creativity at its best

Wow, I *really* shouldn't let so much time pass between my posts. hehe. Four months? Really?? Oh well.

In the past couple of months I have been brainstorming ways to make the most of my time with my kiddos...ways to encourage more creativity...ways to get to know their heart more...ways to have more one on one time with them...discover more of their individual strengths/weaknesses...and well, you get the idea. Since I've mentioned before about some of the books and blogs I've been reading, I thought I'd share some of the changes that have taken place in our home as a result.

One of the main things is the TV. Between the fact that it's white noise that's rarely actually watched and the fact that much of it is just nonsense and a waste of time, I decided to start making a special point to leave it OFF as much as possible. We're not getting rid of the cable or anything like that, but I did start making our tv time more purposeful. More importantly, I wanted them to spend more time using their imaginations. If they were bored, I didn't want them to walk by and get caught up in what was taking place on tv. I wanted them to get creative. And boy did they EVER.

I put washable crayons and markers, glue sticks, scissors, hole punchers, tape, and a stapler in a caddy and left it sitting on their big school desk. Phew, sounds risky I know. But they now have full access to these items at all times. This has been one of my favorite and most rewarding changes. My children have shown me things on paper that have given me yet another glimpse into their hearts...what's important to them, what makes them smile. =)  I cannot believe how many boxes of washable markers we have gone through and how much paper. Oh dear...the paper. There isn't a day that goes by that my office floor isn't covered in scrap paper. Anyone know where I can get the best deal on plain white paper?? (Seriously!)  haha.

Who needs to pay for decorations when your kids are constantly surprising you with different pictures scotch-taped to the walls. Now I can't imagine sleeping without Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk staring at me. haha. JK. The kids know that daddy loves to watch tv at night so they even tape pictures around his tv now.


Benjamin is notorious for his houses...I bet the kid has drawn HUNDREDS of houses in his short time of being able to draw. haha. He always comes up with new ways of drawing them too. He also loves roads, mazes, and rainbows. There are times that he's combined them for really cool drawings as well. He melts my heart. =)  Below is also the first time Benjamin ever wrote his name backwards. :P He often makes his "N" and "J" backwards so when he wrote his entire name backwards, those letters were "right". ahahaa. Anyhooo, this pic was his happy place....houses and rainbows. lol. =) The other pic was a "rainbow road".

Isaiah loves to draw random things that pop into his brain.....skyscraper, ferris wheel, and train are 3 that come to mind. He also likes to draw things and THEN decide what they are. Example: One day he drew a "watermelon attached to a pumpkin". That was the response I got when I said "It's awesome, what is it!" LOL!!! Then he asked me how to spell it so he could write what it was on the picture to give momaw Sandy as a present. :P  Just incase you can't read it, the pic on the right is raindrops, a blueberry tree, and a train with coal in it.  His imagination cracks me up.

Gracie loves to color entire pages with different colors so that there's no white left. She's like Isaiah in that she'll often scribble something and then name it. She also loves to draw pictures of mommy....which are "special". =) Each picture of mommy always has one extra scribble which she says is my "bottom". I find this disturbing and amusing at the same time...her sweet innocent mind doesn't think anything of it. And it's no big deal to her at all....no more than me having eyes, nose, and mouth. LOL!! I just don't draw any attention to it and act like it's no big deal...she'll outgrow this, right? bahahaaa.  Below is a "spider" pic...then there's a pic of me. She says the brown things are all hairbows?  =)