Dirty Laundry Blog by Jennifer Hynes

It takes a long time.

August 26th, 2015
It takes a long time. I started off the morning on the deck with Jack and Fiona, I had one of my notebooks from my note book project. (One of my thoughts is to keep one with me while on domestic duty) I bought Jack and Fiona each thier own notebook. Of course most of the time they are eating the crayons, chalk, markers, or putting paint in their mouths. When they did decide to lay down some marks this morning, Fiona drew on one side of the glass on the door and Jack drew on the other side. It was kinda cool so I didn’t tell them no. I worked on some quick sketches and played with the markers and crayons. I still have a challenge getting loose in those situations. But I’m working on it.


By the time I got down to my studio ready to work it was already 1:00pm. I wanted to be in by 12:00 at the latest, but the babies are still feeling yucky so I stayed with Lindsay until nap time to give some TLC. It’s something I like to do when I have someone here helping me. I can give each baby extra attention. Something that’s impossible when it’s just me and two babies.


I feel crappy too, so it took me a whiny while to get into things. It took lots of work as well, prepping all the paper and deciding what the hell to work on. I knew I wanted to use the press and collage.


I felt like it was hard work every step of the way, I had to use restraint. I was also fighting the voices in my head telling me my throat hurts, my chest hurts, my legs ache, and I’m kind of melencholy. But I stayed strong and tried to remember I’m a professional working artist. This is my job. I have two jobs, I’m a mother and Housewife and an Artist.


Neither make me any money, but both are equally as important. If I had to support us we’d be living on the street, but that’s not important right now.

What is important about today is documenting and realizing that it takes a long time to push through and work from a pure expression from inside myself.


When I painted my last group I felt totally connected with the process. I’ve been practicing something Carl suggested to me in the workshop, something I’ve been struggling with. I am getting closer and these last pieces Feel like I was one with all the parts on the paper and the paper itself.
I was able to keep any hesitation from my mind subdued.
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Breakin Down

August 25th, 2015
Babies breaking down, just put them in their play and packs, looks like they’ll take a second nap. Not 100% sure they will sleep, they are both whining/crying/ annoying me right now. But it’s only 3:00, we have a long way to go. Definitely not enough time to go work in studio, but enough time to write, maybe. I got to work on some quick prints this morning during the first nap.

I had insomnia last night because of my ear, a piercing pain, from the cold, maybe that’s what’s wrong with the babies? There’s nothing I can do for them, they just have to ride it out. I wanted to go work in the studio at 2:30AM but I talked myself out of it. I did have visions of a “self-portrait” done with drypoint and monoprint. I barely got into it before the babies woke up from their nap. Printmaking is hard to do quick, it takes time to build up the colors on the plate, to experiment, to get surprises. I’m also running out of paper every other day. This is not good.

Fiona is making high pitched wails, it’s getting under my skin. Everything’s getting under my skin. That’s what happens in this situation, we’ve all been sick, we’re all tired, no one is sleeping good. I bet Fiona has the ear pain, she’s so congested. There’s nothing I can do. What am I going to do about my paper situation? What am I going to do about my storage situation? The only thing I can do is keep on working. I need to work on some recycled pieces. I need to. I need to. I need to.

I think they are finally quiet, I think they will sleep for awhile. My body is beginning to relax, I can make it through the rest of the night. Jack and Fiona will be refreshed, maybe. Fiona is still upset. I can’t decide if I should go check on her, make sure she hasn’t thrown Tiger out of the crib. But most of the time it’s a mistake to check. Well I just checked on her and she’s fine, she’s exhausted, but wants up. I gave her some Tylenol incase it’s the ear pain. It’s really hard when kids are sick.
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Mommy needs a Blue Bear Too!

August 24th, 2015
In the corner of my left eye I see Blue Bear in the laundry hamper. Not the original old stinky Blue, but the new soft clean blue I bought as a backup. I wanted to reach down, pick him up, and cuddle him while I laid down in my bed. I wanted a Blue Bear, something to comfort me like the babies have. It’s been a rough week. On Wednesday I came down with sickness number one. A horrible, painful, gastrointestinal thing that left me with a swollen colon. I dealt with it, I mean there was a moment I thought my organs would burst and I was dying and that I lay crying wondering how I was going to take care of Jack and Fiona. I also thought for a minute that I was imagining the whole thing. Maybe it was all in my head? Maybe I was under more stress than I thought and I was going crazy again. But I went to the doctor and he said he’s seen many patients with this same bug. He was pleased with my health, was that is, because when he sees my blood test results today he ain’t gonna be too happy with me anymore. I had my blood drawn Saturday morning, the usual tests, CBC, Glucose, and Cholesterol. I thought I had been doing good but my cholesterol is the highest it’s ever been in my life. This used to really scare me because of my family history of heart attacks, this time I’m not going to let it get in my head. I guess I’ll just eat vegetables only, forever. After my blood was drawn we went to the mall. The babies had runny noses, the mall was still closed and was deserted. The sound of the carousel echoed through the place giving it an eerie walking dead feel. I started to realize the babies’ noses were running really bad and that we had probably infected the whole place, how long does the cold virus last on public surfaces? All of the sudden I started sneezing and sneezing and sneezing. I thought it was allergies. We got home and it became clear, Jack, Fiona, and I all had a nasty cold. I needed my Blue Bear. If someone were to ask me “what’s the most challenging part of raising twins?” it would be taking care of Jack and Fiona when all three of us are sick. I laid on my bed and cried Saturday afternoon after I put the babies in their cribs, I longed for someone to swoop in and take care of all of us. To make us tea with lemon and honey and feed us chicken soup. Someone to wipe the boogers off Jack and Fiona’s faces for me, the boogers that made their way into their mouths and onto their blue bear and tiger. A disgusting sight for sure. But I knew in two hours or less I would be the one who needed to get up and take care of all three of us. Babies need their parents even more when they are sick. Jack said “mommy” a million times this weekend and held onto me tight. Fiona coughed until her eyes were watering, it was so sad. But again we made it through. My body got up and took care of the babies, took care of myself, and my Dog. I couldn’t make dinner last night for my husband though, I told him he was on his own and he made himself shrimp! I thought that was pretty cool.
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