They say, having a teenager is mentally tiring; having a toddler is physically tiring. And I have both.
As a mother of 2 sons, aged 15 and 4 respectively, how does mama Helen keep up with her passion for art while juggling family duties? She said art helps release her inner child and seek a peaceful mind. She also draws her strongest motivation from other creative mothers whom she’s met through social media and communities like Mama on Palette.
Let’s hear the story of Art Lover Mama, Helen Mulyadi.
It’s hard to give up a full time job of 7 years, but l carried on with love
We recently moved to the UK, Southampton at the end of June 2021. Previously, we were living in Indonesia.
Back in 1994, I studied in Melbourne for high school and took my Bachelor degree at the University of Melbourne, followed by a Master degree at Monash University.
Upon graduation, I worked as an Export Assistant Manager for nearly 7 years. Then I resigned to become a stay at home mom.
It was a tough decision. I had to make a lot of adjustments to switch from the working environment to being a full time mom. I felt tired easily by just doing single tasks such as bathing my 1.5 year old son.
Now I am familiar with handling all the housework by myself, such as cooking, cleaning, washing, laundry, and taking care of kids. God has truly shaped me into another person. I’m blessed with His continual guidance that has helped me through the ups and downs of motherhood and marriage. I feel loved by Him and called to spread His love wherever I can.
Helen and her 4-year-old toddler
Art doesn't need to be perfect, because there is no right or wrong
I love art because it is fun! It is releasing the inner child in me.
I love art also because there is no right or wrong. I enjoy creating art with my 4 year old son, Andrew. It tightens our bonding. We often paint together and recreate stories from a book. The simple art created by the little hands is cute in its own way.
There were days we made flowers from origami, glue and stick it into a beautiful piece of card, and gave it to the librarian to cheer her up from her eye surgery. Through art, we can also teach kindness to our children. I truly believe a little act of kindness matters in this world and it can start from a young age.
Artwork did by Helen and her kid
As a parent, art also saves my sanity when I don't know what to do. So rather than letting the boy watch YouTube, we do art together to spend some quality time.
Making a flower greeting card to spread kindness and love
I am still struggling with the challenging parts of motherhood, I’m also learning and growing….
To me, the most challenging part of motherhood is having a teenager and a preschooler at the same time. Parenting a teenager is not easy - he wants his independence, but yet sometimes is still dependent, and he can’t stand his noisy little brother. On the other hand, a preschooler is still fun to be with, but he follows me wherever I go.
Juggling between these 2 plus house chores is not easy. They say, having a teenager is mentally tiring; having a toddler is physically tiring. And I have both, hahaha…
I usually wake up early to pray before everyone else wakes up, then I cook to prepare breakfast and lunch boxes. Sometimes, it’s really hard to find some ‘me’ time. I am still learning, still growing, and hoping to squeeze in some time for sports too.
My biggest source of motivation are those creative mothers out there. I am so glad to know them through social media, such as Instagram, Pinterest, etc. I am inspired and I hope that I can inspire other mothers too, as we raise the young together.
Connect with mama Helen on Instagram (@helenmulyadi), Join her and over 500 mothers in Singapore and around the world to pursue a happier parenting life with art.
Subscribe to Mama on Palette blog
Join the Art Lover Mamas community as we talk everything about art, parenting and mental wellness.
