Archive for the ‘on being a mom’ Category

We’ve been so lucky to have a garden this year. Our yard was, well, in ruins when we purchased it. And with a little love, we (well, my strong and burly husband) were able to knock out a few mangly briars and dead trees to reveal a once-upon-a-time-this-was-a-garden area. The children have had so much fun watching their seeds grow into edible treats. Garden’s are magic for kids. And to me, it’s like watching my own children grow.

Granted, we didn’t start the cherries from seed. But we brought a rather untamed one back to life. Oh, they’re yummy!

But there’s more growing than just snap peas and cherries here. Grown garden, grow.

My sketchbooks are incredible works of art. And I say that completely without ego. See, I can’t draw in a sketchbook without 2 minutes going by when all my kids are surrounding me wanting to either 1) comment 2) color in my drawings with the nearest crayon or 2) share the chair and draw with me on the same page. What this means is that I go through phases of drawing with my kids. Sometimes it proves to be simply a supervised drawing session for them. Even though they have their own sketchbooks, they prefer to just draw in mine. But that’s wonderful too, because I see in them budding artists. Addie already is quick to tell me I am off a bit on this or that. And I have to tell you…she is very quick to say that she is the best artist in the ENTIRE universe. Don’t you think so? I thought you’d agree.

Dear Reader who wonders how I have time to do creative things,

What you need to know about being an Artist and a Mom and a Book Maker:

You will be absolutely lousy without help.

May I introduce you to man who  makes things happen around here? Oh, and have I mentioned he happens to be the most amazing man on the planet?

Say “Hi” to Kenneth. He’s the love of my life. Not only has he been on kid duty while I finish up the book at full speed, but he’s the King Gardener, Fixer-Upper, Royal Chef, Fort Maker, Grocery Shopper, and Make-Believe Player and even does the dishes. He is basically makes this whole book making process wonderful. That, and he is a writer and storyteller himself, so he understands how this all works…and enjoys it too! We don’t live close to either of our parents, and with 3 young kids in the mix, having long stretches of time to do anything is out of the question. But thanks to my school-teacher husband who has the summer off to let me work, it’s been amazing.  And on top of all that, he keeps things fun around here. He is the one that keeps me laughing when I get too stressed and knows how to have a good time when things are a bit crazy. I am seriously in love. I am so blessed to be married to my best friend. Like, really blessed.

The kids think so too.

So, when I look at my life and wonder why I haven’t cracked yet, it’s cause of him.

The end.

xo

Sarah

PS: New summertime art is in the shop today!

“With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am in the final stages of this book, and it’s taken a lot of dicipline for me to get work done. But in this case, my work isn’t typical “work.” It requires a very lucid and creative mind, which under the normal pressures of mothering young children, is usually the first thing to go out the window.

It’s made me think a bit:

How can I keep my creativity from sagging while spending most of my day in exhausting responsibilities?  Especially motherhood responsibilities?

I am a young mother. I’m 30. I have 3 kids all at home, under school age. That means from 6 am – 8 pm I am 110% with my kids. Feeding, playing, cleaning, teaching, driving, disciplining, scheduling, paying bills, calling, observing, making lists, and then feeding, playing, cleaning, kissing and bedding. For 14 hours a day. And then, at 8pm (lately 7pm since my husband is on kid duty for all the “I can’t fall asleep” moments) I am illustrating. Now don’t get me wrong. I LOVE motherhood. I absolutely adore being with my kids, and we love being all together. I am so blessed to be a mother, and try and live every day in gratitude for these 3 precious blessings. We have a lot of fun around here. But….let’s keep it real. Motherhood is hard work.

This I know: Nothing kills creativity more than 1) exhaustion and 2) scheduled mundane responsibilities

How does a young mother with so many responsibilities all day, shift into “play mode” herself when the exhaustion sets in?

I can’t say I have the answer, but I have found one.  And since I think (I hope) there are others of you out there like me, I hope this helps.

Living in the present.

What I know about creativity is that it flows freely when we are loosed from the past and not gripped by the future. We must be fully present to have full access to our creativity.  This might seem obvious to some, but what tangles it up are the duties of motherhood which so easily catch us up with worries about the future, thoughts of the past and how fast our children are leaving it, and the duties of the present day which often lead to exhaustion and what I call “robot mode:” going through the list of to-do’s as quickly as possible but finding by the end we feel like a machine; a feeding, cleaning, cooking, running around machine.

How often, for instance, are you talking on the phone and getting your kids dressed and making breakfast on the stove? Happens a lot around here. Nothing is wrong with multi-tasking, but it can keep us from being present minded.

But how, do you ask, can we stay present minded when there are so many responsibilities pressuring us all around?

1) Be aware. Notice the chubby legs when you are putting them through those pant holes. Listen to the sound of the scrambled eggs popping. Watch the leaves blowing when you are on a walk with the kids. Feel the soft cotton when you are folding clothes. Your senses will be hightened even amidst routine work, and your mind will focus on the ‘now.’

2) Slow down: Look at your list of things to do, and knock out half. You will most likely only get a few done anyways, so don’t let your mind worry about more than it can handle. Do one at a time and do them well and to completion.

3) Breathe: Taking time to center yourself physically is vital. It doesn’t have to be yoga or a full hour of mediation. Even just 10 deep breathes with your body in an open, strethed position can wake up your cells to a full sense of being alive.

4) Have gratitude: Love what you do and embrace what comes every day. When you are doing the dishes be grateful for the food you have. When you picking random clothes everywhere, be grateful for fun loving children, that though messy, are yours. This turns work into joy. This brings your mind to the present and frees you of unnessesary stresses.

