I've been slowly incorporating yoga into my exercise routine. I can't say that I'm a complete convert yet and K likes to mock me while I attempt the different poses ("You're doing it wrong, Mommy!" screams my yoga coach from the sidelines. It does dampen the serenity a bit), but I'm definitely warming up to the whole concept. When I made my 2014 list of non-resolutions, my aim was to do yoga at least once a week. Surprisingly, except for one week, I've kept it up. Some lovely readers recommended ... Read more
Happy Friday + Randomness
Happy Friday! Mid-winter break is about to end, and K and I have been having a grand old time. It's been a great blend of relaxed lounging around, quite a few impromptu playdates, tons of arts and crafts, and a couple of bike rides thrown in. I tend to dread these school breaks without any structured activities planned because I'm type A like that, but this time, it was no problemo. Because I had to do a lot of painting, it was a handy excuse to keep K occupied with assorted art supplies. I've ... Read more
And Then There Was Love
It's Valentine's Day tomorrow and I have love on the mind. Let me start by saying that I've always been a late bloomer. I didn't have my first kiss or boyfriend until I was seventeen (I somehow managed to miss out on the requisite pre-adolescent spin-the-bottle games). The other stuff came much, much, much later. I was angst-y in my twenties, and I'm certain that I emitted a "stay away from me" vibe for most of that decade. It was terribly confusing to me that I sailed through my prime dating ... Read more
Happy Friday + Randomness
Happy Friday! This week I've been diving in full force and working on my book, and I've just made a happy discovery. I love painting with gouache, but with the kinds of illustrations I want to create I need a lot of control and the flexibility to change things on the fly. The beauty of traditional painting is the lovely unintentional effects that can happen. The not so beautiful part is the permanence of a painted line when mistakes are made -- no undo button! Enter digital watercolor painting. ... Read more
What’s Your Cutie Mark? (Or, How Do You Find Your Passion?)
I'm mulling. You know how I get into that mode, the one in which I go round and round just...brooding. A little while ago, K went through an intense period of wanting to know what her singular talent is. "What am I really good at??" she kept asking me. I finally deduced that this newfound interest was because she'd been binge-watching My Little Pony and became fascinated with the idea of a cutie mark. "Mama," she told me, "your cutie mark would be a sewing machine and a paintbrush. And your ... Read more