jake
Jake had a long week and a tiring one but I think now that the end is near, we’re all a bit more optimistic. He helped me so very much at the beginning of this week that I don’t know how I can do my job without him. I so very much look forward to starting our new lives together and I wish and hope it’s for the very best. I am so happy to have my husband around more. He’s my best friend and he brings so much joy to our household.
karen
This week started was quite stressful. So much so that I can’t really believe all of what got done this week was just done in a week, it feels like each day was a week of its own. Alas, a tong of work got done, some layouts got done, I tried to dedicate a lot of time to my class and I journaled in my art book. I’ve had some serious downs and some good ups this week. I’m not complaining because it all ended okay but I still hope next week is quieter.
david
David had an uneventful week at school. We got his report card on Monday and he’s doing great. He is at or above grade level in all of his subjects (not that it means a lot in kindergarten). He’s been spending a lot of time on the phone but after he does all of his work and gratitudes and eats his vegetables so I am ok with that. He’s such a good boy and deserves all wonderful things. So I try to make sure he gets rewarded often.
nathaniel
Nathaniel had some good luck this week. He got into the preschool right by our house and he will be going there next year three days a week. This made me happy since it’s a small, nice school and really really close to our house. He’s been a handful lately, getting into everything and grabbing many things he knows he’s not supposed to. He looks at me as he does them, too, because he knows he’s doing something he should not be. Alas, he’s so so cute so I try to discipline him but it’s quite hard to be mean to the little boy.
Us Right Now is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
I made a list last night of things I needed to get done first thing in the morning. I woke up at 6am and did each of them. I was done by 9am, even with the hourlong exercise break. So by 9, I was already feeling good about my day. I spent most of the rest of the day just getting more things done but slowly, and not stressfully.
Here are some faces Nathaniel makes when he’s told he can’t touch things.
So much drama from a little little boy.
We then went to get David who came home and quickly did his chores. Wrote his gratitudes.
Smiled for mommy.
Nathaniel, in the meantime, was playing this game where he ran to the door and faked falling flat on his butt.
my funny boy.
Early evening, we had our friends Jessica and Sam with their kids come to visit. They were in town from Los Angeles and they’re some of my favorite people ever. It was so wonderful to see all the kids playing and giggling together.
After they left, Jake went into the city to meet up with a friend and I have been slowly cleaning up, resting and relaxing. Then I got the best email ever. I think I might just relax a bit and then go to sleep early so I can start my weekend all rested.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for David’s wonderful news. I feel so thankful.
2. I am grateful for the time we spent with Jess and Sam and their wonderful kids.
3. I am grateful for the weekend. I have a chat tomorrow at BPC but that’s my only commitment for the weekend. I will play with my kids, read, relax and be thankful.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that we have friends coming over. {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that i had some mango ice cream.
3. I am grateful i got to stay up a little later than usual.
Another calm, productive day here. I did manage to exercise, read to david, journal (though only a few sentences), make a layout, and do a bunch of work. I also missed David’s bus for the first time ever. I want late by seconds but I felt terrible and like a horrible mom. I drove to school and got him, feeling horrible the whole time. He, of course, forgave me. He’s an angel like that.
Nathaniel’s started getting into everything. I have to watch him a lot more now and it’s going to be tough.
But he’s still super-cute so that doesn’t hurt.
Here’s the five second shot David will let me take.
And the highlight of Nathaniel’s day: daddy coming home. He loves spending time with Daddy. (So do the rest of us to be honest. We all love him so much.)
I am writing this early because I am off to get my roots colored. It’s been 3 months and it’s way way overdue. Might as well get it done. Then I come home and maybe if I am lucky I get to do some more art. I am blessed.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for a wonderful layout that made me happy to make.
2. I am grateful for David’s forgiveness. He’s always so kind to me.
3. I am grateful for these two calmer days. Tomorrow will be hectic again but then it’s weekend so I will make it through and then get to rest again for a bit.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I get to work on my workbook. {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that daddy’s home early
3. I am grateful i get to play on the phone for a while.
This morning I woke up and decided to take it considerably easier. I told myself I would relax, work calmly, and take breaks. And that’s exactly what I did. I did things more slowly than usual and I took my time. But I still got a lot done and I felt really good by the end of the day. My sciatica is still here and it sucks but I feel much better other than that. Amazing what a day of true rest without anticipated doom can do for you.
