self portrait thursday: orchids @ C

Not Thursday, and not at sea but still a selfie.
Sporadic posting because I'm doing more writing elsewhere. My fingers don't get to my keyboard to send to the blog so much.
I'm wading thru projects establishing process and fraudulently feeling like I maybe don't belong.
But I can do this.
I just need to treat myself a little better, take care of the body attached to the fingers and be confident that Yes I Can.
Be my own cheer leader squad?
Not really necessary - I have a great team around me, who blow my trumpet for me and keep me pepped up with energy for the spaghetti-soup-untangling job-in-hand.
We'll get there. We're in this together.
Allow me to cheer lead for you too.
Together we'll make sense of it all.
Go team! Go!!
... and thanks :)
you know who you are

spt thursday: not so flattering

spt thursday: not so flattering, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

ok - so the flickr uploadr-to-blog doesn't cope well with multiple images. sigh Posterous!

I remember once when I was a teen, being told ... or maybe more than once,
being told to stand with my legs crossed so my hips didn't look so huge.

Readers - my go-to wardrobe choice for at-home writing days is a vast pair
of Thai fisherman pants.

They could be considered an unflattering choice for my hips and butt. They
are ahem not streamlined and do not give a smooth silhouette. There is
enough fabric to hold me and the wee guy quite comfortably. They are roomy
as in ballroom-sized.

In this heat, they are perfect for sitting at home and typing.

And lately, I've decided I like my hips perfectly well as they are -
uncrossed.

spt thursday: not so flattering

spt thursday: not so flattering, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

I remember once when I was a teen, being told ... or maybe more than once,
being told to stand with my legs crossed so my hips didn't look so huge.

Readers - my go-to wardrobe choice for at-home writing days is a vast pair
of Thai fisherman pants.

They could be considered an unflattering choice for my hips and butt. They
are ahem not streamlined and do not give a smooth silhouette. There is
enough fabric to hold me and the wee guy quite comfortably. They are roomy
as in ballroom-sized.

In this heat, they are perfect for sitting at home and typing.

And lately, I've decided I like my hips perfectly well as they are -
uncrossed.

spt thursday: not so flattering

spt thursday: not so flattering, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

I remember once when I was a teen, being told ... or maybe more than once,
being told to stand with my legs crossed so my hips didn't look so huge.

Readers - my go-to wardrobe choice for at-home writing days is a vast pair
of Thai fisherman pants.

They could be considered an unflattering choice for my hips and butt. They
are ahem not streamlined and do not give a smooth silhouette. There is
enough fabric to hold me and the wee guy quite comfortably. They are roomy
as in ballroom-sized.

In this heat, they are perfect for sitting at home and typing.

And lately, I've decided I like my hips perfectly well as they are -
uncrossed.

wordless wednesday: bowling loss to my son (first time ever)

wordless wednesday: bowling loss to my son (first time ever), originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

wordless wednesday: bowling loss to my son (first time ever)

relaxing scratchings

(re-post from pomomamadesign.com)

scribbles, doodles, daubs etc, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Last Saturday I booked in, last minute, to Laurie's watercolour class at Colours.
It was a treat to myself for having completed most of my work in the first week of summer vacation and with only one day of camp for he Wee Guy.
In other words, I was squeezing it all in and around the family.
So on Saturday I played.
Well, in reality, on Saturday I woke at 4.30am, couldn't sleep so got up, worked and then phoned for the class.
When I got there I just relaxed totally as Laurie explained and demo'd all the watercolour tricks and tips I should have learned before I cranked open the lid of my Cottman paint pan.
Or should I?
I loved the class. It was incredibly meditative just laying down washes of colour and dripping wet-in-wet, glazing and dry brushing, and making marks under excellent instruction. I could have done this all day ...
... or maybe not.
My eyelids got heavier and I crashed for the afternoon once back home.
Sooo relaxing!

[btw, this weekend I managed a decent night's sleep with no early morning insomnia :)]

end of a lovely day: once more unto the beach dear friend

end of a lovely day: once more unto the beach dear friend, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

end of a lovely day: once more unto the beach dear friend

breakfast for two

breakfast for two, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

This morning's breakfasting companion, since my other accomplices are variously in the air or on the Wii currently.

