Crafting With Children

I start the day with great ambitions to get some project done.

So baby is asleep and I sit down to sew.  The rest of my day went something like this:

"Mom, I'm hungry." said child number 3.

Stop sewing and go cut up an apple.

Start to sew.

"Mom, I can't get the TV to work.  Netflix won't load."

Stop sewing and turn on Blu-Ray player, load Netflix.

Start to sew.

"Mom, I'm hungry." said child number 2.

Stop sewing and cut up an apple for child number two.  Holler at child number 1 "do you want an apple too?" Cut another apple for child number 1.

Start to sew.

"Mom, I'm hungry." said child number 3.

Didn't I just feed you????  Stop sewing and go get crackers for child number 3.  Offer crackers to older two as well.  (I am getting smarter.)

Start to sew.

Fight breaks out!

"I don't want to watch My Little Ponies.  I want to watch H2O!"  (By the way, have you seen that show?  LAME!  I think I prefer Dora!)

Stop sewing and break up fight by taking away the remote.  Fighting has now caused baby to wake up early from his nap.  

End attempt to sew.

Is anyone else like this?  Does this sound like your house?  I see all these bloggers with young children whipping out amazing projects that are then photographed in their perfectly put together homes.  And I think to myself, did you lock your children in a cage while you crafted?  And then set up your house to look like a magazine cover?  Or maybe they spent the day at grandmas.  Or the month.  Or the year. 

So a couple of weeks before Valentines, I see these cute envelopes at PB and I thought I can make that!  I had a couple weeks, I could totally get one done for everyone in my family!  How cute would it be to send little love notes to each other!  I was excited to start a project!

But sadly, this is what I got instead.

What I failed to mention is that it has been snowing a ton here!  And school has been cancelled like every other day.  And then the week of Valentines we had off!  (who does that?  A whole week off of school in the middle of winter????)

I dedicated one day to 'crafting' while the kids were home.  I wasn't going to do anything but get these envelopes done!  (Meaning I was going to clean the house tomorrow and order pizza for dinner :)

And the above dialogue happened like ALL DAY!

Except for one more thing, while I was in the bathroom, child number 3 got ahold of my rotary cutter and cut perfect little sections off of the envelope flap!  Enough that I have to start over!

And now Valentines has passed and I am so frustrated with yet another UFO (unfinished object). So I will pack it away until 2 weeks before Valentines Day next year when I see the PB ad and think wouldn't it be so cute to make one of those for each member of my family? And to send love notes to each other? Before I dash off to Michaels to get felt, hopefully, I will remember, oh yeah, I already started that! And I have an envelope flap to redo!

Crafting with children can be stressful! I started the #10mincreate and #365create as a goal to get something created for at least 10 minutes a day. It is working, slowly, but surely I am getting things crossed off my list. Nap time, bed time and school pick up are my most effective times! Most of all, I am trying not to get so frustrated when they are asking for an apple.  After all, I started that project first...THEM!!!  And I have come to terms with the fact that my house doesn't look like Pinterest! Just trying to keep it real! And yes, my cutting mat is covered with a crayon masterpiece!

Crafting with children can be great too! Like when my oldest asks for a sewing basket for her birthday. Or making cards together! Or when I find my pins arranged in such a happy way!