Lily's Sick Art Session

So Lily's been sick for a few days with a sore throat and fever. Today her fever reached 103, and she still had the sweet consideration to paint pictures for me and Heather. In addition to these, Lily painted several other paintings that are now hanging in her room.

I'm reading 'The Education of Henry Adams' right now, and there is a section that describes how during summer, it was all about experiencing nature and enjoying oneself outdoors, and during the winter, it was school. I'm trying to adopt that approach with Lil in an effort to create a balance between book learning and experiential learning.

After I woke up and was given my painting, the whole family ended up outside for an art session. I painted a purple pony per Lily's request, and Heather painted some beautiful wildflowers. Lily is in a somewhat geometric phase in her artistic career, but she also painted a piece that looks a lot like truffula trees from 'The Lorax'.

As I attempt to find some kind of balance in my own life between work, sleep, and wanting to read, draw, write more, I'm going to use today as a lesson in going with the flow and just following Lily's and Heather's lead.  This lesson will take a long time for me to learn, I know, but once again, I'm reminded of the words in Ben Jonson's 'Noble Nature'... "In small proportions we just beauties see, and in short measures, life may perfect be."  

Thanks for the art/life lesson today, girls.

An alternative to TV

Next week is Screen-Free Week, so we are going to try to go without TV in our house starting Monday. We have a few outdoor activities planned (San Diego Zoo, for one), but it's not reasonable to spend the entire waking day outside, so I started thinking about the kinds of creative things we could do as a family. Then I saw Lily's paintings hanging on the wall.

We framed three of Lily's paintings that she did when she was about 8 or 9 months old. We did that so we would remember the fun she had smearing paint around and mixing up all the colors, and I started thinking that painting and art and creativity could end up becoming a lifestyle if we wanted it to.

Just like any other lifestyle choice, it takes consistent effort to make it a habit, but it also gets easier the more you do it.

So next week, I'm going to try not just to go without TV, but to spend more time painting with Lily. It isn't goinh to be a week focused on what we are giving up, but a week focused on how much we can create and accomplish if we choose to. I'm not good at painting, but my goal is to recapture the fun and creative energy that kids seem to have and adults seem to lose.

Have fun with your kids. Cheers!