Dear School, I'm Breaking Up With You

Dear School,

How's it going? We've known each other for a long time and we've been through a lot. From learning "times tables" in elementary school to physics in high school to all of the university classes, you've always been there.

School, there are so many people that like you. There are so many people who think that you are their ticket to freedom. You've been their friend. They sing praises (fight songs) to your name and wear your apparel with pride. They want to send their children your way, School. They trust that you will help them throughout their life.

Everyone keeps telling me that if we spend more time together, everything will work out. I'm having a hard time believing this. Have you seen the news, School? About all of the college graduates getting paid barely above minimum wage, and not even in jobs related to what they studied with you? These are people who were counting on you, School, and you screwed them! And did you know that there are programmers without degrees that are getting paid more than people with Master's degrees, and even Doctorates? It's because of the skills, School, not the degree.

This is why I'm considering my options and our future together.

School, it seems that you are a best friend to a few particular groups of people, like scientists or engineers or mathematicians. I'm not a part of those groups. I'm interested in those things but not enough to spend 4 years of full-time study dedicated to them. It seems that you want to force people to become specialists in one particular thing. And you know what, School? That may great for some people.

But not for me.

Here's the real problem, School. I'm not interested in one thing. I'm interested in a lot of things. I want to learn about everything!

I want to learn about biology,
but I also want to learn about psychology,
but I also want to learn about graphic design,
but I also what to learn about cinematography,
but I also want to learn about drawing and painting,
but I also want to learn about business,
but I also want to learn about 3D modeling,
but I also want to learn about exercise science,
but I also want to learn about architectural drafting,
but I also want to learn about photography,
but I also want to learn about astronomy,
but I also want to learn about sociology,
but I also want to learn another language,
but I also want to learn about entrepreneurship,
but I also want to learn about history.

See what I mean, School? I know you can provide a lot of knowledge on these topics and even get into the boring and mundane details of each one, which, for some people, is fine and dandy. But what about people like me? What about the people who want to learn about everything? What about entrepreneurs who don't want to be tied to a single industry? What do you have in place for us?

Oh, right. Nothing.

Thanks, School.

You may say,
"You don't understand!
I can help you!
I can make sure you will always be able to get a job!
You will be credible!
With a degree in hand, you'll be able to say, 'I stuck to it!'
You will be respected!"

"Job job job blah blah blah employment employment employment." School, you aren't telling me anything new. I'm sorry, but we've been over this already.

Do you know how many credits I have, School? After this semester, I'll have 134.5 credits. That's more than you need for a Bachelor's degree! I've taken classes in all sorts of subjects, and instead of waiting for my senior year to get an internship, I've asked around. You want to know how many people are interested in me working for/with them?

Four. Four! I've basically had four job offers and I don't have a degree in anything! And I've had more of a "well-rounded" education than most college graduates!

One last thing, School. One of your greatest lies is security (job security, in particular). In today's economy, what's secure about having a job in the first place? The days of "Get a degree, get a job, live a long, secure, happy life" are gone! For those who believe this lie, it's more like, "Get a degree, try to get a job, get a job at Starbucks, get a 'real job', get fired from that job, back to Starbucks, repeat 5 or 6 times." And good luck trying to pay back those student loans, huh, School?

You promise them secure lives only to throw them under the bus when they graduate. That's messed up, School. Really messed up.

And so, School, I'm breaking up with you, at least for now. Our relationship has grown stale and I need a breather. Maybe I'll check back in 6-12 months, but seriously, you aren't helping me right now. You're just getting in my way.

See ya later, School!

Best regards (but not really),

Phil

I've sold my soul to the MLM gods!

Well, I've gone and done it friends. I've sold my soul to the Multi-Level-Marketing gods, you can now un-friend me on Facebook because I'm about to get annoying! But not anymore annoying than I already am and certainly not any more annoying than posting selfies-only, or pictures of my freaking-cute baby every millisecond of everyday. So you can just take a deep breath, ok?!

It's true though isn't it? Once one of your friends joins an MLM, they stop being your friend and more of an inherent, unavoidable pesky colleague for a job you never even applied for. They're more like flies but instead of the occasional tickles on your skin or humming in your ear, you hear them buzz words like, "opportunity", or the classic; "are you thinking right now of how this residual income can help your family?," or my personal no duh question, "wouldn't you want to be making an extra thousand or more dollars a month?" Uh, yes I would, but no, I don't want to join your MLM crap.