Here’s Nathaniel snacking:
And David giving me the “please please can we be done with this” look.
I love those eyes so much.
And these too.
And the boys that are behind each of those eyes. I love them so.
Plans for tonight and the rest of this week are the same. Slowly, calmly get stuff done and rest a lot. I will try to sleep early, too and see if I can restore myself back to good health. Let’s hope…
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for a quiet, calm day.
2. I am grateful for kindness of strangers. People I’ve never met in person sending me kind words through email, comments, message boards. How wonderful this internet is….
3. I am grateful for finishing our book. David and I just finished an excellent one and I can’t wait to read more. I love reading with my boy.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that i ate some candy (yes two days in a row!) {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I had music class today
3. I am grateful that mommy and i finished our book.
I excepted today to be stressful since the beta push was planned to happen today. The good news is that it all went through and appears to be ok so far. Jake came home really early today to help me and I really needed it. The little boy was a gem, too. He went exploring in the house.
And grabbed things out of drawers.
And looked at me when I said “No” so he could decide if I was serious. When he sees that I am, he puts it back.
David’s been a gem too.
I must say everyone in my family is so supportive and kind to me. I get very stressed often and need to really focus for moments and they are always understanding and kind and give me the space I need. They accept my apologies. They forgive me. They make me feel accepted and loved. And honestly, that’s what I’ve always sought in my life. I am also in a wonderful place with my parents and appreciate their kindness, generosity and wisdom, too. Just feeling a bit fragile today because I was so stressed that it spilled over and that always leaves me a bit spent. And then I step back and appreciate my life and loved ones in a different light.
I have a lot on my mind lately but haven’t been able to sit and think through it. Now that the beta is out I plan to make room for journaling and hope that it will help me. Guide me. All my classes are over now, too and maybe I need a little break but I do love the classes. So are you taking anything? Anything you love?
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful the Beta push is out. My first. And so far, so good.
2. I am grateful for Jake coming home early again and for the kindness of all of my family today.
3. I am grateful for a few quieter days. I plan to rest and refresh so I can have a resurge of excitement and productivity in the next few weeks.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that i got some candy {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that mommy read to me
3. I am grateful that I got a game for the phone
OK! This morning I woke up and I decided to just snap out of it. I will admit that I am still trying to take it easy. I woke up, made the kids breakfast, checked my email, read to David and took him to the bus. Then I finished a layout I had started last night. Then it was time to exercise.
Once that was done, I went back to work (I’d started work last night just to make sure I wasn’t going to be caught by surprise this morning.) Then it was a little bit of rest with breakfast. And then back to work. Nathaniel napped, giving me some uninterrupted work time.
In the afternoon, Jake showed up early thankfully and got David while I kept working. The push went out and I spent a bit more time with David, reading. He did his other chores. Like writing his journal:
While the little boy played and read books.
Then I spent some time with both kids and hugged them and played. Then it was dinner time. Now the kids are sleeping and I am trying to finish my chores. I got some weird eye migraine earlier in the day so I have a big headache but I am still feeling better. I have some serious catching up to do. I haven’t even made a todo list for over a week. But I feel better. Or at least more comfortable faking it till I fully make it.
My plan is to take it slow. Do the things that really really matter: exercise, work, david reading, hug time, daily diary, gratitudes, and art journaling daily. And squeeze in more journaling. Then I can worry about sketching and the other things I am not doing. For now, I need to rest. And I am ok with that! Feeling happy even! So how about you?
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for a relatively productive day at work.
2. I am grateful for Jake coming home early. Makes it so much smoother not to stress right when the release is happening.
