Coloring Outside The Lines

My big girl loves art. I don't mean she loves to color in the color books occassionally, I mean if I let her - art would be the only thing she did all day. From color books to paints, watercolors to projects. Art is all encompassing for her. And I let her go and do her own thing. I don't force pictures of stick people or rainbows. My girl paints abstractly. Can she draw a person? Probably if she tried but quite frankly that's not what floats her boat. She can color in the lines of her coloring book but purple faces and orange hair might be what you find instead of a perfectly colored princess. And, I have asked myself, I wonder if she should be drawing actual shapes and people and trees? Them I tell myself I know she has the ability, she points out shapes around the house, in the car, and in the shopping cart at target. It's just not her to draw it. So I continue to let her color her world from her perspective. I truly believe art is where she feels free. No one telling her what it is that she has to do. I'm going to let her too, I'm not going to stifle her imaginings. So color your world big girl however you see fit. I'm sure Picasso and Monet didn't get famous by doing what they were told.

These Are A Few Of My Favorite and No So Favorite Things

These are a few things that I'm loving at the moment:

When my big girl asks to be told a story...

When my big girl tells me a story...

When I get home from work and they come running with their arms in the air yelling "momma"...

The smell of clean house that's not sick...

Teaching my bug new words...

Watching my big girl "read" books while laying in her bed...

Seeing both of my girls laying in their own beds - by themselves - asleep!!!

Not so fun things:

Dishes.

Laundry.

People that say they will do something and don't.

Shadyness.

Bad attitudes.

Muddy, stinky dogs.

No snow:(

Inside Winter

On January 2nd I sent my mom a text with all the things I wanted to accomplish this year, goals that I have, etc. Two things that I have wanted to do are do a "homeschool" activity every Wednesday with my girls and the other I called get out of the house Fridays. I am happy to report that I have been good about doing a weekly activity with the girls. I had originally planned for Wednesdays but in changes of schedules and getting into the workings of the winter semester it quickly became clear that Thursdays were the best day for a fun activity. It usually isn't anything huge, typically something off Pinterest that I can pull together with what I got laying around the house. My other goal of get out of the house Friday we did once and we had a lot of fun that one Friday. We went to the county museum and played in the kids area, we drove thru mcd's, got happy meals, and had an in the car picnic at a local park while looking at the icy lake and talked about where the fish families must be hiding during the cold. It was a really good day. Then we all got sick. An entire week of sick kids and a sick husband and not feeling great myself but having to suck it up because I had a bunch of sickies depending on me. It was bad, Bug ended up in the hospital getting iv fluids, BAD. Then the flu epidemic hit the news and well, I don't feel much like taking my kids out anywhere. We still meet up with friends on Mondays for playgroup but that is typically at one of our houses so not much exposure there but i REALLY just don't want to take them out right now to play with kids I don't know and toys that I don't know when the last time they were cleaned and that's if they have ever been cleaned. So for the time being it's an inside winter and I'm completely ok with that. I may not be hitting one of my goals for the year right now but I would rather have healthy happy kids that only come down with cabin fever rather than kiddos with the flu anyday.

New year, new blogging me.

For the last couple years I have been far from diligent when it's come to my blog. I had let my "business" take over from me writing. And the thing is I have come to need to write. I'm the type of person that holds things in but I'm also the type of person that sugar coats things and makes it seem all peachy keen instead of writing how it really is. I don't do it in real life, in real life I'm blunt. I don't sugar coat, I keep it truthful. With that being said that's what I'm going to do from here on out. If I'm having the internal debate of weaning or parenting issues or weight battles, it's going to be there for everyone to see. So, here's to more writing, less stress, and a new year.