Old Acquaintance

There's a saying,

"Yesterday is history, 

tomorrow is a mystery

but today is a gift. 

That is why it's called

"the present.""

I try to live by these words of wisdom. I have embraced my present. Two wonderful boys. One darling daughter. That's five of us in our present family. I wanted more of us. At least two more but it wasn't meant to be. So, the five of us carry on quite happily.

Then subtle reminders stop me in my tracks. Like the sweet neighbour boy who seemed about the age of my lost boy, our fourth baby, that died at 24 weeks gestation. My daughter would come home from school and tell me how our little neighbour hugs her every time he see's her in school. I immediately think of what could have been. She could've had a little brother relying on his big sister for comfort and assurance at school. But this is not our life. That's history.

Then the same sweet little boy has his sixth birthday at the beginning of the same month that we will honour our little lost boy's sixth birth-day.

History collides with the present. 

Is it still a gift? It is! I can assure you that it is! Our neighbour's little boy has a sweet little brother and two wonderful parents that come with him. They have entered our lives unexpectedly and have enriched our present. They are a gift! In fact, that sweet little boy's Mother provided a Christmas miracle for me this year. In a very personal and weak moment this month, I felt overwhelmed with sadness and longed to be thought of and cared for in the midst of caring for so many others. The Mother of this sweet boy, not knowing the depth of my feelings, was an answer to that prayer and provided a literal "present" for me that was both unexpected and deeply meaningful. A gift that represented her past and was now blessing my present. A true Christmas gift and like my lost little boy, a Christmas miracle.

My little boy will never be forgotten. Isoefa Alofa Arseneault. Samoan for "Joseph Love". Joseph because he is a Christmas baby. We discovered his death via ultrasound on Christmas day 2008. I wanted to honour the incredible man that is the earthly father of the baby Jesus, Joseph. I have such deep respect for Joseph and the gentle ways he seemed to have with both Mary and Jesus as a baby and then as a growing child. Such an exemplary Father and parent. This is how I imagine my Isoefa. Gentle, strong and loving.

Alofa, meaning love, because of all the love we feel for him and all the love we imagine he feels for us. My younger brother suggested Alofa for a middle name and it is most appropriate. Honouring our Samoan heritage and the love that is abundant there.

What I didn't expect from his birth is the Love that would surround our family then and continues today.

Thank you! Thank you friends, family, strangers, angels and especially my Father in Heaven for all the Love that you have delivered to our family in so many different ways since that historical day. Small or big, it matters not. You were and are a gift to us. 

One such gift was given to me by my friend, Meaghan Smith, who kept up with my story & viewed my photos of the sad events of that day on Facebook. She comforted me in my grief at the time through the words that she reached out to me with. I was then floored to receive an email from this busy Canadian singer/songwriter right before the year anniversary of my baby's death. She had written a song about my Isoefa and did a rough recording of it with her husband, Jason Mingo. This music soothed my broken soul & heart and captured all the emotions of my experience that I could not capture for myself. Just like any gift that was received at that time or since, it continues to bring divine comfort to my aching Mother heart. Grab another tissue and have a listen:

Guess what Meags? After a very green & dry Christmas, a dusting of snow drifted down on our roof & ground today. I was so pleased for snow while listening again to your song. :)

I'm humbly grateful for the gift that is my present life.

As for my history, it shall never be forgotten. 

**This post is dedicated to all who have 

experienced the pains of loss. 

I wish you peace as you 

walk this difficult journey and find your new life 

carrying your loved one in your heart.**

"Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be? The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight" (Gibran, 1923).

A Poet and Didn't Know It

I'd like you to meet my Dad.

His life has been simple but packed full of experience. Most of my life I knew he was an amateur Astronomer. My Dad doesn't have a framed University degree or College diploma hanging from his wall but has boxes of 75 years of life experience hidden somewhere from my Mum so she doesn't throw it out mistaking them as "junk".

It was my amateur astronomer Dad that introduced me to Halley's comet when I was a young child. He taught me that Miss Halley doesn't grace our skies with her presence very often and my Dad wouldn't be alive anymore the next time she comes around. However, I may still be alive to see her again as well as my children and maybe even my grandchildren would be able to catch a glimpse of her when she visits again.

