January Highlights

Going for a walk with his "tay-bear."

This year has gotten off to a pretty good start. Over the past month I had fun getting to see more of Liam's budding interests and talents. He is fast becoming a little boy, interacting more with the world around him physically and verbally. He continues to develop his vocabulary and communication skills with a speed that I find fascinating. In just the past month he's gone from the occasional sentence to full sentences most of the time, and I'm constantly amazed at his vocabulary. The speed at which kids soak up new information is sometimes jaw-dropping, and is fun to watch.

Experimenting with scribbling on his LeapPad.

This month Liam showed a lot more interest in scribbling with whatever he could get his hands on. From his LeapPad to crayons to sidewalk chalk, he loves to make his mark. He is currently especially taken with sidewalk chalk--I think it's because he has complete free reign and a huge canvas to make his own. We've also had some fun with puzzles, but he is more concerned with just seeing the picture than figuring out what piece fits where. Over the past few weeks we've worked on learning colors, shapes, and numbers. He has picked up a lot, but doesn't quite have it all down pat yet.

I've noticed since Christmas his imaginative play has gotten more sophisticated, which is fun to see. For example, Curious George just has to go on a walk with us, and he has to use the potty occasionally as well. George used to belong to Daddy, but Liam has claimed him for his own. He even told me the other day that he "yuves" (loves) George. Too cute. 

Thanks to the MLK holiday, we had the chance to take a family outing to the Kidspace Museum in Pasadena for the first time. I had heard good things about it, so we made the drive over to Pasadena to check it out. It is definitely a cool space for kids, with a ton of hands-on exhibits and sensory experiences, but I think Liam is still a bit young to get a lot out of them just yet. He still had a good time, of course. Anything to do with water is always a hit with him, and he had a fun time with Daddy riding around on the little tricycles they had out for the under 5 crowd. We will definitely make another trip to Kidspace later this year.

One of the water exhibits at Kidspace Museum.

Shooting water at snare drums at the "Water Symphony" exhibit.

Around mid-January we also began attending a local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group. Over the past five months Liam and I have done just fine, but I've known for awhile we need more social activities. I hope to make friends with some local moms, and I want Liam to have the chance to socialize with kids other than his cousins so he will be better prepared for preschool when the time comes. MOPS came highly recommended by my old college roomie Jenn (Thanks, Jenn!), and after the first of the year I finally got around to signing us up. I had looked into some other local moms groups, but none seemed quite right for us. I guess that was a good thing, because it turns out MOPS is a great fit for us. Liam gets to play and hang out with other kids his age, and I have already met some other nice moms in our group. Until I went to our first meeting, I didn't realize just how much of a positive experience hanging out with other moms who are in a similar place in life can make. There's no doubt these gatherings are time well spent.

New moms received roses at our first MOPS group meeting.

Jumping Through Hoops

Since November I have made it my business to be familiar with the museum education job market in L.A. and apply for any jobs that match my qualifications. I put this time into research and applications, not only because it is a requirement of unemployment, but because a) I want keep current with the job market and be fully aware of what is out there, b) gaining experience and practice at navigating online resources and writing cover letters are always good skills to hone and sharpen, and c) while I am enjoying the blessing of this time I am able to see my son and grow and change everyday, when that next great opportunity surfaces I want to be ready to snatch it up and run with it. (There is already a part-time gig I am pursuing that I hope to be able to say more about in the near future.)

Given my diligence, you can imagine the dismay and annoyance I felt when I received a (rather threatening) letter from the state telling me I had been "selected" to attend a four hour employment workshop. The selections are made through the system based on profiles that meet a specific criteria, so it is not intended to be personal, but it sure feels like it. So, like the good student that I am, I reviewed the materials, arranged for a babysitter, and showed up at the appointed time and place last Friday morning.

