Dear Mom, Dear Meg

My kids love to craft with me. In fact, every time Meg has been asked at school what she wants to be when she grows up (she's in kindergarten), she always answers "a crafter like mommy". I will admit that sometimes, I just want to be by myself to let the creative juices flow (or not, depending on my mood). But other times I try to remember that not only is the act of crafting a wonderful activity by itself, the time Meg and I are together, even just across the table sharing pencils is something that I will look back upon many years from now fondly.

I wanted to take the crafting one step further and come up with something the two of us can share so I came up with the "Dear Mom, Dear Meg" journal.

The idea behind this was to create something that is not finite. Its an art and writing journal that will be passed between us and hopefully can be something we can share for many years to come.

We started with a plain composition notebook. Meg's favorite color is pink so she chose the paper to cover the book with. Since my favorite color is purple, Meg wanted the letters to be pink and purple. We talked about design of our names and each glued our names down. There are elements of me (primas!) and elements of Meg (shiny stickers - although before she got carried away, we did talk about "sticker sneeze" and placement!). The design was a group effort all the way.

Is it the most professional item in the world? No, but that's not what its meant to be. It's meant to be a part of Meg and a part of me. She was so excited that she had to write the first entry as soon as the glue dried. I love to see her writing at this age. Spelling isn't a factor but rather, she sounds out words to the best of her ability and yes, sometimes she needs to decipher them for me. But I wouldn't want perfect spelling because that wouldn't capture her knowledge as a five year old. She loves to draw and of course added some pictures to her words. Once finished, she was so excited to show me! Tonight, I answered her back. Her excitement was palpable to see what my words to her said. I love this journal not only for the memories it will bring years from now. I love it because it is a way for Meg and I to express ourselves through art, to grow through words and to become a little closer through our love of craft.

Comments

[loobylou]

This is the most awesome idea. Teaching your child about sharing and crafting and writing for a purpose is just the most amazing gift you can give her (I work in kinder and wish all Mums would think the way you do). I love that you designed it together
Sarah from Australia