writer at play
Posted in creativity, inspiration, kids at play on Jan 16th, 2010
The tagline of this blog is “writer at play”, but my attitude towards my literary endeavors is more akin to steely-eyed clenched-teeth fortitude these days. I was eyeball-deep in one set of revisions for a couple months; I have since waded into yet another novel revision. While revisions do have their moments of mountain-high elation, [...]
Posted in creativity, kids at play on Dec 14th, 2009
It occurs to me that my last post may have come across as crotchety and Scrooge-like. Don’t get me wrong: Christmas is my favorite holiday and I love this time of year. I just came out of a fun but social weekend and my Inner Introvert is gibbering in one corner of my head. So, [...]
Posted in creativity, kids at play on Aug 26th, 2009
Er, that sounds like the title of a B horror movie, doesn’t it? But, here, let me show you what I really mean: See those people at the bottom? They have bodies! I’ve been watching Sir I. transition from “tadpole” people (the ones with legs and arms sticking out of their heads) to torso-endowed people [...]
Posted in creativity, gardening, inspiration, writing process on Jul 26th, 2009
I admit it: I’m a homebody. A lazy couch potato. A sedentary slug-like life form. If it weren’t for my children, I’d happily spend my days tapping away on my laptop, reading in the rocking chair, or doodling at the dining table. Nature? I can enjoy it from the window, thanks. If I lean to [...]
Posted in creativity, pretty pictures on Jul 11th, 2009
I enjoy taking pictures of flora. Unlike small children, they are not a constant blur of motion (Sir I.), do not scowl and hide their faces behind their hair if you try to take a picture of them (Miss M.), and are not constantly trying to attack your camera (the Baron). I snapped these shots [...]
Posted in creativity on Jul 9th, 2009
Cooking is often a drudgery. It’s something to be endured and gotten over with quickly, just so that we have food on the table and as few as possible prep dishes to clean up. Yet, cooking and baking can be fun, playful, social, satisfying, and creative. Here are a few tips that have worked to [...]
Posted in creativity, drawing, inspiration, journaling on Jun 28th, 2009
I have a hard time working on a big creative project during the summer. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent more of my life in school than out of it, and summer whispers vacation to me. Or maybe because summer is such a short season where I live and we’re eager to cram in as much [...]
Posted in creativity, kids at play on Jun 22nd, 2009
This is what my back hallway looked like for three days during an art camp I hosted for my kids and those of two other families. The participants were six kids ranging from almost-three to five-and-a-half, with two other moms assisting and three younger siblings running/scooting/lying underfoot. We did a variety of projects from blow-painting [...]
Posted in creativity, drawing, inspiration, kids at play, linktopia on May 19th, 2009
The Art Projects Edition: daisy yellow has a three-part series on organizing summer art projects for you and your kids. I believe my kids have every intention of running wild in our yard and at the park this summer, but I prefer more sedate activities. My planned projects are: making jam, sewing a skirt or [...]
Posted in creativity, piano on May 2nd, 2009
It’s been six days since I started teaching myself to play the piano. At first, I was completely flabbergasted by what I was working towards: You mean I have to know what notes all the keys are, which fingers to play them with, read music and keep time, and eventually have both hands doing their [...]