WHY NOT: The Story Behind my “Why Not” Sketchnote

Last month (July 11, 2016) was  International Edcamp Leader  day. Not only was I super excited to be part of this day, learn from and be inspired by local Illinois leaders but the organizers of the Edcamp thought it would be fun to have ignite speeches after our lunch.  I jumped at the chance to give an Ignite Speech (actually I squealed in happiness and then thought what the heck have I gotten myself into…eeekkk).  After a day or two of brainstorming I had my theme.  As I wrote the speech, I knew I wanted to use this opportunity to really push myself  as a creator and as a presenter… not only would I share a belief I am deeply passionate about, I would draw the entire ignite speech. Continue reading “WHY NOT: The Story Behind my “Why Not” Sketchnote”

My First Digital Drawing Challenge

The tweet flowed through my stream.

Anyone up for an Easter weekend “Digital Drawing Challenge”?

“ooooooo I don’t know?!! Maybe I could?!  I’m not the artist these people are.  I don’t draw like they do.  I don’t know…but what if?  What if I do?  It could be a lot of fun!  What if my drawing turns out ok? What if it’s awful compared to theirs? What if its fun?  What if I do ok?” the thoughts, the words of doubt, the possibilities and the battle for bravery flowed through my head.

“I want to do it ,” I tweeted excitedly!

The link to the challenge came through my twitter stream later the next week.  The prompt was inspired by the Wreck In Journal.  We would have to digitally create:  “figure out a way to attach these two pages together”.  Ideas and thoughts for it danced through my head…”Oye, it also had to be digital.  I still can’t find my comfort zone handwriting and drawing more complex pieces digitally…yuck.  I stink at them.  Pages…two pages joined together…hmmm.  Maybe I would get my daughters to pick a page from their favorite book and I would find a way to creatively join them.  Maybe I’ll just take two pages and join them some how…hmmm.  Hmmmm.”

So as  fantastic creative peeps and artists (and can I just share how incredibly warm, friendly, supportive and just as nice as a new artist could hope to find in this space) shared their imaginative creations I peaked in on them when I could and I spent time enjoying…. A sister’s night, a birthday and an early easter celebration but even with all that wonderfulness…it left me with plenty of time to come up with an idea and very, very little time to draw it.

When the days finally slowed and time for me finally appeared, I sat down and digitally drew my interpretation of “attach these two pages together”.   I decided that my joining of two pages would be inspired by me…be inspired by the me I have been working to embrace all year.  I decided to join the part of me I have known for sixteen years, known I have wanted to be since 5th grade and still love to my core doing and being everyday  and the part of me that is new, that I am learning to embrace equally and learning to allow it to enhance, infuse, electrify and color my life and my teaching more then it ever has before.

My interpretation of “attaching these two pages together”

#TodaysDoodle: Join Two Pages Challenge By Carrie Baughcum

I had so much fun creating for this challenge.  While I love to draw, I generally only just draw my characters on the iPad. This challenge gave me a push to create it all on the iPad.  I learned that it is more time consuming than my pencil, paper and sharpie creations, that I need to maintain more layers for easier editing later and that I need to (like all things that need practice) create on it more and continue to practice my lettering and lines.  Most of all I am so proud of this super fun, colorful joining of the two pages of me! 

If you would like to check out these amazingly kind, welcoming, supportive, talented and  inspiring artists you can follow them on twitter via the #TodaysDoodle hashtag or here on their Twitter accounts:  Marc Bourguignon, Rob Dimeo,  Tracy Levasseur,  Lilpeanut,  Mauro Toselli, Dr. Makayla Lewis and Monica Lopez

Cleaning Shout Outs…said no kid or mom ever!

Cleaning…chores….sighhhhhhh is an infinite battle in my house (I’ve been spending a lot of time talking about that lately haven’t I).  Well I can say we have reached a 80% no whining, melt down, do it because I am supposed to do rate but woooo momma that other 20%….lordy help me.

After years of battling and attempted “behavior modification” with my ever feisty and perpetually determined to make me crazy oldest I decided a few months back to take a route unfamiliar with me…I compromised with her. I decided we she would select the household chore that she could tolerate.  This all in the hopes that the tantrum, whine factor  and incessant battling over doing your chores would significantly decrease… and what do you know…it really did…well mostly…until last week.

“Go upstairs and separate the today’s laundry.”

{sighhhhh} overly dramatic grumpy face (because I didn’t already know how unhappy she was about doing her chores after say… years of tantrums and stomping and refusing) with a bit of mad stomping up the stairs for added effect.

