Whew!

Wow, this week has been the busiest, craziest I've had in months. I'm pretty wiped out on every level. I am anxious to have some days that I can just hang at home and get some work done. Speaking of work.. I mean art. I want to get back to my painting and have even come up with another element that will be added to the swirling storm of a piece... broken windshield glass! I wonder what people thought when they saw me out by the street collecting a giant pile... ya' never know when you'll need it so I now have a stash! ;)

I am feeling so overwhelmed right now. These things are on my plate:
1.)Taking care of my kids, 24/7 alone.. in summer.. no school for help! Although Max going to summer school for a few hours 4 days a week at least insures some peace in the house since Sam has no one to fight with during those times but there is still at least one kid here all the time. Any breaks I get (thanks Mom... you will never know how much!) are usually because I have some meeting or appointment that I can't take the kids to. I would just about die for a whole day at home alone, to do art!
2.) Legal stuff... 'nuff said.
3.) emotional stuff... 'nuff said.
4.) trying to make money working back into the hair industry after being out of it for 10 years.
5.) putting together class proposals for art... and I just got notification that proposals to teach at Art Unraveled for 2010 are due Sept. 15 of this year! Earlier than last and I HAVE to get proposals in for this. It's way too important. For this, you have to turn in not only the proposal for the class but pictures of the sample... so you can just do that over the next year... has to be done before proposing. You are also required to have supply lists complete, hand outs made that students would receive, etc... Let's just say, it's not a one page, one day deal.
6.)I have a vendor table at AU this year in August and HAVE to get some things made to sell... (when?!!!!!)
7.) filling out forms for state and city tax licenses for vendor day at AU
8.) proposing classes locally
9.) And in the meantime, I have found a place here called Fresh Start. It is a Women's Resource Center that offers tons of workshops for free, if you can't afford to pay the usual $5.00 per class... and free child care. And they have women on staff to help you with just about anything under the sun. I have been utilizing their services and I can't begin to tell you how they are helping me with many things I have on my plate right now. This morning, I am going to try out the Saturday Yoga class. They offer tons of workshops on anything from communication, finances, health, job readiness/career advancement, legal information, life skills, personal growth, self-esteem enhancement and support/empowerment groups. They have a beautiful facility and are the only place in the entire country like it. I am incredibly fortunate to have a place like this to go for help.
10.) I have a local art fair coming up in July but I don't see myself being able to get enough things made for that as well as my vendor table at AU. :(

Add all these things in with daily life stuff with kids and there just aren't enough hours in the day. But God is good and faithful. I just get up in the morning and ask for direction for what I need to do THAT day and try not to freak out about the future, how things will work out, how I'll find enough time... how I'll pay my bills, etc... I just can't go there. One day at a time. But it isn't easy. Yet I feel peace.

I also had a friend that told me about a local gallery that she keeps insisting I visit because she believes they'd love my stuff. I need to get over there.. at some point. But then I'm back in the place of finding time to make things to sell there. Argh....

This week, I rode our new light rail for the first time.. and alone! I'm pretty fearful of doing things by myself the first time but I did it and was glad I did. It was so easy and sure beats driving in traffic! And I got a bit of walking in that day and it felt good. I miss my walks terribly but can't go and leave my kids home! So, walking is on the back burner until school starts back. My exercise routine has suffered terribly since they got out of school. I can't do yoga on Tuesday mornings anymore either because of the childcare issue. Sam HATES hiking so going to the mountain isn't in my reality right now either. This past week, I got to my counseling appt. early so I took a 20 minute walk while I could. I have a yoga video that I found at a thrift store but I hate it... it moves too fast. Like aerobic yoga.. sorta' misses the point. I do have a couple of others that I need to try out. It's just so hard to do that with so many interruptions from kids! I'm trying to teach them that a closed door is like that for a reason. Knocking to interrupt is only permitted when blood is involved. They haven't quite gotten that yet. I think a sign needs to be posted on my door.

I played Scrabble with them last night. I've always loved board games and never had anyone to play with. Now they are getting to a great age for them. Sam is going to be a complete whiz with Scrabble. Last night, I had put down jaunt. Well, at his turn, he adds an "ier" to the end. I look at him like he's crazy and told him it wasn't a word. He swore it was and I came to the computer to the Scrabble games on Facebook, that I play all the time. I pulled up the dictionary where you just type in a word and it tells you if it is a valid word or not. Well, it was! He scored 45 points on that word since it landed on a triple word play! He's only 9! I think I'm in trouble... and I love it! LOL!

Well, the critters are crawling out of bed so they day is about to go into full swing quickly. Better run....