Paintpolooza

Our gratitude box has been going strong this month. I have to say, it's been quite fun and is definitely going to show up again next November.

I decided to mix in experiences of sudden PLENTY to induce gratitude along with days of sudden SCARCITY. This time I met the girls at the bus stop with our box filled with paintbrushes......

I wanted to make the day a little more dressy and fun than a normal day of painting, so I got out different small flower vases and filled them with water. Each place at the table was set like a dinner place setting with an oversized piece of sketch paper as a placemat, a vase for a cup, and a folded napkin with paintbrushes as utensils. I used an old leftover plastic birthday tablecloth underneath, so I didn't have to worry about paint everywhere (I buy extra of these, since you never know when you'll need it!)

Abby was thrilled at the prospect of painting all afternoon. She ADORES painting and would do it everyday if I let her. She painted 10 large sheets that we've made into a book.

What 3 year old doesn't go for the hand while painting? Perhaps it's because a painted hand on paper is so much cooler than their scratches of paint.

The flower vases turned out to be brilliant because they were heavy enough not to tip over. Not one spill. I recently bought cheap ikea flower vases for the girls rooms (.79 cents!). Meredith used one for her brushes and it was GENIUS! The way it was shaped made it virtually impossible to knock over.

Victoria has a drafting table in her room and paints virtually every day, so I was surprised at how much she loved the painting party. She painted fairies and butterflies--she's still a dreamer--hope it never changes. Later that night when we began studying for her spelling test, I looked over and she was painting all the words as we practiced....pretty cute.

All in all, our Paintpolooza party was a big hit! As we painted, the girls and I talked about how paints used to be made, and how hard it was to make any type of paper. I think they had fun, and perhaps felt a little more grateful to express themselves with paint!