The Biggest Picture in the Whole World!

Because five children and a dog are not enough (seriously), we have an extra along for a couple of days. No, I didn't kidnap her, but with both parents out of state another little one is bunking in here at the Fun House.

Though the schoolday was packed, we had nothing planned for the afternoon, and since six children left activity-free for 4 hours are almost sure to end up attacking one another, I determined that we needed something big to focus on which might unite us rather than conquer us (or me, as the case may be).


I dashed into Blick with the youngest three en route to pick up the bigger kids and WOW that is one awesome store. I had never been there, but they sure won me over!

The salesperson that helped us was FANTASTICALLY nice. Patient to unlock the restroom. Patient as I kept reminding Princess not to sit on canvases. And patient as I dealt with the boy's biggest tantrum EVER. (I wish I were exaggerating.) AND she loaded Little Mommy up with six free shirts...to be used as art smocks of course!


We gathered tempura paints in a slew of ever-mixable colors (though we forgot the black, but I'll blame that on my being distracted by the screaming, writhing, kicking, hysterical mass of son I was hauling about).


(I gave him the outline of a house, by request, but otherwise this was Max's own talent at work.)


And brushes.


(That's our dog!)


And Ramona-sized paper.


(That's a house with a darling person inside, and a tree too!)


I told the kids the rules were to keep each brush in only one color, and to be kind about everyone else's art. They were all to paint whatever they wanted, but not to criticize the others.


(The Actress went very geometric, printing shapes from the computer, cutting them out, tracing and marking, and then finally painting. That kind of art takes a long time so she has some sections left for another day.)


And then I made them repeat, "I promise to be nice and have fun," before cutting them loose. (After the first one said it and received a fun size Kit Kat the others were duly motivated to play along.)


(That's a cozy log cabin.)


And we painted and painted and painted...the floor, the paper, and their arms and hands, making a masterpiece...truly masterful because it was created piece by piece by an extraordinary group of young artists empowered with brushes and color.


(She may have called it I Painting.)


And I was even a little inspired by the fun (and the gobs of unused paints left by "helpers" who decided to pour a "little" extra paint all by themselves). I call it Feeling Dotty, which is how the floor still looks.

Capturing these moments of creation and joy seemed somehow more important (and fun) than scrubbing a little scattered paint. Life is all about priorities.