There are a lot of pros when it comes to chalkboard updates, and with every pro there are definitely some cons.
Pros:
1. A place to write down fun things that happened during the month that you may later forget! We kept a baby book as well but this was a fun way to document it in pictures!
2. Seeing size comparison. Watching Callie go from being swallowed up by the size of the chalkboard to completely dwarfing it with her height was incredible.
3. It's an artistic outlet for all of you doodlers. C'mon, every time you see a chalkboard on Pinterest you stop and look, no? I'm an artsy fartsy type and love to doodle. Seriously, you should see my sermon notes from church on Sundays... There isn't a blank spot on the page; and it isn't that I'm not listening, I most definitely am, just blame it on my learning style. I am most definitely a tactile learner! Anyway, this provided me an artistic outlet which was definitely needed to break up the monotony of the newborn schedule.
4. What I like to call the "cuteness factor." A baby + a chalkboard = adorable. (That is until they start rubbing their drooly little chub fingers all over the fresh chalk... more on that in the cons section).
Cons:
1. Finding a cheap chalkboard isn't all that easy, and let's face it, I'm beyond
2. What kind of chalkboard paint do I get? Ugh, this was the hard part. I chose spraypaint over the actual paint because, well, it was cheaper and seemed easier. It was incredibly easy to do, but when I went to remove the chalk from the first month it left a stain of what was written behind. Easy fix, I just took it outside and spray-painted it again. Just keep in mind that if you choose that route, you need to plan ahead so that you can allow for drying time.
3. Soon baby will stop being a tiny blob that doesn't do anything but lay there looking cute. Once Callie figured out that she could move taking pictures became more of a chore. All of my distraction techniques became useless and keeping her in that spot next to the silly board was next to impossible (as can be seen in her 7th month picture...). At this point, getting the child to stay where you put them, let alone keep them from destroying the artwork you spent half an hour drawing out, becomes increasingly difficult.
4. Being redundant. After about the third month I kind of ran out of things to write down. Let's face it, she really didn't do much but eat, sleep, cry (very rarely) and poop. Other than the obvious milestones it was difficult to try and come up with something new to put each month. May not seem like a big deal, but when I came home from a long stressful day at work and actually had to use my brain it was all I could do to keep from chunking the chalkboard out the window. Okay, it wasn't that bad but I'm feeling slightly dramatic today as it's the last week of school. :)
With all of that being said, I am VERY happy that we chose to take chalkboard pictures but I am also VERY relieved that I no longer have to go through the ritual every single month. The fun, overachiever mommy in me hopes to continue to use her chalkboard throughout her childhood to document milestone moments; first day of school, losing a tooth, etc... I guess we'll just have to wait and see how that one turns out. Here are all of her pictures from month 1 to a year! And for those of you who decide to give it a go, best of luck to you!
2 comments:
I just started following your blog and love the chalkboard idea. Are you using a particular chalk for the detail? Thanks in advance.
cutie
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