Every now and Zen

Drawing of a little zen garden I picked up at CVS for ten bucks. I thought it would look cool on my desk and maybe help me relax a little.

Sometimes I can’t seem to turn my brain off. I’m always thinking about the next thing to be done. My mother blames it on “Houseitosis”, more commonly known as “Cabin Fever”

My Irish Grandmother always said have a cup of tea you'll feel better. Some days I 'm not sure if there was enough tea dumped in Boston harbor for this.

Stay at home moms to be the new ladder climbers

This is really good news to me. I have been worried that I'll get that degree with no where to use it, since I've been at home for almost five years now.

clipped from wbztv.com What do Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Geraldine Ferraro and actress Teri Hatcher have in common? All of them were full-time stay-at-home mothers who re-launched their careers. A local author says a lot of women are following their lead. Here is the really interesting change. Companies and law firms and other industries have realized that there is a looming crisis -- a worker shortage as the baby boomers age and leave the workforce. So they need women who've stayed at home for whatever reason to return to work. Some have started recruiting stay-at-home moms! So, it isn't about companies being flexible and understanding any more, they need these women to come back.

Inside -Out Pants

Dear Nice(reads Non-judgmental ) Teacher,

Aiden has acquired a new skill! He is now able to pick out his own clothes from a collection of pre put together outfits in his closet and dress himself! Everything except the shoes. Yay!

He has made great progress and is still working on,( as I am sure you have noticed) ,the difference between inside and out, front and back. He is Very sensitive to correction, so we are trying to gently guide him on where the tags, pictures and buttons go. So do not be surprised by a backwards shirt here and there, mismatched socks or inside out pants.

Aiden is very proud of himself and we are proud of him too.

Thank you in advance for your patience in this matter,

Aiden’s Mom

P.S. Could you have a chat with the nice( reads judgmental and browbeating) bus driver lady? I don’t think she understands the significance of inside out pants. J

Dear Aiden’s Mom,

We are very happy to hear that Aiden is dressing himself! That is a great self-care skill!

Sincerely,

Nice Teacher

IF Neighbor

This weeks Illustration Friday theme is neighbor. Personally , I love having the neighbors over for tea. Done in blue ink with typography added in photoshop.
Okay , I cheated. This was actually for another blog entry but I am starting the "Web Development" course on Monday . I won't know how much free time I might get with the home work involved.
If I get the time, I'll post a better one. Have a great weekend ! Enjoy!

IF: Remember- the Unknown Rebel

One man stopped a line of tanks.
Once a week I try to submit an illustration of the weekly theme to Illustration Friday.com. This weeks theme is Remember. I always thought it was an odd thing that this man could gain so much fame and yet we still do not know his name or what happened to him after this.

Ring Around The Rosies

Of course it’s a Monday, and rushing through the morning routine because we woke up late. Head downwards swaying to left and right, looking for another stray shoe. I have just a few minutes to get the children ready for the bus. I don’t want to make the driver wait.

I hear a familiar song being sung , voices that I know but do not often hear. I look up to see my children holding hands, playing “ring around the rosies” . They are led by “Fwen”( that’s how my oldest pronounces his name) the 8 year old that I baby-sit. Aiden and Xavier are trying to follow the lyrics while Marjika is trying to follow the tune.

I dare not laugh. I dare not cry lest I break the spell and end this truly social moment . Not a common occurrence in our home, it only lasted for a minute. Then went their separate ways, content to play beside each other, rather than together.

I am content as well. However short the moment was, it shows progress.

Take that Dish

This is something I clipmarked that I thought was cool. Now with all the money your saving that tv will pay itself off in no time, right? I wonder how many people are going to use that type of argument around sports season.

clipped from news.yahoo.com By JOE MILICIA, Associated Press Writer CLEVELAND - Buying an antenna for a high-definition television seems as out of place as using a rotary phone to make a call. But some consumers are spending thousands of dollars on LCD or plasma TVs and hooking them up to $50 antennas that don't look much different from what grandpa had on top of his black-and-white picture tube. Local TV channels, broadcast in HD over-the-air, offer superior picture quality over the often-compressed signals sent by cable and satellite TV companies. And the best part? Over-the-air HD is free.