Creative Moments: What Was I Thinking?

Friday, 18 May 2007

What Was I Thinking?

Yesterday (Thursday) I decided because we've all been flat-out lately with family visiting in town, and because Amelia had a slight cold and was also was playing so well alone one morning (which has been a rare occurrence of late) , we'd stay at home.

What was I thinking?

Some may think our weekdays are somewhat over-scheduled as we have an activity to go to every morning. Monday is a play-date, Tuesday is playgroup, Wednesday is gymnastics, Thursday is playgroup and Friday is music. We are never usually out for more than two hours at a time and come home for a late morning nap. (yes, both of us!) Sometimes we may go to the park or beach,run an errand in the afternoons or our big afternoon adventure might be walking to the dairy to get some milk. Or we may just chill at home.

The point is, I'm a Mum who needs to get out of the house at least once a day. I need the stimulation and social connections the world outside our two-bedroomed home provides. Amelia needs it too. Although we enjoy the comfort, warmth and security our loving home gives us, we need to get out sometimes.

This was certainly proven yesterday.

It started off well. Amelia did play independently for a good forty-five minutes or so. And then she was into the cupboards. Obviously she'd witnessed me boiling an egg recently and so out came the pot and an egg went in. I watched nervously wondering where this "game" was heading while contemplating whether I should just nip it in the bud then and there or encourage creative play, while supervising from a safe distance. I chose the latter approach. So the one egg in the pot ended up being the whole contents of the egg tray in the pot. And then they all had to go back into the fridge again. And then back into the pot. You get the picture...

It seems Amelia is going through a stage of wanting to imitate life as she sees it. And so bedding was pulled out from the linen cupboard and I was pulled to the ground in her bedroom as she strategically placed a sheet over me. Just days before her Dad had been camped on the floor and I was in Amelia's double bed when family were visiting in town (they had our room).

It is great and encouraging to see that our two year old wants to help out around the house so much. Yet every attempt to help results in a bigger mess than what was there before.

So this Thursday, at home all day with my two year old, I did tackle a few domestic chores from dishes to laundry only to have little hands wanting to rewash dishes I'd already cleaned or items of clothing hung on to the clothes-horse that hadn't been washed. The egg-game continued throughout the day as did the bed-game. A number of other messes occurred around the house that I've chosen to block from my memory for now.

All I know is, a whole day at home is rare for us. We did end up with egg on the floor by the end of the day. But at least it wasn't on my face!

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About me

I'm Lynda. I was born and bred in Wellington, New Zealand, and in my late primary school years submitted short stories, book reviews and cartoons on a regular basis to KidStuff - a page exclusively for children's writing and artwork in Saturday's edition of The Evening Post.

My writing and art was somewhat squelched during high school, although I chewed through many books and cartooned frequently.

I spent my years as a twenty-something exploring new horizons with travel and gaining a tertiary education. I have a BA (Hons) in Psychology and Education, which was completed at both Massey and Victoria Universities. I've lived short-term in both Sydney and Melbourne and completed several OEs which have taken me to the UK, the USA, a fraction of Europe and to Egypt and Israel. My longest overseas experience was a total of almost three years where I nannied in Vancouver , Canada and worked for two Summers in a children's camp in Pennsylvania, USA.

Variety is the spice of life could well be my personal work motto! I've worked on the ski-fields as a lifte in Queenstown, picked apples locally in Nelson, cleaned toilets, served pints, cleared tables, pushed paper, temped in offices in Wellington and Sydney, telemarketed, knocked on doors selling Christmas cards and calendars, and wiped other people's children's bottoms.

In 1999 I completed a Diploma in Computer Graphic Design at NatColl in Wellington and I worked in the industry for over ten years. My first design position led me to a job in Palmerston North with an agricultural company. It was at this company that I met my husband to-be Kev. At the end of 2001 Kev and I relocated to Nelson and married in Ruby Bay January 2004. Our daughter Amelia was born March 2005.

I have an interest in scriptwriting and in 2003 completed a Certificate in Television Production at NMIT. Around 2004 I declared myself officially out of the writing closet.I have been published in The Nelson Mail, have entered a number of writing competitions and in 2005 had a short story published within an anthology of Nelson writers. I wrote a a bimonthly column for The Nelson Districts Parent Centre Newsletter for a couple of years. I also have two other blogs - one about my experience with SIF (secondary infertility) and one about mothering a child with ASD (autism spectrum disorder).

In recent years I made the leap from graphics on the computer screen to art on canvas. As I'd never had any formal art training, in 2008 I enrolled in a beginners course in painting in acrylics. I held three stalls with friends locally in Nelson late 2008/early 2009 - at The Richmond Annual Market Day, The Founders Fair (sold seven paintings) and The Mapua Easter Show. (sold four paintings).

Towards the end of 2010 I enrolled in an experienced arts course. On January 2nd 2011 I had a stall at the Tahunanui Arts and Crafts Fair with some workmates and sold eight paintings - and a painted rock. I had a stall at The Mapua Easter Fair in 2011 with one of the same workmates and sold four paintings and two painted rocks.

In October 2012 I won a short story competition and was published in the February/March 2013 edition of Her Magazine. My first piece of fiction to be published in a magazine, which makes it an exciting writing milestone!

In November 2012 I held a stall with a friend at the Plunket Bonanza. After an eighteen month absence from painting, it was great to get out the brushes again!

In the Summer of 2012/2013 I held a few stalls at the McCashins Saturday market in Stoke with my own pergola that I got for Christmas in 2012. At the same time I launched my hobby-business Lynda J T - which is essentially art for children's bedrooms specialising in personalised art. There is a Facebook page for Lynda J T which features some of the work I have created for friends, family and clients.

I completed a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (Early Childhood Education) through Victoria University in 2013. I'm looking forward to combining teaching with my love of art and writing in 2014.