Beautiful Messes

I love days when the kids are fed, dressed, and put together before the school day begins. Even better are the days where I am fully put together before the day begins as well. But, there are times when bedheads and jammies are my view across the school room table. My kids often beg to stay in their jammies for the morning part of school and would gladly spend most days in their cozy attire. Who doesn’t want to?

I’ve tried to set a standard, but then there are days where Bible stories around the breakfast table turns into prayer time which turns into crafts which leads to history – you get the picture. Before we know it, my husband gets home and we are still in jammies, but usually surrounded by a creative mess of learning and giggles. They are indeed some of our best school days.

Finding Beauty in Messes

Last week my husband set up a business dinner with one of his executives from New York and wanted the kids and I to go with him. I thought it would be nice for the kids to make a card for her since she was traveling away from her own family. As soon as I suggested the idea, my pajama clad crew were up the stairs digging through boxes of creative supplies to use.

They excitedly pulled out stickers, dot stampers, markers, paper, pens, glue, and anything else they could get their hands on. Their hair was still messy, their faces still sleepy, but they were ready to go! So, pajama morning it was, simply because it could be!

I watched as the kids giggled, helped one another, shared, and considered what a complete stranger would enjoy. When I asked my daughter what she wanted her card to say, she replied, “Welcome to Texas, We love You!” I almost encouraged her to write something else considering that she had never met this lady, but realized that those words were a reflection of her heart.

What started as an idea to make a stranger feel welcome for dinner turned into an hour of creative mess. Paper thrown left and right, ink marks on the table, glue oozing out of every inch of my two year olds cards, and a whole lot of laughter. Almost ten cards later, they had a large stack of cards made with such love for someone they would only meet for the first time later in the evening.

As I quickly snapped pictures trying to capture the fleeting moment, I was overjoyed with the utter mess before me. It was beautiful. It was chaos non the less but it was the perfect reflection of what I want for my kids. As we got ready (finally) for our dinner date, I was so blessed to watch as my kids could hardly wait to hand over their labor of love.

Sitting around the restaurant table they politely handed their handmade cards to a woman they had just met and explained what they did for her as she opened each one. My heart was melted into so many pieces as I felt such a sense of pride for how homeschooling was represented that night.

As much as the activity was great for both art and writing, what meant the most was the attitudes that they showed. Homeschooling has allowed me to invest so much into my children every hour of the day. I love the freedom to watch a beautiful mess be created around my table each day as their hearts develop.

Clearly some days are just meant for pajamas and beautiful messes!