5 life lessons I’ve learnt while painting with my baby boy

A few days ago, I wrote about how Baby N and I paint together. We get messy, splash paint around, play with brushes, dip our hands in the water. 

We’re right at the beginning of our mother-son art journey. There’ll be lots more of art work in the years to come (I’m hopeful). Pictures of stick figures and zig-zag hills, smiley suns and pointy stars. Pictures drawn with crayons and salt, water colors and corn flour paints.

As we dabble in art now, dipping fingers in paints, making hand prints and just being merry without a goal in mind, there are a few lessons I’ve learnt about life.

It’s okay to be messy (or to mess up) sometimes. This is how life is many times…messy and in the moment. So embracing this mess, living in the now rather than fighting for perfection, makes a whole lot of sense.

Do what you can at this time. Whether you have small kids at home and very little time for yourself, busy schedules and very little time to relax, you live in the back-of-beyond with very few work opportunities…wherever we are in life, the idea is to work with what we have. Whether it’s starting a blog or a small business, reading a book or starting a fitness program, do what you can now (rather than waiting for the situation to change, for more time, for the kids to grow up).

Enjoy the process rather than focusing on the result. Our art sessions are more about splashing around with paint and water, than creating a perfect picture. Often, the joy is in the journey than the destination, in the learning than in the goal.

Start somewhere. Often, we get so tangled up in the yarns of success and results, goals and fear of glitches that we do not take that first step. Whether you want to start a new venture, apply for a job, take a course or start writing that book, the idea is to start and take that first step.

Every skill evolves over time. Whether you’re an amateur artist/writer/photographer/cook or a new mother, it’s so important to remember that the more you do something mindfully, the better you get at it. It takes time and patience, faith in yourself and the will to learn.

photo credit: shimelle laine

Sketchbook Story: Saving up for a...(read on to find out)

Remember her – the girl with the blue hair?

Here’s she without her ponytail pair.

She drops another penny into the jar,

Hmm, it’s filling up fast, or so it looks from far.

Do you want to know what she’s saving for?

A doll, a dress, ballerina shoes or a book drawer?

Joy here is waiting to fill up her piggy bank –

Full of glee at her lovely new plan.

She wants to buy a baby elephant,

“I’m sure I’ll get one at the pet store,” she’s confident!

Good Morning Monday + Ways to get 'arty' with your kids

Good Morning Monday & Hello New Week!

How was your weekend? Did you do something creative? Maybe you drew in your sketchbook, took a picture, cooked a delicious meal, changed the décor of your home? There are so many ways to be creative within the realm of our daily lives,  and I’d love to know how you infuse creativity into your days.

This weekend, I cooked a birthday meal for my husband, S. And we painted with Baby N.

Painting with our 10-month-old boy is more about spreading out the paper & brushes and laying out small tubs of paint, and making a mess. Baby N dips his chubby fingers in the paint, plays with the brushes, gets ‘war paint’ on himself, crawls over the paint-smeared paper. It’s a whole lot of fun!

I’d love to do more art with little N. Try new things. Introduce him to a variety of art-based activities. And in this quest to find more ideas, I’ve been hanging around a few art-with-your-kids blogs.

Choc-a-bloc with interesting ideas, these websites might become your fav go-to places too. Take a look.

The Artful Parent is a treasure trove of art ideas for kids and parents. I love the rich array of activities, all of them doable and interesting. I also love Jean’s (the author) passion in being a hands-on artful parent, in writing about her arty adventures with her children, in sharing everything. (Thanks Jean, for putting together this blog!)

Kids Activities Blog is another online resource for moms who’d love to sit down on the floor, get their hands messy and do a whole lot of simple yet fun stuff with their children. I’ve been scrolling through the pages of this website, mining the ideas, tweaking them for our life, and lovin’ the enthusiasm with which these have been presented.

And now another of my recent favourites. Creative with Kids is as much for the parent side of you, as the person side. There are several ideas on things you can do with your children and I really enjoy going through those, but I equally relish the articles that are meant to nourish your soul, offer a pick-me-up when you need it. Honest is the word that I’d use to describe this site. Go over with a cup of coffee in hand, and let Alissa nurture you a bit as you read her wise words.

So dig in. Bring out the paints and paper. Get messy. Have fun.

What kind of creative things do you do with your kids?

Happy Birthday, S!

Long ago, I’d read a beautiful story. It went something like this.

God creates a soul and then breaks it into two. He puts these two halves of a whole soul into two people and sends them to earth. When the time is right, destiny brings these people together, and once again, the soul becomes complete.

A simple little tale, but one that I’ve remembered and believed in. Two people, one soul. A marriage or partnership that is equal amounts work, and equal amounts of fun. This seems so much like my story, our story. And as my husband touches mid-thirties on May 24, I thank God for placing the other part of my soul in this person. For having created S. For who he is. For what we share. For what we have.

Happy Birthday, S!

The candles and cake and chicken will be waiting for you when you come back.