"L'arte d'arrangiarsi"

Here's a post from my blog that was fun to write:

"There’s (a) wonderful Italian expression: l’arte d’arrangiarsi – the art of making something out of nothing. The art of turning a few simple ingredients into a feast, or a few gathered friends into a festival. Anyone with a talent for happiness can do this..." Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love

I once bought 'idea' cards listing fun activities to do with kids using household items. Sensory boxes, flashlight exploration, ball jars, crumpled newspaper in handkerchiefs... They all sounded good but unfortunately I was far too disorganized to actually do any of them. The flashlight batteries were always dead, I couldn't find anything resembling a handkerchief (although I could have sworn I had something I wore in college in this drawer-or was it this one?) or none of the balls fit in my jars. If I actually could pull it together my kids rarely got engaged. When I was baking they loved to smell the spices, but if I gave them cinnamon sticks at random they ran away. Of course, I'd be irritated they didn't appreciate my efforts of running around frantically.

I'm just one of those intense people whose instinct is to go big with the planning and use idea card projects and see everything turn into the best memory ever. But I'm learning that as a mom of so many kids, sometimes simple is the best way to get to special, and focusing on my kids is better than focusing on a handkerchief-hunt. By simple I don't mean giving up or being uninspired but listening to the moment, using what's within arm's reach, and following my kids' cues to find inspiration. Maybe, by practicing l'arte d'arrangiarsi I can have more fun and be less stressed when I let go of expectations and follow what works at that moment.

Yesterday when our 'Creative Play' time popped up on the schedule, I had nothing planned and wanted to keep it simple. At first I panicked, I couldn't think of anything and my kids weren't helping! But I closed my eyes and tried to listen. My older boys seemed up for a little project, nothing big but something they could sink their teeth into. I remembered during storytime last week they'd asked a lot of questions about what a scarecrow was. When I saw an old lamp we were getting rid of just sitting out on the driveway something told me it would be the perfect scarecrow stand.

With the scarcerow photo as reference they helped me find a random cardboard tube for the arms. Julian solved the problem of how to attach it to the stand by handing me a firewire cable (how oddly genius!) It was strong yet easy to work with.

Caleb brought shoes with laces like the photo and Julian set up the pants with a coat hanger. Caleb coloured in hands and ripped a paper for the face, which was a little small but the right shape. He drew it in himself. I was surprised at how 'into it' they were, going beyond the photo with their own creations. I was proud of their solutions for the little issues we hit. Who knew a junky old lamp, cardboard tube, and firewire cable could turn into an easy hour of fun and a way to connect with my sons? Our combined interest, investment and enthusiasm was what made the project a success. At one point I got a little giggly when they started singing "What works? TeamWork! What works? Teamwork!" (I have no idea where that came from...) because I thought I felt a tiny, tickly sprinkling of l'arte d'arrangiarsi magic hit us just then.