This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Wet-Nap®, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #ConquerTheMess http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV Kids are the most creative beings on the planet. Always surprising us with their ideas, imaginative play, and the wonder they embrace as they navigate this world. Sometimes their creative ideas come at a cost though…a huge mess. Many times as a mom, it can be easier to say no to these activities. After all, we already have a bazillion messes to clean up, don’t we? The dishes, the laundry, the toys strewn about. We can find ourselves eventually in a rut of saying no more often than we ever imagined we would. I know, because it has happened to me. I used to imagine the kind of mom I would be. Always laid back and coming up with creative fun. Always willing to let them use their imaginations to do wild and crazy things. Then real life sets in. And you realize all of that is a lot of work. Some days I just don’t have the time or energy. If I know I can’t fit a bath in before bed, it becomes easier to just keep them clean by declining those adventurous, messy ideas. But is that the mom I want them to remember when they are grown? The uptight mom who needed everything to be neat and tidy so she said no to their creative ideas? Who turned down their inconvenient play to make her own life easier? No, that’s not the mom I want to be. I want to be the mom who says, “yes” when they whip up ideas to “bake” and make things for me. When they are outside dreaming up mud pies using ingredients like dirt and water. Rocks and flowers. All oozing with mud and yuck and all for me. “I made this delicious mud pie for you Mom!” I know that’s really the good stuff. Those are the moments I am building a legacy inside of them that will live on long after I am gone. Some day when they tell tales about “what mom used to let them do.” The fun they had. The way I was with them. I want them to look back with fond memories of adventures and exploration and imagination and fun. With creativity at every turn and never losing the wonder they were born with. Staying in that mental state, where I can relax and enjoy those times has been a learning process. I have found there are some small ways to make life easier to saying “Yes to the Mess” and one of the easiest ways is keeping Wet-Nap wipes handy for such occasions. I picked them up at Walmart and my kids absolutely love them. “They smell so good Mom.” And I love that they are safe for hands, face and body. I love that I can keep the individual packets in our glove box and slip some into my purse, ready to conquer any messy fun that might come our way. I also love that these wipes are antibacterial. Perfect for those germ-filled places kids just love…like the playground, the library, the play center we have at our local mall, etc. They are great for kids and moms alike. I use them just as much as they do. Not only is childhood messy, this motherhood thing sure isn’t a clean job. We deserve something convenient to make life easier. I’ll admit, I like the scent too. These wipes definitely help this mom say yes to the messiness of childhood. Another way I am reminding myself, this summer, to relax and let them have their fun is by displaying a digital art print I recently created with the words, “Let them be little.” I can look at it and remind myself that this time will be gone all too soon. So best let them be little while I have the chance. Before I know it they will be taller than I am and running off to have their own fun without me. There are so many memories to cherish before then, if I only relax in the moment and embrace it. I am offering this as a free printable to you as well! It would look cute displayed in a nursery, child’s room, playroom, or anywhere you look often and need the reminder. So, I urge you, if you have gotten into a similar rut (and we all do from time to time, don’t we?), stop saying no and start saying yes to the mess. After all, they will only be little for awhile. Visit Walmart for all your Wet-Nap® needs: 110-Count Hands, Face, & Body Cleansing Wipes, 24-Count Packettes Antibacterial Hand Wipes, and 40-Count Canister Antibacterial Hand Wipes. And snag your free printable below to be reminded to let those precious souls be little! I made three different 8″x10″ versions for you to choose from! Click on the links below to download: “Let them be Little” Free Printable – Yellow/Pink “Let them be Little” Free Printable – Yellow/Navy “Let them be Little” Free Printable – Yellow/Gray Please note these printables are offered for PERSONAL USE ONLY. No reselling of any kind. Thanks for respecting the hard work and effort that goes into the making of them! Till next time… ~Alice W. Follow along with me! Want to make sure you never miss a post? Subscribe below! 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