Home: Training Ground for Improv

The other night, as I was racking my brain for some ideas and plans, I was reminded of the 90's improv comedy show Whose Line Is It Anyway? hosted by Drew Carey. This was a spin-off of a UK version. At any rate, my family is full of goofy comedians; and we loved this show. One of our favorites portions of the show (which also occurred around the dinner table almost nightly) was the Prop improv. Essentially, the actors / comedians were given a box of over-the-top props and were asked to make up as many uses for the props as possible. Our version, however, were limited to the items on the kitchen table. We often finished our rounds with tears running down our faces and a hunt for the asthma inhaler for Dad. We all love making him laugh — not for the asthma attack that often ensues but for seeing him have fun. These are some of my fondest memories (and playing card games late into the night with enormous bowls of popcorn and M&Ms).

To get to my point, at times, Mom's are like the comedians with the box of props. Instead of props, we have everyday items. Think about it. If we really needed or wanted something for a new task, we could just run to the giant kitchen store (or as my boy's call it, "Mommy's Store"), but where is the fun in that? Plus, where is the adventure in trying to save some money? I like to keep life interesting.

Need a new silverware holder for some friends coming over for dinner? Hmm... I do have an almost empty jar of olives in the fridge. "Someone" could just happen to eat the last few, and I could use that for something?

Well, it looks like this could work...

The options are endless.

I remember visiting my grandparents' homes and seeing how resourceful my grandmothers are. At the time, it seemed unnecessary to "keep" some of the things that they did. I'm not talking about hoarding, but they always had extra glass jars. Since staying at home and working to find creative solutions, I now see "glass" differently. I see their glass jars as an image of resourcefulness. I have SO much to learn!

So, back to glass. It is natural. It can be sanitized easily. It is the most efficiently reused material, and it can be made beautiful with simple changes.

Obviously, I am not bringing you something ground-breaking or newsworthy, but it's amazing to me how necessity can be an amazingly creative force in my life. Many times, I feel like I need "re-invent the wheel" with finding new things. Instead, I just need to look to our past generations. How did they survive without all our stuff and gadgets. Yes, the gadgets are fun and helpful, but they can get expensive.

See, I can play improv at my house. Oh, I guess I need to add "improv" to my growing list of skills. I think I need a post on just the skills that moms accumulate. Oh, oh... maybe I'll make it look like a resumé. Stay tuned... this ought to be fun!

Do you like re-using glass? What is your favorite piece?