3. I am grateful for my mood improving. Still in pain but it’s all in the mind right? I am choosing to feel better and I am grateful for that.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that i got a comic book from the library {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I got to spend some time with daddy (they’re working on some interesting physics/math stuff)
3. I am grateful that I got to watch mommy play monkey island for a bit
I appreciate all the kindness you’ve sent my way so so much. It seems ungrateful and mean to not feel great in light of the terrible things happening in the world. I am actively working on my mood and yelling at myself to snap out of it, regularly. I am still in quite a bit of pain on my back and my nerves but honestly, my life is amazing and I have nothing at all to feel bad about. So I need to snap snap snap out of it!
I spent most of today relaxing as well. I didn’t yell at myself or feel bad for most of it. I did do a huge backup and was able to get back 200 gigabytes on my computer. That’s how much excess stuff was sitting there. For five minutes, David dared touch his Didj and Nathaniel immediately shouted “me me me” and melted down until David gave it to him. So here they are, both playing.
I love how hard he focuses on it.
I guess he’s leaning from his brother.
Jake went to the city to meet up with his relatives for breakfast and I exercised and attempted to put the baby down. Who, of course didn’t nap. By the time he came back, we were ready for family photos.
But everyone seemed distracted and antsy today.
Until tickle-time of course.
And I am posting this one despite my huge nose and how much it’s making me feel terrible. I love the joy in the photo and that matters more.
Then it was time for the little boy to eat and try one more attempt to nap. I read for a bit, read to David, organized photos to print, and then worked a little on my art journal. The plans for tonight include printing photos (to scrap) and doing a little work and checking in my class and then maybe scrapping a bit before bedtime. Let’s see. I am feeling better emotionally. More rested and calmer. And yet I know the next three days will be a bit stressful. That’s ok though. They will come and they will go and life is wonderful.
I must also admit that my plans to sketch daily have completely gone out the window. I have had several people email me with their plans to make daily layouts and to exercise daily. I hope you ladies are doing better than I am!!
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for another quiet day of resting.
2. I am grateful for family photos. I love love love taking these photos and seeing them.
3. I am grateful for all the backup work I did today. Backing up is really important. Not fun but really important.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that mommy got me a game {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I got some candy
3. I am grateful that we played the dino math game for family night
Today was a good day! I did some art last night so I was feeling happy and took it really really easy. I did my exercise, read to david, and then spent the whole day reading my book. David colored for a while, wearing his Irish hat from school.
Then he asked me to take a photo of him with it.
Then he played Wii for a bit as I worked with Jake.
And then it was family photo time. Daddy and Nathaniel played as I set up.
Here we are in the middle of tickle-time.
Me attempting to get a shot while everyone else is completely disinterested.
And finally more tickling.
I read an entire book today and we’re now off to see the same book’s movie. Yey! After that I hope to do a bit more art. No pressure. A Lot of rest. That’s the plan for this weekend. So far, so good.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for a day of quiet, relaxing reading.
2. I am grateful for my kids and how they just quietly played all day, too.
3. I am grateful for date night. Love my hubby. Love the movies. Love date night.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that tomorrow’s family night {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I got extra time to stay up tonight
3. I am grateful that I played wii today
I won’t lie to you. I seem to be struggling lately. A lot of back pain and sciatica. I am also regularly beating myself up emotionally. A lot of craziness going on. I know it will all calm down soon, it always does. Just wish I could figure out what’s triggering this recent bout. Alas, it shall pass.
I love watching David play. All the faces he makes.
And then this one face, too, of course.
And here’s the little boy so in love with his brother and enamored with his daddy. You should hear the shrieks when Daddy comes home. It warms my heart so much.
Ah, so ready for this weekend. I plan to spend most of it lying down, healing my back. Wish me luck. I hope yours is absolutely wonderful!
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for a quick layout i finished this morning that I love
2. I am grateful for my health lately, despite the pain. I am watching all the suffering around the world and I am feeling so so so grateful for everything we have. Our safety and security and my loved ones. So deeply grateful.
3. I am grateful for the weekend. I need to rest this weekend and will make it a priority.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I get to spend time with daddy tonight {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I got extra choice time at school
3. I am grateful that my friend was back in school today
Still getting on the path to feeling better here!! I think i am feeling much happier in general but now my body seems to be unhappy. I am achy and sore all over. Sciatica. Sore jaw. You name it. And Nathaniel woke up with a runny nose so I am wondering if we’re both on our way to being sick. Say it isn’t so!
