Projects

As Connor gets older and Liam becomes more independent, I've tried to get back into projects and activities I put aside when I got pregnant with Connor. One of those projects is digital scrapbooking. I used to scrapbook the old fashioned way, but there's no way I have the space--or the cash--to do that nowadays. So, I do the 21st century version and create a digital scrapbook online and order a hard copy when it's finished. 

This month I completed the kids' 2015 yearbook, but I have a lot of catching up to do--2013, 2014, and Connor's baby book. Not to mention I want to keep up with current projects like Liam's TK yearbook and the 2016 yearbook. Working on it as the year progresses is the way to go, of course, but that's easier said than done. It takes a lot of work to document precious memories, but it will be worth it...right?

I also have a stack of books I want to read, I'd like to continue adding to the online version of my Egypt journals, and pursue my personal genealogical research. And write--journal, fiction, poetry. And create art--draw and color and continue my sketchbook. There is so, so much I want to do--things I can do outside of parenting that feed my soul and sooth my mind and make me a better person and parent because of it. There just aren't enough hours in the day...

Coloring

Having fun playing at being a colorist with a new set of colored pencils. #art #arttherapy 

"Hapy" New Year

Happy New Year? More like Hapy new year, given the inundation of rain across the country and the expectation of way more to come with this year's monster El Niño gathering strength in the Pacific. 

What a different opening to the New Year compared to last year. Rather than a crazy time of packing and moving and cleaning and painting and general upheaval and change, we were able to enjoy a quiet holiday vacation. (Well, except for the noroviruses that seemed to continually plague us.)

As the new year opens, Liam is five and Connor is two, so things are still kind of crazy for me as a mom, but it gets a little better each month as Connor gets older. Meanwhile I'm still getting used to the way Liam now informs me he doesn't need my help now and then. He is also very bossy sometimes and reflects my own tone of voice back at me more than I care to hear. (Kids are a constant reminder of how one needs to self-improve. Constantly.) Connor isn't in preschool yet, but Liam is halfway through transitional kindergarten. (He turned five too late in the fall to make it into kindergarten.)

This year marks my third with Art Muse LA. The tours have been fun--everything from WW1 to Peruvian mummies. There's not much I can't research a prep a two hour lecture on for a tour. I also continue as the digital assets manager, an ideal role since I can do it remotely. And there's a new non-profit arts organization that's expressed interest in hiring me in a similar capacity. They are still getting themselves organized, but I hope it comes through. They quoted me a premium rate for my services. Here's hoping! In two or three years when Connor is older I'll have some more work flexibility, but until then I've found working for Art Muse LA to be an excellent chance to work and still be there for the boys day-to-day. Photography has also become an interest and something of a side job--from time to time I'm hired to take family pictures for friends and acquaintances.

Eric, of course, is always applying for jobs. In fact, he is interviewing today. Between his numerous job applications and involvement in an elite professional development program at the university, I hope 2016 is our sweet '16--the year we finally get our break and he gets a higher paying job. Some jobs he applies for are academic, but others are in the mix as well, such as the job with the academic senate he's interviewing for today. With his position as an academic counselor for transfer and first generation college students at UCLA, he's gotten experience that opens him up to other types of jobs, broadening the field of jobs he applies for. The job market is rough, to say the least, even outside of academia. I'd love it if he found something outside of LA, but that may be too much to ask right now.

Regarding my journal writing, I didn't manage as many entries as I'd like last year, but I did better than the previous two years. As Connor gets older and Liam grows more independent, I'm steadily growing back into habits and activities that fell by the wayside during those years of pregnancy and mothering an infant and toddler. With the 21st century wonder of Audible, I certainly read more books I have in years last year. The past couple of years I managed to read only one or two books, but last year I read twelve! My 2015 reading list was as follows:

2015 Reads

John Adams - David McCullough

1776 - David McCullough

Sex at Dawn - Christopher Ryan

The Martian - Andy Weir

The Ballad of Tom Dooley - Sharyn McCrumb

Outlander - Diana Galbadon

Depraved Heart - Patricia Cornwell

Dragonfly in Amber - Diana Gabaldon

The Halloween Tree - Ray Bradbury

Dust and Shadow - Lyndsay Faye

Star of the East - Tasha Alexander

Nora Bonesteel's Christmas Past - Sharyn McCrumb

Halloween 2015

Happy Halloween from Ironman and Captain America! Here are a few moments from this year's trick-or-treating adventure. 

