Art Heals Mommy

Art is all around us. It is vibration through speakers, ink on paper, seeing through a lens and creating with our hands. Art is something that almost all of us can find a common ground with. There is something that we can all agree on….art is everywhere. So how does art heal? And how does it heal this mommy? To me, art is a necessity. Much like air and water; art feeds my soul and gives me strength to get through the days ahead. I take each and every artistic moment of my life and keep it locked away within me, ready to surface into my work space when the time is right. As a mother it might be hard to tap into your creative self. How in the world are we to find our creativeness amongst the care giving of our young? How do we find time to make creativity happen in a day limited by time screaming past us? My children are my keyhole to the creative world……a creative world for moms. My children give me the gift of seeing the world through their eyes and this gift is a beautiful one. I see life piece by piece, with movements slow and colors vibrant.

A tree is no longer just a tree. A tree is a skyscraper with arms; colors that are crisp earthy forest greens and browns. This tree is so much more to my children then I ever gave it credit for and so with that the art of play has taken place. I get inspirations from my children. Every story they tell, cloud they marvel at and hug they give has opened my eyes to what they value as artistic and fun.

Art has given me a chance to embrace difficult times as a parent. It heals the heart and allows a re-birth of the mind. During the time I lived in Montana I was constantly surrounded by beauty. The scenery was amazing. Mountains were so high it looked as though it was a path to heaven; climbing towards the endless powdery blue skies. I would lose myself in thought as I watched the clouds pass by. During my time in Montana I began to write….a lot. I tapped into the art of writing and fell in love with the freedom of it. Every time I would write I was allowing a little piece of me to spill out onto paper. How vulnerable of me yet exciting all at once. Now as a mother I write for the same reason….I love it, but also because my children keep each and every day interesting and fun which gives me more and more inspiration. Art is alive and well in my home.

Here are 5 ways Art Heals<this>Mommy:

1)      Art, such as writing, clears a cluttered mind: I can release thoughts that are crowding space within my mind. Whether good or bad, writing allows me to “get it off my chest”.

2)      Art keeps me grounded: Seeing, reading etc someone else’s art opens my eyes to the diversity and the amazing talent that others have. I become a student every time I dive into someone else’s work.

3)      I’m bonding with my kids: Nothing heals more than to see our children happy. Art can be painting a picture or running through the mud and making foot prints on the concrete. My kids dig it and so do I.

4)      I can “find” myself through art: As a mother it’s easy to feel like I’ve lost myself but art allows me to feel connected to who I am as an individual.

5)       Art is stress free in a stressful world: If I’m working on a project I don’t feel stressed. Art gives you a chance to open the creative flood gates and turn off the panic button.

So, as long as I can fulfill my creative needs and share this love with my children, I will continue to be happy and inspired by all that surrounds me.

I love my new home but I might get knocked out before the end of this year:

I said knocked out NOT knocked up…for all of you doing a double take reading title=)

My new home is great. It’s spacious, new upgrades and best of all awesome neighbors but there just might be a downfall to this picture perfect set. When I first moved into the home I met one of my neighbors. A wonderful couple and their pooch greeted me with open arms. We talked for a bit and then the women asked me if I had encountered any golf balls yet. Our backyard faces a golf course and although that sounds great; nice view, no neighbors directly behind us, there is a bit of a danger with this. I started looking around our backyard and noticed that we had TONS of golf balls sitting all over our grass. My friendly neighbor told me to watch out for golf balls flying into my yard and potentially knocking someone out. At that very moment 2 golf balls flew over my house and onto my front yard. Ok, now I know nothing about golf but how bad do you have to SUCK in order to hit a ball onto someone’s front lawn….mind you, my front lawn is NOT facing the gold course!!!! I don’t know the entire “lingo” for golfing but the area where you hit the ball (trying to make it into the green (?)) is no where near my home. Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is that it’s strange that balls land in my front lawn.

