21st Century Mom

This afternoon upon departing from school my principal told me I looked like a 21st Century teacher...marking in one arm, snowboard in the other (we took our Grade Five kids up to Whistler the day before for skiing lessons and I had stored my board in his office).  On my way home I got to thinking about what it meant to be a 21st Century Mom.  Of course, this came to me while I was driving from work to daycare, then to the grocery store with Kai before heading home to clean the kitchen and make dinner.  All before Daddy gets home.  Perhaps the 21st Century Mom is a synonym for 'multi-tasker' or 'jack-of-all-trades' (sorry, I just couldn't write Jill-of-all-Trades there...just doesn't sound smooth).

Just as teachers' roles have expanded to include traditional parenting and community responsibilities, mothers' roles now encompass both the literal and metaphorical bread-making.  We have to be at the top of our game at both work and home.  This is not to say we have the short end of the stick, though.  Fathers too are taking on child-rearing and home-caring in addition to their days earning wages.  Although there is a greater balance between men and women in all these tasks than in the past, the shared workload rarely means a smaller workload.  Why is this?

For one thing, my family has chosen to live in an urban environment.  Yes, life costs more here than in the suburbs, but moreover there are more opportunities to purchase entertainment.  Many times I feel blessed to have access to such incredible cultural activities and to introduce my son to such a wide variety of experiences without traveling more than a short walk, bus ride or car ride from home.  Other times, I rue the lack of downtime that seems to be a normality that is created in city living. 

On another note, although the women's liberation movement has made women in the work force an acceptable occupational decision, in many cases it has not taken away the need for someone to fill the duties of the traditional housewife.  Taking care of a home and family is a full-time job.  Earning money to provide for a family and to take care of a home is a full-time job.  Sadly, one full-time income is frequently insufficient.  In comes the challenge of the modern day: how do all the tasks get completed and the responsibilities attended to by two people, when often three people are required?  One person to take care of the home and family, and two people to earn money to support the family.  A simpler lifestyle is a given option.

My challenge is not the income or choosing a simpler lifestyle...although those are both alternatives I need to give some serious consideration.  My challenge is that I love my profession, and I also would love to have more time at home to provide for my family in more basic ways: baking, cooking, cleaning, playing with and teaching my son, creating a home. I am forever indebted to the people who forged the way for women's 'liberation' and opened doors for dads to stay at home with their children, now if only someone could bend time so that I could have the best of both worlds...

Stitch by Stitch...

I will learn to sew, again.  My most poignant memory of sewing is from when I was in elementary school.  My Great Grandma Dot was visiting, as she did (in my recollection) about once a year.  She packed up her old beater truck and came out west.  She was a great character who had so much to teach, if only I would have been a better student.  So back to my memory...I came home from school with my best friend Sherry and was ready to play.  However, Grandma Dot was visiting, which always meant that I practiced a homemaking skill before playing.  Sometimes it was ironing, but often it was sewing.  I am pretty sure electric sewing machines existed then, but we had the old fashioned treadle sewing machine.  I have a vivid memory of the leather belt on the wheel.  I believe I even learned how to change the belt.

I imagine that I practiced sewing straight lines, but I cannot recall the projects, just the daily after-school practice.

So, I begin again and think of my Grandma Dot as I press the foot pedal on my electric sewing machine and practice sewing straight lines and test out the variety of stitch patterns that my machine offers with the turn of a dial.  I hope my son understands the importance of learning such skills from loved ones more than I did when I was a child.  For now I return to the daily lessons of years passed and memories cherished.

For Today: January 8, 2011

Back to my monthly ritual...

Outside my window...still a few strings of Christmas lights hanging on to the holiday joy.

I am thinking...thank all deities out there for helping me to find the end of schooling and a new beginning full of crafty goodness.

I am thankful for...a day with nowhere to go and nothing that needed to be done. 

From the kitchen...salmon and rice for dinner; fresh cheese bread about to come out of the bread maker; chocolate chip banana muffins soon to be fresh-from-the-oven. 

I am wearing ... jeans, slippers and a hoodie.

I am creating...time to enjoy my family & friends, to exercise and to craft!

I am going...to take Kai to his first gymnastics class tomorrow!  (Brady, I promise to continue calling it 'tumbling' in your presence)

I am reading...The Seeing Stone, as research for my class's Middle Ages study.