Kent Twitchell, “Six Los Angeles Artists,” 1979 --
Mural at the Employment Development Department, Torrance, CA

I have never had cause to enter an employment office (they prefer to call it a "career center") before, but I quickly figured out it's not a very cheerful place. First of all, the office staff are harried and impatient and are used to dealing with people who are rude, confused, frustrated, anxious, or all of the above, and they not very nice. Add to that atmosphere people summoned to a workshop like I was, and you have a lobby full of irritable people who feel like they are being called to the principal's office for no offense save being recently laid off by their employers. Sure, I wasn't thrilled to be there so early on a Friday morning for an extended session, but I had some coffee, a bottle of water, some snacks, and no one was constantly demanding anything from me. It was the first morning in over four months I was able to sip my coffee in peace. What mother of young children can't appreciate such a rare occurrence? 

Clearly, the other twenty-some people in the workshop with me were not looking for the silver lining in the situation. We were led in to a small, cramped conference room, and as people squeezed into chairs that were too close together, the body language was unmistakable. Most people sat with their arms folded, radiating annoyance that was compounded by the fact that the room allowed for little personal space. One woman planted her purse in the chair next to her as things got started, then refused--loudly--to remove it so an elderly woman who came in late could sit in it. This led to what must have been at least a five minute verbal scuffle, as the workshop leader tried to resolve the situation so she could get things going. She never moved her purse from the chair. It was shameful to see such behavior from a grown woman.

When the workshop at last kicked off, it was mostly of what I expected. That is, the tone was patronizing and the information was remedial. Listening to the workshop leader and watching the videos, you would think the session was designed as an orientation for a job-seeking Martian arriving on Earth for the first time. I did learn a few things, however. For instance, I learned I was selected because they target M.A.'s and Ph.D.'s because they consider highly educated people harder to employ (i.e. over-qualification). The irony of that fact is that the workshop information was so basic as to be useless for anyone with a graduate degree or doctorate. No one who has earned an advanced degree needs to be told how to write a resume or how to dress for and behave on an interview. The whole thing was clearly designed with those with little to no education, which is also a targeted demographic--and the larger one, I'm sure. During the online tutorial in the computer lab--if you can call four computers for twenty-five people a "lab"--the woman running the workshop implicitly acknowledged this point when she recruited me to help her facilitate the session ("Hey educator, go help that group"). I spent most of the computer lab time helping others learn how to navigate the CalJobs website and use the various search tools to find the types of jobs that suited their qualifications.

Even though the workshop was not helpful for someone like me, the experience did offer up a couple of memorable moments which you may find funny or sad, depending on how you look at them: 

Job services rep: "What was your job title?"

Me: "Museum educator."

Job services rep: "Pick another one. How about customer service representative?"

Fellow workshop attendee: "Oh, you work in museums?"

Me: "Yes."

Fellow workshop attendee: "Have you tried the Getty?"

Those two exchanges pretty much sum up the whole experience for me. It was definitely a long four hours. 

Good Reads

This past year was the first in a long time that I got in some quality time for myself by reading some good books. Most of this "reading" happened listening to audiobooks from Audible.com as I spent 2.5-3 hours commuting to Malibu from Redondo Beach everyday for work, and was my way of redeeming what otherwise might be considered lost time. I still do a lot of reading the old-fashioned way, of course, but even since September I find myself listening to audiobooks frequently while doing chores or taking walks with Liam around the neighborhood. So, what books made my 2012 reading list? Here they are, in no particular order:

11-22-63: A Novel (Stephen King)

I am no fan of Stephen King, but the time travel premise of this book combined with the historical angle of President Kennedy's assassination convinced me to give this book a try. I did not regret it.

A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows (George R. R. Martin)

In 2011 I started the Game of Thrones fantasy series, and this year I nearly made it through all of them--I have just one more left...

No Higher Honor (Condoleezza Rice)

This choice revealed the hardcore historian in me. Anyone who is not into history and politics would not enjoy this (very long) read, so if you're not a history lover and you don't want to sleep, I recommend leaving this one alone.

