Project 18 to 18: Day 17

A Creative Spirit

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.” – Steve Jobs

From an early age I have marveled at the Boy's creativity. And as he does with most things, he tends to jump into the deep end of the pool with little regard for the steps that most folks take when picking up something new.

After months of watching YouTube videos on Spray Paint Art, the spring break pictured below was spent trying his hand at this art form. He didn't start small, he picked up his paints, set up a table on the back porch, donned his mask and gloves and got to work! It was a fun experiment! I was impressed with even his earliest of attempts, but ever the perfectionist, the Boy would never claim any skill with a spray can.


I simply cannot explain how much it pleases me when the Boy gets creative at the piano! You just haven't lived until you've heard his ragtime rendition of Ronda a la Turca!

Whether is it altering a piece from one key to another or, like in the previous example, changing up the rhythms in sometimes not so subtle ways to mimic another style all together than what was conceived by the original composer, the Boy has always had a knack for improvising at the keys!

I suspect he would never claim this as a creative expression but rather some form of problem solving or at least just changing the landscape of a particular puzzle. However, I can see it for what it is - his creative juices spilling out into everything he touches!

Project 17 to 17: Day 11

Another signature aspect of Wonder Boy's personality is his constant creativity.

These days, most of the time, he expresses his creativity at the computer. Sometimes that involves working through some math problem, other times it shows in the program he's writing. But I'll confess that I love it when he takes the time to put something down on paper.

In our shot for today, I wanted to share something the Boy made for ME! He knows I love all things sugar skulls and Day of the Dead, so he sat down one day and knocked out this awesome sketch for me!

I'm working on bringing his drawing to "life" on the plaster skull in the background. He seems pretty proud that I would take inspiration from his work. But the truth is, he inspires me daily in a million different ways!


In our look back to 2011, we see him working away on yet another creation. This was Wonder Boy's "city of the future." He had received the building blocks as a gift and practically tore the packaging apart, he was so excited to get started!

It's rare that the Boy is not working through something. I love that his mind is seldom quiet. And the best part is watching him piece through things. Seeing him problem solve is a sight to behold. His mind works in mysterious ways, far beyond my comprehension, but it's still quite a thing to witness!

Project 16 to 16: Day 12

Day 12 has been a pretty sedate day around here. The first grading period is over for the boy and as such, he came home with only a few minor assignments for this weekend. So we have taken the opportunity to sit back and relax most of the day.

Just before we called it a day today, I caught Wonder Boy and his boy snuggled up on the couch with the grey blankie. They both love this blanket. It's soft and comforting. Sometimes, when they've been cuddling under the blankie and the Boy has to get up, he'll swaddle Wonder Mutt in the cover to keep him warm and toasty until he can return.


In our look back to 2012, we see the boy again working out his creative juices, this time by putting together a Harry Potter Lego set. That year, he spent his spring break working on all of the Harry Potter Lego sets he had received for Christmas. By the time spring break was over, he had all of Diagon Alley put together!

He doesn't spend much time with his Legos any more, but we kept some of his favorite sets and we hope to share them with his children some day.

Project 16 to 16: Day 8

Wow! It's hard to believe that we're already more than a week into this project. And even more unbelievable is that there is barely more than a week to go until our countdown comes to a close. That's not helping my denial any.

For today, I wanted to show off another form of the Boy's creative side.


As I have shown in years past, the Boy likes to paint, he likes to draw, he likes to build ... he just plain likes to CREATE! And that is something I truly admire!

It may be hard to tell, but in this snapshot, Wonder Boy is playing around with his Wacom tablet. He's been playing around with this toy for a number of years, but in recent weeks, he's really started trying to learn how to use it properly. I love watching him create. He gets in a zone, focused on the end result. And when he's done, he gets down right giddy until he can show off his latest work. There are not many things that bring out that kind of enthusiasm in our Boy, but creating is always a good bet!

In our look back to 2008, we get the chance to see that giddy smile on his face! This time it was due to being recognized by his first grade teacher (Mrs. Good) for being the first student in class to read 100 chapters for the school year! She gifted him with this little monkey which he dubbed "Friendly, the Monkey." He kept that monkey in his room, in a place of honor among his pillows throughout elementary school.

