7/12 A Low Key Day

Laying on the couch with the kids, watching Little Bear. Hugs and games and cuddles and tickles.

G is learning to read… or at least he’s getting the concept. He sees words and then starts saying the letters. He doesn’t always get the right letters, but that’s okay. He read out some letters and then said his name, like he was reading his name. He was very proud.

Ivy running around today while Uncle cleaned. I couldn’t get her to leave him alone, but he said it was okay, she was “helping.” She wanted to hang out with him.

G and Uncle making noises with a long carboard tube. Honking and tooting and farting. G pretending to play guitar and singing along to uncle’s tooting.

During naptime, there was a nice rain shower. I went out into the garden with my camera looking for things to photograph. The lotuses in the pond were pretty. I found some key limes. The vines on the trees. And the rain and the waterfall in the pond were so soothing, pitter pattering away.

Then I was brave and stopped browsing the internet in avoidance and stepped up to my novel and wrote 5 pages.

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7/11 The Day of Just Being Brave a Little

Work was a little busy. Not crazy, but a bit. And there was a great band playing. Actually great. I enjoyed it, actually, despite exhaustion. It reminded me of an old job where I used to work, back in my twenties, in Greenwich Village. It was called the Cottonwood Cafe, anyone ever hear of it? No, that’s okay, it was a long time ago in a very specific place.

I finally opened up a bank account down here. I did not put it off for another day. I did not make excuses. I did not say, “oh, I don’t feel well,” or “I don’t have enough time, forget it.” I even had to call someone to help me get it done. And I still did it, because I challenged myself to be brave.

I took part in another challenge and created a painting based on their prompt, “healing.”http://warriorgirl.blogspot.com/2008/07/power-posting-power-painting-power.html
I don’t paint that much any more. I should paint more often.

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7/10 The Day of Bits and Pieces

Got to see the elimination episode of SYTYCD. This is really the only show I am watching right now. And I love to see them dance. My boys did not get eliminated, thank god, although they were on the chopping block.

Giving away the Arte y Pico award I got for my blog to five other bloggers for creativity and adding to the blogging community. I am really liking blogging, now that people actually read me. I like making connections and sharing with people and being inspired by them. I’ve always liked writing and journaling, but this seems like the maturation of my journals.

Starting a new assignment with my art girls. I made the assignment, so I’ve been thinking about it. It’s two parts. Spend the week or so collecting bits and pieces of your life, ephemera, labels, lists, things you find, maybe even things you hear… everything around you that makes up your life. Then create a piece of art using what you found. I like the idea of making art out of your daily life. It kind of reminds me of these lists, my happy pages.

Reconnecting with a high school friend. Well, we weren’t really great friends, but he was always so cool. I was too shy to be really close to people. But he seemed so glad to hear from me, it made me feel good, like I wasn’t just a wallflower reading books by the lockers every morning. Seriously, I read so much in HS.

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7/9 The Day of Pinning Our Creativity Up to the Metaphorical and Literal Refrigerator

SYTYCD, right now. It’s a commercial, that’s the only reason I’m here. I loved the number with Will and his partner. SOOOO brilliant, both chorography and dancing. And Twitch doing the krump was awesome and “dirty” in Mia Michaels’ words. Have to go, Josh is dancing now…okay, he wasn’t that good, but they all have another number to go. Another happy. Double dance numbers on SYTYCD.

Made chicken and rice and greenbeans and it was good. Kids liked. I liked. Uncle liked. The kids had watermelon for dessert.

G laughed at Little Bear and his games. He loves when Little Bear plays chase or hide and seek.

We did some drawing today. Both kids. After we were done, G came and looked at Ivy’s drawing and said, “Oooh. Good. I like.” Then he wasn’t happy until we took Ivy’s painting and put it up on the refrigerator with magnets. I love that they like to draw and have their own artistic sensibilities. And it is a nice drawing, too.

Oh yeah, I got a bloggy award for creative inspiration today. I’ve got to figure out who to pass it on to. That should be fun. Maybe a balance of people I look up to who are far out of my stratosphere and people who are closer to where I am.

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7/8 The Day of Bikes and Flights

Bedtime was not as difficult as I thought it might be with S gone.

G asked for hamburgers by name. His language is developing rapidly after so long not being able to talk. I guess he’s ready.

S got off to the airport without a hitch. His flight went well. There were no hysterics (either here at home or with the airline) and he got back to NY just fine.

Plenty of birthday videos to tide us over until I can recover from birthday and holidays and visits and parties and all of it.

G’s first ride around the block on his new birthday bike, with papa’s guidance.

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7/7/08 The Day of Leftover Cake

Kids were so tired we got to sleep a little late, and it must have been the upcoming birthday that was giving me a little insomnia, because I was able to sleep.

G’s actual Birthday. He was born three years ago today. Weird how life just GOES.

The kids opening the last of the presents.

Leftover cake.

A day with nowhere to be. I needed some down time after the big weekend.

When Ivy stopped her tantrum. It took about an hour. It was caused by nothing. Nothing could make her feel better, not cookies or hugs or singing or cats. Nothing. Until about an hour of crying and screaming and thrashing and rolling around in every corner of the house and me trying to work my way closer to her so that I could calm her, and G came out and gave her some balloons and then started playing Poo Poo Man, and she started being distracted from her woe, and then she stopped saying “nononono,” and let me hug her and tickle her and then she decided she would go up stairs and see the cat sleeping in the changing table and go to bed. And then the tantrum was done. Phew. Where’s the tequila? No tequila?

More leftover cake.

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7/6 The Day of Cake and Balloons and Presents and Rain

Mama was smart and did her writing in the morning before she got out of bed, instead of planning on writing during nap or after all the festivities. A couple pages.

My new Target tshirt. Just a cute little henley with pin tucks and buttons in a nice plum color. Long enough, loose enough, light enough to be comfy and stylish.

G’s joy when he saw the balloons and streamers and wrapped presents at Grandma’s house.

Ivy’s joy when she saw G’s birthday bike. G seemed more interested in opening presents, and the bike was already open. Ivy sat on it for a good half hour while G enjoyed his new pirate ship.

Cake! Cake! Cake! (G’s words, not mine.)

The rain storm after the party that delayed our leaving, but added a new aspect of playing in the rain.

Everyone fell asleep very quickly at the end of the night. Including mama. Phew. Big weekend.

See more progress on: list three things every day that made me happy