I remember when my kids were toddlers. As a new mom, I was really excited to bust out the finger paints and Play Doh. After all, these were things my mom would let us play for hours. I had such positive memories from my childhood creating purple and green hand prints on butcher paper and molding clay into various shapes that I wanted the same for my kids.

I bought all the supplies, even cute little smocks, and let my kids loose. And wow! What a mess! I had to immediately bathe my boys after their finger painting foree and years later, I still feel like I’m cleaning up the little bits of Play Doh that worked its way into the tiniest nooks and crannies in our kitchen.

What I learned quickly? Fun can be messy. Creativity, before it reaches its final product, can be chaotic. But regardless of the aftermath, investing in this type of play with my children was always worth it.

Getting kids out of their comfort zones early in life teaches them to explore, ask questions, think differently, problem solve, and come up with creative ideas and solutions. In other words, saying “yes” to mess actually helps kids in their development.

At Toy Fair this past week, I came across another product that would require me to say “yes” to mess—Crayola’s Washable Color Bubbles. I immeditately asked if I could blow some, knowing if I got any on my skin, I’d need to wash up. Why? Because in that single New York minute, I could be an uninhibited kid again and blow bubbles, but not only bubbles, but vibrant purple, green, and orange bubbles that ran the risk of making me, heaven forbid, wash my hands.

The bigger risk with these is that the colors can get on clothes. So, if you’re like me—a mom who says yes to mess—make sure you take the kids outdoors before the bubble blowing fun begins, and if possible, have them wear older clothes or t-shirts, and make sure to wash the clothes according to the directions on the package. The most fun option I’ve heard? Do this as a summer activity, have the kids wear their swims suits, and after they are done creating a colorful collage on their hands or bodies, have them run through the sprinklers.

Are you a mom who says “yes” to mess? Why or why not? What’s your favorite messy craft project to work on with your kids?

Note: This is not an official product review. I tested the bubbles at Toy Fair, but have not purchased the product or had my kids play with it. Stay tuned this summer for part two, when I take the kids outdoors for some creative, colorful, and messy fun!

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All photos in this post and slide show were used with permission from Jen Tilley. Check her awesome food photos out at How To: Simplify.

I know today isn’t technically the first day of #TheTroyandJylTrip cross-country road trip (made possible by the fine folks at Alice.com). @TroyPattee keeps reminding me we started in New York City on Sunday. But, today was the first day we spent all day in the car, making it feel more like a serious road trip. So, I’m calling it Day 1. You cool with that? Awesome!

We started the trip in Greenwich, Connecticut. We left kicking and screaming from Kim Orlando’s house after two lovely days with her welcoming family and a lovely breakfast this morning with her and the fabulous Barbara Jones. After a short detour to the Bronx to check out the new Yankee Stadium, we were on our way to Pittsburgh for stop one along the way to Colorado to pick up our boys from Sanborn Camps—where they are at their very first sleep-away camp.

Even though we didn’t have time for day trips or anything other than straight driving, when we saw the sign indicating “Crayola Attractions,” we knew we had to pull off the road to check them out. And soon enough we found ourselves in the heart of Easton, Pennsylvania, home of the world’s largest crayon!

I have a special place in my heart for Crayola, because they were the first brand to take a risk and sponsor a series of #gno Twitter parties during last year’s back-to-school outreach. Three of their team members, including @skybluestacy (all their employees on Twitter include crayon colors in their Twitter IDs… so cute!), actively participated in, count them, 4 back-to-back #gno events. Needless to say, I have a special place in my heart for this brand, not only because of #gno, but because of the multitude of childhood memories they helped create for both me and my children.

If you find yourself near Easton, Pennsylvania, I highly recommend stopping, visiting the Crayola Factory (a children’s interactive museum for discovery and learning) and huge Crayola store.

Disclosure: Thanks to the fine folks at Alice.com for sponsoring my trip to BlogHer, including this road trip.

Prize

Two lucky winners will receive gift baskets from Crayola right in time for the holiday season and gift giving.

• Grand Prize Winner will receive a gift pack loaded with 30 amazing starter products to get those first-time Crayola kids started on some colorful fun (retail value: $200).
• Second Place Winner will receive six new products from Crayola: Magic Light Brush, Glow Board, Glow Station, Glow Dome, Color me a Song, Crayon Maker.

