Bathroom Humor

While there is so much that is wonderful about living and working in a playhouse, there is one thing that really stinks:

The bathroom.

AAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!

I never know what kind of a scene or smell is going to greet me when I walk in. Sometimes it's nothing, sometimes it's mildly startling, and sometimes it's just scary- like last Tuesday.

My Tuesday Mom's Day Out crew consists of 5 boys ages 5 and under. Four are potty trained (most of the time). In a battle between 4 little boys and my bathroom, the 4 little boys win.

Words out of my mouth when I went in there after class? It smells like a zoo in here. The Elephant exhibit. Do you know that smell? It's the same one there was when you walked by the boys' bathroom in grade school (or middle school, or high school) and got a whiff from a closing door. The boys bathroom always smelled worse than the girls' bathroom, and now I can understand why:

No amount of Lysol spraying or antibacterial wiping is a match for four, let alone dozens, of little boys spraying in the general vicinity of the toilet seat.

 
Even after I cleaned all around the floor, the seat, around the hinges and the bowl, I could still smell it. Really? I sprayed Lysol- a lot of Lysol. The kind of spraying that makes one cough from the fumes. Later when I went back in, it STILL smelled like the boys' bathroom! Face-palm. My heart weeps for elementary school janitors across the globe.

While searching for graphics, I stumbled on this article. Maybe it will help! :-)
http://tiarasandbowties.blogspot.com/2012/08/get-rid-of-that-sinky-boy-smell.html?m=1

And then there's the fun of #2, and toilet paper.

Sometimes I think the children are practicing for rolling houses later on in high school.

 I've learned not to keep the toilet paper on the roller- kids have a tendency to keep pulling and pulling until they've made a ball of TP nearing the size of a travel pillow. I walk in the bathroom to find the toilet un-flushed and full of TP and #2. Oh dear. I flush it and hold my breath:

And then the toilet clogs. As the water rises, I silently pray: please don't overflow, please don't overflow. I grab the plunger. Good times.

Of course, there are times that the toilet paper only partially makes it into the toilet bowl. Sometimes it's artfully draped in the bowl, across the toilet seat, tousled on the floor, and still attached to the roll! Very creative, I must say.

I can understand why kids don't always flush the toilet. They have a lot to think about- and my toilet isn't that easy to flush. It has a big square button instead of a lever- something that one kid told me was the coolest thing he had ever seen in his entire life. I aim to please.

What I don't understand is why they don't give me a heads up or ask for help. Nope, they'd rather surprise me.

It could always be worse!

What kinds of surprises do your kids leave you?

Cat's New Hat

Tomorrow afternoon The Big Red Barn is hosting a field trip for an area home-school group. The group of 10-20 students will range from approximately 5 to 12 years of age. My goal is to provide the children with an art activity that is unique, engaging, appropriate and enjoyable for all ages. I was given free choice of what activity to do with the children, and after a bit of thinking and brainstorming, I decided on a lesson featuring one of our favorite inspirations: Dr. Seuss.  

Last summer, Hammond's Miller Memorial Library used Dr. Seuss as the theme for their summer program. For years, I have volunteered as a guest presenter/teacher at Miller Memorial library and provided art lessons for the children there (usually based on their specified theme). Dr. Seuss' work always provides teachers with a wealth of creative ideas; his blend of wonderful stories, characters, and unique artwork presents a rich variety of ideas to explore and emulate.

 I created a lesson, The Cat's New Hat, specifically for the Miller Memorial Library class I was teaching. I wrote a poem/story/verse about the cat losing his hat and how we could help him. I read the story aloud, then guided the children through the rest of the lesson, which featured basic drawing, line, color mixing, and painting. It was a fun class that allowed children of many ages to make their hat as simple or as complex as they liked, and also covered several elements of art.

After doing the lesson at Miller Memorial Library, I put The Cat's New Hat story aside and didn't think much of it. Until today. This lesson will be perfect for the group of home-school kids who are coming to The Big Red Barn tomorrow. I hope that they have a great time!

The Cat's New Hat
By: Melissa Durel-Porter
(Please do not use without permission)

The cat in the hat came back, came back,
But no longer had his tall striped hat,
He said I've lost it, no no no,
Won't you help me? Where'd it go?

I said to Mr. Cat, in no hat,
I don't know where your hat is at,
But I can help you, yes I can,
Let's make one with our new friends.

"Yes," said the cat, "what a great idea!"
And that's what brings you all right here.
We'll make a hat for dear old Cat,
A hat just right for The Cat in the Hat.

Let's start with some lines of different kinds:
Thick ones, thin ones, and others we find.
Crooked, straight, zig zag, and wavy,
Dashes, dots, mixed up and crazy.

Now, that cat likes tricks, he does he does-
So let's do some with our own paintbrush.
We'll take some yellow, red, and blue
And see what magic they can do.

Mix some blue, mix some red-
We've got purple for Cat's head.
Yellow and red, yellow and blue-
We've made orange and made green, too.

