Craft Time with Mom

I've been trying really hard to do fun things to interest my kids lately and spend time with them. Making pin wheels was a HUGE success. They loved putting glue all over the place and cutting and choosing colorful paper they liked. When they were dry and finished, I realized how bad they really were. They just wouldn't stay together no matter what I did. The push pin would come out of the pencil eraser the second they picked them up. After much frusteration on my part for endlessly having to fix them and frusteration on their parts that they kept breaking, I was ready to throw them out.

Mommy logic: Those things suck. They always break when they get picked up and they don't even turn in the wind. They are worthless pieces of junk on my kitchen counter.

Kid logic: That is the coolest, prettiest, funest thing I've ever made. I cut it out with my own scissors and glued it all by myself. I am amazing and this pinwheel proves it to the world. I'm keeping this forever. I wonder if my husband/wife will want it in the living room for everyone to see, 'cause I'm definately keeping it that long!

In the end, I struck a compromise with them... I bought $0.99 pin wheels at Wal-Mart that are shiny and nice. We stuck them in their flower pots on the patio. They spin like mad all day long and reflect cool light patterns on our ceiling inside. Everyone is happy.

One of my other recent craft flops was making easter eggs from yarn dipped in glue and wrapped around a balloon. I said "craft" and "balloon" and they couldn't have been more on board with the idea. I set up everything, plastic covering the floor, diluted glue in plastic bowls, lots of precut Easter colored yarn, hand selected balloons in their favorite colors for covering. We were set. I showed them what to do with the first piece of yarn and we were off. Or not. They both dipped one yarn piece in the glue and didn't like how it felt. Too cold and sticky and gross. Ben got one yarn on the balloon and Maddie none. She just kept going to wash her hands the second they got a little anything on them. She soon gave up and Ben, after observing me for a while, asked if he could just not do it. He said, and I quote, "This craft is NASTY, Mom!" Maddie caught on and I as I sat on the kitchen floor, ALONE, for the next 30 minutes putting stupid Easter yarn on a pink balloon, they kept repeating to each other in another room how nasty my craft was today. Oh well. I finally finished, popped the balloon and was pleased with my work. It looks cool. Now I guess I get to put all my hard work in the trash.