...And this new oil thing that everyone is so hyper about. You can hardly express how you're frustrated that your children are always complaining about doing their homework or cleaning their room and someone is down your throat saying, "there's an oil for that!" Ok, ok you caught me, I do that sometimes.. but it's because there really is an essential oil for just about everything, and the truth of the matter is, they work!

As of today, April first, I'm officially a Lemon Dropper! But how did I get on this crazy journey and why, oh, why is Phil joining me in all of this MLM shenanigans? I mean really... I didn't see a pig fly today, did you?

I joined the Lemon Drop Lounge because:
1. I already USE essential oils
2. I already LOVE essential oils
3. I already TALK about essential oils
4. WHY NOT give more than just ME access to these wonderful products and become part of a group of people who feel the same?
5. WHY NOT have the potential to be compensated for SHARING what I love and know that others would love them too?
6. And because... The Lemon Dropper are awesome! There's no pressure to buy, to sell, or do anything other than talk and listen to essential oil blabbing. Never once will a Lemon Dropper ask you ridiculous buzz phrases like stated above. (If they do, come see me, I'll hunt them down and send them off to some other MLM webinar where you'd prefer to poke your own eyes out.)

So you see, it's a total no-brainer!

As evident in my last post, it got me thinking, in the past year when I began using essential oils for my pregnancy I've really become passionate about all this stuff. Passionate about my health, and what I put in or on my body. My friend in class told me yesterday, "McKenna, you're a 'Granola' stuck inside a normal person's life." Haha! It was hilarious and yet true. But that's the thing, 'Granola' isn't so granola anymore. More and more people are conscious about the environment, about living a green lifestyle, staying away from toxins and fighting against many of the problems we face in a first world society, nutrition and health specifically.

Technological and scientific advances have been great to us but sometimes it's best to draw back on what nature gave us for taking preventative measures for our mental, physical and emotional health and the health of our families. Essential oils have been around for a lot longer than this "new Utah trend" for them has been. Yet, I am very grateful they've been on the rise because through that I've become aware of them and they've really been a benefit to me and my little family.

So friends, be prepared for some essential oil love and edu coming to you on this blog cuz Phil and I have great plans for helping you get educated about these crazy Granola oils.  ;)

Join us here on Facebook for all our essential oil chatter

Unlock Your Block with ARTIST BLOCKS

Phil and I are getting ready to launch our Kickstarter campaign! We've been working hard over the past 8-9 months on this idea and are so grateful for all the support we've received along the way.

HOW OUR IDEA CAME TO LIFE: I'm an art student and during my 2D design class I was required to sketch 5-10 drawings a week and after a while my ideas dried up and I had nowhere to gain that little boost of inspiration. It wasn’t until Phil and I met that the idea for the blocks came.

Phil was looking for a project to do in his spare time and he asked me if there was a problem I needed solving. It got me thinking: sometimes as artists we go through times of creative block or we’re stuck in a rut doing the same things over again. All we need is some sort of refresher!
I told him I needed a solution for creative block.

And the Artist Blocks were born!

ARTIST BLOCKS are a tool to help you unlock your creative block.

Eventually, we want to create Artist Blocks for all disciplines of art, but for now we are focusing on the fundamentals by creating the DRAWING BLOCKS SET.

The Drawing blocks set includes:

• Subject Matter
• Drawing medium
• The technique you use
• And a number block that can be used for time, strokes, or number of objects in your drawing.

THE ARTIST BLOCKS PROCESS:

Our first prototypes were hand written on and made of wood, as we explored what would give artists the most variety of options while also being very prevalent in technical value. We started out with two blocks, one for medium, the other for technique, and later knew we needed two more: the subject block and a minutes block.

We then found a manufacturer who could create high quality engraved blocks that would withstand being tossed into someones art bag and we were on our way to making a real product. 

In our planning we wanted to include reference cards for Blocksters to keep on hand, each card describes the components on the blocks and includes a visual reference. And to keep all of it together we hand stamped the ARTIST BLOCKS logo on strong muslin bags with water proof ink.

OUR CAMPAIGN:

We plan to launch some time in April. There will be two "early bird" levels that are heavily dicounted for a single set of Artist Blocks, however they are limited and are first come first serve.

To ensure that you'll be the FIRST TO KNOW when we launch, 

sign up here: http://bit.ly/1bKSJq2


Artist Blocks are also on Facebook! Find us and like us there!

