Arts & Crafts Dropout

I'm trying to be a crafty mom, but I think I might be failing.

I admit it; I'm a messaphobe, which is a fatal flaw when it comes to kids in general, but it's nearly impossible to avoid messes when the craftiness begins to flow. Josh will actually wake me up in the morning and ask if we can "get crafty" (a term he got from Mrs. Debbie, his preschool teacher last year). Zach, on the other hand, never asks, but he's more than happy to pile on, whatever the project.

Last February, I banned Moon Sand from my home.

At least it's allowed outside now....

Today, I wanted to do a handprint flag, so I got out the paints. I've seen it done by a professional, but I've never done it myself. How hard could it be? Harder than you think. To get it to look right and not like a bunch of monkeys stole your paint and went to town, it takes many tries to get it somewhat right.

This is the work in progress. Still needs finishing touches, which I'll probably have done in time for next 4th of July.

Once the paints were out, the floodgates were open. Josh got most of his paint on the paper, but there was probably an equal amount on his paint smock, the tablecloth and his hands. Still, it was better than Zach's attempt. He squirted the red paint from the container onto his paper and Josh's and the table and the floor. Not to be left out, Josh flicked his brush full of blue paint, sending splatters flying onto the floor.

I give myself an 'A' for organization, but an 'F' for execution....

At this point, I was forced to stifle their creativity and cleared away all the supplies, declaring that they couldn't paint again until they were old enough to drive. See, that's really quite brilliant; I'm pretty sure they'd rather fulfill their arts and crafts urges with a far less messy tattoo or seven when they're 16. Problem solved! I may be a messaphobe, but I'm no dummy....