Hi!

So here’s the dream: me, with my three darling daughters, happily bopping through the mall — Starbys or boba in hand — giggling over outrageous fashion choices, trying on glam-but-impractical outfits, maybe tossing a feather boa or two into the mix. A whole Sisterhood of the Traveling Shopping Bags vibe.

Reality? Picture me standing in the hallway calling a litter of kittens who’ve just discovered a sunbeam — yeah, that’s what trying to get my kids to go back-to-school shopping was like.

Apparently, nobody had the time, the energy, or the will to try on jeans with actual buttons. I mean… really?

Back in the glorious ancient times of the 1900s, if my mom even hinted at the word “shopping,” I was in the car faster than you could say “Limited or Express.” Now? My girls act like I’m dragging them to a root canal.

So we didn’t go. Instead? They opened their laptops, clicked a few buttons, and bam! — Amazon Prime stole my mother-daughter bonding moment. Old Navy, Justice, even the holy grail of tween fashion (Kohl’s cash!)… ignored. Brutal.

But! All is not lost. Because if there’s one thing that still unites us in joy and giggles — it’s painting.

Brushes Before Books

In a last-ditch effort to soak up those final precious summer days before school steals my babies away again, we ditched the shopping bags and pulled out the paint.

Our kitchen became an art studio (read: hot mess express with glitter), and we got to work. The girls each grabbed a canvas and swapped back and forth — kind of like a creative relay race where nobody knows how the painting will end. Abstract chaos? Masterpiece? Who knows — but it was so much fun.

(Love my adorable kiddos – here is a photo of the girls mid-paint battle and their shared canvases here)

While they traded canvases, I tried a new trick I found while doomscrolling Instagram at midnight (because obviously). The hack? Print a photo, rub pencil on the back, trace it on a canvas, and boom — paint-by-number magic. I chose a recent family pic from a rare moment when all 20 of us made it to dinner at my mom’s. No faces needed — I could still tell exactly who was who.

(Insert humble brag photo of said painting here)

It was the perfect combo of lazy and creative. No pressure, no “Am I doing this right?”, just joy in the moment. Honestly, I forgot how much I love painting for no reason at all.

I’ve always dreamed of having a real art studio — you know, the kind with actual lighting and no peanut butter smudges on the table. But for now? The kitchen table will do just fine. Maybe next time I’ll invite my mom or sister over and make it a full-on family paint party.

The End of Summer (Boo… and Not the Fun Kind)

School starts this week. Cue the collective mom sigh.

That means we’re saying goodbye to lazy mornings and hello to the madness: football games, marching band, winterguard competitions, SAT preps x2, and all the glittery chaos that comes with raising teenagers. My phone alarms will be going off constantly again, warning me of impending picking up lines, volunteer duties, and practice pick-ups.

It’s go-time… but for now, I’m holding tight to these little creative moments, these scraps of summer joy, and the sound of laughter echoing off paint-splattered walls.

Because even when Amazon ruins the mall and school steals my sidekicks, the paintbrush still brings us back together.

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