Serena Bowman's Blog

Whattsup CNN and California???

2010-03-04T21:06:00.001-05:00

I know this has nothing to do with ART or Kids or any of the Mama Drama ( Kelli's term) that I usually blabber about but this got me in scolding mommy mode with hands on hips and a scowl!

Story 1) Califorina students struggle under budget cuts (CNN) and Story 2) California misses out on federal education funds by LA Times

I am going do a " two hands on the hips" to CNN for reporting NOT the whole story but just slanted tale of woe and for the California Teachers Union for facing the difficulty of shrinking budget but still rallying together to not via for the grant money.

This morning I watch this story on CNN ( I posted a link to). In a nutshell, the story was a basically a tale of woe - Teachers are being laid off due to lack of monies, Class room sizes are up from 20 to 25-30. Teachers not getting enough money for supplies.

But then I read this in LA TIMES which Jason Song and Howard Blume report how "California was not selected as one of the finalists for a $4.35-billion competitive school-reform grant program, It is unclear why California was not selected, but some experts were pessimistic about the state's chances because fewer than half of school districts and teachers unions agreed to sign an agreement requiring them to abide by the reforms included several controversial proposals, including linking teachers' performance to their students' test scores."

CNN and California Teachers Union - You cannot have your cake and eat it too!
CNN - you might want to mention that there was Grant out there that could have solved all the woes you happened to highlight - it is called getting the whole story - you should try it sometime (and for those of you who don't know me - No I am not a fan of Fox News) and CTU don't go on national TV and whine about your budget cuts but basically thumb your noses at a $4 billion grant.

And NO - I don't think my little rant will really accomplish anything - this is just my little soapbox that I sometime stand on - If you don't like you are welcome to your own soapbox.

BTW Tennessee is still in the running for the grant money - Go Tennessee!

And these are some party plates / napkins I am designs - Oh How Cute!

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/04/layoffs.education/index.html?hpt=Sbin

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/do-not-post-until-okd-by-jason-songbeth-shuster.html

Beware of shopping with well behaved children!

2010-03-03T21:54:00.004-05:00

Went do the weekly grocery ( actually it every 5 days grocery trip) with two of my precious angels. Usually I take all 4 of them after school - hey I don't want to spend my precious kid free-school hours at the groceries if I can help it. Normally they are pretty good but just the whole process of pushing the cart, eyeing what to get and where, what's on sale, the mandatory trip to the restroom and making sure I don't lose them is pretty tiring.

But this time it was just 2 boys - that they were so good! The older one pushed the cart. The younger would ask what I need and run head and get it. Did ask for too much junk food - the most junkiest was a bag of chips. What a great experience right??? WRONG!!!

The kiddies were so goood that when they asked for the strawberries - I said "Sure." ($4.99 x 2) and when they politely requested cantaloupe for breakfast - I said "Sounds good" ( $3.99)
And when one boy said the other" we have not had steaks in for ever, it is one my favorites, and the other said 'my favorite is porkchops and salmon' I thought " poor babies I will just fix them their favorites " ( $29.87, $13.54, and $26 respectively). This went on unnoticed until the checkout ...

We hit well above the $400 mark - Ack!!!! Our food bill is pretty outrageous anyway but this was CRAZY - Almost double what we would normally spend!! WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?

I then realized had the boys demanded and whined - I would have gladly cheerfully said - no, No, NO, NOOO to all their little requests- healthy or not. I know boys were not behaving well for ulterior motives but shopping with well behaved kids is dangerous!

I Launder therefore I am

2010-02-25T18:56:00.007-05:00

Seriously even in Google map and Google street view - we have toys in the yard and bikes on the street. Even though I am daily yelling my head off, created signs, posting notes on the wall and fridge to put away the toys and bikes at the end of the day -Google still cannot find a good day to snap a picture.

Sometimes I feel like I am under mountain of toys and dirty clothes. I have this suspicious feeling that one day I am going to get completely caught up on laundry and the next day I am going to die. What if it is not oxygen or a pumping heart that keeps me going? What if it is my dirty pile of wash that is reason for my existence?? What if “I launder therefore I am”??
Of course we will never know that answer since getting caught up is as far fetched as walking to the moon. I guess the obvious conclusion is that I will be the oldest person in history.