Autumn Update

Since my last entry we plunged headlong into fall and the new school year. Liam has taken to Transitional Kindergarten well, although he thinks his preschool class was more fun and complains that the playground at his new school has no sand. His teacher says he is chatty, smiley, and fun to have in class. Connor and I walk to pick Liam up from school every day, which is about 2.5 miles round-trip. The hour of walking allows Connor to people watch and wave at planes and helicopters flying overhead and I get some exercise built into my day.

Liam's reading lessons continue, and he is doing very well. With a couple of family visits and the occasional afternoon off because we have something going on, we won't finish the lesson book as soon as I anticipated. However, my goal is quality, not speed, and there we are right on track. Liam is doing excellent work, even if it is still an uphill battle to get him to sit still. (A lesson that is supposed to take 15-20 minutes typically takes 30-45.)

The Getty Center, where I often give tours.

I continue my work as digital assets manager and lecturer for Art Muse LA. Right now I give one or two tours a month, but business is relatively brisk right now and sometimes I have the opportunity to do more. I can't always get away, but when I do it's nice to feel like an adult and not a mommy for a few hours. 

Connor has handled Liam's daily school departure well and can't wait until he's the big boy heading off to school. Even though Liam is only gone for a half-day, they miss each other. Every day when Liam runs out of the school gate at dismissal, he runs straight for Connor and gives him a hug and asks, "Did you miss me, Connor?" If Connor is on his feet he does the same thing and runs to meet him. 

For the most part the fall season has been about school and reading lessons, but we have had some fun as well. The boys and I went up into the mountains near Yucaipa and did some apple picking. We also visited a mummies exhibition at the Natural History Museum and had fun at the Western Night Carnival at Liam's elementary school. 

All that, and we still managed to have a short but sweet--and chaotic--visit from my sister and her two boys. Having four boys under five under the same roof for a few days was exhausting, but we loved every bit of it. 

As October begins to wrap up, I'm looking forward to an end to the SoCal heat wave. I'm ready for cozy sweaters and hot cider and November weather!

So Long, Summertime

Wow--my last entry was June. Again, not surprising I suppose. Despite the best of intentions I am still a mother of two boys under 5, and that means I don't often have a chance to sit down for the quiet reflection of journaling. It has been a fun summer, and some of the last days I'll have weekday freedom to take the boys on outings to West LA or downtown. Beginning later this month I'll be tied to Redondo in order to make Liam's pick-up and drop-off times to and from Transitional Kindergarten. 

While that may be the case, we've made the most of our time this summer. With pool parties and lots of visits to museums, the LA Zoo, and Knott's Berry Farm, it's been a summer full of family fun. 

Liam and I also started working through reading lessons. What a struggle that has been! The material challenges him, but I've worked with him enough to know it is not beyond him. His squirminess, defiance, and goofy behavior are honed to push my buttons and--he hopes--convince me to just give it up. My son is stubborn, but where does he think he gets it from? Lessons continue, and we've had victories along the way. The last story he read for his lesson he legitimately read. He is learning reading skills and the time we've invested is going to help him in the classroom. And, by the time we finish Lesson 100 sometime this fall, he will be reading at a second grade level. 

 

It's been a fun and productive summer, but I welcome the coming routine of the school year. Liam is ready for it and will benefit from it. It's time he had another big boy upgrade. Of course it will be bittersweet for me--especially the early mornings--but it's exciting too. Liam's world is going to expand a little bit more this school year, and he's going to begin to find out more about his world. 

Power and Pathos

A week ago I finally had the opportunity to see the new Getty Museum exhibition Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World. I was eager to see the exhibition in part because I was assigned to write a blog post for Art Muse LA on it, but also because Hellenistic bronzes are some of the most expressive and interesting works of art surviving from the ancient world. So I packed up the boys for the hour-long drive to the Getty Center, loaded them up in their double stroller, and trekked up the hill to see this once-in-a-lifetime gathering of Hellenistic bronzes. The boys were amazingly well behaved for most of my time in the galleries, allowing me to jot notes for my article in a palm-sized notebook, but by the last gallery I was juggling Connor on one hip and trying to take some final notes. A trip to the Getty Center is always worthwhile and it was a gorgeous day. Once my business with the bronzes was concluded, I took the boys out to the gardens where they walked around, finding snails and in general being little boys.

In a way, the field trip to the museum and taking notes on the exhibition was the easy part. The hard part was synthesizing all of the information in my head and that I had collected into a coherent, written form for my Art Muse LA article--all while a toddler whined and/or hung on me as I typed and someone was constantly yelling, "Mooommmyyyy!" Let's just say it was a challenge. Despite the typical motherhood obstacles--or perhaps because of them--I am particularly proud and pleased with the resulting article. You can read it here.