Use different colors however you like,
Brighten up that plain, pale white.
We will paint between the lines
And make Mr. Cat look very fine!

   

The Pottery Playhouse

I'm always happiest when I have a project. I love to research, shop, plan, organize, visualize, and sketch. There always seems to be something brewing in my head, whether its a party plan, a room re-do, or a design project. Lots of relatively small things that can be quickly completed. But now, I have a doozy...

I'm going to turn the broken-down garage/shed/workshop behind "The Barn" into our very own Pottery Playhouse. This will be in addition to everything else we offer at The Big Red Barn, so don't worry- our normal classes aren't going anywhere :-).

Yes, this. This is going to become a magical and colorful Pottery Playhouse, complete with tables, chairs, a kiln, and shabby chic clubhouse charm. Check out the broken-down glider from my grandparents' house. The glider has seen better days, as has this building. But, my plan is to give them both new life and to create a fun new place to create, play with clay, drink lots of coffee (or Kool Aid), connect, and have fun. I will begin with a half-dozen buckets of paint. :-)

Huge plans for this place... I'm sketching and visualizing and window shopping for things to make it awesome. Many trips to Big Lots, Hobby Lobby, and Lowe's are in my future. The sign above my front door says "Imagine." I've got to say that I often take its advice. I don't see the flaws of this place- I see the potential. Can you see it, too?

It all started out simply enough... I wanted to have a place to put a kiln. We teach a clay class, Mudbugs, at The Big Red Barn. Because I don't have a kiln, we work with air dry clay and paint the completed pieces with acrylic paint and finish them with a glossy (and sticky) glaze. The finished products look nice, but there's nothing like the wonderful look, feel, and functionality of fired pieces.

Underglaze colors... The creative possibilities are endless!

Also, in another life, I was very much into the "Paint-Your-Own Pottery" thing. I had discovered the medium when a place called Painted Bayou opened in Mandeville in the mid-90s. I spent hours on end at Painted Bayou drawing designs on bisque, painting, and glazing different pieces. It got a little expensive to keep paying studio fees and retail for the bisque, so I bought a bunch of my own bisque wholesale, along with an assortment of underglazes, and turned my coffee table into my own pottery painting studio. I brought my pieces to a lady who had an old ceramics studio behind her house and she fired them for me. Like many things, I sort of outgrew that hobby and moved on to something else.

I've often thought about adding the element of the pottery painting to our variety of activities at The Big Red Barn. The problem has always been the logistics of having the pieces fired. Sure, there are places I could bring them and pay to have it done- but it's an aggravation and hassle to pack everything up, make sure it doesn't get broken, deliver it there, wait, pick it up, pack it up (again), and make sure it makes it back to my place without getting destroyed in the process. Too much trouble- unless... Unless I had a kiln of my own. But- where to put it? The inside of The Big Red Barn is packed to the gills, and my supply closet, as you know, has no vacancy. The only feasible option is the old garage/workshop/eyesore out back.

If the outside looks bad, the inside looks worse. Visualize the interior of The Little Rascal's clubhouse.

I may have to consult with them about creative ideas... And procurement of materials. :-)

Because I don't want to spend too much money on this project, I am going to use that "rustic clubhouse charm" to my advantage. The walls will remain unfinished, but I'm going to paint wide stripes of robin's egg blue and spring green  in-between the studs (which will be white). The studs will serve as picture frames of sorts, framing various artwork and unique treasures. My large collection of old window sashes, shutters, and random salvage will be re-painted and displayed on the walls. I knew there was a reason I was hanging on to all that stuff!

See? Exposed studs don't have to be ugly!

The existing workshop shelving will become a display area, freshly painted and embellished with scalloped molding and homemade awnings. Like Mary Poppin's spoonful of sugar, color is an elixir that makes the medicine go down. I plan to use it to my advantage.

I am IN LOVE with this look- the awning is adorable!

Color, glorious color! I love these little pennant banners!

For furniture, I will use my old friend, Ikea. I shall forever be faithful to their big blue building of cheap home-goodness. We have a lot of stuff from Ikea in our art room, including our rack storage system of buckets and hooks, stools, and art display wire. Lucky for me, my sister lives near one in Round Rock, Texas and she can deliver or send me stuff from them. I'm placing my order with her for her visit here next week- although I wish that I could go there myself! The website and catalog just don't compare to walking around and seeing everything first-hand.

You just can't get a nicer looking, functional or cheaper seating option than this!

They topple over more than the big ones, but they are too stinkin' cute to pass up!

No clue what I need this for, but I've loved it since I first saw it! If it matches the stools, it's mine.

So what if the landlord hasn't put in my plug for the kiln or installed a toilet and sink yet? I've got things to do and can't wait to get started! Here's hoping that we will see some significant progress on his end by summer. and The Pottery Playhouse will be open by Fall! Stay tuned for updates and progress reports :-).

The Pottery Playhouse logo in progress... It's a start!
 

Journal daydreams, pipedreams, random bad sketching and brainstorming :-).