Messy Memories

I’ve always heard “A little dirt won’t hurt.” At our house it seems to go a bit more like:

A little paint (all over the table) won’t hurt.
A little tea (spilled on the floor) won’t hurt.
A little cheese (dry, hard & old) won’t hurt.
A little crafty stuff (everywhere) won’t hurt.

My dining room table is a work of art where the piece changes landscapes with each new project. It started with an accident where I (yep, not a kiddo) got a bit of pink paint on the table years ago. I left it there as a reminder that life happens. It’s an OLD painted wood table that was once a pretty baby blue color. My mom painted it a nice coffee-with-cream color before it came to live with us. As time has gone by, the cream has chipped in places and you can see the blue—along with all the other colors we’ve added while creating. I mean, seriously, who has time to cover the table with a tablecloth or something when your mind is racing to create?!

Just last week, my oldest decided to create a design on paper using a black Sharpie. Let’s just say despite our cleaning efforts, the design is also now a part of our table. Just yesterday, she was creating something and now there are little white, aqua, pink, blue and maybe even red specks accentuating last week’s Sharpie design. They will come off but I’m not in a panic to make it happen.

Did you catch my phrase: A little tea (spilled on the floor) won’t hurt?
It doesn’t have to be tea. It is anything in liquid form that my youngest can spill. We aren’t really talking tea here; well sometimes. Mostly, we are talking about little teapots, little teacups, bowls from the pretend kitchen and endless tea party sets she has accumulated. She fills them up with water quicker than I can get the first spill cleaned.

Mr. Handsome recently upgraded us to a side-by-side fridge. Yep, the one with the water dispenser in the door. Don’t even suggest that I can put the thing on lock. I’m raising Little Einstein’s ‘round here. She has worked around that and has tea party debating skills that would make my lawyer friend’s heads spin.

Let’s move on: A little cheese (dry, hard, and old) won’t hurt.
By now, you know this is about more than cheese. My oldest dreams of being on Chopped for Kids or any show like that. Most days this summer she has cooked her own breakfast. I am more than willing to make it for her, but she is like her mama and has the need to create. So, I let her with the understanding that clean-up is part of the creating. True to being a perfect mix of her mother and father, she is like her daddy when it comes to cooking. She finds it necessary to make use of every pot and every utensil possible. An admitted fact from my man about himself, by the way. One that I gladly accept if it means I get to enjoy his amazing cooking creations. So, why did I say dry, hard and old cheese? Because, even after all her cleaning attempts, and she really works hard—I will find remaining evidence of her cooking escapades every time.
She has a new love for making food in the waffle maker. She has even used it to make eggs. However, her favorite thing to make in the waffle maker is a cheese quesadilla. Thus, you can imagine what I mean by dry, hard and old cheese.

And….I saved the best for last: A little crafty stuff (everywhere) won’t hurt.

Ah, yes.

As I am typing, I look up to see a yellow, round pom-pom thingy, some dried balls of hot glue, tiny scraps of paper, a basket of craft paints, crayons, markers, pens, coloring books, beads and so forth all within my reach or within a few steps. My dining room has become a craft room even though we have a craft closet. Before one project is complete and cleaned up, another project is in the works.

Why am I telling you this?
Is it so you can make certain we never come to craft or cook at your house?
No, because 1) I eliminated that invitation just by posting this. Ha-ha, just kidding, and 2) I do teach my kids to respect our belongings and most especially those of others. If they do something like painting with their Nana they know they better put something on her table to protect it. She isn’t trying to remember that life happens via some paint marks on her dining room table. That would be crazy, right?!

I’m telling you because even though I’ve spent this summer or my entire parenthood cleaning spills, discovering dried particles of food in the least likely places, and relinquishing my beloved crafting supplies to my children—I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Before you panic, we don’t live in a house where mold is growing or bugs are roaming because of food waste (and I do scrub the table). My kids aren’t even allowed to have drinks anywhere but the dining room or kitchen; occasionally the living room when we do something like a movie night. They hear me say “Make sure you clean that up when you’re done” more times than I care to admit. Some days I drive my own self crazy trying to keep things in order and some days I just say forget it. I love an orderly home but I am learning that I can’t let it control me, us.

I want to spend my child raising years enjoying making memories with my kids. I want them to be creative. I want them to understand that life really does happen. I don’t want to lose my temper over drink spills. Sometimes I do and it is never worth it. I want to allow them space to learn, grow, love, and be loved. If that means making memories with messes, then so be it.

When my husband has the time to create our beautifully planned farmhouse table, I will protect it well. Until then, we will continue to make memories and messes on our coffee-with-cream-and-paint-splattered table. I encourage you to take time to make memories, even if they are messy. There will always be something waiting to be cleaned. There will always be cooking and laundry. I realize those things have to get done, but we can easily obsess about them. This time with our children is precious and will pass all too quickly.

Take a break. Make a mess. Make lasting memories.