5) Notice how children see the world: Children are creative beings by definition. They are constantly living in the ‘now.’ They can’t comprehend the future, and they aren’t capable of digesting the past. They are in a constant state of awareness and discovery. Notice how their work is their play, and their play is their work. They can find joy in a simple accomplishment. They can find joy in a simple beauty. Adults can re-learn this skill and in doing so, discover creativity in their daily work.

This is my focus this month. I will be honest, and say that these 5 things are easily forgotten in this crazy world. But I do know, that by letting myself be present minded in my daily work as a mother allows for creativity to shine through what would normal squish it. It’s a challenge for sure, and it takes constant reminding. But it works.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this too. It’s a journey that I think so many of us are on, and we can learn so much from each other!

“The living moment is everything.” - D.H. Lawrence

Love to you all,

Sarah

Theses three sets of chubby cheeks make me a mother this Mother’s Day.

I can’t think of a better gift.

And if you haven’t seen it already, this video simply made my mother’s day. This sweet soul inspires us all to live up to the calling of Motherhood.

May your weekend be full of many snuggles and hugs…to and from mothers and children of all ages!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Meet the cradle.

It is almost done with….for now. And I don’t think it’s has ever had a proper introduction.

When I was pregnant with Addie, I was gifted this handmade cradle from a dear family from back home. It was built by a dear friend of mine, painted white by my mother with a hand sewn skirt, and shipped out to her first grand-daughter Addie. I painted a lion (Aslan to be precise) laying in a garden of flowers,  just days before my first child was born. The Narnia books have always meant a lot to my husband and I, and this we felt represented so much of what we hoped for our little girl.

Since her birth, each of my babies have spent their first few months here. They have all loved being swaddled, and so it has done just fine. Ella is now over 8 months old, and is growing out of it quite quickly, but since we are just days away from moving….she will have to wait a bit more for her big girl crib. In the mean time, this cradle has served us so well and so I’m saying “Good-bye old friend. I hope to see you again some time soon.”

It’s my bit of magic in the nursery.

Conversations with a just turned 4 year old.

Ian: Mom, close your eyes and come here.

Me: I cover my eyes, hold his hand and walk across the room. I love these games.

Ian: Open!

Me: I open my eyes.

Ian: See, this is my art!

Me: ART. Junk as art. I love this. Cool Ian, tell me about it.

Ian: See, everything is balancing and it won’t fall down!

Me: Ok. That is art.

Balance. He’s got it down. I’m still figuring it out.  Real slow.

*My favorite part: See that Mr. Incredible’s figure hanging for dear life on that rope over there? That’s me. But it’s all good. There is a Fisher Price fire engine just on the other side. Pretty good planning for a 4 year old.

This month is so sentimental to me: It’s a month full of birthdays. The birthday of my two Irish twins (Yep…12 months apart, baby!) and my Mothering Birthday. I had never really ever thought of it this way: my eldest daughter’s birthday is really my day too: the day I became a Mom. And this month it’ll be 5 years of mothering. Wow. FIVE. Sometimes it seems like a lot, and other days….I it is just the beginning.

5 years ago:

I was in the middle of my first birth.

I held my first baby.

I felt her soft scalp and understood why they call newborn’s hair “velvet”

I found my true calling.

I cried my first tears of joy after a long wait of trying to conceive.

I became amazed at how natural it felt to care for and be responsible for this fresh new soul straight from Heaven.

I felt more heroic then ever before: I gave birth!! My body is incredible and made to do that!

I learned what all parents say they are amazed with: the instant love you have for your child

I gained a love for my husband I’d never known.

I learned a new meaning of ‘tired’

It was the beginning of life as I know it. And I love it.

(And I have to comment on this photo walking towards the door: How did I open my own door in those days? Mother’s of twins and Irish twins can appreciate those kinds of minor details!)

For more baby love, check out this new favorite movie trailer of mine. Completely awesome.

{claire owen illustration}

Have you seen this flittering around internet land? I have, and it’s my motto as of late. Even with the holidays.

I have been off the internet little bit folks, like maybe you have with all that’s going on with the holidays!  I have to apologize for the lack of posts here, but we’ve been in a bit of a transition. All in a week, we sold our car, bought a mini-van, had our 9th anniversary (same day as Nie) and made an offer on a house. Oh, and not to mention Christmas and traveling and and the seasonal cold going around our house. Oh boy….that’s enough to want to end the year and start and new one! We are broke and exhausted…but very happy to be moving again and making new changes. We are grateful!

We are still in the last stages of finding out about getting into a house, but I can’t tell you how good it feels to be looking forward to that.  I don’t mention lots of personal things here on the blog, but we’ve been waiting to move into a permanent location for over a year now, and I’m really looking forward to settling in to a place we know we’ll be in for a while! Not to mention the chance to decorate and really make a house a home. The itch to nest has been getting me for so long now…and I am ready! But it also means that this may be the second christmas in a row where we are moving just around the holidays. Yuck. I will vow right now to never do that again! What was I thinking?

So, this all brings be back here, to say sorry for the lack of interesting things going on. Things will get interesting….and soon:)

Have fun making merry. We are very much in the christmas spirit. Listening to this and enjoying smells from this.

Enjoy these next few days! I am loving the moments of explaining to my kids how Santa gets down a chimney. It’s magic:)

Ella started eating rice cereal (which is comedy at it’s best) and on the box, I saw her twin. Little Baby Gerber. If I were a die-hard, I would have tried a bit harder to get Ella’s mouth to open a bit more. But this is basically why I can’t get enough of her cuteness. It’s too much sometimes…we all go a little nuts over her. This morning it was her coos, yesterday it was her cheeks, and the day before, it was her awesome thighs. The loving never ends. And truthfully, I am just glad we already have a portrait of Ella…completely free of artist fees:) Ya, Ya. It’s on a cardboard box, but we’re on a budget these days.