Guess the preschooler's art project

I have been thrilled the last three days when Leif has come home with art projects! This has been a rarity since he left the two year old room whereby he would bring home big pieces of paper with paint stripes in the color of the day. While I loved his art, I looked forward to seeing some creativity... some of himself in his art... something other than big swooshes of color.

Then a year of nearly nothing.

This isn't uncommon I was told as the kids get to pick what they do and since holding a pencil is difficult, they don't often choose art as much. Particularly the boys.

On Monday a mask came home. AB and I had mini giggle fits over it all night regarding the gigantic brown beard the mask sported. Leif was obviously modeling the mask after someone near and dear.

Yesterday I got a red construction paper crown and bracelet. My 16 year old self would have balked at driving down the highway wearing a red construction paper crown. At 36 years old I was proud, hoping somewhat to see someone I knew on the drive so I could show off my head ware.

Today was a mysterious object.

I pondered these strips of paper stuck together with tape.

It was small, see the pen there.

An inverted tree?

A brown star?

Thankfully Leif isn't to that point yet of being offended that I don't guess exactly what it is.

He told me immediately it was for me.

"Oh thanks!" I said, "what is it honey?"

"Silly mommy," he said, "it's your new swimsuit!"

Daddy was impressed.

He told me I don't often have to pick which body part a suit is going to cover...

If only I had the time...

One aspect of being a SAHM that I seriously covet is having the ability and time to devote to one's creative side. I don't kid myself into thinking that SAHMs have a whole lot more extra time on their hands than I do... but they are usually more often in an environment that allows for creativity, even if it is in little spurts. Me? When I am at work, I am working far away from my sewing machine.

What really has impressed me in the recent years is seeing creative moms out there, some that I know, take their art to the next level and are not only CEOs of their homes, but CEOs for their own small businesses. And very often... doing the things they love.

Many of the women I know who made the decision to stay home, didn't envision starting their own small businesses - or at least I don't remember this as their goals. Many just happened into it with their niche and have found an audience in the internet. And then there are the ones who just flat out amaze me... the moms who actually have a day job, even a part time day job, and still find time to run a business on the side.

My niche... if I had time would be sewing cute kids clothes. I would buy the cutest fabric and sew adorable clothing and sell it online for a small fortune. My time, after all, is immensely valuable. Something kind of like what my online friend's daughter did here... I covet the clothes she makes, though our dual income still isn't in that bracket that affords me to do my shopping there. I just window shop.

My mom (my partner in sewing crime) is coming out in a few weeks and I have presented her with a challenge. To help me make Skadi the cutest Summer outfit *ever* out of this adorable lemon fabric I bought last summer (and intended on making the cutest outfit ever out of). See I needed her... she is a great seamstress, having made most of my sister's and my clothes from kindergarten through about 3rd grade. But I needed her to do the dirty job of going to the fabric store and picking out a pattern.

Thus insuring I don't drain our savings buying cute patterns and fabric for things I will never sew.

Another small business owner I am jealous of is my sister-in-law. This is my sister-in-laws business in Colorado. Photography... oh yes, I could be a photographer too. Oh wait, no I probably couldn't since my photos never turn out as cute as Angie's. I get one in 50 on a good day. And one in 50 doesn't make a successful photo shoot. But Angie rocks. (My nieces and nephews are in there... aren't they cute? She IS photographing my kids next time we are in Colorado.)

Then there is my friend Kacey. Kacey is married to AB's best friend, JB. Kacey is amazingly talented with her jewelry making as can be seen on her website, Subsixstudios. I just bought some earrings from there and I love them. Not only with jewelry, but I think Kacey has a great style and I am looking forward to her Oddments additions. Oh and she sells Barefoot Books too! On top of working part time, making jewelry, selling books and raising two boys, she is one busy girl!

And related to my addiction with shoes and clothes for my daughter... well she has to have bows for her hair! Enter AK... who fulfills all my needs to have cute bows for my daughter's hair.



I looked at the Children's Place website today and noted that they had bobbledy hair clips too, for $2 a pair. But you know what? I would rather buy handmade and support a mom in her craft. So my daughter sports Hip Clips... when she doesn't yank them out of her hair and stuff them in her mouth...

Yes, I do have my blogging... both here and with the newspaper. And I love that gig. (And once I get the mess of domain hosting and my site designed how I want, I will take that to the next level and maybe be the next Pioneer Woman... ha ha ha.)

So in between my dreams of being a writer / seamstress / landscape architect / chef / photographer / counted cross stitcher, I will toil away in my office being a scientist. My childhood dream. Not many people are lucky enough to get to say they are doing what they dreamed they would do as a kid. Of course it is just a touch different then I dreamt it would be as a kid (Curious George's Professor Wiseman meets Jamie and Adam from Mythbusters).

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A really cool career!

If I just had a little free time... oh yeah, I am going to fill the upcoming half hour of free time with the gym in a couple months. A little more free time beyond that... which would I choose?

AB keeps telling me we just have to win the lottery... which in order to win, I suppose we would have to play.

My only regret in life is going to be not had enough time to try everything I want to do.

My biggest fan

For those of you who don't know, I thought I was an artist for awhile. I even went so far as to declare "art" my second major. Then I transferred schools and gave it up figuring I wanted to make some real money and could do art as a hobby anytime.

"Anytime". That would be anytime I actually HAVE the time for art.

Yesterday late afternoon I was working on the closet in Leif's room and I pulled out my portfolios. I asked Leif if he wanted to look at my drawings.

"No," he told me matter of factly.

I left the portfolios sitting there and he came around. "I want to see what is in there," he told me.

I pulled out the first one, a bird I did. It was always one of my favorites. Of course Leif's response was, "ooooh a pigeon!!"

My drawings are a little bit better than Mo's pigeon... but we got a good laugh out of that being where Leif went first. I pulled out the least whacked out pictures of the bunch to show Leif, he picked one out of there.

A panther on a piece of posterboard done in three media. Ink, airbrush and oil pastels. I had always liked him.

Leif decided he wanted it. He carried it into his room while I bit my lip trying to curtail it from certain anhilation at the hands of a three year old.

Funny when I did it in high school I never envisioned a three year old manhandling it.

He decided he wanted it hung on his wall next to his lion chair, and down low. Not high like I hung his carved fish that Bompa made him for hanging his pictures up.

I did happen to find an old framed poster and AB has promised to try and figure out how to get the poster out of said frame so we can put the panther in and maybe somewhat protect the "art" after 20 years of residing in a portfolio.