Produce, produce, produce. Create, create, create.

Today was a hard day.  I had a sore throat and didn't slept well last night.  I wasn't at my mommy best.  I felt like I wasn't accomplishing anything, yet when I assessed all I had done by noon I realized it was quite a lot. 

What I did enjoy about today was watching and listening to my children make things.  Make things up, pretend, or actually work with their hands.

I read a book in college that was rather encouraging and the main idea was "Produce, produce, produce.  Create, create, create."  As in...Work!  Make things!  Don't think, DO!  Sometimes art (as life) is about the process, not the product.

What we learn as we go.

I enjoyed seeing Juliet hide out in a row of boxes from Sam's that Libby waited weeks to obtain.  All sorts of things have been pretended and made from them. 

Juliet likes to sit in them and fill them full of toddler graffiti.  She asked if I would color with her.  I did.  I drew her a triangle.  She asked me to draw Oregon.  Then Maine.  And Texas.  I found this difficult but asked her if they were right and she said yes.  (She has memorized the shapes of states from an app my kids play.)

I enjoyed Libby and Penelope's paper doll creations and My Little Pony coloring fest.

I enjoyed helping Juliet meticulously stack up all the tiny figures just to mess them up.

I enjoyed listening to the boys talk about video game achievements and later plan some sort of secret club.  (This actually didn't last long and ended in an argument, but hey, just keeping it real.)

I painted for 30 minutes, my daily commitment to a cabinet which we bought for $20 at a garage sale.  I know it has potential, and it has reached almost all of it (it began as dark brown) but the insides of the mail slots are driving me a little batty.

This is the very real part.

It is hard to hover over my life.  It is hard to get perspective.  All I can think about are the mountains of laundry I'm ignoring and the obligation to come up with something halfway healthy to eat three times a day.

I want to have a romanticised view of my life and write a blog about how we all went outside and sat on a red and white checkered blanket for lunch and gave each other butterfly kisses and had tickling contests.

That is how I know I will view this time in my life in the future when I'm done wiping noses and handing out band aids.  But now it's hard to see past dinner.

Produce, produce, produce.  Create, create, create. 

Sometimes as an artist you have to make three really bad paintings before you get the one that works.

Sometimes as a mom you have to have a bum day to understand how to have a better one.

I'm going to keep working.  I'm going to keep working on these little works of art.  I'm hoping that when I'm dead, they'll be worth a ton of money. 

Just kidding.  Sorta.