O Wise One

Little miss Haana is very fond of arts and crafts. She uses her creativity to come up with new craft ideas; she dreams up, then builds, sticks, decorates, glues and paints.

For her paintings, little miss Haana has been borrowing my acrylic paints. They are very good quality artist grade paints. I got her a pack of her own brushes and set of small canvases. Recently, she decided to paint on a long canvas she found had been hiding in the upstairs closet for a while. It was 12x36 inches. I warned her, it will take a long time for her to paint it all, and she may lose interest mid way. She insisted she wanted to paint it. I relented.

It took her a couple weeks to finish her painting, but she did! She made 2 tall trees, on green green grass, with a little girl smiling, and a little boy climbing. The painting came out wonderful, and I am so proud of her! I put the painting up on the wall.

However, a week or so later, her table-top easle, the paints, the brushes, the palette, the water cup, all the things she set up for her painting, were still out there, waiting to be wrapped up and put away. And not for the want of being reminded.

I finally lost it one day. And i told her all her brushes are ruined, I'll not buy her new ones, and unless she learns to take care of her art things, she doesn't deserve to have them. This led to her crying, saying, "You never support me..". I got mad-der. I told her I let her have my paints which were so expensive. She made some snarky remark at that. Which made me angrier still. And then more crying. I lectured for a little bit more, before both of us got silent into our own bubbles, both unhappy.

What I didn't expect is, little miss Haana came around after about 5 mintues till both of us had cooled off. She first coolly circled around the area where i was. I didn't react. Then she came back, took me by my hand and took me to the couch, and said "Mumma, I love you.  But when you keep on scolding me it makes me really upset". I didn't really expect her to be so wise as to come around and talk to me like that! I had already melted in my heart when she took me by my hand.  I hugged her, and said "I love you sweet baby. But when you don't listen to me or retort at what I'm saying it just gets me angry. Can you just say -ok mumma, next time?". She said fine. More hugs and kisses and we were all made up. Meanwhile i was wondering how wise she proved herself out to be!

Little Miss Haana's Tall Trees Painting

Cowgirl and other Mumma Stories

Some six months ago I bought a 2014 calendar that featured beautiful paintings (some looked like pictures) of horses. 

October featured a beautiful painting of a cowgirl next to her horse (just gotten off or about to ride the horse).

When Miss Haana saw that picture she declared "Mummaa".

I have to admit - I was super pleased.

Just sifting through the calendar today I  was reminded of it. 

On another note, yesterday for dinner we were at the dinner table. The little girl was in her high chair. On the other side of the room we have some open shelves and on the top one I had kept the canvas that was recently painted - fall trees in the sunshine. Miss Haana looked at it in the middle of dinner and said "Oh very nice painting Mumma!" Pleasantly surprised!

Yesterday when I reached the school to pick up my baby, the class room was brimming with noise. All the kids were shouting and running around as the teacher was trying to calm them down. My little girl was sitting in the center and quietly sifting through a book. After we had our warm reunion( deep hugs and loads of kisses - that's the one time when the little girl doesn't resist my flood of kisses; I make the most of my window of opportunity!) she took me to her book. It was Dora and the Crystal Kingdom. I asked her if she had read it. 

Then, I sat down and started reading it to her- Miss Haana on my lap. Soon all the other kids in the class came up to us to hear the story. And in no time it was story time! We were a small tight circle of kids, helping Dora find the missing crystals! And no one was running or shouting anymore. I had fun and so did everyone else. As soon as the story finished some of the kids quickly became cats or puppies (that's their regular game as well, they come over to me to be petted!) The little girl and I headed home.