Spilled Noodles, Sticky Fingers, & Three Smiling Faces

Back when we were a one-kid household, I approached craft projects with a more…strategic approach. While Madi was napping or otherwise occupied, I would carefully layout my “plan of attack”…paint here, wipes there, quick route to the bathroom over there…and fifteen minutes later, we would have her finished product plastered to the fridge.

Now that we are a three-kid household, things are…ahem…a bit less orderly. This afternoon was a prime example. Madi read in her newsletter that they will be  making a “100 Days” collage at home to celebrate 100 days of school, and of course, she wanted to start immediately. She carefully brainstormed a list of possible items she could use…cotton balls, smarties, macaroni noodles…and then had Fiona, Parker, and I vote on our favorites. (Yes, Fiona voted too – raised both arms for every choice)

Macaroni noodles was the winner, so all of a sudden, we were embroiled in a full-on craft extravaganza. No planning here, just me digging around for paper, noodles, glue that was actually working, and because Parker and Fiona couldn’t miss out on the fun, supplies for them too. No strategic plan, no careful gathering of materials, just complete improvisation…

Madi, ever the focused one, stuck to her plan and counted out 100 noodles to create the number 100…

Parker took two packages of Smarties and glued them randomly all over his paper…hey, whatever works, right?

Fiona…well, she did manage to glue a couple pieces of macaroni to her paper…and lick the glue stick a few times…

A little more chaotic…a little less orderly…but one (of the many) things that having kids has taught me, is that things don’t have to be perfectly planned out to be a success. What my kids want…really want…is just to have fun, and hey, if that involves a bowl of dry noodles spilled all over the floor, sticky fingers, and three smiling faces, then that is okay with me.