When Pigs Fly

Ever have those ideas that you tuck away, telling yourself "Oh, I'll do that someday". When that porcine wonder gets airborne, right?

My Pinterest boards are full of them, and nearly two years ago that was never more true than the one crammed with children's art projects and good intentions.

Jack starting school changed that. After sending two other kids to alternating days of kindergarten, I knew the perils. What to do, short of using electronics as a babysitter, all day? Home days are tough. Battling stir-crazy children also ranks high on my list of "Things for My Personal Purgatory" and inevitably leads to grumpiness... and when Mommy's miserable, everyone suffers!

My solution? Turning "someday" into "right now". Now, once a week we have Art Day.  Bruce and I get together with our friends Anne and her daughter Piggie (she picked the pseudonym) for some messy, creative fun.  We dabble with art supplies, the kids play, and Anne and I visit. Makes for a blissful afternoon.We carved out the time and made it happen. It's not elaborate or time consuming, nor should it be. We're all perfectly happy to play with toilet paper rolls or paints anyways, but we do it and that makes all the difference.

There are two things that keep Art Day the splendid institution that it is:

1. Friends. This keeps me accountable.Without Anne's help this would have fizzled away after a few sporadic attempts.

2. Books. Big surprise, I know. Usually I scramble for a suitable project last-minute, and books chockfull of wondrous projects are my saving grace.

Why art? Because all of us (adults included) can use a little more creativity in our lives. Children's art is a very fun, safe endeavor to get your feet wet. Also, it brightens up more than just the walls of your home. One treasure trove of ideas is the books by Jean Van't Hul which I want, but in the meantime her  Artful Parent blog will do.

Books helped me turn this someday into reality. Maybe I should apply that elsewhere. How about you?  What's your "someday"?



~K