Feeling Sick- In More Ways Than One

 Duck Pond in October, Forestry Farm
20x16"
acrylic on canvas
sold

The paintings I am posting today were purchased by a dear friend and her husband at my last art show. I know they make her happy which absolutely thrills me... and after this last week, I need to remember the joy art brings me and the people I share it with. The top painting is 20x16, the middle one is 8x10 (also the first abstract reflection I ever did) and the bottom one is 7x7. They are all acrylic on canvas.

 Reflection, Spruce River

8x10"

acrylic on canvas

sold

Reflection for a Writer

7x7

acrylic on canvas

sold

Whew! It really was quite was a week!

I was so fatigued this week, all I felt like doing was sleeping and in fact, three out of the five afternoons Tommy was at Kindergarten that is exactly what I did! The sore throat came on Thursday and the fever hit on Friday.... crazy shivers and heat waves. The highest temperature I took was 103. I felt like I was in some sort of altered state. Anyway, the worst seems to have passed. I slept most of today and now I will probably be up all night! In case anyone is wondering what differentiates a cold from the flu here is what I found out... headaches and fevers rarely accompany a cold, so if you have them with your stuffy nose and sore throat you have the flu. Also, extreme exhaustion never happens with a cold, but with the flu it comes early and is prominent.

Aside from feeling physically sick this week, I also felt psychologically sick after the meeting John and I had with our financial planner on Tuesday evening. This economy took a round out of our "portfolio" and although some things are recovering it got me feeling very guilty. Before we had Sammy I had a full time career and John and I had a pretty good lifestyle. After my year maternity (I love Canada) I went back to my job and Sammy went to daycare full time. I lasted 6 weeks and then gave my notice. I could not do it. Since then, for the most part, I have been a stay-at-home-mom. I know deep in my heart this has been the right choice... especially for my children, but this week when I realized the impact of the economy on our finances, I got thinking that if I had been working for the last 6 years it wouldn't be so bad. We would have been able to save more and invest more. I say that for the most part I have been a stay-at-home-mom because when Tommy was 18 months old I needed to get a break, so I got a very part time job working in a retail store when John was at home and I am still doing that now. My ideal world would be that I continue to do this and sell some of my paintings which would bring in just that much extra to keep me home with the kids while they are in school. I would love it if they could continue to come home for lunch and if they could always have a parent available to help with field trips or see their assemblies or volunteer for school activities. I would love it if they would never have to be part of a before and after school program. Unfortunately I am starting to wonder if this dream is very realistic. I'm really starting to think that when Tommy is in school full-time next year, maybe I will have to consider changing my role again.

At this rate I'll never figure out who I am!