“Hooowws the laundry separating going,” I ask from downstairs.

minutes later…..nothing…no sound….

I walk upstairs to see what is up (duh….I totally know what is happening)

“What’s going on?” I say looking at the rolled up mound of an unhappy child trying to make a statement that is way past very clearly being made.

“I hate this.”

…cue mom speech about responsibility, her job as a member of this family….you picked this chore blah blah blah…you know the speech (heck she knows the speech).

She stares back at me.

“Let’s try something,” I say, “How about every time you think something negative, something or some reason about why you don’t like doing your chores you scream at the top of your lungs a super silly no way it is possible true shout out about what you are doing!”

{Perplexed look}

{aahhaa moment}

{Smile}

Getting back to my chores I hear a my oldest shouting from upstairs at the top of her lungs …

“I just LOVE separating the families dirty underwear into piles! Nothing makes me happier” 

From the dining room craft room I hear my youngest shout…

“I just love cleaning up a million gazillion rainbow loom bands that someone left on the floor…oooo fun!”

and from the bathroom…

Cleaning Shout Out

…and in that instant the Baughcum Family Cleaning Shout Out was born.

WARNING: Teaching children the shout out method may cause rolling on the floor laughter during cleaning and may slightly….oh shoot really reduce the amount of cleaning that actually gets done! 

1/2 The Laundry…A Life Lesson

My daughters never cease to crack me up.  Their perspective of life…even the littlest moments, the ones that seem so routine, the so everyday can leave us in giggles.  So when I asked my daughters to put away some laundry, empty a laundry basket and bring it downstairs for me I couldn’t have imagined the on the floor belly holding giggles it left me in and a life lesson I felt compelled to share…one big sister to another!
Half The Laundry...A Lesson in Measurement

…see more #SuperFunDoodles here

Crazy Holiday Fun

Well that was fun!! I don’t know about you but I have a serious love hate relationship with Christmas. This year my procrastinating tendencies caught up with me and honestly I didn’t handle it oh so well. There may have been some anxiety and stress. In the end, as always we I got through it and I was able to look back at it all, laugh, smile and see all the fun we had!!

This is just a glimpse at some of the crazy fun I had!!
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Motherhood…Living on The Edge

Last week was one full of  those on the edge moments!  You know those moments you want to run out of your house screaming someone save me from this insanity.  Those moments you count down the time until your husband will be home from work so you can tag him…”you’re it”!  Those moments you filter so much, your families mouths would drop if they knew the things you really wanted to say.  Well…wrapped up in all that insanity there is awesomeness.  The you wouldn’t have it any other way moments of motherhood.

Last week was a smidge more on the am I going to survive side…
Motherhood...The Edge of Awesomeness and Insanity By Carrie Baughcum
 

Giggles, Fun and Christmas Lights

Early this week I shared my new found love for what I have now learned is called #sketchnoting (I personally think it is so much more then a boring name like that.  Don’t worry, I’m working on a new name, prettier and way more creative name for it).  Even with a boring name my love for what I like to think of as writing with intertwined words and drawings continues….

Last weekend my 9 year old asked if we could decorate the outside of the house on Saturday. How could I possibly say no.  So we brought the lights up from the basement and got to work.  It was so much more then I could have expected.
Giggles, Fun and Christmas Lights

Mom Always Said…

I don’t know about where you are at but winter has gone from …

“Ohhhh look at all that snow!  Lets go play in it”

to

“We’re stuck in the house againnnn??!!”

to

“Moooommmm she’s touching me again!”

“Mooooommmm tell her to leave me alone!”

to

“Do I have anything warmer then an undershirt and a long sleeve shirt and a sweater and  jeans and socks and boots and a scarf and mittens and a down jacket…cause I’m still cold!”

to

“Are you kidding me?! Is this ever going to end?!”

to

“I’m moving to Florida!!”

…but even with all of that obvious love for winter Moose has his own opinions

Always Eat Your Vegetables

No Swimming

My daughters are a constant source of inspiration for me.  Their amazingly fantastic view the world around them makes me smile. The heck awesome places their imaginations take them to leaves me in smiling in awwww.  The times I get to spend drawing and doing crafts with them… inspired and filled with ideas.

Like most of my doodles, this one stared with “Mommy come draw with meeeee!!!!”

It quickly turned into a paper crumpling grump, “I can’t draw fish!!!!”

And ended with a mini-fish drawing lesson and then it….well you’ll see! Continue reading “No Swimming”