more is not always better

No matter how old I get, there are still lessons to be learned. One particular lesson that I am learning recently is that more is not always better. This is a common misconception among most people today.

Here is my case in point. A year or so ago, John got a box of crayons. It's not a box of 8 or 12 or even 24. I'm talking about the box of 96 crayons with the built in sharpener on the back. This is for those children who are really serious about coloring. And it comes in really handy during those moments where you need burnt umber or chartreuse. At the time we got John the box of crayons it seemed like a good idea. But here-in lies the problem.

Rose is a few weeks short of being 2 and she does not fully comprehend that crayons are for paper. No, in her mind, crayons were created to draw all over any empty space that you might encounter. The wall, the table, the floor, and most recently the front of the microwave in our downstairs kitchenette.

What I'm realizing is that it is nearly impossible to keep track of 96 crayons. Just when you think you have them all safely stored away, she finds a stray one and decorates something with it. I'm pretty sure I could keep track of 8 crayons...maybe even 12. And you can make a decent picture with those basic colors, right? The sky is blue, the grass is green, the trees are brown. In this case, maybe simple is good.