Refreshed

After being invaded by toys, crayons, clay, piles of paper, and other unidentifiable objects, I decided to reclaim my space. I needed to freshen the room up and own it again.

I changed my view, hung paper lanterns, and chose light-colored drapes. Lilac and cream feels soothing and girly at the same time.

This morning, I saw the sun peeked in through my window. The trees nodded hello too.

This feels just about right.

Cozying up

Matthew’s room began as a blue sea of space.

Almost bare with only boxes after moving in

I had my pegs for it when I selected the paint color, but quickly, somehow, decorating direction changed. It took some time — almost a year — and now it’s come together beautifully.

It began with a bargain find to address the overflow of things that are expected when children are around. Shelves took care of sorting toys and books into little cubbies.

Baskets on the floor

Shelves for (almost) everything

The four shelves cost me a little less that two thousand pesos — a real steal, I tell you. I was ecstatic. And for a while, the space really worked so well. It served its purpose as a play area. And then, I realized that the reading had declined.

It usually took a lot of hopping and stepping over strewn toys on the mat to get to the books. And for my little booklover, it wasn’t worth the hassle at times.

I thought, then, a reading nook was in order.

So last week, I pushed an extra shelf into a corner. Pushed the bed to create a gap, and placed his unused, outgrown crib mattress on top of some extra rubber mats. Moved the books, his CD player (for his music), and pillows.  Voila.

The beginnings of the nook

He slept there that night.

I hung lamps the next day: a moon and a star that were recently passed on to him. The wall, I’ve decided will display images of his favorite books. We’ve started with “Where the Wild Things Are” (naturally) and “Goodnight, Moon”.

What I’m proud about this most of all is how he feels real ownership of his room now. He knows it is his and what he can do with it — the zoning works wonders. We’re shopping for more lanterns to add to his play area and will be on the hunt for a big mirror he can use to observe his own antics. And so, this is only part 1; I can’t wait to see the end result.

Killing time

Armand and I were at Matthew’s school today to give a workshop to the grade schoolers (a story we will save for next time). Realizing that we had about an hour before Matthew is dismissed from class, we decided to wait it out by the playground, where most of the kids have converged for the end of the school week.

The boy, upon seeing the video, had only one reaction:

“Where’s Matthew?”

Painting with chalk

I stumbled upon a fantastic site yesterday and instantly became a fan of this mom who seems to have a bottomless reservoir of amazingly creative ideas for her preschooler girls. Envious I was; inspired, even more.

Today after school, we picked up colored chalks and paintbrushes, hosed down the driveway, and got ready to have fun.

Our essentials: chalk and the driveway

Getting started

Geting bolder

“Llama”

“Treehouse”

“Lorry”

Rainy day parade

The rains are pouring, mercilessly on some days. I detest the inconvenience and the threat of cabin fever. Matthew, however, a few days ago, decided that it was something to take joy in.

“I want to walk in the rain,” he says.

I think, he’ll get sick, it’s acid rain, he’ll get cold.

Trying not to say no, we get his rainboots, hoodie, and little umbrella so he can promenade in the driveway.

Relearning

It’s a rainy Friday night. Matthew is asleep after a long day at home. Classes were called off today which has thrown us all off balance, I think. Armand and I had something planned and Matthew was up early, for once.

Yes, school. Matthew started last month; there was some crying in the beginning, but these days, he’d be happy if we just left him in school forever. I’m not all that surprised, though — as a few of my friends had been convincing me about it for years now, and their children gladly back them up.

Being parents of a schoolboy means that we’ve entered a new chapter ourselves. There’s the daily hatid-sundo (bringing and fetching from school), the weekly requirements, planning the snacks, making sure there’s enough clean socks and underwear for the week. Then there’s the extra time we have back — to work, to rest, to have a quick date. It’s certainly been good for all.

What excites me a lot is the affirmation about the choice we have made. We have always wanted to raise Matthew to be creative, inspired, and determined. Parenting and home can only do so much; a school that nurtures, encourages, and challenges can certainly help him flourish. I know many are hesitant about progressive schools because when the time comes for traditional education, he might be at a loss. But who’s to tell him what his limitations are? I’d rather he knows that it is okay to think out of the box at all time, break the curve, find his own creative solutions in an environment that is both collaborative and individualized.

If anything, I wonder with some envy how *I* would have turned out if given those opportunities. It’s taken me a long time to identify the values of being “progressive” and “creative”. It took me a long time to find people who thought the same way as I do. It takes guts to chart your own path, yes. But it’s always more fun to discover parallel paths and those that intersect with yours every so often.

first day of school

So the schoolyear has begun for my little one. And for me, for us, with every hatid-sundo day, every snack I pack, every moment we spend apart, it is a reminder to be thankful for another chance to really, truly discover the world on our own terms.

Work-at-home duo

With both the hubby and I working at home, and our professional fields intersecting, it’s inevitable that we still take on projects together. It can be both joyful and stressful. In the end, after the cabin fever and the difficult time resisting micromanaging urges, I know that we’re privileged for the chance.

A couple of recent collaborations:

This was for a contest where we won third place.

This is for a client. Armand conceptualized, directed, and created it all. I produced and wrote.

Back to school

My husband looked at me strangely when I shared how excited I’d be when June would come by. As excited as I would be every schoolyear for summer to arrive, I would also eventually get bored and restless with the hot days of doing too little and not being able to see my friends. Enrollment usually happens around May, and that meant the commencement of many things: preparing for a new schoolyear and who knew what it would bring? At the very least, it meant new things, i.e. new items — shopping for school supplies, new socks and shoes (sounds so mundane, but we had uniforms), school bags, sometimes a new wallet, notebooks and pens and cases. It was the newness of it all — the beginning of something — that made me look forward to school.

I graduated many, many years ago and I don’t think I’ll ever be back in school; not as a student, anyway. But I did just go through enrollment: My little Matthew is off to preschool in some three weeks!

After paying and registering, I was handed a list of items to prepare and turn over for the year: art supplies, toiletries, and even a pillow!

I want him to be excited about school, and putting aside the commercialism of the exercise, shopping for school (I think) will help signal that he is entering a whole new stage. It’s not once-a-week playschool anymore. It’s not just one-hour classes. It’s a bit of growing up, though in tiny baby steps.

The mall beckons tomorrow. I can’t wait. I hope my giddiness rubs off him in the process.