Memories and Motivation

I went to TheatreFest, a Theatre Teacher convention, with my theatre teacher friend Mindy this past weekend. It was great. I got to see a couple of old friends from college, made some new friends and made a lot of connections that might prove useful in the coming years.

More than that, I got to feed my inner-most self. The inner-most self of mine that gets buried almost all the time. It was really nice to be with a couple of thousand people just like me. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching art and I enjoy artists... but they are not theatre people.When I'm with artists, I feel like I'm never good enough, that I don't have enough training or talent or whatever I might be measuring myself against. But when I'm with theatre people, I don't worry about this.. I know that I've got what it takes to do it well, I'm just choosing to live in a different world. That's one of the things I appreciate about my friend Mindy so much. She lets me live in her world and drive her crazy with ideas without me having to deal with actors!!

One of the things I'm taking from this weekend is that I don't have to apologize that I love the world of technical theatre and set/costume/lighting design. I talked with a guest designer and looked at his work and thought, man.. I can do that.  And I can. I have the eye. I have the skills. I just don't have the time.   But I have the students!! And they can compete with theatre kids in contests and I believe do well.

So, I've decided that I'm going to look for outlets for me and my students to explore things I am passionate about. For example.... set design=perspective drawing. costume design= figure drawing and draping. speciality prop items=sculpture.

And why not? I know that most of my art students will not be interested in theatre stuff. However... what art/theatre kid wouldn't want to start with plastic gallon bottle and morph it into an incredible 3d mask... yeah, that's what I thought too. And yes, you all are welcome to come to my class. :)

To close tonight, in case any of you are wondering. No, I don't want to teach theatre again.. Really. I am super happy with my art gig. I was never as successful as I wanted to be as a theatre teacher because I needed someone who loved to direct (and that wasn't me). I would be an awesome tech person for our school, but given our constraints I am well aware that will never happen, so I am thrilled that I get to teach art and play with theatrical design contests on the side!  In fact, give me a few more days and I'll post the awesome work of my art kids on this years contest!! So no feeling sorry for this girl.. I am exactly where I am supposed to be!

Taking the long-term approach to decorating

We have been in our new house a month.

We still have boxes in the living room.

We still have 1/4 of our stuff at the old house!

 

This is NOT ME.

My norm is to have EVERYTHING unpacked and put away within 3 days.

My norm is to have curtains made and rooms decorated withing a week or so.

 

This new me is taking the long-term approach.

When you plan to live somewhere for the next 30 years or so, you can do that.

 

That being said, I have no finished room pictures.

I have lots of messy rooms that you really don't need to see!

 

So, instead, I am showing you some of my wants.

Some are in progress.

Others are wishes waiting for funds.

 

 

1. Curtains for the living room. Doug bought them the other day. Now they are sitting on the floor waiting to be hung. I need to get another set as I want to continue the theme into the kitchen. Actually

I'd like a floral or circle pattern in the exact same color palette. No, I don't think that will be a problem on my budget... :)

 

2. A new fixture for the living room. We are changing out all of the hardware in the house from a gold, antique style to brushed nickel.

3. A fireplace screen. I LOVE this one!! But it is expensive!!!! I can dream.

This next one is okay, more budget friendly!

 

 

4. Doug bought one of these the other day at Target. It is PERFECT for my scrapbooks and the spot we have for it!! Thankfully the area we are putting it has room for another just like it as I have way more scrapbooks than one of these babies can hold!!

 



 

5. And my final item to show you today is the wall art I want for above the couch. Yes, I am aware I could paint something like this in a couple of minutes, but sometimes you just want to buy and enjoy!!

And that's it for today. For more of my wishes and loves, you can find me on pinterest :)





Good Gravy

I have soo much going on right now. Lots to share, but nothing finished. :(

Maybe soon!!

My top 10 parenting tips

So my older sister blogged her parenting tips the other day and that got my youngest sister asking for my take on parenting.  Like I don't offer tips and advice enough as it is...!  But since she's pregnant and asking, I gotta!

Here goes.

1. Find out what works for you as parents and go with it. It doesn't matter who has named it, who endorses it, or even if everyone else hates it. If it works for you, use it.  This goes for bedtimes, teeth brushing, room cleaning... you name it. Just because people that seem to have it all together are doing something one way, if it doesn't help you, don't do it. It might not work for them, they might just be hiding it better.