That's what my Dad shared with me on that chilly night where I caught a brief look of Miss Halley's speckled tail through a fellow amateur astronomer's telescope. From my childish perspective, the fuss surrounding the event seemed greater than what I viewed through the telescope but it stuck with me. I can still see my Dad peeling over the newspaper articles of her every space move. I can almost smell the chilled air of that evening of our viewing and my Dad's excitement over the entire time period that Miss Halley visited. It's still a palpable memory, even after 28 years.

It was no surprise to me when my Dad began planning his trip to view the full eclipse of the sun that would be celebrated around Cairns, Australia in 2012. If I remember correctly, he called to ask me to help him research some information "on the line" in 2011. Why Australia, Dad? Because it was expected to be the best place in the world to catch a front row view of the eclipse - as long as they're no clouds in the sky that day. That was a risk my Dad was willing to take for this monumental event. Nothing that I said about travelling alone at his ripe age of 73 would convince him from taking a detour onto the comforts of the internet to view this eclipse. He was going to be there in person and continued making his plans and I began the prayers in my heart that there would be a clear sky for my Dad to view the solar eclipse in Port Douglas, Australia (close to Cairns).

Almost two years after his return home, Dad wanted to put together his photos of his trip in a scrap book of some kind. I told my Dad that I would be happy to make a book for him of his experience but thought that it would be nice if he could put together a summary of his trip to go along with his pictures.

I did't know what to expect when my Dad handed me the summary of his experience. I can tell you that I didn't expect to be that little girl watching Halley's comet all over again with the eyes of a mature adult that could recognize the brilliance and wisdom of my Father within his own words. My Dad!

I'm very excited to share with you the beautiful account of my Dad's trip to Port Douglas, Australia on November 14th, 2012 along 4 Mile Beach. The following account is in his own words along with photos taken with his disposable camera...

November 14th, 2012

Full Eclipse of the Sun from Port Douglas, Australia

At 3:30AM November 14th, 2012, 

I awake in my motel room. 

I start my walk to four mile beach in complete darkness 

for approximately 12-15 minutes. 

I arrive at 5:00AM. 

Many people have now gathered on the beach and 

are awaiting sunrise at 5:36am. 

First contact occurs at 5:44am.

The eastern sky is very cloudy 

the sun is only 20% visible than 

cloud moved into 60% visibility 

as the moon's shadow progressed into the sun.

As the minutes went by, 

visibility increased to 85%, 90%, 95%, 98%,

then a flash, a very bright light occurs 

and the sun is 100% covered by the moon's shadow

and we are in complete darkness for 2 minutes and 3 seconds.

Full and total eclipse of the sun has occurred.

I look up and view planet venus and some star's overhead 

- just as I had seen at 5:00am,

when it was completely dark, 

when I first arrived at the beach.

As the moon's shadow begins to leave the sun,

after 123 seconds, 

once again daylight emerges than by 6:30am or so.

It's daylight and the sun was all visible and back to normal 

as the earth traveled east and the sun rose higher into the sky.

I then walked slowly back to my motel room.

For the remainder of the day 

I was excited as the action of a stimulant on an organ of the body or of a plant.

"Just a menu on the sidewalk
in 
Port Douglas town."

"Just a minute before full eclipse of the sun."

"Full eclipse of the sun.

It's now complete darkness for a few minutes."

"Complete darkness when the moon completely 

covers the sun."

"It's now almost back to daylight after full eclipse of the sun."

Enjoy a peek of the Solar eclipse on 4 mile beach in 2012 via Youtube.

The above poses that my Dad strikes are pretty classic of his character. I now look at them with new, mature and informed eyes versus rolled eyes of annoyance or embarrassment.

I now look at my Dad in the above pictures and appropriately recall the song,

"Stayin' Alive!"

Scary Throwback

Time flies when you're having fun, 

sometimes, 

it's scary how fast.

Our oldest is almost 13 years old.

He's handing out candy instead of going out for Halloween this year.