Entry Requirements

To enter for a chance to win, you are required to do the following four things. Make sure to leave a comment here linking to each one:

1. Check out the #gno Crayola Whrrl story and leave a comment on one of the pictures.
2. Follow @Crayola on Twitter.
3. Become a fan of the Crayola Facebook Page.
4. Retweet and/or post the following two messages on Facebook and Twitter and comment here, linking to your update/post:

Join #gno Tues 11/10 (9-11 pm ET) 2 chat about creative holiday gift giving w/@crayola RSVP: http://bit.ly/1cuZfL PLS RT

GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win @Crayola gift packs just in time 4 holidays (2 winners/ret. val. $200!) http://bit.ly/QoTq8 #gno PLS RT

The Fine Print

No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. Crayola and Mom It Forward employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Wednesday, November 11 at midnight PT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Winners will be notified and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the e-mail. If they do not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to participants in the US and Canada 18 years and older. One entry per person.

Join us at the #gno Twitter party this Tuesday from 9-11 p.m. ET as we discuss creative holiday gift giving with our friends from Crayola. They, along with other amazing women in our community, will be sharing shopping tips and highlighting the latest and greatest from Crayola (like this project created with the new Glow Dome, left)—just in time for the holidays.

Also, join the #gno Whrrl story to share your holiday shopping tips! Click here to join, contribute to, or view.

What: Crayola is sponsoring this week’s #gno Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)

When: Tuesday, November 10, 9-11 p.m. EST

Where: Click here to party with us on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #crayola.)

Topic: Creative Gift Giving

Who: @carissarogers @cerisecheri @crayola @gograhamgo @jollymom @makeandtakes @noflashcards @skybluestacy

Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win products from Crayola just in time for the holidays.


RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.

What: Crayola Creativitycast on #gno (Click here to learn more about #gno!)

When: Tuesday, August 18, 9-11 p.m. EST

Where: Click here to party with us on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno & #crayola.)

Topic: Back-to-School Tips (making the back-to-school shopping season fun and affordable)

Who: @brandyellen from Happily Blended, @cerisecheri from Crayola, @katjapresnal from Skimbaco Lifestyle, @michellelamar from White Trash Mom, @razzmatazzrob from Crayola, @skybluestacy from Crayola, @tjstaab from Currently Crafting

Party Favors: Click here to check out this week’s giveaway sponsored by Crayola.

RSVP: The link list is not working this week, so please leave your Twitter ID in the comments.

1. Run up to a loved one and give him or her an enthusiastic bear hug.
2. Smile to those you pass on the street.
3. Ask someone how they are doing, listen to the answer, and comment on it.
4. Give others heartfelt compliments.
5. Give someone a bouquet of flowers just because.
6. Together as a family, identify another family whose day needs brightening, prepare some artwork (each person preparing something that is special to him or her)—even something as simple as coloring a page from a coloring book—and deliver it to the family together.
7. For a date night with just you and your spouse, get some butcher paper and finger paint a picture for your children, hang it on the wall, and let them see it when they wake up.
8. Kiss everyone in your family at least five times in a day!
9. Gather your family together, turn on some upbeat music, and start dancing. Dance with each of your children, even if you have to do it while holding them.
10. Give each member of your family a gift that relates to their favorite color (this can be store bought or homemade).

How Will You Give to Others This Week?

• What other ideas do you have for brightening someone’s day this week?
• What are things that get in the way of brightening someone’s day?
• What are ways to overcome these challenges?
• How has brightening someone’s day made a meaningful difference for you? For others?

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Summer?

Make a meaningful difference this summer by taking the Summer of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here’s how you can participate:

• Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
• Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
• Grab the SOS button in the sidebar and put it on your blog or social networking site.
• Enter to win each week’s giveaway. Click here to check out this week’s prize from Crayola.
• Click here to join #gno this Tuesday on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.

One lucky winner will watch their child(ren)’s imagination ignite with Crayola’s Color Explosion gift pack ($200 retail value). (See gift pack products and giveaway entry requirements below.)

Whether you win the grand prize or not, everyone’s a winner in this week’s giveaway! Enjoy a discount toward Crayola products by downloading a Crayola coupon here (good through August 31).

