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 had the honor of being the December 2010 Guest designer for October Afternoon. This is one of the layouts I made for them.
Journaling Reads:
I know it must be so tempting to see so many things lying around that don’t belong to you. David’s clothes, toys, and workbooks. My clothes and my phone and computers, gadgets all look so appealing, especially singe you see me use them so often. So as much as I can, I try to indulge you. I let you play with the headphones and socks, etc. But I draw the line at markers and computers. Just not yet my son. Soon.
Details:
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
David says:
I had no idea what this book was about and when we first started reading it, I thought it might be boring. I almost stopped but we didn’t. And I am so glad because it turned out to be delightful.
I gave this story five stars because I like that in the end he built another balloon so he could travel for one year.
I like that the island has so many diamonds and that all the families were rich. I liked that the F family volunteered to help Mr. Sherman. I liked the balloon merry-go-round and I also liked that the second Globe had a seagull catcher. I really liked the platform because it could go up very quickly. I also liked the bed with the crank.
I think it’s funny that all their names are one letter of the alphabet and that each of the houses were also restaurants. I wouldn’t like living on that island though because I wouldn’t want to be there when the Volcano erupted. But I did like that the kids get to make inventions. I like that Mr. Sherman didn’t have to work, he was a guest on the island. And I thought the part where he takes off all his clothes (except his right shoe) when he’s crashing, was funny.
Reading a book a week with my six-year-old son David is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
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
jake
I think this was a good week for Jake. Not too stressful and somewhat productive. The best part was that he didn’t go to work early any morning this week which also meant he could take David to the bus every morning. Which made my day go so much more smoothly. I am excited to have Jake’s new schedule and life. He’s so much more relaxed and happy and around which is making all of us so happy.
karen
I can’t really say this was a great week, but mostly due to a lot of pain in my back. I’ve somehow managed to injure it again and I can’t get the pain to go away. Despite the frustration and the low mood, it was a productive week at work. I did two dev channel pushes and I think we’re almost ready for next week. I just need to sit down and figure out what’s bugging me so I can make sure things are more positive for next week.
david
David is doing well. He seems to have made good friends with Julian and plays different games with him each day at school. He comes home happy and then reads his book with me and writes in his journal and does his workbooks. He eats his veggies and does most of this without too much complaining. He then spends a bunch of time on the iPhone playing different games. He’s such a sweet, good kid and I feel so lucky.
nathaniel
Nathaniel is learning more and more each week and this one was no exception. He now says done and me almost all the time. He watches all of us very closely and can understand pretty much anything. He also gets super excited when Daddy comes home and screams “daddy daddy daddy” in rapid fire and runs to give him a hug. It brings tears to my eyes each time. I really really love watching him play, laugh, eat, and live his life. He’s also learned to make kissing noises and makes them to me and to his stuffed animals occasionally. My little boy is soon going to grow up and I am trying hard to enjoy every single moment with him.
Us Right Now is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
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
Well I didn’t lose that much weight this week but I was delighted to find that all the weight loss from the last two weeks actually stayed off. That’s quite a miracle if you ask me. I am truly happy about that.
Exercise is going strong. It’s been exceptionally hard in the last few days because I seem to have a lot of pain though I am not sure why. I feel like I am black and blue all over and my back. I must say making it to 2.9 miles doesn’t feel as hard as it used to but I could certainly do without being so achy all over. I am hoping it’s temporary and not a sign of upcoming illness. I really prefer not to get sick, please.
The food is still going well as well. I am paying more attention to not sneak as much and eating more fruits and veggies. No more spoonfuls of peanut butter for me. So things are looking up in general and I am thankful and still working hard. I must admit that I still never ever feel like doing this. I just do it because I know it’s important to me. The shirt above is a February reward. It’s actually a shirt and jacket but the jacket is not on their site yet. One of these days I will take photos of myself wearing them. I’m just too lazy to do it.
and here’s this week’s card:
Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
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)
Several people have asked what I thought about the Soul Restoration class and instead of writing the same stuff again and again, I thought I’d post it here. Remember that these are just my personal thoughts.