When my kids were babies, everyone said,

"enjoy every minute as it goes by so fast."

Those sleepless nights seemed to prove them wrong

but those people were right.

Here's a walk down our Halloween Lane...

You will notice a strong theme as the years go by.

My André is the Halloween Master!

Halloween is a great time for full sensory discovery.

For me, it was a fabulous Educational exploration. I LOVED watching the kids take it all in.

Yvon's bus (which opened at the front to collect candy) was whipped up by André.

It's a memory fave as Yvon was pretty stoked to collect his candy.

Did you notice my Canadian Olympian?

André won a few Gold medals in making Halloween happen in our house!

To be honest, Halloween stresses me right out.

What will everyone wear?
The pumpkins, the mess, the clean-up, the costumes,
the candy, the tantrums (take a close-up of Melaia in-between the piano pics above),
the sugar rushes, the craziness.

We have three Halloween traditions in my home:

#1. I threaten to cancel Halloween
#2. André makes Halloween happen 
#3. I fall in Love with my husband & Halloween every year.

The kids have a blast.
The whole community comes alive & comes together in pure fun.
Memories are made & cherished.

I hope you also had a most delightful Halloween celebration with your loved ones.

Don't cancel it. Enjoy the smiles & celebration of community!

Happy Halloween!

Knock Knock. Doors Open!

Doors Open Waterloo Region 2014

From Left: AirBoss Rubber Compounding (former Dominion Tire/Uniroyal Goodrich Plant) in Kitchener, School of Optometry in Waterloo, School of Architecture in Cambrdige and School of Pharmacy in Kitchener.
All images kindly provided by Doors Open Waterloo Region 
except School of Pharmacy image taken from @UWPharmacy on twitter

In an earlier blog post, I wrote about how I grew up with very little. No money was budgeted for entertainment in the community. My family never attended the local fair, rib-fest, busker-fest or whatever other kind of festival was going on in my hometown of London, Ontario Canada that involved money.

I didn't feel like I was missing out on too much because if there was something FREE happening in the community, my Dad seemed to know about it and we were there. Church events were FREE! Canada day events were FREE! The beach was FREE! Springbank park was FREE! The wading pool was FREE! (Are you hearing Adam Sandler from "Bedtime stories" say FREE?! I can clearly imagine my kids quoting that movie as they read my blog.) Visiting Santa was FREE! Skating at Victoria Park in the winter was FREE! The opening event of a new grocery store, or any other kind of grand-opening event was FREE! Hanging out with amateur astronomers and watching Halley's comet whiz by earth was FREEEEE! 

I know, you get it!

If there was a "Doors Open" back in the day, I gaurantee you, my Dad would be taking me to these events because you guessed it, Doors Open events are FREEEEE!!

From Left: Sun Life Financial in Waterloo, Floralane Produce in Woolwhich Township, Quarry in St. Jacobs and Martin's Family Fruit Farm in Woolwhich Township.

All images kindly provided by Doors Open Waterloo Region

What is Doors Open?

I remember a Doctor telling me that a cup of yogurt had more culture in it than he had.

Well, Doors Open would be the prescription for him.

The diversity of doors that open during this event is enough to fill your culture cravings.

If you're new to Doors Open, you might want to follow the following "5 Steps Up to Open the Door" advice. If you've attended Doors Open in the past, read on any ways because if you're anything like me, I need this advice every year.

5 Steps Up to Open the Door

#1. Get your hands on a Doors Open Waterloo Region Event Map & Guide. You can find one at your local library or check out the online version here. If you haven't recycled your Saturday, Sept. 13th Waterloo Region Record, there's one in there too.

#2. Read thoroughly.

#3. Don't fall into the temptation to visit every single site that looks interesting to you. This will be hard. 2-3 sites can easily be a full day depending on the locations. It's really, really easy to lose time at one site and before you know it, 2 hours has flown by. This is the beauty of Doors Open. Embrace it!

#4. Scrap my advice and do whatever the heck you want. I've already picked out 5 sites (which are in 3 different cities and 1 village) and I'm just going for it. You can't stop me!