Giveaway Product Details

• Color Explosion Glow Board
• CE Glow Dome
• CE 3-D Wide Edition
• CE Poster Sized Scenes—White (Pirates of the Caribbean)
• CE-white (Twisted Tropicals)
• CE-Extreme Surprises (white)
• CE-Extreme Surprises (black)
• CE-Black (Wild Safari)
• CE-Black (Neon)
• CE-Black (Tropical Seas)
• CE-Black (Star Wars scenes)
• CE-Black (Disney/Pixar Cars)
• CE-Hannah Montana
• CE- 3-D Scene (with an extra pair of glasses and 4 extra markers)
• Crayola Illumination Station
• Model Magic Fusion
• 12 ct. Twistables Slick Stix
• Crayola “Trayola” Twistables
• 24 ct. Color Sticks
• 12 ct. Colored Pencils
• Heads ‘n Tails Colored Pencils
• 24 and 64 ct. Classic Crayons
• Poster Crayons
• Window Crayons
• Window Mega Markers
• Classic 10 ct. Markers (Broad Line)
• Heads ‘n Tails Washable Markers
• Pip-Squeaks Mix ‘Ems Markers
• Color Switchers
• Picture frames & Pictures Coloring Book
• 2 Sticker Sheets
• Sidewalk Crayons
• 3-D Giant Sidewalk Chalk

Entry Requirements

To enter for a chance to win, you are required to do four things (make sure you leave a separate comment for each of your entries).

Note: Entries that do not follow all of these requirements will not be considered.

1. Brighten someone’s day during this back-to-school season by performing one of the random acts of kindness listed here and commenting here to tell us what you did.
2. Become a fan of the Crayola Facebook Page.
3. Follow @crayola on Twitter.
4. Post these messages on Facebook and/or on Twitter and leave comments here, linking to your messages:

Join #gno Tues 9-11 ET 4 a back-to-school wrap up w/ @crayola. RSVP: http://bit.ly/oyOz9 PLS RT

GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win $200 in @crayola products. RSVP: http://bit.ly/2OcSQi PLS RT

Extra Entries

You can earn up to two extra entries for this week’s giveaway. Leave an additional comment for each.

• Share one of your favorite back-to-school memories on the Mom It Forward Facebook Page.
• Join the Mom It Forward Google Friend Connect (in the right-hand sidebar).

The Fine Print

No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. Crayola and Mom It Forward employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Sunday, August 23 at midnight PDT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered.

What: Crayola Creativitycast on #gno (Click here to learn more about #gno!)

When: Tuesday, August 11, 9-11 p.m. EST

Where: Click here to party with us on Tweetgrid (Use hashtags #gno & #crayola.)

Topic: Creative Connections (building and strengthening relationships and character through creativity)

Who: cerisecheri from Crayola, @crayola, @girlfriendology from Girlfriendology, @juliecole from Mabel’s Labels, @todaysmama from Todays Mama,  @razzmatazzrob from Crayola, @skybluestacy from Crayola, and @youngmommy from From Dates to Diapers.

Party Favors: Click here to check out this week’s giveaway sponsored by Crayola.

RSVP: The link list is not working this week, so please leave your Twitter ID in the comments.

What Will We Be Discussing and Sharing This Week?

Get ready for the creative discussion this Tuesday, by reviewing these questions. And, if you’d like, upload some pictures to share on Twitter during the party! Check out TwitPic for an easy way to share pictures on Twitter. We’d love you to leave a comment here or on the Crayola Facebook Page to share ideas and tips in answer to the questions below.

1. How does art help you show love to family and friends?
2. What creative activities do you use with kids in groups?
3. How does creativity help enhance kid-related activities (i.e., play dates, parties, etc.)?
4. How do you think creativity helps kids develop social skills and build better friendships?
5. Which indoor and outdoor creative activities help your kids express themselves best?
6. What experiences have you had using creativity to communicate better with your teens?
7. How do classes or activities—dance, music, art, etc.—help enhance creativity?
8. How can creativity help you problem solve, & come up with new ideas?
9. Have you done your back-t0-school shopping yet? Tell your story?
10. What is your favorite Crayola memory?

Prize

Coupon

Everyone’s a winner. Enjoy a discount toward Crayola products by downloading a Crayola coupon here (good through August 31).

Grand Prize

One grand-prize winner will receive the following products in a Crayola Model Magic gift pack for endless hours of hands on, build-your-own fun ($200 retail value)! (See entry requirements below.)

• Model Magic Fusion
• Model Magic Fusion (Cinderella’s Castle Kit)
• Color-Fillz (SpongeBob Square Pants)
• Color-Fillz (Disney Fairies)
• Color-Fillz (Disney/Pixar Cars)
• Model Magic (4 oz.) in the following colors: Black, Green, Red, Yellow, and Shocking Pink
• Model Magic (1.5 oz.) in the following colors: Black (2), White (2), Radical Red (2), Laser Lemon (2), Brown (2), Blue, Purple and Yellow Green.
• Color Wonder Glitter Paint Set (Disney Fairies)
• Color Wonder Watercolor Paint Set
• Create a Plate Kit
• Crayon Town Kit
• 3-D Sidewalk Chalk
• Color Switchers
• 10 ct. Classic Markers (broad line)
• True to Life Markers
• True to Life Colored Pencils
• Heads ‘n Tails Colored Pencils
• 12 ct. Classic Colored Pencils
• Twistables Colored Pencils
• Window Mega Markers
• Window Crayons
• Poster Crayons
• 24 and 64 Ct. Classic Crayons
• Twistables Slick Stix
• 16 ct. Pip-Squeaks Mix ‘Ems Markers
• Pip-Squeaks Washable Glitter Glue
• Pip-Squeaks Colored Pencils
• Pip-Squeaks Washable Markers
• 2 Crayola sticker sheets
• Embroidered Crayola apron

