Slacker Mom

I saw this article the other day on the net. I must admit it's really really cool and I'm sure H would LOVE to have something similar in a year or two.

Super Mom Builds Formula 1 Race Car from Cardboard


However, I am learning that although I ha(d)ve BIG dreams for my creative outlets with respect to my son, life just takes over. I love creative crafty things. All the neat cute things I find on various blogs inspire me. "I could do that, that would be so fun" constantly runs through my head. Then, well, reality takes over and I am left being Full Time Working, Part Time Single Parent, Midlife, Slacker Mom.

I must admit at this point H doesn't exhibit much artistic talent. So, all the crafty projects I think that might be fun often don't materialize. He has started drawing something more than scribbles. He drew a basketball the other day which was at least rather round. This is a step in the right direction from the typical small circular scribbles he has thus far produced to reflect family members. He asks me to draw baseballs and bats - not terribly exciting or challenging but something that can be completed on the magnetic erase boards he has.

I had planned to be super creative with his room but have discovered that those rooms do not really present reality either. His first room was pretty basic without much fanfare. Super cute dog curtains and matching blanket courtesy of grandma (who made them while we were half way around the world eating various forms of unknown sausage - okay hubs was doing the eating - me I don't eat it if I don't know what it is), four paintings courtesy of gran, and some pictures from my childhood. In my defense, you really don't want to get cutesy or crazy when there is a high probability you will be selling your house!

Current room is also pretty basic but with a definite theme this time. It is adorned with curtains (again courtesy of Grandma), the addition of sports related items - basketballs, baseballs, soccer balls, footballs, golf balls, tennis balls. However, I do(did) have grand plans for adding creative touches to represent learning tools for the alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, etc. I researched all kinds of wall hangings and the various ways to make them interesting and interactive. Yet, I had not figured out how to find the time to get started. I came across poster sized prints at the dollar store that seemed cute enough and colorful enough to work with. I mean, who can pass up spending $.50 for something that is perfect? I started to ponder ways to perhaps buy two of each and cut one set out so I could put velcro on the other and we could match items together, or making it magnet somehow, or other crazy and time consuming ways to exercise my creative brain. I couldn't quite think all this out to an actionable project though which I blame on my delirium of getting a real bargain (something that has left a crater in my personal shopping habits since we no longer have access to either Once Upon a Child or St. Vincents de Paul one dollar items).

So, after having the posters home for a few weeks, I opted to just tape them to the closet doors and room door. Perfectly sized, easily to attached, and best of all project completed! Slacker mom....

The moral of the story comes from H. He walked into his room with the new additions and said "Nice! Thanks, mommy!" So, did the super mom get the same gratitude from her kid? I can only hope so.