What a Hoot...

It's so nice when your kids get to the age where you can do something half way challenging with them. I am not one of those mom's that gets down on the floor and plays. Occasionally, I repeat, occasionally, I will but it's really just for a short period of time. I am not wild about easy puzzles, pretending I am a horse, a fairy, a car, a truck....etc. You get the point. I really don't like being taught as a student when the kid is the teacher. I know that it's good for them, it builds confidence and so on but I get so bored that I can't fake it and then they think they're doing something wrong. I am better just not going there. I do like to play tickle every now and then. We cuddle in bed a lot. Sometimes more then I would like because I wake up and there someone is. I can build a mean fort but I don't want to live in it. We bake together, that can be fun but more for them and less for me. Why can't we clean together? That's all coming....

Anyway.... Sophia went over to her buddy Ella's house yesterday and they made some cute little owls out of felt. Sophia wanted to make some more. Ahhh, I have felt, thread and a bunch of buttons and beads. I can do this. So I got it all out for her. She worked by herself for a while. She came crying to me, "It's wrong! I can't do it." I went in and sat down next to her and said I'd like to make one too. She continued to cry and complain. I said, "Sophia, if you continue to cry because you made a mistake I will not let you do this. It makes it no fun." She stopped crying. I helped her fix the problem. Then I started making mine.

First, look on line at pictures of owls. Cut one out free hand. It looks alright. Sew on a beak, eyes and a pouch. I told Sophia that it was for her. This was after she asked me if I was going to snuggle with it at night. She wanted a pouch on it....fine. I told her that would make it an Owlaroo. "Ha ha ha ha that is so funny mom." We had a nice time sitting side by side sewing. We had classical music in the back ground and the boys were playing with the dog. It was great. Sophia critiqued her's a few times comparing it to mine. I reminded her that I have 36 years on her and that I don't recall that we were having a competition. She calmed down again. I think that I will have to continue to give her praise and remind her of our age difference. I will NOT dumb my efforts down just to keep the peace.

So we made our owls. As it turns out we had a good laugh at my expense because mine looks like a cross between bat and a owl. I told her we could call it a bowel. I then had to explain what a bowel was and then she understood why it was so funny. So my bowelaroo and she actually made one that looks more like an owl then mine. Ahhh, not too hard when you see mine. She saw that I make mistakes and that it's about the process and the experience. I wasn't doing it to make a great owl, I was doing it so I could spend time with her and do something a little creative too.

It was a success because in the end we both had fun. The felt is still out and I am looking forward to our next project together.