To see my (McKenna's) artwork find me here:
art blog// mckennawoolleyart.blogspot.com intstagram// @mckwoolleyart

facebook// mckenna woolley art

tumblr// mckwoolleyart

7-8 month update

7-8 months:
loves clicking his tongue
learned how to low crawl
ate his 1st solids
fell asleep in the bath
became a better napper 1-3 hours 2x a day
said "mama" and "dada"
got into the plungers/toilet scrubber
had his 1st fever after his 6 month shots
got his 1st tooth January 19th
getting more hair
got to a sitting position on his own
sits up fairly well on his own but not for very long, he'd rather be on the go
pulls himself up to his knees/standing position when he really wants something on the couch
laughs really hard playing peek-a-boo, "where's Emerson?", "How big are you?" and "I'm going to get you" as I chase him down the hall to tickle him.
very curious
loves eating paper and the most dangerous things he can find
wants mommy or daddy to hold him because the world is much more fascinating in their arms
loves textiles rugs, corners of walls, the vent under the water heater
very attentive to music and sounds
sings (squeels) and aaaahhhhhhh's
still loves lights and cords
doesn't like the blender but is okay with the blow dryer
gets up on hands and knees and bobs back and forth
shakes his head side-to-side
got his 2nd tooth February 5th
loves knocking over the shapes when they're stacked, giggles every time
favorite song is 'Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam'

A Christmas gift from my boys.

6 months

18lbs 14oz
27.75 inches tall
17.5 head circumference.

Almost crawling on hands and knees, has army crawl down pat and also gets around by pushing himself while upside-down on his head. Almost sitting up on his own, but really just wants to grab his toes instead. No solids yet. No teeth. Definitely a left-thumb-only thumb-sucker. 9 month PJs/onsies. Smiley, giggly, ticklish. Loves cords, strings, hair and rug textiles. Sensitive to noises and sad music. Cuddle-bug.

He was meant for me, and I was meant for him.

I lay here with my little boy on my chest. I can hear his faint pants and feel his tummy bulge as he intakes his little baby breaths. His left ear is likely leaving an imprint on my chest just as this moment is leaving a mark of inexpressible joy on my heart. I hold him because he needs me to, he wants me to. This little one who's experiencing one of his first battles with pain in his new tiny human frame needs his mother near to comfort him. Being his mother I have never felt a joy so deeply about being needed.

Though finals week approaches and much still needs to be done, the art projects I've got sitting unfinished on my kitchen table can wait. Nothing is more important than this fleeting moment that will pass before I know it and I'll be longing for him to need me as he experiences the growing pains of his adult life. Yet then he'll want to do it on his own. He'll want to push through without me because he'll have found his independence.

I find myself being guilted by the pressures of the world to push him into independence. To teach him to be on his own, to make him get used to life as a single being. I find my thoughts wandering thinking that every time I coddle him it's going to have some lasting negative effect for years to come. That because I respond to his cries or hold him while he sleeps he will turn into a clingy, whiny child or an insecure adult. That he'll never learn to sleep on his own or know how to self soothe. These thoughts nag at my soul, and I can't even pin-point from where they come. As if me reading an article or two by some genius baby expert on baby sleep habits has become so ingrained in me that my mind is battling with my heart, telling me to put him down awake, to never let him sleep with me, never do this or claiming you need to be doing that. 

It's time that these thoughts and feelings flee because they are wearing me down. These things go against my very nature and how I personally desire to raise my baby. I want to hold him, he wants to be held, what can be so wrong with that? And so I've concluded, I will hold him because when this moment is gone, I can't get it back. When he grows and no longer needs me or no longer wants to be held, I will remember that I had my time, I had these moments. So I will enjoy as many cuddles as I can while I can. I will to listen when he cries and respond promptly because he'll learn that he is valued that he has a voice that will be answered. He will learn that he is loved and respected, that a family is a safe haven. The other things will come with time. He will sleep in his own bed, in his own room one day but I don't have to justify why he isn't doing that now. There's no reason to.

My sister-in-law told me something that has stayed with me, "Emerson was sent to you, to be your child and no-one else's because you were the only one who could be the mother he needs." I cherish that thought. I feel the guilt dissipate when I reflect on that. I've been given this time with him to get to know him; to be his first love, his first friend, his mother. And his mother I will be, because I was meant for him and he was meant for me.