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Painting

“Good moms” are supposed to be teaching their kids their numbers and letters and colors and how to write their names.  “Good moms” have daily organized boxes with things like puzzles and sensory activities.  I know you’ve seen them on Pinterest.  Doesn’t it kind of drive you crazy?  And make you feel like you should be doing more?  That’s what it does to me.  It also inspires me, but just enough to pin it to my own board.  I have yet to follow through on those good ideas.

I know I’m not going to ever do all the things I see other moms doing.  But I am trying to minimize TV time and replace it with other activities.  I let my kids watch a lot of TV.  Don’t judge me yet!  I don’t just sit them in front of the television all day watching movie after movie while I screw around on the computer and eat bon bons, but I let them watch shows in the morning and before afternoon naps and usually while I’m cooking dinner I’ll turn something on because I need some help after 5pm.  Don’t we all?  During Betsy’s morning nap today I turned off the TV (much to Carson’s disappointment which was a sign to me that it should’ve been turned off well before that time) and got out the finger paints and some paint brushes.  It was a lot of fun!  It did mean a change of clothes, paint in his hair that I didn’t see until later in the day and it meant that I didn’t get anything done myself.  I DID get to spend some fun time with him, and I know that’s more important than getting the laundry folded.  A part of me gets anxious when I’m not being “productive”.  But I need to remember that painting with Carson is productive even if what we have to show for it isn’t a clean house.