Crafty Kids

Since it has been a great ski season, Rinar has been taking Raef and Zach to Mt. Rose every Saturday.  The rest of us stay at home.  I decided this last time to take the little ones out somewhere. Sometimes you just need to get out of the house.

First, I really needed to conquer the rat's nest, also known as Julia's hair. I had succumbed the day before and let her walk around with a tangled catastrophe on her head. But two days of this was even more than I could take. But the girl did not want me touching her hair. I sat her up in the sink and she promptly flopped backwards. She was hanging upside down crying. Then she turned sideways when I snapped this shot.  But, I went in there, undaunted, and got the thing brushed.

It didn't take long for her mood to swing in the other direction. They both helped me clean up the car while I fueled it up. Don't you love Julia's outfit? She picked out that colorful ensemble. It reveals all of her sassiness.

Then it was time for the free Saturday morning craft project at Home Depot. In all these years, I have never taken one of my kids. I always forget. But not this time. And let me tell you, these kids loved it. Eli pounded every single nail into his little letter holder. Then I sent him off to paint. I helped Harry and Julia assemble their wooden boxes next. They would hammer some, but I did the majority of it. It went much faster for these two. 

And boy do they love to paint. Harry is an avid crafter/artist. He just got right in there and painted every corner of his box. They all did, actually. It was a really fun morning. I must go back next month.

Eagle Co-op

We went to Eagle Co-op today. The kids have a lot of fun going to classes...different classes. Raef takes U.S. Geography, Self Defense, and Lego Builders. Zach is in Self Defense, Cooking Around the World, and Watercolor.  They specifically told me they wanted to be in different classes. It seems to be working out well for both of them.

While they are in their classes, Eli is in a little preschool. They actually do preschool stuff. Today he learned about the letter 'B'.  Last week it was 'A'. He takes his activities very seriously and works hard coloring and stuff.

I team teach a biology class. Today I did a lecture on taxonomy.  I even did a pathetic rap to help them remember the classification levels (kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus species). I don't think I have much of a future in rap.

Zach was very proud of his watercolor.  I took them to soccer practice tonight and he made sure to take his watercolor to show everyone. I had no idea he took it out of the car.  When we got home, he asked if he could put it on his blog.  Can you give the kid some love and leave a comment? I know he will be asking to see if anyone did.

But here is his masterpiece...

I didn't tell him what to type on his blog. This is what he wrote...

I made this picture all by myself.My favorite part is the clouds. It just looks so real. Don't you think?

An Idea For Your Children's Artwork

I sprung for a babysitter yesterday and took the afternoon off to do my favorite thing: Goodwill.  What else?  I did really well.  I was very happy with my new treasures.  When I perused the art section, I came across a framed Picasso poster that looked pretty darn groovy. I wasn't sure where I would put it, but I just couldn't pass it up. I mean, it is Picasso, right?

The poster was too small for the large wall where I wanted to put it. It needed some companion pieces. Then I had an epiphany.  I put some of my kids old artwork in frames I have acquired over the years at thrift stores (of course).  I then hung them on either side of Picasso.  Children's artwork looks very sophisticated next to modern art like this. I got the one frame (on the lower left corner) yesterday as well at the Bargain Bin. It cost $1. I still have room on the wall to the right to continue adding my kids pieces. 

Since we hosted a work party at our house I felt under pressure to actually finish up a few projects.  This next one is something I brought up from Vegas: two lamps I got at the Goodwill near my house there.  They are brass and were quite shabby. I just really loved the shape of them.  


So this morning I whipped out the Primer/Paint spray paint.  Did you know they do that now? I saved a whole step because I didn't even have to prime it.  Sweet!   A little spray here and there and five minutes later, the lamps go from this....

 ...to this.  

I did purchase new lampshades at Walmart. They look sleek and smart now. What can I say? I love me some spray paint.

Just Some Stuff

They finished their art projects and Eli had to improve his a little. Hey, he wasn't going to let them paint without him, for sure.

These paintings will find a new home on a wall in our condo.

My Artist

Eli has shown a propensity to doing art. He will actually sit down and colors for 30-40 minutes without stopping. I didn't realize boys were capable of doing this kind of thing. Zach never even picked up a crayon until he had turned 5. Raef was not much better. But Eli actually likes to put pen to paper, if you will.

So today we did an art project. Raef and Zach are still working on theirs, but I thought I would share Eli's creation with everyone. He did a great job. I picked out the colors and helped him a little bit, but he definitely had ideas on how he wanted it done. I would make a suggestion and he would ignore me.

I love this little guy. It was a good moment today.