How to Be Creative with Kids

I am a creative person. I love to make, to do, to list, to plan, to dream. I am Choleric. I am an ENFP.

I have two kids and have decided to home school--meaning I will have to be really intentional about forming boundaries to be creative.

Here are two major things I have learned about myself and about how to keep my creative spirit alive with two kids, a house, and a life.

1. Spend less time wasting time. I am, like most millennial and generation x-ers, the proud owner of an apple iPhone, a computer, a Nintendo switch, an Audible account... you get the idea. I can waste a lot of time consuming and thus have less time for creating. It is all right to relax, but I know I can get lost in the rabbit hole of YouTube and suddenly two hours are gone and it is time for dinner. I try to pick up my phone as little as possible. This helps me be productive and creative with the tiny amounts of time I have to myself.


2.  Create space for myself to create. With two kids, I can work forever. There is laundry. Dishes. Noses and bums to wipe. Crafts to do, mac and cheese to cook, hair to comb, baths to run.... the list goes on and on. Now that Becky is two, I try and give myself some me time every day. We do a hour of tv or video games after dinner, and while Becky watches Daniel Tiger and Reuben plays Mario on the Switch, I do whatever I want. It has helped me feel like a new person, giving me time to read a book or knit. I try not to get on the computer because I have found that spending my time on the computer leaves me frustrated. Spending my time creating leaves me feeling motivated and ready for the evening, with dishes to do and a kitchen to clean. 

I used to feel really guilty about allowing any television in my house. I no longer feel that way. I realized I was parenting for my fantasy self--aka what I thought a good parent should do, what I thought the "ideal" parents was. I need to be realistic, and an hour of media a day is not going to ruin my kids. It doesn't mean I am a bad parent.

Even when I create space to be creative, I still suffer from frustrating feelings. I find time to knit and read, but I no longer have time to sew--something I used to dabble in before I had kids. I try to accept that this is a season, and be real with myself. I acknowledge my own constraints and am honest with how much I can reasonable finish in the time I have. It's a processes, and I am far from perfect.

How are you creative with kids? Any tips for this stay at home mom? I'm linking up with Brita today for her Love Blog challenge!