Entry Requirements

To enter for a chance to win, you are required to do four things (make sure you leave a separate comment for each of your entries).

Note: Entries that do not follow all of these requirements will not be considered.

1. Leave a comment on this post, including your e-mail address.
2. Join the new Crayola Facebook Page AND leave a comment on the wall, sharing your favorite Crayola memory.
3. Follow Crayola on Twitter.
4. Post these messages on Facebook and on Twitter and leave comments here, linking to your messages:

Join #gno Tues from 9-11 ET for a chat about creative connections w/#Crayola. RSVP: http://bit.ly/whba3 PLS RT

Enter for a chance to win @Crayola’s Model Magic giveaway. More than 30 #crayola products! @ http://bit.ly/17LkxP PLS RT

Extra Entries

You can earn up to five extra entries for this week’s giveaway. Leave an additional comment for each.

• Subscribe to the Crayola site at http://crayola.com.
• Post something you learned during #gno this week on the Crayola Facebook Page wall.
• Post a picture of an arts & crafts project using Crayola products on the Mom It Forward Flickr group. (Note: This picture may show up on the Mom It Forward homepage.)
• Join the Mom It Forward Friend Connect (in the righthand sidebar).
• Join the Mom It Forward Facebook Page.

The Fine Print

No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. Crayola and Mom It Forward employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Sunday, August 16 at midnight PDT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered.

10 Ways to Include Others This Week

Feeling included is a great feeling. Walking into a room—whether it be at an event, an activity, a conference, church, a school function, or otherwise—and not knowing a single soul in the room can be difficult. What a difference it makes when, in that same situation, someone extends the hand of friendship, reaches out and introduces themselves to you, takes up that empty seat next to you, starts a conversation, and helps you feel welcome. Taking a step outside of our comfort zones to help someone else feel included and a part of things is an amazing act of service. It is also an important skill and characteristic to teach our children, especially as they transition from summer activities to back to school, where they will meet new kids, join sports teams, etc.

You can take this week’s Summer of Service challenge, sponsored by Crayola, by doing one of the following things. If you have more ideas for including others, please share them in the comments!

1. Invite someone new to an event you’ll be attending soon—a book club, scrapbooking club, school meeting, play group, a church activity, a professional club or organization, etc.
2. When you attend an event, look around for someone who is sitting by themselves and sit next to them and introduce yourself to them.
3. Invite someone you have recently met, but don’t know well, to lunch just to get to know him or her.
4. Plan a girl’s night out activity with your friends and encourage everyone to bring someone new.
5. Invite a family in your neighborhood or from your children’s school over for dinner.
6. Write a thank-you note to someone who has made an impact on your life recently, but who you don’t know well.
7. Identify five people you’d like to get to know better and determine what you will do this week to take steps toward doing that.
8. Role play with your children the act of including others at school—inviting them to their lunch table, including them on their sports team, playing with them at recess, etc.
9. Have a date night with your husband and invite another couple you haven’t done something with before.
10. When your friends are successful in their endeavors, pour on the compliments and share the love publicly. A little affirmation and abundance thinking goes a long way to strengthen friendships!

How Will You Give to Others This Week?

• What other ideas do you have for including others this week?
• What are things that get in the way of including others?
• What are ways to overcome these challenges?
• How has including others made a meaningful difference this week for you? For others?

How Else Can You Make a Difference This Summer?

Make a meaningful difference this summer by taking the Summer of Service (SOS) Challenge. Here’s how you can participate:

• Commit to do one act of kindness/service based on the week’s challenge.
• Leave a comment with ideas relating to the week’s challenge as well as your experience(s) performing it.
• Grab the SOS button in the sidebar and put it on your blog or social networking site.
• Enter to win each week’s giveaway. Check out this week’s prize from Crayola.
• Join #gno this Tuesday on Twitter to connect with other Mom It Forward moms about the challenge.