School breaks are my absolute favorite times of the year.

I’m not good with all of the rushing around and time constraints of school days, so I relish every second of our days off. What do we do? Not much really. Play games, explore, or just spend time working on our own projects.

I also like coming up with projects for us all to work on together, but I’ve found that those never turn out as well as those which emerge from the imaginations of my kids.

The other day, Annabelle noticed our craft sticks in the closet and asked if she could use them. I was hesitant at first – as we often are with the prospect of an unplanned mess – but I obliged.  She then carried the craft sticks to the table and thought for a moment, then asked if we had any foam. Well, it just so happens that we had a stack of sticky foam sheets in another closet.  At this point, I had no idea what she had in mind, but I was completely enthralled because she seemed to know quite clearly what she had in mind.

Her sister joined in as well, and you can see the results of their pursuits in the pictures above. By the time they were done they had about half a dozen craft stick puppets in various forms and colors.

I loved it all. I loved that they had enough stillness in the day to have an idea, develop the idea, and carryout the idea. I loved how intently focused they were while they carried out their work.  And, I loved that their first inclination was to wrap two of their puppets to give to their Grandma for Christmas.

I hope all of you have enjoyed some special moments during your time with family over the past couple of weeks. As sad as it is that our vacation is over, I’m excited about coming back to this space and sharing some of my own ideas, as well as seeing what my friends have been up to.  I can tell from my Reader that many of you actually remained productive over the holiday!

Here’s to a new year full of happiness, love, and pockets of spontaneity within the contrived busy-ness of our lives.  Cheers.