#5. If you feel the anxiety attack coming on, go back to steps 1-3 and have yourself a great morning, afternoon or day.

Here's a small taste of recent Doors Open events that my family has attended:

When my husband worked at Cannon Design, Toronto, his office participated in Doors Open. They have a creative office with stunning views of the city! This was also an opportunity for Cannon Design to showcase their work to the greater community and my kids enjoyed imagining working there too.

We stopped at the 19th century St. Andrew's Church in Toronto - A congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. We were serenaded by the accomplished organist and also explored The 48th Highlanders Museum  downstairs.

Our Doors Open Toronto adventures also took us to the Architectural offices of Diamond Schmitt Architects but we did not take any photos there because their office was bursting at the seams with people admiring their work and listening to on-site lectures by the architects. The mini workshop in their office stood out to me. Diamond Schmitt Architects continue to make hand-made models of their buildings for their clients. We had to hurry the kids away from that exciting little workshop with so many fun looking toys tools.

My son Rémi loves films, so, off we went to the Open Doors of TIFF! We got some behind the scenes tours (no photos allowed) and learned that we could go into the community resource area anytime and watch pretty much any movie that has ever existed. For FREEEE! (not on big screen. nice computer screen. with headphones. research area.) Just Wow! Lovely historical exhibitions there too. An enlightening visit!

Last years Doors Open Waterloo Region took us down the street from our house to Creative Enterprise Initiative (CEI) where local artists rent out studios. These artists showcased their work for us and it was enriching to see what kind of magic was happening just up the street from our home.
Left to Right: Fun lego homes by Artist Dan Schumacher, CEI's sign - taken from their Facebook page - and gorgeous wood sculpturing by local artist Nicole Waddick.

Last years Doors Open in Waterloo Region also took us to the new Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum Nano-Centre that houses Nanotechnology Engineering at the University of Waterloo. The architecture is stunning and is as intelligent as the scientists it houses. My kids were enamoured by the Engineering Science Quest team where they were actively engaged with fun science experiments. Doors Open Waterloo Region was also the perfect place to bring a visiting friend. We even got FREEEE yo-yo's!

A Pre-Doors Open Event  in my family goes something like this:

Kids: What are we doing today?

Us: We're going to Doors Open!! Yay!!!

Kids: AWWWWWWW!! This SUCKS! It sounds SO BORING!! 

Us: Well, we're all going as a family outing and we want you guys to be careful because you just might have fun!

**We leave and attend a Doors Open site**

Kids: THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!!!

(Perhaps this is a conversation some of us have with our inner-child sometimes?!)

You're going to Love Doors Open Waterloo Region. Whether you're a local resident, or coming in from out of town, there's lots to do and see and there's something for all ages. You will see all kinds of people playing "tourist" for the day, peeling through the map & guide and wondering what door to open next. All you need to bring with you is your curiosity and expect to walk away with new stories to add to your very own. 

The doors open this Saturday, September 20th, 2014 all across Waterloo Region. 
Most doors are open from 10am - 5pm. The weather looks perfect!

If you're participating in #livelocalkw here in Waterloo Region, this event will definitely put a notch or two on your local belt. 

As a special treat, my husband was voluntold to fill in for local Architect and Chair of the Grand Valley Society of Architects (GVSA), David Thompson, who is currently under one of those tight architecture deadlines. André Arseneault, executive member & tweeter of the GVSA, is honoured to share a few words with you about the value of Doors Open to this region: 

"Doors Open allows us the opportunity to fully experience Architecture in an intimate way. Typically, only the architect and the occupants of the architect's design get to fully enjoy and celebrate the spacial experience of the finished product. When architects begin the design process, the hope is that people that inhabit the space or experience the building from the street, will feel those special moments that were orchestrated to embrace the unique architectural narrative that was customized by the place and people that the building was planned to host. When you attend Doors Open Waterloo Region, pay particular attention to the way the light shapes the spaces, how the materials evoke feelings within you, the way the building frames the outdoor views from the interior and how the building connects to it's exterior surroundings. I wish you all the very best in your Doors Open adventures and hope the "common threads" of this year's thematic studies help to create strong memories for you to carry forward in the year to come. Until our next Doors Open in 2015, enjoy!"   

