Art in Bloom

Paul just returned from a week-long work trip and I am still alive! This is thanks in no small part to the help of my wonderful friends and especially my mom. She was here almost every day, carting kids to and from various activities and helping me through the crazy dinner hour. She even took pairs of kids to stay overnight to give me (and them) a little break!

When she took the girls overnight, I used the opportunity to do some activities with the boys that I wouldn't dare do with all five kids in tow. Audrey is a bit of a ticking time bomb right now, and Edith is just an unpredictable two-year-old. Without them, I felt safe bringing the boys out to Jimmy John's for dinner followed by a quiet trip to the library to pick out chapter books and get their very own library cards!

On Thursday morning, I was feeling really brave and decided to check out the opening day of Art in Bloom at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. It's an annual exhibit that I have always wanted to see but have never before had the opportunity. So why not bring three boys, one baby in a stroller, to a museum on a crazy busy opening day of a super popular exhibit?? Nobody's crazy here, nope, not me!

It actually went really well, except for a bit of fussiness from Blaise. Without the girls, we were able to linger in front of each floral arrangement and compare it to the painting it was created to represent. We asked questions and pondered and discussed... I felt like a total boss homeschooling mom! Since those moments are few and far between when I'm out in public with the kids, it was nice to once feel like I was doing something impressive.

 

In the first room, I had a woman approach me to ask if I was homeschooling. She told me that she homeschooled her kids a generation ago and all these years later was so thankful for that time with her kids. She was so encouraging and inspiring to me! Then throughout the museum we constantly had smiles and way-to-go's sent in our direction.

Of course we still have many (many, many, many) crazy days and I often find myself wanting to pull my hair out, but it was a lovely morning of encouragement and beauty to give me a boost as we close out this school year!