2. Expect your kids to lie, cheat and steal. Pray that they get caught early in the game. As a teacher of a full generation of students now, I can tell you, that your kid is not perfect. Mine are not perfect. Kids will do whatever they think they can get away with. I highly endorse Love and Logic ( http://www.loveandlogic.com/ )  parenting. It gives boundaries and choices, but requires parents to be ACTIVE in their kids lives. I like that.

3. Continuing with the Love and Logic theme... give your kids choices so that they can learn to make good choices and feel like they are in control of their lives. Let's be honest, kids don't get to make decisions very often. They are told what to do, when to do it, how to do it and on and on.. so, find ways to get your kid involved and let him/her choose. You would be amazed at how quickly a toddler (or teen) will do what you want them to do if you give them options! If you don't give choices now, how will you expect your young adult to make good choices without you?

4. When your child doesn't do what you want them to do, figure out a punishment that works for your family and make sure that you are not punishing YOURSELF in the process!! I happen to love the timeout for the toy instead of timeout for the kid. For example, if the Barbies are not put away, the Barbies go away.. to time out for a few days. The punishment fits the crime and drama is held to a minimum. What I have found to be interesting is that for example, when the DS is placed in time-out, sometimes weeks will go by before it is remembered and asked for! I love that. I only meant for it to be gone for a couple of days, but there is so much active living that can be done instead that it gets forgotten until a slow day appears!

5. Make memories. My childhood memories are full of games played and things done. I only recall 2 typical family vacations from my childhood, but I remember all kinds of things we did... like playing "monster in the dark",  putting puzzles together, singing songs and helping my dad with his business. It doesn't take money to make a memory. It takes time. To be a good parent you invest time into your child. Nothing can take your place in your child's life.

6. Challenge your child. Doug and I expect a great deal from our kids and our kids are more than capable of this. In fact, outside of school hours, Maddie is taking Latin, clarinet and piano. We don't expect her to be the valedictorian...she could be if she wanted and we pushed, but we aren't. We aren't into pushing, we are into challenging. The difference is that when the parents push, the parents are the motivators and the ones actively working. When we challenge, we present an opportunity, provide the resources and let the child actively work (knowing that failure might be the end result.)

7. Be flexible, but have non-negotiables. Why??.. because if you don't, your children will wear you down and then they will win. More bluntly.. if you let your daughter have a boyfriend at 10, go on a date at 12 and prom at 15 why are you surprised to find out that she is having sex at 17?

8. Define yourself beyond being a parent. Understandably we all get caught up in parenting, but we have to remind ourselves that our worth is not tied to our raising kids. Yes, what we do with and for our children is vitally important, but we are all more than parents. We are individuals with hopes and dreams for ourselves. If we don't, then we are shells. Children need more than a carcass for parents so we need to make ourselves enough of a priority to have hopes and dreams and then work toward them.

9.Talk to your child everyday. Really, I mean LISTEN to your child everyday!! Find time to ask your child how his/her day was at school and then LISTEN to the answer. Ask a followup question. I would say don't multi-task during this time, but some of the very best, most important conversations happen while I am driving or making dinner. I think my girls know that they have my attention, but I can't look at them very often. The key here is that I am not on my phone!

10. Be civic-minded. Teach your children to make a difference in your community by helping in the community. Serve on volunteer boards, deliver meals-on-wheels, pick up trash... do something FOR your community. I am always amazed at how many people are quick to say that they serve in church and do mission work but they don't have time for a quarterly board meeting to help a local organization that makes a difference in the lives of people in their community.

And there you have it. Really, I have soooo much more to say, but I'll stop there.

Hall Bathroom Remodel

With a Sunday at home with sick kids and a Monday off, I knew that it was time to get one of my new house to-do list items checked off.

 

And so, Sunday I painted the hall bathroom. All day. It's amazing how long it takes to cover a few partial walls. One of the reasons it took so long was that the walls have a heavy texture that I had to really coat.

 

 

(side note: hey man, I gotta say... my legs look long and skinny. what? cool. Thanks Doug!! You are the new resident photographer! and yes, I am wearing my house shoes....)

 

On Monday morning, I took the doors out to th enclosed patio and painted them in very short, very cold bursts. The doors took 3 or 4 coats a piece to look decent and probably could have taken another to look really nice.

 

 

And here is the partially finished project. I still have to get the doors on the cabinets, make the curtain(currently its a sheet hanging on the rod..) and get some artwork. But I am thrilled with how bright and fresh the bathroom feels.

 

Now if I could just get the girls to keep it clean!