My 11-year-old chose a NASA rocket from the Lego catalog for Christmas this year. We started building it in late December. When I do Legos with the kids, I function as their assistant, finding the pieces in the bags so they can put them together. The rocket involved 12 bags, 330-some steps, and 1900-plus pieces, but I am happy to report that the main part is done! We just take it piece by piece, step by step, with no particular rush. It’s fairly satisfying to see it come together.
Same with the 1000-piece puzzle I just finished. I’d been feeling a bit puzzled-out by my recent Star Wars puzzle experience — a monstrosity that was about 30 percent night sky (and a lot of white on a space vehicle for the rest of it). Even worse, pieces could plausibly fit in multiple places. Not cool. But I decided to dive into the White Mountain “Writer’s Paradise” puzzle that Santa brought me for Christmas. This was a much more satisfying experience, since the picture had more “stuff” in it (looking at any piece, you knew roughly where it would go). I finished this past week and am pondering getting another one. Of course, that means clearing the existing 2 1000-piece puzzles off the dining room table!
Or not. It’s not like we’re having any dinner parties any time soon.
We keep getting more snow. It’s very pretty, since the new snow covers the slushy old stuff. I’m trying to get outside as much as I can to enjoy it. I walked to get my 6-year-old from school yesterday and we stomped home through drifts of it. When I take breaks from work, I’ll pull on my boots and trudge in circles through the back yard. This helps me stick with my rule to “move by 3 p.m.” Life generally feels better when I do.
Just a few links. Over at Medium, I wrote about How to Plan with People Who Don’t Like to Plan, with a hat-tip to Sarah’s recent Best Laid Plans podcast episode listener question. A few weeks ago, I wrote about seven other lists (beyond the to-do list) you might consider making.
LOVE the Medium piece. I may be trying those strategies on others soon (sshh)
@Elisa- let me know if it works!
What do you do with puzzles when you finish them usually? Do you just look at them, admire them a bit and then return them to the box? I always struggle with that part…..
@Milly- admire them for a while and then return them to the box. Depending on how challenging the puzzle was it might stay out for a while. If we needed the dining room table it would force the issue but during this pandemic year it’s pretty much been a puzzle table.
White Mountain puzzles are the best! We’ve done so many in the past 10 months! Some we have glued and framed, some back in the box and shared, and some we really like, back in the box to do again another time. About ready to pull out a new one!
@Lori – ok, you’ve convinced me. I’m going to buy another one!
We’ve been working on this Joan Miro puzzle that’s probably about 50% plain blue pieces…not the most relaxing puzzle! I have a Charley Harper puzzle waiting in the wings though.
@Kersti- I showed the older kids how I organize by shape when I get to the all night sky or all blue or whatever stage of a puzzle…I’m not sure I convinced them that this was, in fact, fun 🙂
We received a puzzle storage table as a gift. I thought it was a tad ridiculous but it’s been super helpful, especially for puzzles that become multi-week projects (since you can move the board out of sight when not in use). I also like the drawers for sorting pieces. If I were a guest on BOBW, it would be my “love of the week.” : )
I think this is the one we have: https://www.amazon.com/Storage-Puzzles-Portable-Workspace-Organize/dp/B08FKVYMNJ/ref=asc_df_B08FKVYMNJ/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=475857341232&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12271711340592528409&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033316&hvtargid=pla-1063726480269&psc=1
@Kristin- I never really thought about puzzle storage tables — we don’t actually use the dining room table that often, so it works! — but this is a really cool concept. I can see how it would be a love of the week!