Not So Crafty

I am posting this today for one reason only: I got some cute photos of Jackson that I want to share! We went to the local community arts center with my mom's group, and had a little art "tour" after the kids worked on a craft. I kept Jackson in the stroller the entire time, because the little devil would have Torn. The. Place. Apart. No kidding. He's not behaving well in public these days! During the craft time, I kept feeding Jackson Cheerios in hopes of distracting him until we were ready to move on to the next thing (tour, lunch, etc.). He had a craft in front of him and was allowed two crayons. Of course, he scribbled on the paper for about 20 seconds and was done with that. Then he moved on to scribbling on his stroller tray, then his shirt, and then putting red streaks in his hair. After giving himself highlights, he went back to the paper but this time decided to eat it instead of coloring it.

I got a pipe cleaner and gave it to Jackson thinking it would hold his interest. No, he decided to eat that too.

And then, I had the brilliant idea to show him how to thread Cheerios onto the pipe cleaner, which finally kept him entertained for about four minutes until he figured out how to eat the Cheerios off the pipe cleaner. That bought me another four minutes, and I hushed the voice in my head that was telling me it's probably not safe for kids to put pipe cleaners in their mouths.

Finally, Jackson found a piece of plastic (like the kind you'd use on an overhead projector) that was supposed to represent a flower vase in our craft. I cracked up watching him smash it onto his face.

Jackson turned 22 months old yesterday. I am thinking craft time isn't a good thing for us right now, and maybe not ever? We're slowly running out of activities we can do with my mom's group. After a harrowing library story time about two weeks ago, and now a not-so-crafty time today, I think we should stick to the bounce houses and play areas in town for a while. I already can't wait for spring, when the parks will provide a new place for Jackson to explore!