Not afraid to get messy

     Since I stay at home with my kids I am always looking for things to do during the day.  I have often heard people say they don't like to do messy things with their kids, or they don't like to have to clean up a mess.  I really don't mind.  My kids love doing art projects.  The art projects often end up all over their bodies.  Every morning they (especially Nick) ask me do a project.  Sometimes it is as simple as coloring, or water colors.  If I feel energetic and Lilly is cooperating we can get into the messier categories like finger painting and glue products.  Today was shaving cream painting and oh was it a grand mess.

   First we start off with a cheer for art projects.  I also make them stand with their hands up while I set up their plates.  I didn't want them to start their painting until I filled all of their trays with shaving cream.  When they have their hands up I know they are listening instead of trying to get to the paint and things I have put on the table.  I know it seems silly but it works and stops the grabby hands from getting into too much trouble while my back is turned.

 I gave them the spatulas to swirl their paint into the shaving cream but who are we kidding the hands went in right away.  It would be a futile effort to prevent this from happening.  I have to admit I like to explore the way things feel too.  As an adult I don't think we get enough time to dig our hands into things and explore so I might as well let the kids do it.

So here is the main point of this art project.  You use the shaving cream as a medium to swirl paint.  Then you lay a sheet of paper on the paint and cream.  It makes a tie dye design.  Of course when two year olds go at it its not quite the beautiful swirls you can see in some tutorials but they did come out pretty nice.  After the paint has a chance to soak in you wipe off the cream and you're left with a nice design.  I think we are going to make some mothers day cards with these ones.

I do have some rules.  They have to paint the paper before they start completely covering their bodies in paint.  So we got 12 pictures made before the giant mess started to happen.  Joe was the first to start.  He loves to paint on his belly.  James followed right away but Nick wanted to do more pictures.  That is why he is slightly less covered than the other two.

    Usually James is the first to call it quits and tell me he wants to take a bath.  Today it was Nick.  He got a huge glop of red paint in the top of his diaper.  My guess is that was not too comfortable.  So Now for the tricky part.  I have to get three kids completely covered in goop into the bath without them destroying my house.  This is how we do it.  We end the exact same way we started.  They have to put everything on the table and put their hands in the air.  Some times I feel a bit like a Drill Instructor but it works.  I help them jump down from the table so they keep their hands up and they have to march into the bathroom with hands up.   They like to tell me everything they can't touch.  As we walked through today Nick named every toy he passed saying "Can't touch my light saber, can't touch my Rodey, Can't touch the couch."  I like it.  It lets me know they are not forgetting my Don't touch anything rule.

 Here is where we end up.  Almost all messy projects end up with a bath.  Its just easier that way.  I hose the kids off with the shower then let them play in the water a little bit.

    You may wonder where is Lilly during all of this?  Because I have been blessed with four beautiful children but cursed with four who don't like to nap, she is with us the whole time.  She is either sitting in her chair or being worn by me.  Today she was harnessed to me during the painting, which is why her beautiful face is not featured in any of our pictures.  Because I cant give them a bath with her strapped to my chest she has to sit in her chair.  Here she is safely on the other side of the glass watching her brothers play in the water.

        So I know, people think I am crazy for even tackling the smallest of art projects with all four kids but I think its fun.   The boys have a great time and I hope I am making great memories for them.  We get messy then we get clean, just to do it all over again.  What will we do tomorrow?

Cheerios Float!

    On Tuesday my boys woke up very cranky.  Everything they said was in a whine and I could barely understand it.  This usually leads to a very difficult breakfast.  Little did I know I would be sitting at my kitchen table for over and hour arguing about the physical properties of Cheerios and how what Nick was asking for was impossible.

   I first should set up the situations.  For at least a month now James always wants oatmeal, Nick always wants cheerios and Joe is my swing vote, some days cheerios some days oatmeal.  So when we got up I started making our pot of oatmeal and getting bowls ready.  I asked all three boys what they wanted.  I got two oatmeals and a cheerios.  Easy enough? Not exactly.  When the boys came to the table I asked James if he wanted milk in his oatmeal.  He said no.  I asked Joe he said Yes.  So now the order has become one oatmeal no milk, one oatmeal with milk and a cheerios.

