Sunday, March 01, 2009

I want to be the kind of mom who . . .

I want to be the kind of mom who creates magical moments kids will remember for a lifetime.  I keep thinking about the book When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt.  Every summer, the main character's best friend Cal's family holds a Ladybug Waltz.  They have a small farm and the order ladybugs as a form of natural pest control.  The whole family gathers in the field when the ladybugs arrive and they bring out an old record player and play classical music and dance in the fields as they let the ladybugs loose.  Ever since I read that I've wanted to have a ladybug waltz and it's not even very expensive to order live ladybugs!

I want to be the kind of mom who makes eating fun.  I love this idea from Family Fun to make mini carmel apples.  They bought normal apples and used a melon baller to make small apples and coated them with melted peanut butter or carmel chips.  Photo and more directions found here.  I've also been reading some books by Annabel Karmel for more ideas to get Creed to enjoys his meals and I highly recommend her books.

And speaking of making eating fun, this dad decorates bag for home lunch everyday, and I'm in love with them.  Wouldn't that be a fun thing to do for your kids or spouse?  He mostly paints robots and he calls them lunchbots.  Creed would go crazy for one of these.
I want to be the kind of mom who teaches kids about art in a non-judgmental sort of way and lets them decided what is or is not art and which art they like.  My this is on my mind because I reread Kiki Strike by Kirsten Miller the other day (which is fantastic and I think everyone should read it if they are looking for a fun, crazy adventure that will make them see the world in a different way), which got me thinking about the real graffiti artist Banksy.  Just in case you haven't herd of Banksy, you can read about him here or see his website here.  He's an English graffiti artist that causes all sorts of controversy.  His art is worth a fortune, but since most of it is illegal it often gets painted over.  His real identity is unknown but his work can be seen all over the world.  When I first heard about him, he was known for his paintings of rats like this one.
and this one.
And I really love this scene by him

He has snuck in and hung his own work in the Louvre, The Tate Britain, the Met, Moma and the American Museum of natural history and in some spots it is said the have hung for days before it was noticed (although his painting of the Mona Lisa with a huge yellow smiley face hanging in the Lovre was noticed and removed almost immediately).  I wouldn't say that I agree with everything that he does, but he fascinates me.

I want to be the kind of mom who plays with my kids instead of always watching them play, even if I make a fool of myself.  I love this mother daughter dance, although I have no idea what movie it's from!

I want to be the kind of mom who creates the room of my child's dreams that adults would also love to spend time in.  Which reminds me that I want to move into this nursery that I spotted on Ohdeedoh. I think yellow and aqua is my current favorite color combination.
And I dream of having a room like this one spotted on Ohdeedoh someday.
I want to be the kind of mom who creates a home with quirky character.  Someday we will be settled somewhere and I will not have to worry about a landlord or the immediate resale value of my home and I can do whatever I want with it.  I would have loved having this cool hole in the wall when I was little.
I want to be the kind of mom who helps her kids be organized.  I love this idea from blogger Stephmodo to use a sweater organizer hanging in the closet to set out outfits for the week, then the kids get to pick which outfits they want to wear each day so mom will be happy, but they still feel like they are choosing what they wear.

9 comments:

Beazer said...

I love when you do these Steph! They inspire me to find ways to make childhood better for my kids. The hole in the wall was great -- what kid wouldn't love that?! I'd seen the clothes divider idea in Family Fun Magazine and thought it was perfect for when they are in school and have similar days. It will definitely lessen morning battles. Thanks for the thoughts!

Rachel H said...

That is a great post, very cool!

For us, we have a weird lady bug infestation in our very own house every winter...so I am always sucking the little bugs up with the vacuum...maybe I should play some music while I do it..our very own lady bug removal dance.

The grafitti artist is very intruiging and I totally want to see more now!!

And as far as a "dream" room goes... I have been there and if you can get your dream-kids room to match up with your child's dream...I bow to you!

I have decorated my daughter's room and our kids playroom, and found that when they are totally acustomed to thier environments they tend to take them for granted... and even if it would be a dream to another kid it's "normal" to them...does that make any sense?

That, of course, is merely my own experience.

Busy Vee said...

i want to be that mom too!

Hillary said...

I love your blog! Recently, when I couldn't find a current listing for you through the alumni catalog, I lucked out and found your blog.

-Hillary

Serendipity said...

I love these posts...and I'd love to be that mom too!

Love the decor ideas...yellow/aqua...so sweet.

LOVE the painted lunch sack idea!

Interesting graffiti artist...have not heard of him before...

You can usually find ladybugs at any local nursery...we've released them many times, and we also love to get the praying mantis egg sacks...amazing! Hundreds of little mantis babies hatch!

L.R.L said...

I love Bansky, secret passageways, and you guys.

The Robbs said...

Hey Stephanie! I have not looked at your blog in a long time, but I have been inspired enough to become a follower. You have great ideas of ways to teach kids.

Anonymous said...

Do I know you? We might be soulmates. (In a non-creepy, non-lesbian way.)
I have that same yellow room bookmarked, and I made those little mini-carmel apples for my daughter's party.
Anyway, happy to have found your blog. I'll be back to visit soon. :)

dragonflydreamer said...

I love this post. I really wanted to be that Mom too and I did what I could sice my babies are now 24 and almost 21. Before PCs, Blogs, you know...back in the old days. I wish I'd done a better job of being that Mom. I am so glad that Moms have so much inspiration and support each other through blogs and such. Creed is beautiful and I love your blog. I hope I get grandbabies and can use some of your wonderful ideas with them.