Preschool Graduation

Yesterday was Liam's preschool "graduation" from Ms. Gina's preschool class. It was a fun, beautiful beach day at Seaside Lagoon in Redondo Beach. His teachers, Ms. Gina and Ms. Jessica, organized a beach-side graduation ceremony complete with a sound system for (mostly Disney) music, BBQ fixings, drinks, and desserts. Liam and Connor loved their play time at the beach. I admit I was surprised at how emotional, sad, and bittersweet I began to feel as the afternoon progressed. It started with Ms. Gina's speech, when she said, "Most of these kids I will never see again after today. They will forever be young in my heart." KILLED me. Of course she was choking up as she said it, and as a mother I completely understand what she felt. And it made me realize that not only will Liam be going into a very different learning environment with Transitional Kindergarten, but there will never be another time when I can drop him off at school and know he will be treated with such loving care. I feel grateful he had that experience and saddened by the thought that he will be less sheltered and less protected as he moves on in school.  Ms. Gina's class was the first time I left Liam in the care of someone other than family, and I did so every day feeling completely confident in Ms. Gina and Ms. Jessica's care. I'm sad for both of us for what we are losing. But, as it is so often in life, it's time to let go. Again. 

Favorite 10 Books of All Time

The Mummy Case (Elizabeth Peters)

Really, anything every written by EP--her books, which feature all sorts of topics, were a gateway to my learning all sorts of things on all sorts of obscure topics. This book, however, is special. If I'd never picked up "The Mummy Case," I'd never have caught the Egyptology bug and everything would have turned out very differently for for me. Very, very different.

Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)

Really, the whole series. Who doesn't love Anne Shirley?

Trojan Gold (Elizabeth Peters)

I brought this book to a high school basketball camp one summer at Eastern Illinois University. A lot of my teammates were the popular kids and I wasn't and a couple of them weren't very nice to me. This book was my escape at the end of each day.

The Last Camel Died at Noon (Elizabeth Peters)

My favorite book from my all-time favorite series.

The Lord of the Rings series (J.R.R. Tolkien)

Duh.

Harry Potter series (J.K. Rowling)

Sacrificial love defeats ultimate evil--an all time favorite series for sure.

A String in the Harp (Nancy Bond)

I read this book as a kid and never forgot it. Time-travel is a theme I find endlessly fascinating. (Really, the history geek likes time travel stories? Shocker, I know.) This was the first time-travel story I read.

Ramona the Brave (Beverly Cleary)

As an elementary school kid, I could definitely relate to this book.

Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing (Judy Blume)

Ditto.

The Moonstone (Wilkie Collins)

A wonderful adventure novel and the book that introduced me to Victorian literature.

The Promise of Change

A new year opens with the promise of many changes to come in the months ahead. Connor is mobile, unceasingly active, curious, and a sweet little soul. By the end of the year, he'll pretty much be unstoppable. Liam started a two-day-a-week preschool class last fall, and this summer will see him graduate from preschool and begin a Transitional Kindergarten program in August. He adjusted well to preschool and feels quite at home there now. It probably helps that I volunteer in the classroom roughly every other week, but his teachers are great and tell me he does just fine when I'm not there. I hope this experience prepares him for the upcoming classroom experiences of TK. Even if the transition to a school classroom turns out to be rocky, his preschool experience thus far demonstrates he adjusts well to change. This is good, because there will be a lot of changes this year. By the time we say goodbye to 2015 it will be a whole new world.

Life with Two

This is how I found Connor yesterday morning. You can't see it, but of course he's laying in a big ol' fresh and warm pee pee wet spot. :-/ Very nearly six months in, and it's easy to see from my sparse entries how much crazier life is with two rather than one. In many ways so much has changed since I had Connor. Of course, adding a new member to the family is a huge change in and of itself, but it has precipitated other changes as well.

With two kids it feels like we are more of a family rather than just two adults and a baby. And it is fun to watch Liam and Connor bond as brothers. It will be good for Liam to have a sibling for a playmate and for Connor to have a big brother. It should have been obvious, but I realize now that it's impossible to raise one child the same as the one (or ones) that came before, because the family each subsequent child enters is fundamentally different than it was before as soon as the new baby arrives. There is no way Connor's baby experience will be the same as Liam's. And that's okay.

Sisters' Endeavour

California Science Center, Los Angeles

We got tired of trying to get the kids to look at the camera, so we decided to take a picture of two people who know how to stand still and smile for a picture.

