create.

I have a confession to make. I am not the biggest fan of messes + clutter and when I used to think of crafts with a toddler, I would shudder a little. Guys, it stressed me out!

Next confession, having a toddler changed me becaaaause creativity is key and I will tell you why!

When Remi was turning 2 I was a pretty okay mom haha. I let her do her thing with positive reinforcements, the occasional timeout - I was fun! BUT thennnn she turned 2. I could just leave it there -- nuff said, but this rebellious age triggered this stressed, annoyed, grump of a mom that I even hated myself. I micro-managed EVERYYYYYTHING and when things didn't go according to plan, I was bummed inside. I was weird. I needed to make a change and it was enough for me to one night impulse buy some books on Amazon on the topic of learning to deal, being calm, embracing the crazy, be a good mom, yada yada yada. (curse you, contemplative motherhood!) I bought the whole 4-book bundle, yo! I was annoyed with being so uptight and you know what all of those books advised? A creative mindset. 

No brainer.

Life is a lot to handle at times and I was kind of losing myself due to stress and opinions.

I vowed then and there to just let things go and be creative - vibe the way I vibe, go with my gut and live for myself! For months + months I have explored and shot photos and lived so free. I don't really answer to anyone, Remi and I just live for a living. We make whatever we want of our days because we can. I remember several months ago, somewhere between tri-city hill and Wally's Beach, Remi yelled out from the back seat, "Mom, I like adventures with you!" My heart burst and this age suddenly became okay with me. She collected her leaves and rocks to her heart's content and when her nasty mud-splattered shoes smeared my pants and the rest of the car interior, I was okay. I am a little intrigued with her hoarding -- we're talking stashes of nonsense, miscellaneous objects everywhere, but you learn to let things go.  I have really started to live in the moment and accept things as they are.

I'm a firm believer that a creative heart leads to a creative life which I would describe as contentment in the chaos. Sometimes my house is clean, sometimes it's a bomb. Sometimes we get Remi's hair done, most days we don't! Sometimes I still cringe internally over messes, but I also let Remi have some fun first. What kind of moms would we be if there was never a mess? Right?! I'm not saying we shouldn't have clean houses, clean is good! I'm just saying it's not the end of the world to push the pinterest-perfect mentality aside, relax, and let your kids be kids. Messes generally imply some enjoyment! Our kids aren't here to be 100% controlled and perfect. Remi is a lot happier when she is told OH SURE rather than H NO! ;)

I'm going to turn the sap on for another split second and say:

Step away from the mundane scrolling. Live in the moment. Crank the music. We want to have fun, so we create! We create memories. We create dreams. We create messes. We create happy.