Play with your food!

Do you remember when you were younger, and your mom would say, "don't play with your food!"?  I remember because I say it to Titus at almost every meal.  Titus can turn carrot sticks into a soccer game, grapes into race cars, and French fries into football games.  Almost everyday, I am saying to Titus, "please pay attention and stop playing with you food!"!  A couple of days ago, I was prepping vegetables, and I noticed how pretty the design was on the bottom of the stalk of celery.  I know that sounds strange, but I couldn't help but notice it.  I was reminded of the wonderful artist God is, and how He even made produce pretty!  The idea popped into my head that we could do an art project using some of our vegetables.  I kept the bottom of the stalk of celery, some broccoli, and I sliced up some tops of carrots into different shapes.  Yesterday, I put out the paint on the table along with paper and the vegetables.  I told the kids we were going to paint with vegetables.  Cecely immediately lit up, and Titus said, "that sounds gross".  I told him we weren't going to eat the vegetables after we paint with them and that these were parts of the vegetables that usually end up in the trash or compost pile.  That rational worked for Titus, and so, the painting began.  The kids had a great time and the end product was pretty neat!