It sounded easy…

There has been talk of making your own wrapping paper zooming around the t’internet. It sounds simple enough. You have the beloved fruit of your loins and budding Picasso (obviously) slobber about with paint. They produce wonderful and and foot print masterpieces. The hand prints can then be embellished with stickers and whatnot to make Christmas trees. The feet? Well a marker and an imagination turn them into Rudolph. And voila. Eco conscious wrapping paper. To be treasured by grandparents the world over.

Sounds easy.

And I had a mound of packing paper from the very last of the boxes in the garage, finally unpacked in a flutter of activity inspired by the in-laws’ impending visit.

So we gave it a go.

The only actual “print” we got was on the garage floor. You can’t wrap anything with that. And the landlord might object to me filling it out with markers. Or glitter.

It didn’t come out as planned. The Turtle had the cheek to keep asking for colours not in the scheme. And he kept dancing. And demanding brushes and whatnot. And laughing.

So we have no wrapping paper. But laughter? Laughter is the thing.

Crafty hiatus

We haven’t been doing much crafty business here in the Turtle house recently. Honestly, he eats the play dough, he eats the paint, he eats the crayons. Everything. Now, I was being all calm about it, going “Aww, we don’t eat crayons” and “if you do it again there’ll be no more x”. But it gets wearing after a time. Especially when he looks at you, with pure devilment in his eyes and takes a huge bite.  Then there are tears. And so it goes, every time. It used to be cute. Now it’s a bit annoying. So we’re taking a break because I don’t want to be one of those people who goes into a meltdown every time he picks up a crayon. Randomly shouting before he has done anything wrong. Feeding the cycle. Is that what they call it? Perpetuating the cycle? I think that’s it.

We do some crafty activities at a playgroup (he doesn’t eat their stuff!!) Yesterday we mad some bracelets and necklaces out of pasta and fruit loops (think cheerios, but coloured and packed to the gills with sugar). I say “we”, but in fact I, made the necklace and the bracelet. He ate the pasta and fruit loops (which may in fact be called “froot loops” Gah! Another reason not to like them!) And that was fine. Who can object to a small child eating “food”? Not me!

One of the fathers there could. Honestly, one of the sentences out of his mouth was “Stop eating those. I can’t make the necklace!” And the child cried. As if the point was to make the necklace. I mean what are you going to do with it? Anyway, it made me think that maybe crafting in the Turtle household should be given another second chance. And if he eats all of the materials? So what! I’ll just have to make sure that we’re working with small amounts. Or perhaps with things that “can’t” be eaten, like pipe cleaners. Or things he doesn’t think of eating, like leaves. Hmmm. Lateral thinking. That’s what we need. And more patience. It’s a pity they don’t sell it in a shop.