It's a late and lazy start to the day. We were out late last night to a cinema under the stars showing of the hilarious Hotel Transylvania. Before that was pizza for two at Me 'n' Ed's. Preceded by library time and last day of film camp.
A good day all round.
Today? Kick back and relax after crossing off some household chores.
Ms. Griz will laze around as usual.
How's your weekend looking?

self-portrait thursday: apparently not me

afternoon trip to Rocky Point Ice Cream, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

I might be visible in a reflection somewhere but no, it's not really an SPT I suppose.
Or is it? as the Wee Guy is fond of uttering in a pseudo-dramatic mystery story script kind-of way.

I suppose this might be one of the truest types of self portraits. He is, after all, half me. Biologically he has half my genetic code coursing through him and permeating every cell. His proteins are made by genes directly inherited from me. He has no pre-programmed option but to be like me, and be like his dad.

And we're noting this, have been noticing this since birth. When I saw his first yawn, it was like watching a miniature version of mr ebb in action.

He whistles tunelessly, just like my crusty great uncle.

He likes maple syrup and bacon.
He swims like a little fish.
He's pedantic and puns.
He's easily lost inside a book.

He also 'loses it' when he's anxious.
The apple, so they say, does not fall far from the tree, so digging through those dusty childhood memories sometimes helps me understand what's going on inside that complicated growing mind of his.

It's like facing your demons, second time around, and still not really understanding them. Or remembering what worked. Or what you would have liked people to do. Or what made you anxious in the first place.

Empathy/parenting - a work in progress.

wordless wednesday: lakeside stroll

lakeside stroll, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

on the shores of Lafarge Lake

Family Bowling Misery

Family Bowling Misery, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

We have free coupons at our local bowling alley so technically we're assured a cheap summer of fun.
However, since we have to take the Wee Guy with us, it might not be quite the family joy we hopedd for.
He's quite a little misery.
A big black hole sucking the joy from a rare night out.
He pouts. The shoulders hunch. He sulks, even when he's beating one of us.
He doesn't listen to tips. Doesn't celebrate with improvement.
He's just a complete sadsack.
And it's not the first time.
This is just one more family outing he's dragged down.
We either put up with the sad face or spend the evening trying to cheer him up. Or we tell him to buck up.
It's such a regular occurrence now that I'm immune to the stares from other families while I try to cajole or ignore my son.
Yes - we get that he's anxious. We know he's sensitive. We accept he's stubborn.
But heck - can we not have a relaxing and enjoyable family outing that isn't punctuated by miseryguts?

self portrait thrusday: late and mis-spelled

Big Bus Tour Vancouver, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Thursday.
First week of the summer vacation.
Juggling three jobs and no summer camp.
Feeling ultra-frustrated with one of the jobs, but hanging in there as I dig out a work flow.
Spent the day with the Wee Guy on a Big Bus tour of Vancouver.
Best decision evah :)

(spending the weekend catching up - only two proteomics papers left to review now)

Summer starts at the beach

Summer starts at the beach, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Summer starts at the beach

new shoes

new shoes, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Happiness is new shoes. 
Even more happiness is new shoes from Value Village. 
Ultimate happiness is new Keens at a fraction of the normal price. 
Makes up for scrambling around making things work at work and cramming tasks into the hours around everything else. 

Sent slowly by amoeba 

In The Bag

In The Bag, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

Ms Griz

A test auto-post from the tablet via an Android Flickr uploader.
PS: I've started a creative challenge on the other blog.

mr mustache dude

mr mustache dude, originally uploaded by ebbandflo_pomomama.

From last weekend, when it wasn't so hot out.

miserable record

Canada Day: bike ride with the boys

A most miserable record for blogging.
I'm stymied in part by the lack of autopost-ability since the demise of Posterous (I'm keeping an eye out on Posthaven to see when the function returns, and have almost convinced myself that I would pay for this service!).

Saturday: these guys just bought me three tickets for dinner with firefighters!

I'm also silenced by running not one, but three jobs at the moment.
Forget I ever whinged about not finding employment - I now have three terrific writing gigs gobbling up my textual time. I'm loving it, but as you've noticed, I'm blogging much less.
More on this in another post.

Sunday: total cute out knitting with the ladies

I'm also creating much less.
I'm doing more 2D and digital art, but less mixed media wearable stuff.
More on this in another post.

PoMo's annual fertility fest, this year with massive pancake alongside the invitation to sausage

But enough on the prose navel-gazing! It's Canada Day - a long weekend of festivities in blazing sunshine to kick off nine glorious weeks of no school.
Yes, school is out and this mama has three jobs to fit in, around and in spite of family life.
Why, oh why? My timing sucks ;)