Currently all 4 kids are occupied- Jimmy is napping in the
living room, Sawyer is watching Caillou next to him, Josie is already starting
the teenage angst period and blasting iCarly music in her room. And of course Baby Bart is here hanging out
on the boppy on my lap. Trying to type
away while I keep my elbow raised so as not to bump his little nose.
So you are probably sitting thinking to yourself “man, I
would kill for such a leisurely work schedule!”
It would allow for so much free time to shop, lounge about, hit the spa….Ah,
my friends, sorry to disappoint. There is
no such thing as a one hour job! But to
fully understand my life and my current “job”, you need to know the evolution
of Cami’s career. So here goes(close
friends and relatives, sorry to bore you, but you can all use refreshers as to
just how many jobs I have held- I like to call it Creative ADD). Graduated from School of Visual Arts in 1999
with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Certificate in Art Therapy(sort of like a
minor in). Then in chronological order I
went on to hold each of these jobs, some simultaneously with others:
-taught preschool-aged children with Autism using Applied
Behavior Analysis
-worked first as a Program Assistant then as a Program
Coordinator in an Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program(sort of like a day
treatment program for teens with psych and substance abuse issues, etc.) at a
behavioral health center, also helped run Pet Therapy groups and art groups
with kids/teens both in the school there and the residential treatment center
-taught art at a Catholic school to grades k through 8
-worked as an Art Counselor at an organization that provides
resources/support to patients & families affected by cancer, mainly with
their children’s groups and their pediatric patients
-worked as a Child Life Specialist in a large hospital
system(first full time, then 3 days a week after Josie was born, then PRN which
means fill in, and now am temporarily retired to be home with my kiddos)
**more on what a Child Life Specialist is another day, but
for those who are curious, please check out this website: www.childlife.org
-taught children’s art classes at a very cool art space
-painted designs on tin lunch boxes for a friend’s sister’s
bow business(didn’t last long, but was grateful for the opportunity)
-started to illustrate a children’s book that a friend has
written(don’t give up on me, Liz! I am
ready to finish it!!) This was put on hold once Sawyer surprised us with his
debut.
-taught afterschool art classes at my old elementary school
-taught art classes at a large homeschool group in Fairfax
Which brings me to my current one hour job- teaching art to
a group of girls who are homeschooled and meet once a week to take my classes
and socialize. Every week, we rotate to
a different girl’s house and her mom is the “host” that week. Usually this is not a problem as there is
some sort of pattern we follow. Though I
did show up at the wrong house once last year and all the girls and their moms
were at another house ten minutes away…So my Wednesday mornings usually go
something like this: spend the morning doing my usual routine of making sure
the middle two don’t kill each other or the dog all the while running back and
forth to our storage room in the basement gathering my supplies for the day’s
project which I load into various bags or my art cart which has made my life
much easier. If I have been really
prepared that Wednesday, I will have my lesson plan completely finished and
sample done for the girls to look at as well as art books of famous artists’
work to use to incorporate some art history into the lesson. But anyone who knows me well, knows I thrive
on procrastination- and like to work under pressure. So this is what really happens. I think up a lesson plan while trying to chug
down some coffee, keep brainstorming as I am showering. Showering which is one of the least relaxing
things I can do when I am home with the boys and A.J. is at work and Josie is
at school. Load up the baby in the
bouncy seat, bring him in the bathroom with me praying he will sleep the whole
5 minutes I shower. More prayers as I
step in the shower that Tweedle Dee and
Tweedle Dum will not injure, impale, electrocute, mangle, or in any way, shape
or form, harm themselves. Rush to get
dressed and ready so I have enough time to breastfeed the baby before we
go. Praying again that my mother-in-law
will be on time to watch Jimmy and Sawyer.
Frantically wipe down the bathroom and vacuum the main level of the
house and take out the trash before my mother-in-law arrives. Bleach is that woman’s best friend and my
house is quite possibly the devil to her.
But she is a wonderful grandmother and I am grateful to anyone who
willingly watches my boys and does not run screaming. I throw together today’s outfits for the boys
as they jump up and down on the couch in front of our very large windows ,
Jimmy in nothing but Phineas and Ferb briefs and Sawyer in a very wet
diaper. Mother-in-law arrives and I load
up the art supplies, grab Bart and head off.
Usually arrive at that week’s host house either right on time or a few
minutes late. But thankfully I have
found that homeschooling moms are some of the most understanding employers ever
since they know where I am coming from.
While I do not have the patience for it with my own kids, I admire them
for what they are giving their children.
I slow down usually after the first 10 minutes of settling in and
starting the class, enjoy some art time with the girls before clean up and
rushing to get home to breast feed the baby.
Pull up to the house, walk in and there they are bouncing like maniacs
on the couch again lobbing pillows at me and Bart. Mother-in-law says they were “complete angels”
for her. Well apparently the halos turn
to horns the minute the Gray Goose and mom pull in the driveway.
*****A huge thank you
to my “Hunky” A.J., my mom, my mother-in-law, my sisters, sister-in-law who all
pitch in when necessary so I can keep my toes wet in the fields I love so much!
And many thanks to all of you who helped to influence my crazy career path and
who have helped me acquire many of these jobs through word of mouth.
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