Potty Training: Day 13

VICTORY. Liam was pretty much trained for peeing in the potty after 3 days. Poo was another story. After nearly two weeks of cleaning poo out of underwear, he finally poo'd in the potty today! It was the result of blatant bribery, but apparently that's how it's done.

So, just to be clear, this isn't the kind of happy occasion where you post a pic on Facebook, right? Because I'm about ready to break into song. The end of two kids in diapers is nigh! I'm so proud of Liam. Naturally I know no one wants to see my kid's poo on Facebook, but on the other hand it would probably be a great way to clean up my friends list--get rid of the squeamish ones and all...

On days like this being a mom is GOOD. I love days when I don't feel I've fallen short or failed my kids in some way. I love these days when I feel like I did it right.

LAFD Museum and Memorial

Sitting here with a glass of wine, reflecting on what turned out to be a great day. We took Liam to the Los Angeles Fire Department Museum and Memorial in Hollywood. I thought he would enjoy it given how
much he likes fire engines right now. He certainly had a good time, and Eric and I enjoyed taking him
to the museum. The museum was neat too, of course, but nothing beats the enjoyment a parent can get from watching their child light up and have fun. Loved it! Connor slept through the whole thing. Compared to Liam as a baby, Connor is more of a sleepy baby. Can't complain about that! I'm a lucky mama to have such wonderful, sweet boys.

Today was also a red-letter day on the potty training front. I encouraged Liam to sit on the potty first thing this morning since his diaper was dry when he woke up. He sat down, but eventually got up because he "couldn't make his pee pee come out." A few minutes later--even though he had a diaper
on and could have used it--he came to me and said he had to go potty. Sure enough, he sat down and
darn near filled his little potty! He wore a pull-up on our outing, but he was dry when we got home and
peed in the potty twice more. I am a proud mama! He was rewarded for his efforts with an Optimus
Prime Rescue Bot and the promise of more to come if he keeps it up. He did have two poo accidents today, but because it's common knowledge you have to train for #1 and then again for #2, I'm not counting those against him. Thankfully they were not messy accidents, so cleanup was as easy as I could hope for. Here's hoping we are well on our way to having a fully potty trained 3 year old!

Potty Training: Day One

Two pee-pee accidents so far--one in the morning and one just now (2:30p). Neither of them have been big accidents, but he's gotta be carrying around a bladder full of urine--not to mention #2... Thus far he hasn't gone once in the potty, despite the fact that I'm making him sit on it every 20 minutes or so for at least 10 minutes. Rapidly beginning to see why so many moms say they *hate* potty training!

2:45: Accident #3 (#1)

3:37: Accident #4 (#1)

4:48: Accident #5 (#1) - Gusher! Anticipating he must be full to bursting with pee, I put rubber underwear
in over his regular underwear. Thank goodness I did. It spared my carpet the worst of it. I took him straight to the bath tub, cleaned him up a bit (SO much pee!), then just gave him a bath. I put a diaper on him after the bath. I think we'd both had enough of practicing using the potty for the day! This is gonna be intense.

First Movie

We took Liam to see his first movie today. We saw Frozen with his cousins at the AMC Del Amo. I think Liam was most excited about eating popcorn but, all things considered, he did well--we didn't have to take him out of the movie even once. Connor was another story. We had to bring him because there was no one available to watch him. He slept through most of the movie, but about an hour in he got hungry and I had to leave to go feed him in the lobby. I came back, but I just watched the movie from the hallway rather than go back to my seat because I was afraid he might cry again. Now that we know Liam can sit through a movie, I wonder if Eric will want to take him often since he himself loves the movies (as do I).

I should probably spend more time and energy appreciating life's blessings than worrying about its struggles.

Wish List - 2014 Edition

It seems I write an entry like this nearly every year. I wouldn't say I have New Year's resolutions--just a wish list of goals for the year. Some will be more fully realized than others, but the important thing to me is to at least reflect and think about ways to improve. So here's my wish list of goals, in no particular order:

GET HEALTHY -- After spending the most part of the last year pregnant, I'm looking forward to losing some of the pregnancy weight and shaping up a bit. I don't have the time or the resources to turn my pregnancy-ravaged body into a Hollywood standard, but I CAN get moving with the kids and get exercise
that way. Before I was pregnant I did a pretty good job of getting out for walks and trips to the park with Liam, and I'd like to get back into that habit. Alongside this goal is my desire to have healthier food around the house.

GET ORGANIZED -- I want to do more activities with the kids--both physical and educational. Reading and writing for Liam, trips to the park and other outings to museums, etc. for my part I'd like to read more and write more--at least write more in my journal, if nothing else. (As this blog attests, I am at best only an occasional blogger...)