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Serena Bowman

PEACE ON EARTH Ya'LL

2009-11-21T22:39:00.001-05:00

Back when the triplets were just 9 months old- times where tough. The triplets were going thru a separation anxiety phase. Not just wanting to be in the same room with me but had to be touching me at all times. Could not even sit on the sofa because all three could not be touching me – I had to sit on the floor hold two in my arms and one would stretch across my legs. As I am typing this – I realized a lot can be said about age. I don’t think my 40 year old back can handle what my 32 year back had to deal with.
I was furniture for at least 5 months. Probably more but my mind will not let me remember all the painful details – kind of like child birth. We had a tri – level house (Main floor – 4 steps take you upstairs to the bedrooms – 4 steps took you downstairs to the family room and office). Those 4 steps were torture – as soon as I headed towards those steps all three of them started THE CRY. You know The Cry. Starts with the look of anxiety one of their faces. Quickly escalates into a small whining from another. And then becomes a full blown wailing and bawling and sobbing. All three at the same time. What a lovely sight. In fact that was my Christmas card that year.

Vacation from yelling

2009-04-28T13:52:00.001-04:00

We went away for the weekend. Sometimes, on the hamster wheel that is my life, I have to just get off and get away! I needed to get away and focus on painting – to do something new and different. To get out my rut and de–stress. Spring fever has hit my triplets and my 3rd grader like a ton of bricks and they have been on high octane for a while now. So we dropped my four little precious bundles of joy at dear ole Mom’s and headed to Black Mountain near Asheville North Carolina!
Normally Black Mountain is a granola loving, mountain biking, Appalachian Trail hiking kind of town. But in April it is still a little too cool and rainy for all the outdoorizy types to come out. No problem for me. The shops do tend to close early on Saturdays and many are closed on Sunday. If your wallet is just on fire and you got money to burn, Asheville is just 15 mins away – a short but beautiful car ride away.

Stayed a little inn called the Monte Vista Hotel. Monte Vista is great – not the too close for comfort coziness of a bed and breakfast and not the clinical/ manufactured feel of chain hotels (which are not bad just not what you want in town like Asheville). The décor has not changed for probably twenty five years – the large lobby has worn Victorian settees and sofas and chairs in faded tapestry style fabric. There is a huge fireplace with a roaring fire in the evenings. Perfect for the cool nights in the mountains. Hard to explain why this place makes me relax but it does. Maybe because it is not pretentious or fancy, just an old inn with character. And the price is so right that not even David can complain. Not that he is a tightwad or anything like that. In fact it is quite the opposite. It is just that he just hates bed and breakfasts - says there is nothing romantic about staying at “Grandma’s house with 6 other strangers that you might or might not have to share a bathroom with” but for years I have been brainwashed into thinking if we are not staying at bed and breakfast, WELL! That is just not a romantic getaway. Which escalates into why doesn’t he love me enough. Which then involves a lot of glares and puzzled looks ( that translates into “did I know she was this crazy when I married her???”)
But after one very awkward breakfast at an Inn ( David was sleeping in) and it was just me at the breakfast table, I realized we are not B and B people; we are not the romantic type ( great marriage but not just the snookiewookie type), not the lets- talk-to-strangers-like-they- are -our – best- friends- despite-the-fact-we-have-never-met-nor-will-never-see each-other-again-after-this-weekend type. Heck most of the time we sleep in that we miss the whole breakfast part of the deal!
With all those factors I realized that maybe, just maybe, David was right. Just MAYBE a B and B does not make or break a weekend getaway. Not that I will ever EVER admit it.
The one problem with Black Mtn in the off season is that even some of the restaurants close early. But there is a wonderful bed and breakfast Red Rocker Inn that serves delicious 4 course meals. Within walking distance of the Monte Vista which is a good thing because after dinner at the Red Rocker Inn you are going to want to walk it off! And before you ask - yes they have red rockers everywhere.
Best part of the weekend…I finished 4 new paintings!

My daughter gets very upset when she knows that Mommy and Daddy are going away. “Why do you have to go?” she says between tear filled sniffs and whimpers.

My son Nicholas pipes up and said “Because Mommy needs a vacation from yelling.”

Ahem.

Disclaimer

2009-04-15T09:39:00.002-04:00

Hot Shower

Disclaimer

I would like it on public record that I have never Never NEVER told any of my boys that it is OK to drop his drawers and pee while standing on a neighbor’s air conditioning unit.

SO...WHO KNEW???

2009-04-12T23:12:00.002-04:00

Who Knew??

So, huh. Who knew that blogging would be this hard??? I thought I would be back posting much sooner but blah, blah, blah, blah and some yadda, yadda; it is now April.

