A Saturday morning with Carmen Lomas Garza

Last week was probably one of the longest weeks of my life. I've been struggling to keep up with my workload at work and I've been quite exhausted lately, but that's a whole other story. We also had our Fall Carnival at the school where I work this Friday. There is a lot of planning that goes into it, and since it is hosted by PTA and I work directly with PTA, I carry a lot of the load. By the end of Friday night, I had worked approximately 55 hours this week.... and I still had to get up on Saturday morning to attend a workshop with Carmen Lomas Garza, the Mexican-American artist and writer. Sigh. I was not looking forward to it- I was just so tired.

The tired part of me wanted to opt out, but the "responsible" part of me told the tired part that I had to go. When I arrived I was greeted with 2 free books, coffee, tamales, rice, beans, and empanadas. Not a bad start.

The lecture got started, and Carmen Lomas Garza talked us through the stories of her art. If you are not familiar with her art, she calls her work "narrative art". Her paintings tell the story of everyday life as a Mexican American, more specifically her life growing up in Kingsville, Texas. But being that I am Mexican American myself and having grown up on the border, I was able to relate on many accounts. I also learned a little bit of history that I should have probably known about already, but didn't.

Aside from her paintings, she also does paper cut outs with very intricate designs. Through the years, she has been contracted by various cities to work on large scale projects to incorporate her cut outs for building and architectural designs. She first got started with "paper cut outs" while making papel picado (which is not quite the same and it's nothing compared to her cut out art). So, she spent the last hour showing us how to make papel picado. It was hands-on instruction, and by the end of the workshop, I had a string of 4 squares. Working on the papel picado was the most relaxing part of my week. So, while I was obligated to be there, my attitude quickly changed as I was able to view this time more as a learning experience and as a form of therapy. It was so nice to sit in silence and work with my hands, letting my mind wander away from everyday stresses of life.


When I got home, Elan could see I was carrying something colorful in my hands and he wanted to know what it was. When I opened it up and showed it to him, his response was "woooow." It was my moment to feel proud of myself. :)


Elan asked that I hang it up in his room, so that's where it is. We've read Good Night Moon twice this week and he has made sure to say, "good night papel picado" both times. So cute.

Book signing and meeting Carmen Lomas Garza

Move Shake Drop

The other night Elan and I went to get some smoothies from Jamba Juice and decided to enjoy the nice weather we've had lately in the evenings. We were hanging out outside when Julio got home and played some music for Elan. This is what happened next...
 

I'll be honest, I hesitated posting this video, wondering what must people think about the music we're exposing Elan to, but in the end, it was just too funny to not share.

I spy something yellow

Lately our game in the car has been "I spy". Of course for us it's more like, "Yo veo algo..." We play just like you would in English.

Julio was just telling me that he and Elan were playing yesterday as they drove around town running errands. So, Julio says, "I spy something yellow." And Elan, very excitedly, shouts "the grass!" It wasn't really what Julio had spied, but really, with the drought and watering restrictions, can you blame the kid for thinking it was the grass?

Multitasking

That's it. Just a title and a picture. Enjoy.

:)

Single Parenting is tough, but not impossible

So, at the time that I am writing this, it has been almost 72 hours since Julio left on his mountain biking trip, but who's counting, right? So, that's how long I've been a temporary "single parent". So, my overall opinion on this experience is that single parenting is harder than co-parenting, but not an unbearable task. Here's a breakdown of the highs and lows.


Challenges:

- I bought a new printer Thursday evening. I tried to work on setting it up while trying to get Elan to eat dinner. Probably not wise of me to multitask.

-Elan has a mind of his own and I tend to forget that. He has likes and dislikes. Which means getting dressed in the morning on Friday morning took longer than I had planned for. I was late for work.

- When I picked him up from school on Friday afternoon, I was terribly exhausted and had little patience left. It made for a rough night, but not horrible.

- Saturday morning Elan woke up 6:00 am. Seriously? He hardly ever wakes up this early. I was not prepared to start my day at 6:00am, but I had no choice. Out of bed.

- By Saturday afternoon, Elan was good and tired, but would not take his nap. He normally naps at around 12:30, but he didn't fall asleep till 3:00! Sigh. I think this was the only time during the weekend when I thought I was going to go crazy.

- Every morning and night, Elan has asked for Julio. He obviously misses his dad. And that is enough to break my heart.

The good stuff:

- Elan ate very well before we left for school on Friday morning. It was a no fuss breakfast- my favorite kind. 

- Elan helped me cook dinner on Friday night. I made my own version of these rice cakes. He helped me get all the ingredients together, but I had to make him go to the living room while I fried them up. It was a good experience while it lasted.

- On Saturday morning, we went to a joint-birthday party for 2 of Elan's classmates. He had a good time, and it gave me the opportunity to meet the other parents from his class.

- After he finally napped, we played his new game, Uno Moo, which turned out to be a lot of fun. We didn't play exactly as the instructions suggest, but close enough to where he could practice his colors, animals, and the concept of "same" and "different. It was a hit.

- After playing the game, Elan and I went to Central Market where Elan got to play, we had gelato, walked around the water in search of little fish, and we got to see the moon through some telescopes that the Austin Astronomical Society had set up since it was "Astromony Day". The group Oliver Rajamani Ensemble played in celebration of Ghandi's birthday, and I have to admit, they were pretty good. It was a very interesting mix. And Elan's behavior was superb! While there, we also walked over to Zinger's which can be any person's paradise. There's something for everyone there. We had a great night together.

-Each night, bedtime has been easy. Elan is pretty cooperative.

- Sunday morning, we packed up our breakfast and met up with Lauren and Aedan at Little Stacy Park. Elan and I had never been there, so I'm glad we got to visit another park. It was good catching up time and Elan enjoyed playing somewhere new.

- After the park, we went to H-E-B, where Elan surprised me. For background info., Elan loves the"car" shopping carts and looks forward to riding in those each time we go to the store. Last time we went, they were all being used and he broke down crying. Anyway, this time, we got one and cruised around the store like we usually do. When we were at the register, a mom arrived to the store with her twins and asked if they could use it when we were done. Knowing she would have to wait (with twins- aakk!) for our cart, I suggested to Elan we get another one and give them ours. I was very surprised at how easy it was- he just said "ok" and we made the trade. It made that mom's day and it made mine, knowing he gets it- we have to let others have their turn. :)

- Overall, Elan's behavior was good. I had some challenging moments, but they were due mostly to the fact that I forget he is little person with a mind and feelings of his own. I kept having to remind myself to respect that fact. A few deep breaths and we were able to compromise.

- The one-on-one time we have been able to spend together over the last few days has been a good bonding experience.

So, while I didn't have to deal with anything terribly challenging, I'm grateful that I normally have Julio to help me out as much as he does. It's definitely easier when we tag team it. So, I'm really looking forward to his return, which is still, oh, more than four hours away. Oh wait, I forgot, I wasn't counting.