I am hoping...to be able to play a whole hour of basketball tomorrow without seizing up :)

I am hearing...Kai splashing around in the bath with his new toys.

Around the house...scrumptious smells and evidence of a fun-filled day.

One of my favourite things...a clean crafting room and Kai's exploration of the make-believe world.

A few plans for the rest of the week...beginning snowboarding lessons, trying on bridesmaid dresses for Kelly's wedding, a day up at Whistler with the Grade 5s.  A perfect way to begin a new year...

Loving . . .

Thanks for the idea again, Ali ! (aliedwards.com)

Loving that it is 8:30 a.m. and I am in my pyjamas, and plan to be for quite some time still.

Loving that I woke up 'early' on my day to sleep in because I have so many things I want to do.

Loving that my neighbours are such great friends.  What a blessing.

Loving the website The Artful Parent www.theartfulparent.typepad.com. I am passionate about doing art with Kai and this website gives me SO many ideas.

Loving that my grad work is finally over and I have so much time coming to 'fill' with all the things I want to learn and love to do.  I can't wait to do a giant brainstorm on a huge piece of paper in coloured pens.

Loving that I am back to having Morning Tea with the ladies at work.  It is such a great start to my day, even if it is only for five or ten minutes.

Loving that Kai is so into telling stories.  What a dramatic boy!  Currently it is about 'scary' and 'monsters'.

Loving that today my sister and brother-in-law are coming over after what seems like so long.

Loving that my holidays took Kai and I over to see my Nanny.  She turns 90 this year and now that I have more time, I hope to begin writing letters with her again.


Loving that this list could go on forever...why don't you write your own!

2011 Christmas Ideas

It is officially Christmas 2010, and as I think about this year and my good intentions, I thought it best to have a place where I could write my Christmas ideas for next year that I can refer back to...

November 2011:

• Start making Christmas cards from Kai's art
• begin preparing the advent calendar that I so dearly want to do when Kai is older.  It is a cross between the action cards seen on aliedwards.com (pictured above) and a small daily activity with all the supplies included in the advent pocket that I saw on a blog that I was browsing (sorry, forget the site!)
• order or make a similar garland as made by anastasiajaminhome on Etsy
• craft some felt ornaments with my class as seen on this website (http://rosylittlethings.com/walkwoodspattern.html) and as also pictured above (I can't figure out how to insert pictures where I want them yet)

That's all for now, although I am pretty sure I'll add more later!

Boiling it down...

Yesterday a blissful recounting of simple days with my boys...today, an academic struggle to summarize my learning over three years in a powerful format.  As one of my educational gurus asserts, 'we teach who we are'.  Oh, Mr. Palmer, if only those five words were enough.  Perhaps if I break it down to these questions, it will all become simpler: Who am I?  How does that reflect in my teaching?

Who am I?


a lover of stories
a student in the school of creative play

a passionate voice
a compassionate heart
a nurturing soul

a libra in the constant act of balance
a mother full of joy, ache, hopes and dreams
a believer in community

a thinker. a writer. a doer. a reflector.


Yes, I teach who I am.  It is all that I know.
As I grow, so do my students.
As they grow, so do I.

When Life is Simple...

Day 4 of our family getaway to Ucluelet.  I love what we have been doing: art, walks in the rain, splashing in puddles, running from ocean waves as they crash to the shore, reading, watching videos...nothing planned, but everything perfect. 

Here are a few photos of playground games and Kai 'putting his trucks to sleep', but mostly it was too rainy to risk taking out our camera. 

Currently Marc is putting Kai to bed with multiples books, endless cups of 'mee-ilk' and lots of laughter...what is it that they do in there?!  I just finished soaking my hands in a sinkful of hot, soapy water while doing dishes, a task that I find so relaxing when I am not in a rush to get things done...this feeling goes way back into my childhood, although then I was also continually re-wetting the dishes in the drying rack so my brother wouldn't get out of drying while he was off somewhere trying to get out of drying. 

How I love vacation.  We can stay in our pyjamas until noon.  We can all sleep together in one bed without waking each other up, because we are so tired from fresh air.  On this trip, Kai has made it a habit to climb into bed with us when he wakes up in the night, and I love it...for vacation only, that is.  I can begin to daydream about what I can make with my own hands again, since soon I will have time.  I can begin to live in the moment with my family again, rather than with my work.  How I love vacation...