Drift (Rachel Maddow)

Again, more hardcore history and politics. Although Maddow is a far more engaging and entertaining writer than Rice, this is not a causal read for the uninitiated.

Big Leagues, Curveball (Jen Estes)

These two cozy mysteries about a young female sportswriter were on my list because the author is from my hometown. A little baseball mixed with malice domestic--fun, quick reads, even for a busy working mom.

Calculating God (Robert J. Sawyer)

Like 11-22-63 this book provided an intriguing combination of two subjects I am very interested in--space exploration and museums. The premise of the book is that an alien lands at the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada in order to consult with a paleontologist and learn about the history and development of life on earth. The twist? The alien civilization has studied the universe through science and has concluded that science points to a Creator--i.e. God. The story is told from the point of view of the ROM paleontologist who, as an earthly scientist, has studied science and reached the exact opposite conclusion. This book was one of the most enjoyable sci-fi reads I've had in a long time, and if you like sci-fi I highly recommend it.

The Bone Bed (Patricia Cornwell)

I've been reading Patricia Cornwell's books since I was a teenager, and as a long-time fan of the Kay Scarpetta series, I wouldn't miss out on a new release. The series is as strong as ever, and if you like forensic thrillers, you can't go wrong with Scarpetta.

Christmas 2012

Watching Christmas specials on Christmas Eve with Daddy.

All told Christmas 2012 was a fine holiday, and a fun and restful time was had by all. This was the first Christmas we truly played Santa Claus, waiting until Liam was dreaming of sugar plums before assembling his present in front of the tree. Santa brought him an awesome play kitchen this year, and let me tell you, his elves broke a sweat getting it together. The assembly required metal screws, but the plastic pieces of the kitchen had no holes drilled in them. Then there were all of the little sticker decals to stick in their proper places... Let's just say it was a relief when the kitchen was finally assembled just before midnight.

Santa brought Liam a play kitchen this year.

Liam is still a little young to really understand Christmas and all it encompasses, so he slept fitfully until 9 a.m. He never sleeps in, but of course he chose to do so on the one morning of the year mom and dad are looking forward to him waking up! When he did finally wake up and saw his new kitchen, it was love at first sight--he jumped in immediately and started "cooking." He also got a toy Dirt Devil vacuum because for a long time now one of his favorite pretend play activities has been to "ba-bong." That's Liam-speak for "vacuum." For months now, every toy he played with became a ba-bong, so we decided to get him an actual toy vacuum. He loved it, and once he fired it up, there was no stopping him all morning.

It was a fun day of presents, play, and eating, but we were all tired by evening and ready to call it a day. The only problem I'm left with is trying to figure out where to put the new play kitchen in our limited living space. I've already put old toys intended for younger ages in storage, but a little creativity will still be needed to organize those toys that remain in such a way not to clutter up the place and thus annoy me. With a November birthday followed by Christmas, Liam tends to get a huge influx of toys at the end of the year. Since we aren't done having kids, we aren't giving old toys away yet, so this annual toy juggling routine is here to stay for a few more years.

Liam "ba-bonged" for hours on Christmas Day.

Oh, and one last, encouraging note:  Christmas Eve brought an early Christmas present--Liam used his potty for the first time. Huzzah! He's since used it several times, but we still have a long journey ahead of us. For now he sees the potty as a kind of novelty thing he uses when he feels like it, not necessarily a way to leave diapers behind. So, he's not going to be wearing underoos any time soon, but we have taken a solid step in that direction. 

A bonus Christmas present for mommy--
Liam used his potty for the first time!

Illinois Photo Shoot

I was sadly disappointed in the portraits we had taken at the department store for Liam's two-year portraits this year, so when we visited Illinois in early December my sister and I held another impromptu photo shoot with Liam at my parents' house. As you can see from the results below, we got a handful of cute shots. Even though these photos were taken about a month after his birthday, these are the pictures I'll file as his two-year portraits. To see more snapshots from our session, click here.