My backyard is another story….I assume it will start raining golf balls and if it does I’ll be right there, basket in hand, catching every single one of them. One day, while sitting in the backyard with the kids, I noticed that a cart was coming in our direction. Two older guys were in it and seemed to be looking for their ball. No biggie. It wasn’t until they opened their mouths that things got….uncomfortable. “Hey, there…have you seen our balls?” the driver said to me…..he was seriously asking this. I paused for a second, looked him in the eyes and said “nope, I haven’t seen….your balls”. Is this not just weird?! Okay, I’m not trying to be a kid and laugh at such a silly thing but I was laughing....A LOT…. to myself….deep inside. So after that situation occurred I noticed that we had a new addition to our ball collection. Someone had just hit a ball over and I happily placed it into my basket. Should I sell these balls to naggy golfers looking to annoy me, yet entertain me with their useless “have you seen my balls” banter? Nah…..I will usually throw it back to them IF their nice=)

So my backyard experience has so far been good. I hadn’t been knocked out yet and most importantly my kids were safe…..everything seemed to be okay UNTIL a ball came flying over almost hitting me!!! <GASP> what the heck?!? I looked around, searching for someone to catch. No one was around just the distant sound of “FOUR”. How am I supposed to release my furry if I have no one to do it to?? I could have been knocked out but MOST importantly my kids could have been hurt!! I make it known that if my kids are hurt then I morph into one nasty person. A nasty person I would advise no one to see. Luckily we have something we can roll down that kind of barricades the patio. It’s not that bad but I definitely have to be on the look out and if a ball comes flying my way then it better be flying into a bush.;)

Moments.....

Here I am. A wife to a man that is truly my other half. I'm a mother to three amazing kids. Their ages are 4yrs, 2yrs and 6mo and each day, as the aggressive clock of life ticks away, I become more and more aware that my little kids are getting bigger....older. I feel like the ticking of this clock is set on high; the sound blasting through a megaphone, penetrating the auditory nerves and shooting an unforgivable pain down my spine. I've realized that my children can't stay small forever and it terrifies me. I'm terrified that the moments of my children's lives, as precious as every moment is and will be, wont be remembered the way they should be. The smile, kiss, hugs, laughs...all of this will not be remembered in the most vibrant way as when it occurred that very second. I remember the day my first child was born. I remember his beautiful face looking up at me. His eye's squinting from the bright lights and his little body curled up next to mine. But I can't remember his sweet smell. The way that very moment was is forever a distant memory and as my children get older, so does my memory of the early days. I try to remember though. I always reminisce the days of their births, first steps, words etc. I keep my memories stored in files within my mind. It's much like a filing cabinet , really. A filing cabinet in my mind where the most recent memories are stored in a file that is placed front and center; easily accessible. Memories from years ago are placed in a file towards the back of my mind. I have to search and dig for these memories but once their retrieved it is that moment played all over and the elation of that day is once again.
Before having children I was a different person. I was someone that allowed things to happen, turned my back at what was important and filled my desires with wants instead of needs. My children have made me better. Sure, there are times when I'm ready to pull my hair out; the baby wont let me put him down, my 2yr old throwing a tantrum and my 4yr old demanding something I can't get to him quick enough BUT these three children have taught me patience, love and what happiness on this Earth is all about. When ever the kids and I go outside I like to sit back and watch them. Their curiosity for life and all that is around them is exciting. A butterfly that passes grabs their attention. They begin their enchanted journey following this butterfly, hiding behind trees and rolling in the grass. Their enjoying life in the most simplest, purest way. It's great to watch. These precious moments go by so fast and I hate the fact that I can't freeze time. I try to savor each hug and smile the moment it happens. Sure, I can hug them a million more times but nothing will capture that very moment. Sometimes when I hug my children I just can't let go. Letting go would mean that the moment is gone and I have to rely on my memory to keep it fresh. A giggle and soft squeeze from my daughter brings me to reality and I reluctantly let her go. So I guess my problem is with time. Time is unchanging. Time is constant....constantly moving forward. Somehow in the flow of life I am expected to except this process that is guaranteed to make my children grow up. Every fiber of my being wont let me except it. So, here I am...a wife and mother trying to balance life on one hand; painfully watching as time robs me of my moments and hoping to come to terms with this reality. For now I have those special moments filed away nice and neat inside my mind but most of all I have it all tucked deep within my heart.