The Art and Life of Naomi Valdivia
I bought some wood panels that I had custom made from a local wood craftsman. He drilled holes in the back for easy hanging as well. I haven’t painted in oils in YEARS. My oil paints were mostly stuck together at the lid and took all of my strength to pry apart, but this was the result of yesterday’s painting session, not finished yet, but a happy work in progress!
Just finished an article about artist Alfie Numeric. Look for the next issue coming soon! Check out more about ART! The Magazine: http://artthemagazine.com/
With a picky toddler, a nine year old boy, and a teenage girl, I need snacks around the house that are both healthy, filling, and inexpensive to make. Even using organic ingredients, this recipe is still very budget friendly-and it makes a lot! About 4 dozen cookies depending on how big you make them! When my toddler refuses to eat anything else in the house, he will never refuse one of these nutritious cookies.
Prep time: 30-45 minutes
Cook time: 10-12 minutes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I use organic)
1 cup of rolled oats
1/2 cup of flax meal
1/2 cup (or more if desired) chia seeds
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate chips
Directions;
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk flour, oats, flaxseed, chia seeds, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.
Beat butter and sugars in a separate bowl with a mixer on medium high speed until fluffy, approximately 3-4 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and beat well. Reduce mixing speed to low and add flour mixture gradually until just combined. Hand stir in chocolate chips. You may want to add nuts, too!
Drop heaping tablespoons full of the dough into your parchment lined cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes. Let cookies cool 3 minutes on cookie sheets and transfer to a rack or separate plate to allow to cool. Enjoy!
My mother in law brought me 3 of these little garden fence things from the 99 cents store. Instead of using it for my garden, which wasn’t working, I created a space for Rocky to have his own little garden to learn about how things grow. The dirt was packed solid so I made sure to turn it and add compost until it was ready to plant seeds. His big brother, CJ, helped me plant lettuce and garlic. I can’t wait until the little sprouts start growing! I know Rocky will love it!
Had a great time in Ventura today vending at the Museum of Ventura County. The weather was beautiful and had yummy Thai food from Rice on Main St. Didn’t make a lot of sales but made a lot of great contacts. The artists and creatives in the 805 are awesome! Very glad I ventured out today. I’ll be listing a lot of new items on etsy this week. For more info on my shop, check out www.heavenlyskull.com!
My new baby niece was born this morning! 8 lbs 11 oz! Big baby girl! Was very emotional today! Congrats to my baby sis on becoming a new mama!
So after almost 2 years if my baby not sleeping through the night, EVER, I have recently gotten him to take a nap in his bassinet. He hasn’t slept in there since he was about 3 months. So as you can imagine I was elated when I was able to feed him and then move him into the bassinet. He slept for two hours!
Tonight he fell asleep during a feeding after a bath and Carlos was able to move him into the bassinet where he is still asleep! I am hoping he will sleep through the night, finally!! I will let you know how he did when I wake up in the morning!
There are pros and cons to being a work at home mom. Being able to be with my kids almost 24/7 is extremely rewarding. I am very thankful for the opportunities given to me to be able to do this. That being said, sometimes I feel like I never get a break. I don’t go to work and focus only on my job. I don’t have the luxury of being able to focus only on cooking and cleaning and the kids. It’s a constant juggle of working, parenting and housework. There are no time constraints and kids don’t generally get the idea that if mommy is working, she needs to focus and doesn’t need to hear about Finn and Jake right at that moment.
Right now my stubborn toddler is refusing to fall asleep as I’m trying to nurse him. I have a dirty kitchen and need to put food away, pack my husband’s lunch and wash the dishes. I have a full dryer and full washer that need to be switched out and clothes that need to be folded. I need to write up 4 more SEO blogs, take care of some custom tattoo requests and schedule at least 24 Facebook posts. I don’t know what time Rocky will fall asleep, but no matter how late it is, I still have to take care of the things listed above, even if I’m up until 3 am. And forget sleeping in, I wake up however early the baby wakes up to nurse–and I have work in the morning, so I need to be online. For those who think being a work at home mom is a breeze, it definitely is NOT! But I love it anyway (even if it drives me nuts half the time).
Today was one of the best days I’ve had with Rocky since he’s been born. He is more difficult than my older son was. He demands more attention and often not in cute ways. He has a scream that reaches a pitch that goes straight to my brain and there isn’t a gradual cry to get there. If he’s upset about one of his toy cars not going where he wants, it’s the same blood curdling scream as when he’s REALLY scared or upset.
Today, however, he woke up calm and happy, and was just that the whole day! His brother and sister were with their grandparents so it was just he and I. I have to admit I was worried about how he would feel today without brother or sister there, but he did surprisingly well! He was sweet and affectionate but also independent and focused. He ate all day, whatever I gave him. And he nursed, but not obsessively. He and I had a wonderful day together and got things done at the same time. I cooked, cleaned, worked, exercised, and he had a bath, climbed, ran, lined up his cars, looked through books and took a nice nap.
I hope this is a sign of how it will be when both the older kids go back to school and it’s just the baby and I for the majority of the day. I expect there will be difficult days, too, as there always are, but with days like today, I can deal with them. 🙂
My baby sister is due on my daughters birthday which is coming up soon, so I made her a badge to wear at her baby shower. She is in Arkansas and I won’t be able to make it, but I will be there in spirit!
Know someone who is expecting? Want a custom baby shower badge? Or maybe a bridal shower or bachelorette party badge? Any kind of custom badge! Contact me. 🙂
Naomivaldivia.com 