the forbidden

I planned to keep my boys completely ignorant of a few things for at least 10 more years - gum and paint included.  Perhaps I'm a mean mom, but I will never have gum in my purse and even the most innocuously washable paints alarm me.  It's the principle.  Of the potential mess.

But two women got in the way of my plan.  Grandma Cyndee introduced the gum.  Grandma Kay, the paint.  Grandma Cyndee is most definitely not forgiven for her infraction (luckily I'm so enormously in her debt that this hardly matters).  But Grandma Kay can slide by with the painting (which hardly matters for precisely the same reasons).  I've had these pictures for a while, but haven't recorded this yet.  I told Jim's mom she needs to start a t.v. program - Crafting with Kay.  Because every time the boys are at her house, they leave with projects.  And smiles.

This time it was marble painting.

You have to know my Aidan to appreciate his serious face in these pictures.   He often becomes all stoic when his insides are boiling with excitement.  It's that way when he rides quads, when he gets to do "big jobs" with dad.  All business.

D evidences no need for such decorum.

With Kay's crafting inspiration, I gave in today, and opened myself to chaos by making salt dough for the kids.  They shaped it, we baked it, and in about 30 minutes Mandi's girls will be over to do the "P" word.  Yes, I'll have four littles painting at my kitchen table.  And I'm getting nervous.  And tempted to call in the grandma reinforcements.  Apt punishment for introducing the Forbidden. 

Comments

[Tiffany]

Painting for 4 is a big step! :) I hope it went well!

Aren't grandmas great? I've found they sometimes do things you never would (and your kids are better for anyway).

[Marie]

Youa re going from no painting, to painting with company? You really jump in with both feet, don't you.

Marble painting is great for containing mess. It is a great way to let them do it with very little clean up.

[Shanon]

I HATE GUM TOO!!! Painting is fun for Abby and a mess for Jake! I think Kay should have her own show too. They are always making the cutest things with her. I need to be that fun too!

[Neighbor Jane Payne]

Maybe one of the girls will bring some gum!

[Megan]

I let my boys chew gum, no problems as of yet. Not ready for painting though. I didn't hear about the painting when I was on the phone with you, did you chicken out?

[Katie]

Very cool projects. Good luck with the 4 little painters!

Hooray for getting a new camera lens!

[Aprilyn]

Wow. Good job! I make Salt Dough a lot but I add food coloring to it. I also let Marshall pain with shaving cream and glue mixed together. It's a GREAT sensory activity. The glue makes the shaving cream kinda stiff.

[Angie]

I love the marble painting idea! How fun.
It's so cute that Aidan gets serious when he's excited.

[Amy]

Get out the camera. Use that new lens! This is stuff memories are made of :) No worries, just FUN ;0
(Grandmas can do whatever they want! hee he!)

[April]

We are an absolutely NO GUM household. Too many gum haircuts.

Painting's okay...my only rule...do it outside. This may be why there is paint on quite a few of the bricks on the back side of my house. Geesh.

All four with paint sounds like QUITE the adventure.

[michelle]

This is so well written, Amy! I love it. Especially "D evidences no need for such decorum" and "Apt punishment for introducing the Forbidden." Wonderful stuff. So far, only my oldest really likes to chew gum. And he just informed me that he always chews a piece of (sugarless) gum every night before bed. Excuse me?? Eva keeps asking for gum, but I'm not ready to go there yet. My boys use all kinds of paint because they're old enough not to make a mess. Eva is restricted to washable watercolors, so far so good. Have fun with your group project!

[mandy]

So much fun! Can Ryley come over? She is all about the paint and I am pretty much over it.

I love Aidan's stoic expression.

[Kelly]

The Forbidden at our house was Barbies. It lasted until Brynlee turned 5, and one of Keith's friends gave her one. And now it's just over. Actually, Bryn & Ave were never into them that much, but Emerson adores them, which pains me.

Grandmas are great for doing fun projects with kids that mothers deem too messy. Keith's mom bakes cinnamon rolls with them, and my mom does all kinds of craft and cooking projects. Perhaps it's the perspective grandmothering brings. Cute picture of the boys with Kay! And I love Aidan's serious look and that you know him well enough to know that means his insides are boiling with excitement.

[jenny c.]

Gum is seriously evil, but often times it does save me on occasion. Hurray for Grandma's who allow the kids to have fun. I too stay away from paints and play dough too for that matter. Such sweet photos of the boys.

[Mandi]

Luckily Cynner hasn't introduced gum to my girls because I feel the same about it. I haven't ventured into paint yet either although I thought my allowing markers was quite a big step for me. We'll see how the painting goes. . .

[Barb]

Marble painting, something I've read about, but never inflicted on myself in my own home. Yeah for Grandmas!

[Emily]

I just cut gum out of Emma's hair on Friday!

[Jill]

Wow, I can't believe you made it this long without gum or paint happening at your house. I think the washable paints are great and we haven't had any problems with them over the years.