While there is a number of things that have been less than ideal as we’ve homeschooled one of the things I’m most grateful for is the time we’ve had for creative projects.

I’m the best version of myself as I become the facilitator of creativity. The frazzled mum fades as the house fills with pots of paint, drying racks, paintbrushes stacked in the kitchen sink and the addition of the accidental but inescapable splodge of paint on the furniture. Somehow those details seem unimportant, as does time, as we become engulfed in the wonder of creativity.

I’m a primary teacher, homeschooling my children should be easy… But I’m also their mother and many lines are blurred when it comes to living, working and schooling in a small two-bedroom apartment.

Last week, as sight words and metals had lost their shine, I remembered what a great school creativity is.

Here’s what we learnt:

• You can’t rush the process.
• Mistakes are part of learning. With a settled soul, you can paint over it, or turn the mistake into something better.
• The best work is confident work, something that reflects you.
• You have to commit to doing something over and over again on the way to getting it right. And trust that as you do, you’ll get better.
• Don’t compare. Each person’s creativity is an expression of who they are.
• No two approaches are the same. There is no right and wrong.
• Trust your instincts.
• The art of learning. There are no mistakes only lessons to learn and experience to gain.
• Kindness. I’m not sure why, but when the girls are being their arty selves they are so kind to each other. Encouragement fills the air and they are so helpful and confident.

I like who I am as a mum when I am creating with my girls. The best lessons are learned in the pursuit of creativity.

Make the moments count. Do something creative this week whether alone, or with a friend or family member.

Be blessed,

Carly is a writer living on the Gold Coast, Australia with her husband Joe and their two girls: Beni and Selah. She is a passionate follower of Jesus Christ, a lover of His Church, His people, His Word and life in general. Daughter Wait! is the first of many books she hopes to write. 

Her first book Daughter Wait! is an engaging conversation on dating and relationships as well as a memoir where she shares her heartbreaking experience of unplanned pregnancy, abortion and the road to restoration.

Daughter Wait! is an invitation to consider a different approach to dating and relationships. If you have ever wondered:

How do I have a Godly relationship?
How do I know if he is the one?
What are realistic boundaries in a Christian relationship?
How do I move on from a broken heart?

Then this book is for you.

Written in Carly’s unique conversational style, you’ll cry, laugh and cheer as you follow her story of love and loss. Daughter Wait is a timeless reminder that regardless of your past, God has the best for your future

ORDER DAUGHTER WAIT!