process

It’s important to me that my birdies enjoy the process of creating something as much–or perhaps even more–than the end result. This is such a great life lesson that can be applied to almost anything. Slow down, enjoy the process, be here now. This is easier said than done, but having children underfoot helps to keep this in perspective. It also helps that we do a lot of messy things and I don’t shy away from creating messes wherever I go. Chris could easily vouch for that one…

I’ve also been seeking out opportunities to show the birdies the process of making other kinds of things and Wren absolutely loves this: from the peanut (butter) grinder to the coffee bean grinder to the homemade marshmallows we made this summer. Some might ask “why?” because you can just buy marshmallows, peanut butter and coffee and be done with the shopping trip and moving on to other things. Process.

Process.

If you’re wondering what this process was all about, it’s marbling using shaving cream and paint. And it is SO fun and SO easy to focus on the process of creativity. You can read more about it over on The Artful Parent.

 

super silly spaghetti night

The first week of school went really well, but some of the novelty has since worn off and it’s not been quite as easy to get going this week. Still no tears or tantrums (yes!), but some of the enthusiasm for something new and exciting has waned. So I thought it would be fun to celebrate this “back to school” time with a new tradition to break up some of the new routine a little bit. Enter the Super Silly Spaghetti Night! I stole this idea from a friend so I can’t take the credit for it. Feel free to steal it too. It’s too fun and easy not to pass on.

All you do is cook up a batch of spaghetti noodles, sauce and we added meatballs too. Put a throwaway plastic tablecloth down on the table and then you dump the food directly on the table in a big pile. No plates or utensils allowed! Go for it. Only rule: no throwing food. When you’re all done eating and getting messy, throw the kids (and husband) directly in the tub and roll up the tablecloth with any food scraps and throw in the garbage. It’s really not as messy as you would first think. Fun!

Everyone liked it, even those too young for “back to school” traditions.

What kind of “back to school” traditions do you have, lovelies? I would love to hear!