Potatoes and Rocks and Shiny Stuff!!!

The creativity has been amazing around here...

If you are dying to spark some creativity in your lil' gang,
all you need is a little cement mix,
a few red potatoes,
a variety of little stones
and some shiny stuff (everyone loves shiny stuff!),
a rainbow of paint colors,
a front yard with rocks and more rocks and more rocks...
oh, and the magical ingredient...a touch of imagination!

After being home for most of the summer while I've been unable to drive, our kiddos decided to do something with themselves instead of wandering about being "Bored all the time"  :0) 
How often do you hear that line at your house???

Anyway, my kids spent an entire afternoon and evening as happy as could be just painting away and creating.  They started out painting potatoes...

I know it sounds a bit strange, but they asked and I figured, why not? 

After several hand fulls of red potatoes I decided we best be moving on to less tasty items to turn into masterpieces...how about rocks! 

OH MY, the real fun began when they started painting all the rocks out front, so sweet! 

I wish I had a picture of the whole thing, but the sprinklers came on before I snapped one, darn it!!!

As you can see, I only have a couple "hams"...the rest of them hide from the camera,

I felt pretty lucky to actually get Wyatt to smile for the camera! 

The girls LOVE to have their pictures taken,

but there's something about being a teenager that stifles that excitement...

I have to be a little sneakier to get them in the shots!!!

We also had a load of fun making a stepping stone and adorning it with all sorts of goodies...

the biggest problem was that a little too much water had been added to the mixture,

so some of the little treasures sank under the surface ~

this made for a couple of unhappy little girls. 

Who wants their treasures to be hidden under cement?

They lose all their shine and sparkle...

The tears subsided when I said,

"well, we'll just have to give it another shot!!! 

Practice makes perfect, right?!" 

Who knew there could be a lesson in following directions while being creative? 

I think I've come to a conclusion,

I've only been a MOM for more than half of my life and I'm just getting this one,

but here it is:

KIDS NEED to be able to be kids

they NEED to create

they NEED to get dirty

they NEED to get wet

they NEED to try

and they NEED to fail

and they NEED to see that both are okay...

they NEED to laugh

and

they NEED

a Mom who will laugh with them...

and Moms NEED kids to keep them happy and laughing and living!

It's time to go buy some more cement, we've got more learning to do,

more shiny moments to remember

and with any luck at all

we'll come out with a stepping stone that adorns all the sparkly stuff that smiles are made of!