Seeking Imperfection

I really was planning to post more often...and then the strep/mouth blister/infection disaster of 2010 hit our home, and has been wreaking havoc with my little girlie.

But on a brighter note, I came across this new little blog hop last week:



and was determined that I would join in today. So here I am!

Do you have an A.C. Moore near you? It turns out that A.C. Moore hosts a free craft for kids, ages 4 and up, every Wednesday from 3-5 all summer. I would however double check that your store is participating and that they have the same hours.

The first week I went with Paige they were making crowns, using these sticky mosaic squares. They gave each child a crown, some sticky squares in different colors, and a grid that assigned each color a number. It was kind of like a paint by number, but using these little squares.



Although my daughter loves crowns, I didn't think she'd last too long doing this as her attention span and her patience often leave little to be desired...much like her mom. However, I was amazed when she spent all TWO HOURS working on this project, and did the whole thing herself!

I was SO PROUD of her - and was tempted to go find and buy every sticky mosaic thing I could find...but who knows if she'd ever be interested in this again?



Last week, the kids made "buttons" - which I would call "pins." They had a cardstock circle that they could decorate, and then stick into a plastic pin cover. I do have a few pictures of this, but they are still on my camera, and in the interest of being imperfect, I am not going to wait until I'm not feeling too lazy to download them, or this will never be posted.

Paige wasn't as enthralled with this craft, although this was about when she was getting sick. She told the lady teaching the craft, "my mouth is full of boo boos." I dismissed it then...but turns out she was right. :(

Tomorrow they are making "Silly Bands Holders" whatever that entails, who knows.

So if you have a kid who likes to craft, this might be a fun, free, air conditioned activity for you - all things I enjoy in a good activity. :)

Let's see what's hiding in my starred items...

Some ideas for teaching kids to tell time. Something I've been wanting to work on with Paige.

Some tips on useful html code.

Some very fun looking ceral kabobs.

A sample cleaning routine - something I'm trying to figure out for myself.

Rainbow Pudding Pops. I've actually bought the pudding for this - now to just get some milk and do it!!

Some summer reading programs for special needs students.

A recipe for frozen fruit roll-ups.

And finally, this really adorable Tinkerbell Birthday Party.

So many times I have a great idea for something, but never follow through. I've even gone so far as to say that I am an "idea person" or am "great at brainstorming." I love all kinds of wonderful ideas I find online, and I often think, "I could do that," and yet I never do. My perfectionism tends to keep me from going forward. "If I can't do it perfectly, then why bother?" Lately I've been having to tell myself over and over that doing something is better than doing nothing. For example, isn't it better to have an imperfect present for your husband for Father's Day, then none at all?

A couple of weeks before Father's Day, I saw this great idea for a present at Alpha Mom - a super hero kit. There were fun labels to download and adhere to favorite snacks that turn them into "hero snacks."

I thought how much my super hero comic loving husband would enjoy this gift. Then I thought about how the wonderful free label downloads are in color, and I don't have any color ink. I thought about how they used a fancy wooden photograph box to package everything, and how it was highly unlikely that I would get around to finding something similar (or want to pay for it). I thought about how all the snacks are in beautiful little glassine envelopes, and how I probably wouldn't manage to find those either.

But I knew that my husband would really love this idea, and I "forced" myself to print out the labels in black and white and just go to the store, by some of his favorite snacks, and stick the labels on the fronts with scotch tape. I then hunted around for a box that all the stuff would fit in, and ended up with a big cardboard box that had held chemicals for the pool in it, and shoved them all in there. I also added a new beach towel (super hero cape) and almost let myself freak out about not having a cute tag for it that would match everything else. Instead I put Paige to work making a tag for it that we stuck to it. I also was able to snag a superhero shirt to add in.


(speaking of imperfection, why the heck is this picture sideways?!? Oh well, better something than nothing...)

I got Paige to help me stick everything in the box and tape the box closed, and then had her add a couple of star stickers to it. She fully enjoyed the process and was so excited to give the gift to him, and isn't that really what it's all about?

The last few weeks were kind of rough, and so, of course, the blog got neglected.

I really should learn that it is therapeutic to write.

April ended with Roland working extra hours, Michelle having issues with kidney stones that ended with her needing 4 trips to the ER, two day surgeries, a trip in an ambulance, and a perscription for an EpiPen. Trying to distract Paige from all of that craziness, I took her to an indoor playground, and sprained my ankle while playing with her! Add in some family drama that had my mom calling and venting every day or two, and I ended the month feeling stressed.

May seems to have kind of flown by...some days have been better than others. Some days I find myself being really depressed about being out of work and having such a hard time finding a job. Other days I enjoy being at home, and like having extra time with Paige. I was driving her to her last day of preschool a couple of weeks ago, and the thought hit me that this "free time" was actually a gift. Paige had some rough times in preschool, and we were all just really looking forward to the end of it all. I am so happy that I was able to be around for her when she needed me. Also, if I had been at work, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy things like taking her to her last day of preschool. I suddenly felt calm, and felt like, "now I can get a job. Everything I've needed to do for my family is wrapped up, and I can move on now." That afternoon I had an email asking me if I'd like to interview for a job! It was such weird timing.

So Paige had her preschool graduation, and then the first weekend in June she had her dance recital. This year she was in two different classes, and had two tap routines. This year the dance school decided to do two shows on the same day instead of one long show, so of course, Paige ended up with a routine in each show. It made for a really long day for all of us, but she did great. She really has stage presence, and you can tell she just loves what she's doing.

Now that she's out of school, I've made a list of some fun things I'd like to do with her, and she's alternating having some fun time with me, and some with Grandma. I don't want her to get too used to being with me full time as she'll be headed to Kindergarten in the fall, and hopefully I'll be headed to school somewhere too, and when she spends too much time alone with me, she becomes very clingy and her seperation anxiety increases. So, it'll be fun for her to have some time with me, and some with Grandma. Hopefully I can get myself motivated to use my "free" summer time to do some fun things for myself too, and keep those depressed feelings away...and maybe get some blogging in there too. :)