 ~ André Arseneault, B.A.S, MArch, MRAIC 

I guarantee you one thing about Doors Open: Doors Open will surprise you!

Left to Right: Independent Living Center of Waterloo Region, Schnurr's Hall in Linwood, Desire to Learn in Lang Tannery and West Montrose Covered Bridge, 
"The Kissing Bridge".

** Potential Door (Open?!) Prize! **

If you choose to visit "The Kissing Bridge", you may be lucky enough to spot Dee Brun/Cocktail Deeva on her riverside home patio beside the Grand River. Be sure to wave! Also, take an outside peek at her new Bed & Breakfast, "Olde Bridge Place" right beside the bridge. If you like what you see, you just might be invited to spend two FREEEE nights at this darling little country retreat. All you have to do is enter Dee's AMAZING contest and if you win, the FREEEE continues with more first class prizes that add up to total $1585.00. In other words, if you like FREEEE, you're going to like DEE! This historic bridge has a special place in my heart and I'm enjoying watching Dee showcase it's charming beauty through "Olde Bridge Place". Good luck to you if you enter!

Cute as a Button

I've been home-schooling two of my children for the past two years. Well, Unschooling would be the most appropriate term to describe my Education philosophy.

My oldest joined us after he had a serious concussion but had a shorter stint - a year and a half - and then he went back in the early spring of this year, 2014.

After the privilege of educating my kids for two years, they were ready to go back to school and we felt the timing was good for all of us. Because of the strong foundation of Education through Unschooling that we've built in our home, we see their return to public education as simply another "educational experience."

From this moment forward, we plan to be partners and mentors in our children's education and help them to learn about the public education system they're in, what to take from it as they move forward in life and what to honour as a method of the industrial past. We see this incredible modern, creative information age as an opportunity for our children to decide for themselves how they want to be educated for their future based on their individual talents and abilities. They will have options that I couldn't even imagine. In this global market of Education at their fingertips, their futures are evolving as they grow and I want to ensure that they evolve with the future, armed with the lessons of the past.

In my journey of Educating my children, I've been inspired by the following:

The book:
Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less
by child psychologists, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Ph.D., and Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, Ph.D., with Diane Eyer, Ph.D.

The most popular Ted Talker ever is Ken Robinson. One of his talks (I love them all! I recommend watching them all!):  Do Schools Kill Creativity? & Changing Education Paradigms
Just watch them. They're amazing!

And most recently, a video from The Agenda with Steve Paikin: Learning 2030 - a conversation of what Education might look like in 2030. 
(Filmed at a local gem of a building here in Waterloo, Ontario, The Perimeter Institute - an Institute for Theoretical Physics (a place for smart people or smart people wannabes like me!): 
Learning 2030: Without Teachers
Watch this too. It's enlightening...and amazing!

What does this have to do with buttons? I'm getting there.

You see, something I learned about my daughter after she began home-schooling with me was that she was incredibly shy. "Introverted" would be the more modern, politically correct term. An introverted girl was a new idea and experience for me. My sons and I are both the opposite - we're the classic extroverts. Thankfully, I married an introvert that knew how to interpret his fellow introvert-of-a-daughter.

I learned that the school environment was toxic to my daughter. Her individual introverted ability to learn was not being acknowledged or validated in the classroom and her desire to learn diminished. It took a while to infuse the love of learning in her again but when it came back, she excelled - as I always knew she would. 

However, going back to the public school environment loomed over her as summer was coming to a close. It began to disrupt her sleep and caused her great anxiety during the day when she thought about it. We knew we needed to arm her with new strategies to go back to public school. Strategies that would empower her, calm her and help her cope with whatever she might experience. 

There are three things in particular that we choose to do:

#1. Prayer.

One sleepless night, my husband felt impressed to pray with my daughter. He let her know that she was never alone at school. He let her know that she could say a silent prayer during school - whenever she needed strength to do whatever she needed to do and he reminded her that she could pray right there and then at the side of her bed until she felt she was ready to sleep again. He even stayed on his knees with her as she said her own personal prayer to the point where she was ready to sleep. Since that night, there has never been a sleepless night filled with school anxiety.

