snow day again.

since there are still icy roads and snow on the ground, school was canceled again today. i'm quite happy though. i've needed these snow days... no where to go, no where to be. time at home with the kids. plus, it has given me a chance to get caught up with housework after the holidays.

as i was cleaning slade's bedroom yesterday, i came across this really giant paperback art book, scribbles. it was one of the gifts jeff and i gave slade for christmas. immediately when i saw it, i knew he would love it. the book is one of many wonderfully creative giant books by taro gomi. (he also wrote the very funny book everyone poops .)

this is such a fun activity book for little artists. it allows imaginations to soar and inspires creativity. i loved flipping through it yesterday to see what slade has already drawn and imagined. and i think, it's the perfect activity book for snowed in days like these.

little works of art.

watercolor painting by Slade

I love all things creative. So, no wonder I feel a great sense of excitement with each little masterpiece my children create. I love their contentment as they sit and draw, color, glue, paint, chalk, stamp, cut, build... whatever it may be. And, their explanation of each piece is even more wonderful.

I'm just thinking... is it nature or nurture or both?? I tend to believe it is both. What do you think?

wooden blocks.

Very few toys were brought along with us to Oklahoma. Usually on trips, we bring coloring books, paper, crayons and markers. It keeps my kids busy. However, at the last minute, I put a container of wooden blocks in the back of the car.

I enjoy watching the imagination that my children use when playing with blocks. During our time here in Oklahoma, I have seen them build houses and castles and garages and bridges. They knock them down and within minutes build again. Sometimes, they sort them by colors or shapes or even find totally different uses besides just to build and create.

Today I heard the girls having a conversation with one another using a block as a telephone which they each held up to their ears. And Slade, the boy that he is chose to use the blocks as grenades that he launched from the table.

I love that wooden blocks are basic and simple yet they can bring such an immense amount of creativity to a child's mind. Sometimes I believe, the more simple a toy is, the more enjoyable it can be.

create love.

Check out Starbucks Love Project. For every love drawing you create, 5 cents will be donated to the global fund to help fight Aids in Africa. The kids and I created these drawings yesterday and they were posted on the gallery of hundreds of drawings from around the world.

crayon hearts.

Slade and I gave some new life to some of the broken crayons that have been sitting at the bottom of the bucket. We made translucent hearts out of crayon shavings and wax paper and hung them in our kitchen window. The sunlight shines through the hearts perfectly during the day. The idea came from an old issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine. And, it totally brought back memories of elementary school art projects from years ago. I loved art then, and still love to dive into anything that allows me to be creative.