest you think my large stash of craft supplies indicates craftiness on my part let me reassure you, I have no artistic ability whatsoever. I just like to color, and watch my kids color. Really Nathan surpassed my drawing ability a long time ago. So if you ever feel you have a moment, come and visit there are enough crayons for all.
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Remember that buffet that we drug from house to house growing up? (Okay, we didn't drag it- whatever poor unsuspecting souls who volunteered to help us move did.) Well, that's our craft cupboard. Its packed full, and very unorganized, but fun nonetheless. I never know what the kids will pull out and create with what's in there. Whenever I run into something that they might have fun with, I toss it in.
None of my kids show any aptitude to art, though, and most of their creations resemble (or, don't resemble, but are said to resemble) either something with an engine or something destructive, or both.
We have good friend's of ours that he teaches art at a university. We were over at their place, and DH was staring at a sculpture. The conversation when something like this:
T: What is this?
Friend's wife: Its one of my husband's art pieces?
T: Well, I figured he made it, but what is it?
F: Its art.
T: Yes, I know, but what is it supposed to be? It looks kinda like a shower head, with a weird bolt attached.
F: (confused silence)
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