   When the cheerios were presented to Nick as they always are, he screamed at me that he wanted "Big milk."  Usually this means that I have insufficiently filled his bowl with milk and he would like some more.  We went back and forth for a bit and finally I said "you cant have any more milk because your bowl will overflow".
   This resulted in flailing his arms and throwing himself on his chair screaming "I want big milk like Joe"  It took me awhile and a few attempts to figure out that he wants his milk to cover his cheerios the way that Joe's milk covers his oatmeal.  Ok problem solved.  I figured out what the little beast who was inhabiting my adorable sons body wanted.  Except for the fact that I can not get milk to completely cover cheerios.  We went at it for another 20 minutes about how cheerios can not get covered in milk like oatmeal because it floats.  I was trying to be a good mom and explain to him why he could not get his way without getting frustrated or taking his food away..  When what I really wanted to scream was "CHEERIOS F*&KING FLOAT AND THERE IS NOT A DAMN THING I CAN DO ABOUT IT."  I know lovely isn't it but that was where I was.  After and hour I kicked him out of the kitchen with no breakfast and he threw another 30 minutes of a fit for not getting to eat breakfast.

Thursday morning starts like every other morning.  Two oatmeals and a cheerios. I prepared myself for how I was going to handle the fact that my two year old doesn't understand basic physics.  So here we go. We started again with the fact that he wanted Big Milk in his cheerios. Then adamantly pushing his cheerios with disgust. How dare I feed him this filth.

    Here is the scientist in me.  Lets take some time to explore these two substances.  Needed:  One clear cup, some water, a lump of oatmeal and some cheerios.  I let them play with it for awhile to see that even when they pushed the cheerios down they always come back up.  And there our sad oatmeal lump sits at the bottom.  I even got them to chant cheerios float and oatmeal sinks.

 Success!  He was eating his cheerios.  Don't forget that this is what he asks for every morning.

 After two bites he pushed his bowl away and said "Mommy cheerios float and oatmeal sinks,  I want Oatmeal and big milk".  I give up.  Eat your oatmeal kid, enjoy.  I'm sure we will be at this for awhile.  At least he ate some breakfast.

A day at the Zoo

Being a biologist in my former (pre kid) life, I love to take my kids to the zoo, aquariums, Sea world, and other places where they can be exposed to animals and science.  I find this especially important in these early days of their childhood.  On Saturday we went to the zoo we my cousin and her kids.  We had a great day.  We made a full lap around the zoo with only one stroller.  That means the boys had to walk or sucker my cousins children into carrying them, which they did quite often.  They haven't developed the tough skin that a mom has that makes us immune to those cute little faces that ask so nicely to be carried.  As we made our way around the zoo I love watching their faces light up when we get to a new animal. 

Photo by Wendy Leeds

This friendly fellow came right up to the fence.  The boys got so excited they ran right up to the fence.  I stood back and just watched them watching the giraffe.  They would turn around and scream "mommy do you see it?"  I love knowing that they are excited by animals and nature.

Photo by Wendy Leeds

Although Lilly is a little young to show much interest in the zoo she loves to be outside and walking around.  

photo by Wendy Leeds

 Although you can't tell by her grumpy face in the stroller she was having a good time.  Sometimes she just needed a little time with mommy to bring out her beautiful smile

photo by Wendy Leeds

 Since this was a special visit the kids came with their Aunt Wendy everyone got a special treat.  Look at those snakes.  One of the things I am coming to realize is that there are some battles I will not win.  Boys like snakes.  They play with sticks.  They like to wrestle.  So I am learning to go with it.  Here they are with their wonderful treats from their Aunt, Giant Snakes.

photo by Wendy Leeds

My sweet Lilly got a beautiful pink elephant which she loves to chew on and the boys have had endless fun with their snakes.  They like to carry them around and make them hiss.  Of course I have to give the obligatory "EEEK a snake" every single time.  That night they all three fell asleep with their snakes in their beds.

photo by Wendy Leeds

 I have to say it was a successful visit to the zoo.  The boys had a great time.  Lilly got to get out.  She loves all the attention when people oooo and ahh over how cute she is so it was a pretty good day for her too.  Not to mention I had a great day with my cousin and her kids.  Now we get to look forward to Disneyland on Friday!