Each month, I feature beautiful, funny and quizzical ways children contribute to a home’s esthetic. Whether it’s wall art, rows of race cars, dandelion bouquets or yogurt murals, children offer a fresh perspective and a sentimentality to interior design. Share your moments by tagging them #kidvignettes.

I confess, I have been an angry mom today. We’re in a rough patch in terms of listening and obedience (them) and patience and soft voices (me). I thought I wouldn’t have much fun combing through my pictures for the funny/sweet/quirky snapshots of kids at home. It turns out, I found more than I anticipated, so nostalgia and gratitude pushed out much of my frustration.

The item box on the kids’ dresser currently holds a pet rock, a container of seashells my mom collected for the kids, nature samples, a paper flower, a dream catcher and an Ojibwa teepee from Alexandra’s Native American unit at school.

Alexandra is constantly stealing my sticky notes and over the last two weeks, she has created quite the gallery on the inside of our front door. She stood on a chair to place the high ones. You probably can’t tell, but the doodles include cats, flowers, roses, hearts, fake cursive, elf footprints, a clock (with 16 hours, and the hands at 4:55), the words “yes no no” and the numbers 1001. I know the back story on some of these, but others make me wonder what’s coursing through her mind.

Alexandra has a charming proclivity for creating tiny, layered vignettes with bits of moss, grass, pebbles and flowers. She’s never been directed to do this; it is an art form that came purely from her, and I’m fascinated by it.

I arranged the pumpkins we chose on our pumpkin patch/apple orchard day on the front steps. I was (twice) surprised to see that Gabe had moved the heavy pumpkins off the steps and down the path. The first time, I had no idea how he had managed to move them on his own. I told him he’d have to put them back, and so he showed me how he figured out that he could roll them, as pictured.

After this bath was drained, Gabe refused to come out until he had finished carefully arranging the bath toys. This is not a pile left behind; he was meticulous in his placement of each toy.

 

I’d love to see your #kidvignettes!