Paint it Black

"I see a red door and I want to paint it black/ No colors anymore I want them to turn black/ I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes/ I have to turn my head until my darkness goes." - "Paint it Black" by The Rolling Stones

Today I let the girls do their favorite art project - splatter painting. I strung up two huge pieces of paper outside, poured paint into plastic bowls, handed them each a spoon, and let them fling away! It's actually a fun lesson in physics, but their favorite part is making a huge mess and then getting hosed off. Ah, to be a kid...

To tell you the truth though, I did not want to do splatter painting today. There are a ton of bugs out, the kids were being whiny, it's hot, and I just wasn't in the mood to deal with any of it. But, as the song says, I turned my head, pushed that darkness away, and we went out and turned the backyard into a Jackson Pollack masterpiece. And you know what? We all kind of snapped out of our grumpy moods and had a good time. There's something about hearing the carefree laughter of little children that can remove all sourness from a person's disposition if they just let it. Today, I was laughing right along with them.

Now, remember how I was hoping to get some writing done over the weekend? Well, I didn't. Ugh. But this is a new week and I have high hopes! I will at least finish chapter 20, if not more. And that's a promise!

Splatter Painting

"I see a red door and I want to paint it black." - "Paint it Black" by The Rolling Stones

Today was splatter painting day! The girls love this art project, even though we have to do it outside in the blistering heat, which is not my favorite thing, believe me. I guess it's not too bad for them though, since they paint in their bathing suits, then rinse off in a wading pool. Why do they have to rinse off, you ask? Because by the time they have flung what is easily an entire cup of paint across the yard (with plastic spoons!) onto two very large sheets of poster paper, they are COVERED head to toe in a sea of rainbow tempera paint. It's wild, crazy, free, and they always have a blast painting the paper, and ultimately, each other. The clean up of the yard and children is a little time-consuming, but how can I say no to splatter painting when I see how happy it makes the girls? They will only be little like this for a short time, so I try to encourage their uninhibited creativity as often as possible, even if it's at the expense of my sanity! What will we do tomorrow? I am going to tackle the Chrysler Museum of Art with a three year old and a five year old. Have I completely lost my mind? I guess we'll find out tomorrow!