This morning David was coloring so of course Nathaniel wanted to, too.
Then David was off to school and I got to work. Nathaniel ate, played and watched movies. Then David came back and wouldn’t really let me take any photos.
So I took some of Nathaniel.
Boys played, we read, did workbooks, I worked a bunch more and now they are sleeping and likely I will soon, too. I’ve noticed sleep really helps me emotionally and physically and since I am so worn out now, I think I need to focus on sleep more. I swear I haven’t forgotten to do the sketching post today, I’ve only sketched two things this week and so I didn’t even have the energy to post them yet. I promise, soon.
Thank you for bearing with me these last few weeks. It’s been more hectic than usual. But I must say I am still deeply grateful for my life and so very grateful for all of you. Deeply.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for an incredible incredible happy mail day!
2. I am grateful for my students in the Finding Your Way class. They are so kind, loving, supportive. I am a lucky gal.
3. I am grateful for another productive day at work. Things are progressing and that’s all I can ask for at this point.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I had pistachio pudding at school {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I got to sit and play with daddy
3. I am grateful that i didn’t get pinched ( he was supposed to wear green so he didn’t get pinched today. lol)
I woke up today, determined to be less grouchy, again. And I can tell you I am less grouchy but I am in quite a bit of pain for some reason. I feel sore all over and feel like all my muscles are black and blue. Work is also still at a pretty high tempo so I am trying to keep up with it all. Though I did exercise today, I didn’t manage to read to David. I will have to make up for it tomorrow.
I love love love that I caught this shot. Nathaniel does this often where he’ll look through the holes of his chair when he’s calling for me. Just two eyes peering out at me.
I love those eyes.
He’s eating saltine crackers and cream cheese. One of his favorite things ever.
And here’s David trying not to smile. Looks sort of a mix between sad and mad, doesn’t he?
but here he is a moment later. he wasn’t sad or mad.
I’ve already taken 3 advils and the pain is not any better in my jaw or back or head so I am thinking a little art journaling and I will crawl into bed early tonight. I hope you’re all well and march is treating you well so far.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that the bugs and crashes are looking better. Hooray!
2. I am grateful for a nice chat with my mom today. She’s been ill and I am so thankful to skype and getting to see her.
3. I am grateful for my hubby. i love him so. he’s patient, kind, loving and such a true joy to have in my life.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I built a playground for patty (their leprechaun) {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I got a new game on the phone
3. I am grateful that i was allowed to play a bit extra today
I am a little less grouchy this morning but I will admit that it’s not by much. I am working on it though and getting closer to faking it till I make it. In the meantime I am operating on doing the absolute essentials which includes exercise, a lot of work and that’s about it. I took a photo of Nathaniel lining up his cars.
And a smile from David.
And I love this one cause it shows how Nathaniel always likes to play by David. He often plays in the chair right behind him. He likes the proximity. I am like that, too so I totally get it.
Tonight I am hoping to move forward a bit. I think getting some things done will help my mood. I will put some serious time into my classroom, write some posts, maybe even scrap a page. And there’s TV to watch with my hubby. I will also go to bed early so I can get some rest. I have noticed that it makes a considerable difference when I am well rested vs not.
I’m sorry I haven’t had a lot of pithy things to say lately. I am sure things will snap back to normal soon. They always do. Whatever “normal” means.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that the release was blessed and already out the door. I am hoping there’s some good news coming with this one.
2. I am grateful for a nice chat with my mom today. She’s been sick and I hope she gets well soon! It was wonderful to get to chat with her and have Nathaniel chat with her today.
3. I am grateful for some extra special Nathaniel time today. He came and sat next to me and we read his Thomas books together. It was such a joy.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I had computer workstation at school today {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I played with Julian during lunch
3. I am grateful that i get to sit with Daddy before bed
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projects for twenty twenty-four
projects for twenty twenty-three
projects for twenty twenty-two
projects for twenty twenty-one
projects for twenty nineteen
projects for twenty eighteen
projects from twenty seventeen
monthly projects from previous years
some of my previous projects
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