#2. Communicate.

The communication door is always open. You never know when a child is ready to talk about their thoughts on school but when they are, that's the time to talk about it. It comes up every now and then. One day it came up in the form of "bullying". We talked about what the kids might do if a "bully" began to bug them in whatever way. My son - who thinks in movie lines - recalled the movie, "Despicable Me", when Gru continually tries to impress his Mother and she consistently responds, "meh", un-phased by Gru's attempts to impress her. My son decided that this would be a good reaction to his "bullies" in order to diffuse a bully's attempts. My daughter had the opportunity to try this recently with perfect success. We talked about it and we'll continue to talk about each important thought to them.

#3. Creative strategies.

I recalled one of my best friends telling me about a strategy that she used for her son when he started school. She sewed a button on a piece of fabric and let him know that he could keep this button in his little pocket. When he missed her or felt that he needed her, he could reach into his pocket and touch the button and feel closer to her and be reminded of the Love that she has for him.

*Lightbulb!*

That gave me an idea! Yep. The Buttons! 

My friend's idea stuck with me because I've always had a love and fascination for buttons. When I was a child, I recall going into my Mom's sewing shelf and pulling out her jar of buttons. I was fascinated by these buttons! They were exciting! Each one was individual. Different patterns, shapes, textures and designs. It was fun imagining the clothing that they came from. It was therapeutic to run my hands through the pile of buttons and soak in the varied tactile experiences. I loved buttons! 

So, I decided to get my creative hat on and create something. I'm not the crafty or artsy type. It's not my strength. It's my daughter's strength. However, I created a simple idea. I used one of my daughter's hair elastics that was slightly lose and fit on her arm comfortably, versus tightly. I then sewed on several buttons and voila! A fun, button bracelet that she can wear or just hold when she needs a little Mamma-Love at school.

It's not perfectly stitched. It's not complicated. It took a few hours but in the end, it's Love and she loves it and I love it!

Ironically, I live in Uptown Waterloo just a hop, skip and a jump from an old Button Factory. Yep. Pretty awesome! It's an Uptown Waterloo architectural gem of our local history:

In the history of our local Button Factory, the irony continues! To make buttons, natural materials, such as shells and wood were stamped to create the buttons. So, each button was unique. (These are the buttons that I adore!) This button factory died as the manufacturing of plastic buttons evolved and it was cheaper to make plastic buttons that looked identical. 

Just like our Education system needs to evolve from the plastic industrial age from which it was created, this old button factory has evolved into a creative hub of artistic exploration. There's creative juices bursting out the windows of this modern factory of creativity.

As we head back to school this season, I feel more ready than ever to home-school my kids despite the choice of enrolling them in the public education system. 

It will be another new journey and we're ready to experience it and learn from it.

I send my very best to you and yours as school starts this season. Let the learning continue!
daisy

p.s. This post needs some music. I'd like to dedicate this song to all the kids going back to school - wherever that may be. Isn't this song "Cute as a Button" too?!
p.s.s. I LOVE Diana Krall & Yo Yo Ma!

Daughter of an Architect

I'm sure there's all kinds of offspring of architects. I have 3 different kinds. My darling daughter just happens to be exactly what I would imagine a daughter of an architect to be - you know, if I was the generalizing type.

For example, allow me to introduce you to her desk in her room:

(this desk is an old closet door, from our 100 yr. old home, turned into a desk by her Pappa when he was an architecture student. Note: this picture could only fit her entire desk because I used the "panoramic" feature. It's a large desk!)

Now before you think this blog is #MyFail as a parent, allow me to explain...

Think back...waaaaaaaay back, like back to when God created the earth (if you're a non-believer, stay with me for a moment more!). In Genesis 1:2 it says, "And the earth was without form...", after which God organized and created the heavens and this beautiful earth and all magnificent things that are here on earth.

I like to think of Melaia's desk as the stage right before the organization and creation happened. We have a desk here without clear form. A whole lot of "un-order". A heck of a lot of CRAZINESS! However, I can't wait to share a bit of order that comes out of my daughter's chaos.

