I have messy children.
Lace is in that "let me try to pick apart Play Doh into as many micro pieces as I can and smush them into the fibers of the carpet" phase.
Hugh is in that "cup filled with Ningxia Red and Zyng on table? No problem, let me knock it all over mom's gray and white rug" phase.
And both of them in that "paint and markers? Let's color all over our bodies and all over the floor, too" phase.
I know, it's a season. As much as it makes me crazy, it's a pretty cute little season in our lives right now.
But a new season that I'm not sure how I'm going to react to, one that will literally change the dynamics of our life drastically - is one that's coming up after Labor Day.
Lace is starting preschool. AND ballet classes.
And hey - it's only a few days a week - but it's still going to be a whole new ballgame. She'll have homework to do, little projects to complete, lots of driving to activities and classes and birthday parties and play dates here and there and everywhere.
As much as I'm looking forward to this new season, I can already foresee something - if I think my house is a disaster now, it's going to be nuclear in the coming months.
Insert my friend Emily Jones-McCoy. Yes, the reporter for Texas Ranger's baseball team. Yes, the inventor of Posh Play. Yes, the mom of "Hot Mess Hattie" and "Warm Mess Henry" as she calls them. And yes, a hard-working, career-thriving, kid-raising, hubby-loving, life-living kinda mom. She does it all - and she does it all so, so well.
But here's the thing, Emily's kind of like me when it comes to our kids. She embraces their quirks, shamelessly shares their funny little habits/faces/shenanigans with the world, and knows that even in the midst of kiddy chaos, motherhood is hilariously beautiful - in a so not cookie-cutter perfect kind of way. And it's totally okay.
But another thing Emily and I have in common, is we like stuff that makes our lives easier. And if it's aesthetically pleasing or fashionable on top of that - TAKE ALL MY MONAYY!!
So the other day, Emily gave me a couple of her most popular creations - the Posh Play Mat and lunch sack / bottle carrier. Immediately, my eyes grew into big red pumping hearts, because I knew that this new season of motherhood for me was just about to get a whole lot easier, and a whole lot cuter, too.
The Posh Play Mats are chicly designed for in home use - arts and crafts, babies and kids' mealtime, homework, and messy play. But on top of that, they're also great for outdoor use - picnics, park visits, play dates, the like.
They are made from beautiful faux leather in snakeskin and crocodile embossed textures, making it super easy to clean (spill-proof and wipeable) and super cute to have in the home (can even be monogrammed). Oh and PS - my mat is in one of my favorite turquoise colors, so SWOON!
The Lunch Sack she sent is also perfect for toting around Hugh's bottles, my Einkorn granola as a snack on the go, and Lace's favorite organic gummy bears. And if anything spills or leaks on the inside - no problemo, mi amigo - easily wipeable, too.
The thing I'm most excited about, is I have Posh Play in my life just before this new season of motherhood and kidhood.
Now, I have the perfect mat to lay on the floor to let Lace play with her Play Doh pieces. I'll just tell her she can't get off the mat, because it's the "safe zone" and everything else is "lava."
Now, I have the perfect mat to lay on the floor and eat snacks with the kids. And if Hugh knocks over my Ningxia Red and Zyng drink - WIPE THAT BABY RIGHT UP.
Now, I have the perfect mat to help Lace with her preschool painting and coloring and drawing projects, and sewing up her ballet shoes and costumes.
Nap time, tummy time, lunch time, diaper changing time, picture time, homework time, painting time, play time, picnic time - this is going to be such a perfect addition to our ever-changing life.
Things like this make new seasons something to look forward to.
