When Are Kids Considered Too Old for Legos?

Disclaimer:  This is NOT a review!! I am not being compensated to say anything about the movie. We are just Lego fans and this post is a result of a conversation that took place after seeing The Lego Movie. Everyone cool?  FTC, I'm talkin' to you. We good? OK. 

I took The Boys to see The Lego Movie on Monday. I was surprised and happy that the movie was actually funny and enjoyable for adults (Batman provides some great comic relief).   The only reason I went is because both of my boys have loved Legos since forever and I am not ready for them to sit in a theater by themselves. So I went when I would have rather seen a good chick flick.  But I'm glad I went.  I had such a great day with my kids! 

Later that afternoon when I mentioned to an acquaintance that we had been to see the movie, she asked me if I thought they were too old for Legos since they are both becoming teens.  I could tell she was surprised by my response. Which was that I don't think my kids are too old for Legos.  Because I believe that anything that inspires a kid (or an adult) to use their creative minds in positive ways is a good thing, no matter how old a person is!  And in this age of video games and electronic devices, if I can get my boys to take a few hours a week to sit down with a bucket of Legos and make something unique (and sometimes pretty damn amazing!) out of a bunch of plastic bricks?  That's a win in my book! Why would I take that away from them or tell them they are too old to play with them?

How do I know that one of my kids won't become an architect or a city planner because his love of building was spawned from those few hours of meticulously piecing bricks together to make a house or a town? My youngest actually made a Lego candy dispenser the other day!  Hello, Future Engineer!  And the fine motor skills that my oldest still struggles with as a teen?  Legos are great for that! The intricate and detailed military vehicles he creates with those struggling fingers give him a great sense of accomplishment and he has no idea that the activity in which he engages is helping map his brain and exercise the muscles in his hands. He just knows that he made a kick-butt Sherman tank.  So I don't care if he is a teen who plays with Legos.  I only care that the time he spends using those Legos is helping him creatively and physically to become a better, more dexterous and confident person. 

And honestly?  As pissed off as I get when I step on one of those little b...ricks, I myself have found them to be a very calming diversion when I am beyond stressed and looking for a way to defrag and think. There's a quiet fascination that takes place in my mind as each brick I choose clicks snugly into place with the next.  As I silently ponder what creations will emerge with the addition of every Lego, my jaws unclench and my shoulders relax and my mind begins to be open. Sometimes nothing grand takes shape and I just end up with a giant column of multi-colored plastic.  Other times I end up with a house or a lame looking animal.  But here's the thing: regardless of what I build, I always feel better when I'm done.  Because I gave my brain something to focus on other than my issues and problems.  I don't always find solutions to my problems in those moments, but that's okay.  Because if being creative for just a few moments helps me relax enough to really think when I am done "playing?" I am in a better place mentally and emotionally and the answers start to flow. 

I could go on, but I won't.  You get the point.   We all have our outlets.  Some people run, some people write, some people create, some people play.  Right now, my boys do all of those things. Sometimes while using Legos. 

Yo cookie looks goooood!

Little Man saw me working on my new blog, at home in {Boise}, yesterday and asked me to show him the post about our Christmas cookies so he could look at his Scary Santa cookie again.  It hurt his feelings that I never posted the pics of our cookie decorating adventures with my new bestie, Jen Across the Street.  That's what I call her.  Because her name is Jen and she lives across the street. And she's a hoot.  And she's a great neighbor who always thinks about others and actually acts on her thoughts.  She also cooks really good food, which adds to the great neighbor feature, because she is one of those women who makes extra of whatever she's cooking and then shares it with us.  I aspire to be like her one day.

She invited us over right before Christmas to decorate Christmas Cookies.  I was thrilled, because that meant I didn't have to bake cookies myself, plus I love hanging out with Jen.  We get a lot of talking done when we are together and I always leave her house feeling like I have a kindred spirit.  Okay...back to the cookies.  Jen totally outdid herself, because she made about 8000 cookies.  Okay - I exaggerate.  But there were a lot of cookies.  And a lot of decorations.  Cool cookie decorations.  Jen likes to be creative and she inspired me to do something fun and creative with my cookies.  So, without further ado, here are our 2011 Christmas Cookies...

What is it with boys and scary things?  He wanted to make a "Scary Santa."  I have to say...it was pretty scary!

The little colored lights?  Were actually candy coated chocolate covered sunflower seeds.  I told you Jen had some cool cookie decorations!  They worked so well for the christmas light look.  Too bad they did not taste as good as they looked.  Seriously weird tasting little confections. 

These were just a few of my favorite cookies.  We actually decorated about 2 dozen cookies apiece.  Around midnight Jen and I realized we were running out of ideas and motivation and finally quit, even though she had another eleventy billion undecorated cookies waiting to be iced. 

So she sent us home with all of our creations and you know how I repaid her?  I accidently melted the plastic platter that she lent me to carry the cookies home.  I left it sitting on top of the stove that night and because my stupid rental stove is about 9000 years old, when the oven heats up all the burners get really hot too.  Which I did not realize, because I usually don't leave plastic platters on the stovetop.  So when I started to preheat the stove the next day, I couldn't figure out why I was smelling burnt plastic.  Then I picked up the platter, which was kind of stuck to the burner.  Nice.

But as I said, my new bestie really rocks.  When I saw her that afternoon I sheepishly handed her the platter and explained what happened and she laughed.  Really hard.  And THAT is why we are friends. 

When Scouts RePurpose

Does anyone remember this?

Back in the day it was used to make these:

Which are no longer considered potholders.  Apparently they are now being used as:

Ear Warmers for Cub Scouts.

 For those long, cold nights out in the backyard. The backyard that is located right in the middle of the Arizona desert. Where it's always summer.

You had me at Hello.

One of the reasons I decided to start a blog was that I want to feel more connected to the world outside my door, my town, my realm of reality. I also wanted to be able to express my thoughts and feelings in a way that others might find interesting and maybe helpful on some level. I guess truth be told, it's my way of trying to be part of something bigger than myself, but still indulge my ego!

At first I kind of freaked out, because I started to find all of these wonderfully creative and funny blogs which were wonderfully designed with all kinds of little doodads and chachkis. Mine felt plain and amateurish and I felt out of touch and kind of inadequate. I used to think I was a pretty creative, funny person. For some reason, I forgot that there are other funny, creative people out there too and now How am I going to shine and stand out in the crowd!?! DANG!!! The doubt and frustration set in and I wondered if this was even worth the effort. Which made me really start to think about what it is I am trying to achieve here by blogging.

In the meantime, while I was all wrapped up in deep thought, I posted a kind of bummer post about feeling lost. Then something happened. Instead of me being the one to offer all of this great, hard-earned wisdom and advice, I have found myself on the receiving end of some really caring and kind words from other Bloggers out there. THIS is why I love the internet. THIS is why I find myself scouring other blogs, looking for a semblance of normalcy in my life by comparing my experiences with others out there who are willing to share theirs. THIS is what I am hoping to achieve by starting mine. I guess I really hope that at some point, someone out there who is struggling will run across my blog and read something that makes them laugh or cry or think or do whatever it is they need to do that day to feel okay and feel like they can cope with one more stupid issue that life hands them. Because that's what so many of you do for me. And for being yourselves, and sharing your experiences and offering words of encouragement, I thank all of you Bloggers and Forum friends out there (gives overzealous hugs...awkward silence). Umm...okay, then. I'll...just go...now.