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I love getting ideas from blogs or Pinterest.  Really the number of recipes, sewing tutorials, advice, kid activity suggestions, etc. I've gotten from the Internet over the past few years have made me a better homemaker.

BUT,

There is also such thing as too much of a good thing.  These days the number of elaborate ideas out there displayed with stunning, professional-quality photos can lead one to believe that everything must be an event!  While I love the "Go big or go home" theory at times, most of the time life is just too busy and with young children expecting elaborate ideas to come together is typically setting everyone up for frustration.

And kids actually LOVE simple.

Here are my two youngest painting shoe boxes:

No, not boxes that we'll turn into bird-feeders or elaborate little houses for small dolls we'll make out of clothes pins.

Just boxes that they loved stuffing full of various treasures (read junk) once they were dry!

Did I worry about the fact that the kid-friendly paint was not thick enough to cover up all the printing that was already on the boxes?  No!  Because my kids seemed to care less!

And not only did they really like this craft, but it took nearly zero preparations on my part -- pull some smocks on my kids (and not cutesy custom-made smocks, but my husband's old t-shirts), line the outdoor kid table with newspaper, and give them the 3 supplies (paint, paintbrush, box)!

Nobody's going to pin this idea, and that's okay with me.  Just trying to throw out some real life perspective!