We Need a Little Art

We are on break here at the circus.  And I couldn’t be more excited about it.  I have been looking forward to this week for ages.  The week before Christmas.  All I want to do is enjoy the kiddos and catch up on some house work.  And bake.  And do some shopping.  And maybe see some friends.  (ha, ha… can you tell I am an introvert?  read over that list, when I proof read this and re read it, it made me laugh)…

Well yesterday was rough.  We had a fun filled family weekend that left us all tired.  Mom was tired.  The kids were tired.  I let them watch too much tv and play too many video games which left us all grumpy.  I attempted a craft but it was way harder than I thought and ended up more frustrating than fun for all of us.  Except the 3 year old.  He loved it, which truthfully provided some sense of accomplishment to this tired and frustrated Momma.

But, today is a new day.  And even though I am still in my pjs at 2:30… and that bread dough I started 3 hours ago is still sitting half done on the counter waiting for me to grind more flour, I feel like more has been accomplished and we are all happier.  We started the day with words searches instead of tv. I got a few loads of laundry washed and FINALLY washed those dishes that have been piling up in my sink since Saturday.  (Yes, you read that correctly, SATURDAY)  It felt good to get to the bottom of that pile.  Toilets were scrubbed, kitty litter emptied and mirrors washed, thanks to the kiddos.

They still played video games, and are playing again now, but we also painted some wooden trees.  These were a HUGE hit.  They loved these and it made my heart smile.  I don’t do art enough with them.  In the scramble to accomplish nouns, verbs, division, times tables, Latin, history timelines… well art often gets pushed to the back burner.  I know it’s wrong.  I struggle with art guilt all quarter long.  But today we had no jingles to sing, no worksheets to do, and so we painted.

 

and we smiled

And I loved it.  Loved every minute of it. 

I LOVED every layer of color on my 3 year olds tree.

I can’t wait till they dry and I can set them up on my fire place mantle.  I love how different each one is and I love how I can see their personalities shine through in each one. 

Oh, art… I must find a way to squeeze you with the flashcards and timelines, because you are so, so good for the soul.