As we speak, I am sitting on my patio in a T-shirt and leggings and sipping iced coffee. I live in Duluth, MN. It is November 6th. Yes, friends, this is unheard of!! In typical grumpy northern Minnesotan fashion, we are all saying, “That’s great, but you know it won’t last – we’ll probably get a blizzard next week!” Probably. Which is why we are soaking it in as much as possible right now.
Because this is a new blog, let me introduce myself to those of you who may not know me:
*I became a first time mom through foster care and adoption at age 39, almost five years ago to the day. That resulted in our house becoming a permanent home for two little boys who are 8 months apart. One turned 4 in July; one turns 5 next week!
*My husband and I are passionate about letting kids figure out their talents and interests and get lots of time for creative play, which is why we are also a homeschool family. I recognize my privilege in being able to choose this as an educational option, and root for all moms – because you are all doing an amazing job!
*I am an unapologetic bibliophile and could talk to you for hours about what I am reading, what I have read in the past, and my likes and dislikes.
*We are a musical theatre loving family. If you hear my boys running around singing, “Stick it to the man!” they are not being disrespectful to you – they are quoting “School of Rock.”
*We love to play together, especially artistically (We could use a little help with the sports and outdoorsy kind of stuff, so feel free to help us out with that!). We actually run an organization called Northern Expressions Arts Collective, whose mission is to bring families together to provide opportunities for artistic play. The “bringing together” part is kind of on hiatus, seeing that we are in a pandemic and all, but our minds never stop working.
Which is why I started this blog. I get private messages from friends asking me for ideas for craft projects for their classroom or for a church event. I am always happy to brainstorm and help you out, but I was also thinking about how nice it would be to have it all together in one place. I would love to share recipes, art projects, storytelling/expressive arts ideas with you – stuff that has worked for me, as well as things I find along the way.
The Family Play Spot would not be complete without “family,” so I will also be sharing some of our family’s adventures as we continue to navigate life as a transracial family. As soon as I get my folders organized on my computer (we are switching cloud storage systems personally and as a company!), I will post pictures!!
So I am opening this up for suggestions: What would YOU like to see discussed here? More art project/activity ideas? Family fun during a pandemic? Questions about foster care and adoption? I am all ears!!
The Play Spot 