Last summer, I started Craft Thursday because I had two stir-crazy-it’s-not-time-to-go-back-to-school-but-we’re-bored-with-summer kids. This summer, I knew I wanted to make it part of our summer routine, so I researched some projects with varying levels of involvement, purchased some supplies, got organized, and then…puttered out. Because I have no idea where summer goes, but it goes.
And then Friday, I woke up to an anxiety attack. Out of nowhere. I was asleep. And then my brain was spinning with all the things I needed to do, wanted to do, should do, and oh-my-word I have 5 years worth of things that need to be done – right this second – and my kids are downstairs loud and full of energy and my nerves feel raw and…
Let’s do art.
Abram’s
Violet’s
Mine
These miniature birdhouses are not the most original idea, but when I saw them in a craft catalog, I knew they’d be adorable with last year’s, so I ordered them. They were a perfect – no prep required project on a day when my nerves were frazzled. I grabbed our “paint box” that has all the brushes and paints and palettes, threw the “craft tablecloth” on the deck table and they each got to pick their two, then I took the left over two, and we got to work. It was a very happy, busy but quiet morning.
By the time we were done, we had a little more than an hour before our pool play date, I was a great deal calmer and my to-do list was a lot more reasonable and manageable.
And when Molly stepped in a puddle of paint that had somehow been spilled on the deck and tracked it into the house, I didn’t even feel the slightest bit “ready to lose it.”
I love craft days.
The birdhouses are lovely; such a nice way to spend a morning 🙂
I LOVED doing crafts with my kids during the summer months. My older two are far beyond it now (although my daughter is now into crocheting and a bit of sewing, and I still get to help her a bit with these), but I need to take my ten year-old to the craft store and find something for him to build or paint or otherwise work on; summer holidays began last Friday for us, and he was ALREADY – that very morning! – saying he was bored!
I had to laugh at your son. I know I was guilty of doing it because my grandma always used to tell me "Only boring people get bored" and my mom would say, "I have plenty of things for you to do. The next time you tell me you're bored, I'll be happy to give you a job." Thankfully, my kids are at an age where they can easily amuse themselves without too much assistance from mom, but I'm interested to see what happens when they start to outgrow that imaginative play stage. (Please not for a long, long, long time)
I think it's so great that your daughter sews and crochets. I promised Violet I would teach her to knit when she turned eight and she will in a few weeks. She gets easily frustrated when she doesn't learn something right away (too much like her mother) so hopefully it will go smoothly!
ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!!