Before we do that, for complete fun, allow me to attempt to label this physical representation of what's in her little head:

Anything not labelled could be put into one of 4 categories:

1. misc.

2. It's so pretty

3. It's so cute

4. Hasn't made it to the garbage yet

When Melaia was a toddler, she was like most toddlers - if she was quiet, you knew there was trouble. Like the day I left her for two minutes and she peeled the keys off of my husbands brand new Macintosh laptop and proceeded to insert them into the disc drive. I came back just in time to save that laptop. Minimal damage thanks to the engineering side of my husband's brain.

Nowadays, if she's quiet for hours on end, I don't worry - as much.

On one of those wonderful days that she disappeared into her creative dome of complete bliss, she re-appeared with "hand lotion". It looked like creamy, white hand lotion. It smelt like creamy, white hand lotion but it felt like creamy soup.

How did you do this Melaia?

"Easy!" 

She preceded to tell me how she took a bar of soap, shredded it down with her "tools". (On her desk are random pencil crayons. She uses the unshaven side to peel/shred apart the soap into tiny shavings of soap.) She then adds water and mixes until she gets her desired consistency after which she adds bath salts to enhance the scent.

The shredding process.
Next time I buy a bar of soap, I now know to hide them as this was her third bar in two days.

In Melaia's world, she has perfected her consistency and has turned my favourite bar of soap (above) into a liquid hand soap. She then finds a cute bottle, steals my real hand soap pumps and tries to sell me her finished product. Are you ready for her first official product unveiling?  

< drum roll pleeeeeeease >

Funny story about this particular batch of hand soap: 

Melaia had created this batch of soap with a couple of friends who came over to play for the day. I thought Melaia was sharing her fun discovery with these lovely little girls. It turns out my daughter was "employing them" in the making of her soap. She simply "supervised"! I told Melaia that she was like a "boss" to these girls - just like her Pappa has a boss at work. She then asked me if being a boss meant that you had to help your workers get along because her friends (who are also sisters) didn't always get along and Melaia felt that this didn't help them to produce the amount of hand soap that she wanted them to produce. She confessed that it was very hard to be the "boss" and help your workers to get along. I proceeded to laugh. Out loud!

In Melaia's world, creativity isn't limited to a desk. The world is her studio! On a recent trip to Bluffer's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, we explored a lovely beach filled with copious amounts of clay. Melaia couldn't help herself. She HAD to bring some home. I tried to convince her out of it by saying that I didn't want to carry it all the way back to the van and it would be so dirty travelling home in our van but how can you say 'no' to her when she had discovered it AND agreed to carry it back to the van? I was trapped, in a good way, as I knew that her passion was carrying her and I knew that I needed to support her passion and ideas. You could tell that every step of the way back to the van, her head was stirring with ideas and thoughts about this clay. I even offered to carry it for her (guilt poked at me) but she only let me carry it for a few steps. She was fuelled with passion for that walk back. I was a proud Mamma.

Toronto, ON to Waterloo, ON
Clay

Over several days, she worked away on our front porch experimenting with this natural element. Again, occupied for hours. Even though it's messy, I love these projects where she losses herself in her creations. It all began with play but her play evolved beyond the typical clay bowl.

I briefly perused on the internet how to prepare natural clay in order to make true clay sculptures. This wasn't a process built for me. It was too long and complicated for my impatient brain. So, I let Melaia just discover on her own how to work with this clay and we would watch how it dried out in the natural elements.

After experimenting in this way, she then found a huge Canadian Maple Leaf and began painting it with layers and layers of clay. You know where this is going, don't you?!! After many days of drying, somehow she managed to peal off this leaf to reveal a clay patterned leaf without breaking it. Confession: I broke it after attempting a second round of photography. She forgave me and liked my suggestion of painting it!

She has yet to initiate painting her sculptures, so, here's what we have today:

Remember her desk? "Without form". Even her creative process seems completely "without form" or in "chaos". Now look again at her creations. Order. Beauty. Form. "It was good."

It is SO good!

Clay sculptures.
by Melaia