I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure I needed to take this class. For the first time in many many years, I feel like my soul is in better shape than it’s ever been, so I wasn’t sure what it would do for me. I mean, I knew I could always use more work but I didn’t feel like I needed it. Not like sketching and painting and drawing, all of which were calling to me with more urgency. But I’ve been reading Melody’s blog for a long time and the way she writes really speaks to me strongly. It moves me and makes me feel empowered and inspired so I knew I was going to miss out if I didn’t try. Since I have little kids, getting away to go to Brave Girl Camp wasn’t an option for me. So when this opportunity presented itself, I had to take the plunge. I was taking 4 other classes at the same time and this was the one I thought I was least likely to learn “new things” in.
I could not have been more wrong.
I would have to say this is easily one of the best classes I have ever taken. Ever. One of the ones I learned the most in and grew the most in. I am the kind of person who pays attention. I would say I am aware. I listen to myself. I watch and observe and try to learn and grow. And, still, I learned so very much about myself in this class, it’s almost impossible to explain how much. I had revelation after revelation.
Here are some basic details about the class: It’s 6 weeks long (though we had a bonus 7th week) and each week is several videos. Each video is 5-15 minutes but there might be 4 to 8 for each lesson. There are downloadables too but you really need to be able to watch the videos, the content is in the videos. So you need reliable and good internet access. Then, each week, there are projects. You can make them as artsy as you want or not at all. There also are journaling prompts each week. Around 15 or so each week. You are strongly encouraged to journal the ones that speak to you. You are also encouraged to make something called truth cards. (I have only made one of these so far but it’s in my list for April or May and I will definitely make them because I know it will be very very powerful.) There are many many many technique videos, too. On art, journaling, etc. There’s also a community where you can share, listen, support, ask questions, etc. That’s the basics.
I will admit that I didn’t participate a lot in the community. I had limited time and decided early on it would be easy to sink it all into the community and not do any of the work but I wanted to do the work, so I chose that. Other than that, though, I did everything. I watched the videos when they went up (I excitedly awaited each one to be honest.) I did a lot of journaling. I did all the art. I used one journal to do everything in and here’s what it looks like now.
I think the single biggest thing that helped me was the journaling. The art was powerful, too but not as much as the journaling. The journaling made me keep it real. Dig deep. Art was also like that. Just not as deep. But maybe that was because I did the journaling first each time.
Here are all my posts about the class so you can see how much I grew and learned each week:
Week 1 – Soul House
Week 1 – TruthTeller (It looks like I never posted this one. The art is below.
Week 2 – My Timeline
Week 3 – The Two Karens
Week 4 – She Did it Anyway
Week 5 – The Good and the Bad
Week 6 – Where the Peace Is
Week 6 – Promises
Week 6 – No More and Focus On
Week 7 – Daily Soulwork
Here’s the Truthteller page:
I should have written about that one for a long while, too. Apologies.
What made this class great was that if you actually sit and did the work, it was impossible not to learn and grow. It’s genuine, it works. I will admit that I don’t have anything truly horrible that is going on or went on in my life. I cannot speak for how hard it is to handle all this inward looking if you have. If you need real help, you should be seeking it with a professional of course. But if, like me, you like to be inward looking, more aware, and want to free your soul, this is the class for you. You have to commit to doing the work, though. Really really doing it.
I genuinely, deeply, truly recommend it. And I am so thankful that Melody and Kathy decided to finally do it online. I knew it would be truly transformative and, for me, it really was.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments, I will be detailed and truthful in my responses as long as you promise to remember these are just my personal opinions and your experience, of course, might end up being different.
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
Catalyst One Hundred and Twenty-Nine is: Describe a family keepsake you have or hope to have?
Journaling Reads:
I am not one of those people who collects things to leave to my kids. I have the scrap albums which they may or may not want one day. The only thing I hope they will cherish and want to keep are the gratitude journals we’re keeping. I already cherish them deeply. Even keeping the practice of gratitude will be enough for me. I am so thankful we have these to look back upon.
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projects for twenty twenty-five
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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