GET TOGETHER -- Both Eric and I are happy with the family aspect of our life together, but I think we'd both agree it could be benefit from some time spent working on "us."

Year in Review

Another year has passed and this New Year's Eve has me looking back on all that's happened in 2013. By far the most significant event of the year was the birth of my second son, Connor Gregory Wells, on November 24th. He is a sweet baby and my greatest blessing this year. As happy as I am to be able to snuggle and hold my newborn son, I am not at all sorry to no longer be pregnant. I've not had a horrible or high-risk pregnancy either time, but I am not a fan of pregnancy. My first trimester was no fun thanks to a three-month bout with bronchitis, tonsillitis, and a double ear infection--not to mention morning sickness. Once I finally got past all of that sickness the pregnancy went well, I was just much bigger and more uncomfortable this time around. Eric still says he wants to have three kids, but I think I'm done. We have two beautiful boys and our hands are full as it is!

Although I was supposed to have a scheduled c-section this time, Connor had other plans. Three days before I was scheduled for surgery I began having contractions shortly before midnight. By one a.m. they started becoming regular and less than ten minutes apart. After an hour of regular contractions I told Eric to stay with Liam and had Mom take me to Torrance Memorial hospital. The contractions were strong and coming more quickly by the time we got there, so walking was slow going. Once I arrived at Maternity I had to fill out paperwork--just what you want to do when you're in labor. The nurses weren't in a hurry, and I thought there was time, but by the time I was in a hospital gown and hooked up to a monitor my contractions
were not just coming rapidly, they were peaking on the monitor. I was in full-on labor and experiencing a
kind of pain I had never felt before in my life. The doctor on call gave the order to get me prepped for surgery, and suddenly in the midst of those painful contractions I had people asking me questions, drawing blood, starting an. I.V., shaving me, and so on. All I wanted for the anesthesiologist to show up and give me an epidural, but I was told that it had to wait until I was in the O.R.

As they were about to wheel me out of the labor room my water broke, but I was in too much pain to say anything. By that point Mom had called Eric and told him to get to the hospital. I didn't see him until I was on the operating table, prepped for surgery. I was glad it worked out so that I was out if pain by the time he saw me. I'm not sure he would have handled it well when I was in so much pain. There wouldn't have been anything he could have done to help me. Being in that much pain there was nothing get could have comforted me but drugs--lots of drugs. The surgery went well and before I knew it my baby was born and crying--a wonderful sound to hear. When Liam was born the nurses gave him to Eric first, but this time I got to be the first one to hold Connor. The nurses laid him on my chest and I felt the weight of his soft, warm little body for the first time. While the pregnancy was not particularly enjoyable for me, starting with Connor's birth I began to revel in and truly enjoy the experience. The first time around I was so nervous, anxious, and stressed at the new and awesome responsibility of motherhood that I didn't get to enjoy those initial moments and days with Liam as I did with Connor. Because I was more relaxed I feel like I bonded much more quickly with Connor. Right away I couldn't get enough of holding him and felt that strong mother-child attachment much sooner. Now that we've been home for awhile, I also find I'm not passing up many opportunities to just sit and hold him and enjoy this newborn phase more than I did last time. Realizing how sweet this time can be is enough to make me wish it weren't my last baby, but reality brings me back to earth. Kids are expensive!

Aside from the huge event of becoming a mother of two in 2013, the other significant development was my involvement in a new company called Art Muse Los Angeles (ALMA). ALMA's director is Clare Kunny, a museum professional who used to be one of the Education managers at the Getty--until the layoffs of April 2012 happened. She launched ALMA in February 2013. I had the distinction of giving the inaugural tour at the Villa. Not long after, she recruited me to do ALMA's social media and blog. Before I knew it I was one of the company's regular staff members. The company is still very young and thus is not hugely profitable yet, but I hope it takes off as time goes on. If it does, I may be able to have the best of both worlds and maintain professional connections and generate a modest income while still being home with the boys full-time. The social media aspect of the job is no problem--I can do that from home and mostly on my mobile device. It's giving tours or teaching gallery courses that is a challenge because it requires finding free child care. My goal is just to do one ALMA event per month, so hopefully we can work that out. Here's hoping that 2014 brings more opportunities!

A Light Has Gone Off

"A light has gone off in the world today, but the West is blessed by a new presence: Barbara Mertz/Elizabeth Peters, a Shining One Thou risest, thou shinest with thy rays, and thou hast made mankind to rejoice for millions of years according to thy will, ankh wedja seneb."

--Salima Ikram, on the death of Barbara Mertz

August 8, 2013