As I am typing this and seeing the above paragraph, it actually surprises me that was what came out the keyboard (my keyboard, like my paintbrush has a mind of its own). My original intention was to give very good reasons why I have not been posting.

I volunteer twice a month in all four of my kids classes and teach art for 3 classes. Count them … that is like every other day. EVERY OTHER DAY!*

*And let me tell you… kindergartens are exhausting.

And those 3^rd grade projects are not so easy either!!! And even get me started on the homework!!!

*It was the holidays!!!! We host a lot!! All in involving Martha Stewart style entertaining (it’s true, I cannot do simple, it is just not in my vocabulary).

I was going thru a massive creative period and I did not want to lose that spark by blogging…………

Well the truth is I was not going thru a creative period, and yes it is the holidays (the Martha Stewart style part is true - but less crafty – more food and décor oriented) and yes I do volunteer like it is my real job instead of focusing on my art business. But the truth of the matter is as soon as it gets cold – which happened early this year for Knoxville - I check out - especially once the holidays end. I get into a funk. It is a bit more than a funk. I basically become catatonic. Does any one else get this way?? I would like to think so because I find myself shockingly normal. Whatever. Did not mean to take this to serious note but you know the keyboard….

It annoys the hubbie to no end. He is a workaholic on top of being an obsessive half – a** perfectionist (I will explain later). But after nearly 10 years of going thru this we have come to an understanding, he should not expect me to move until the temp is above 40 degrees.

Anyway by the time it was officially Spring, and all the annoying colds spell (70 on Sunday, snowing on Monday) and dismal rains spell subsided – well it was March. We hired two 2 employees/ assistants/ peeps – I never denied being high maintenance. I completely forgot how to even get on my blog. Kelly found my blog. So, huh. Here we are. Who knew how hard blogging would be??? I promise to post more.

I have new respect for Perez Hilton – hmmm.. no not really.

PS: OK when I mean active – it is not like exercise or anything drastic like that. Maybe creative is the right word. Yes Creative! I have painted A LOT – have close to 80 new paintings in the spring collection – should be posted on the website by the end of the month! CHECK IT OUT!

www.serenabowman.com IN THE BEGINNING

2008-10-13T10:05:00.006-04:00

So here I go ...falling down the rabbit hole into the Wonderland known as a Blogging.

Hmmm....So usually I find myself with all sorts of snarky ( yes that is a word - maybe) comments but as with most of us when the time calls for a great first impression or snappy comeback -we freeze up. But if history is correct - I am sure I will come up something fabulous and witty 2 days from now when it really does not matter. But I guess in this case you can just check and be in awe of my fabulocity ( yeah that is word too - maybe)

So I can talk a little bit about myself , first of all I not a shy person but fairly private - so this whole blog thing goes against my grain. But on the other hand I am also loud and opinionated and a bit of an egomaniac. I am not sure what this says about me, probably nothing except that I am probably difficult to live with...

Well, see you in two days when I come up with something fabulous but until then you can visit my website www.serenabowman.com - I do whimsical children's illustration/art - even have strange little fan base.

Strange because I never realized that my art meant so much to others. Now that I think about it should not surprise me. I have always loved art. As most art lovers, we start in our childhood maybe with a great book that we discovered at the library ( as with me) or picture that hung in your grandmothers dining room or as with my children just a really great movie ( ok - it was Stars Wars episode 2 but we are not getting into discussing the pros/cons of old Star Wars vs new Star Wars - at least not yet).
I try to add elements of warmth and fun into all my art. One of my first customers - wrote to us about how much her son loved his DINOSAUR T-Rex picture so much that he kissed it good night --- I know-- how sweet is that....

We have what we call the giggle-kiss test -- Does this picture make a child giggle or make child want to kiss goodnight? If the answer is yes - the picture gets to see the light ( or nightlight). If not it's banished into dark corner where lonely unloved art goes until love makes it real one day or the shredder ...oh that is harsh!

My son Alex at age of 4 started drawing clone battle scene after battle scene until he filled an entire 100 page sketch book. It is really cute to see how he as grown artistically - I recommend this any parent with a little budding artist. Not only will you treasure this priceless collection but it keeps all the drawings together!!! Hey - here is one of those pearls of wisdom.. OK maybe that is a stretch but if you have four little artists at your house - paper can easily take over...

You know I think I meant to sign off 2- 3 paragraphs ago --- told you I am a big mouth... Later