some things i have learned...

here are two insights that i have recently come to that i thought i would share:

1. mylanta is the greatest!

2. products marketed as "mess-free" really mean that they are messier than the regular option.

i finally broke down and called the doctor's office about my acid reflux. they told me that i could take any of the over the counter options but suggested that i start with mylanta because it will coat my esophagus and give me the most immediate relief. while the taste and texture almost gave me heaves, the relief was amazing! i am always hesitant to take anything while pregnant, but i can pretty much guarantee that i will take it a few more times before baby boy arrives.

now for my second insight about "mess-free" products. we haven't had a lot of luck with the lidless markers and other mess-free products, but i thought that i would give the finger paints a try. i just wanted a new craft for rainy days inside. we have have had a few inside days in a row this week, so i decided to give it a go.

now madelyn had a great time, but i was a mess trying to slow her consumption of the clear gel-like paint. she didn't really get the color selection part of it because the color markers are on the lids and when they are open you can't tell what color is being selected. not only that, but it takes a little while for the color reaction on the paper to occur.

i took a picture of the three masterpieces she created in about 10 minutes and with more than half of the paint. i think that a topographical picture would have better captured how much paint she used without spreading around.

it actually took madelyn a little while to get into the finger painting. she kept asking for a brush. and, honestly, she is a much neater painter with a brush. she even understands rinsing her brush between colors - not so much with the "mess-free" paints. it was everywhere! she did do a great job wiping off the table when i finally called it quits. i had hoped to get an hour or at least a half-hour out of this activity, but didn't want it to be a one time thing because the paint wasn't really cheap.

the moral of my tale - just get the regular art supplies. maybe consider the washable formula, but skip anything labeled "mess-free".

posting note - we are heading out to celebrate madelyn's great-grandma's 90th birthday this weekend so it might be a while before i post again. unless i can find some internet access... love.