Mrs. Good has retired now, but she lives in our neighborhood so we get the chance to run into her from time to time when she's out walking her dogs. She will always hold a special place in our hearts for igniting a special spark in our Boy. She showed him that, not only was it OK, it was ADMIRABLE to be an academic all star! The Boy is not ultra competitive in most areas of his life, but when it comes to his grades, he takes great pride in working hard to achieve his academic goals. And THAT makes us all smile that giddy smile!

Project 16 to 16: Day 7

Today marks the end of the first week of our big countdown. I am glad that I have this to distract me from the realization that my "little boy" is turning 16 in a matter of days!

I'll be honest, again today the photo of the day is not exactly what I had PLANNED to share today. I'm going to hope that I can work that idea in later in the week, but this is still something I wanted to highlight.


Just look at my boys! Wonder Boy simply ADORES his Wonder Mutt. And the Mutt most certainly reciprocates! This snap was taken just before bed tonight. The Mutt is funny, by the time he finishes dinner, he is pretty much ready to turn in for the night. He sleeps in Wonder Boy's room and if we leave the door ajar, he will sneak in there and try to turn in early. In comparison, Wonder Boy is NEVER ready for bed. Now, once he gets to sleep, he is a champion sleeper who can rack up more than 12 hours in the sack with ease (if we let him). But despite that fact, he never wants to concede to sleep. I'm not really complaining as he DOES go right on to sleep. It just strikes me as funny that a kid who likes to sleep so much would fight going to bed.

In our look back to 2007, we see our favorite kiddo doing one of his favorite things - creating! These neat building toys are called "Zoobs" and I can't even begin to tell you how much fun he had with them over the years! He and Wonder Dad were able to build all KINDS of cool creations from helicopters to a great white shark to these cool dinosaurs!

Eventually we passed on these toys to some friends with kiddos who also have a passion for creating. I hope they have gotten as much fun out of them as we did!

Project 15 to 15: Day 2

It's day 2 of my favorite project and today we look at another aspect of the Boy's personality that I truly admire - his creative side:


He gets on these creative kicks from time to time and I always try to soak it up when he does. He has some talent. Currently, he is enjoying sketching "impossible shapes" (think M. C. Escher) and some of his favorite fictional characters (like Deadpool and Bart Simpson). I love how he dives into his interests. He will watch tutorials on youtube, spend hours with his sketch book or wacom tablet on the computer, and some days (like today) he jumps out of bed having dreamed of something else he wants to try.

In looking back to 2002, we see Wonder Boy and his dad just a few weeks after his first birthday:

Even today, the first hour after Dad gets home from work is just about the best time of the day for our little family. Back in the day, the boys would hang out in the family room reading, wrestling, and doing all things boy before we had to jump into the routine of dinner, bath, and bedtime. These days it's more about going over whatever the Boy did at school or camp or whatever during the day and planning out our evening activities. It's still a great time though and I look forward to it just as much today as I did back in '02.

Project 14 to 14: Day 11

On Day 11 of this count down to the Boy's big day, I wanted to show you a glimpse of the Boy in his happy place - sitting at the computer.


Not only is he at the computer, but he's working on a game project. This particular game project is for school, but this is something he would never consider "work." No, this is the boy at his happiest these days. He loves piecing together all the moving parts and creating something he can't wait to share with his friends (and teammates on the Robotics team at school)!

I am always in awe of his creations. And I can't wait to see idea he works on NEXT!

Our look back today, to the morning of his 10th birthday, is one that always makes me laugh out loud!


Come on - you laughed too, right??

Does this look like the face of a boy with one of his favorite foods on the morning of his BIRTHDAY?? NO! It looks like I feel on the morning of an extra early meeting before my first cup of coffee.

But the reality is that this is what the Boy looks like most mornings - including birthdays and even Christmas! He is just not a morning person and never has been. By the time he finished his milk and started in on the cinnamon rolls, he was good to go and ready for a day of fun and celebrations and PRESENTS! But he needs that blood sugar boost like I need my morning caffeine.

Project 14 to 14: Day 9

Today I want to highlight something that has been a TRUE blessing when it comes to having a teenager in the house:


You don't hear it mentioned very often, but having a teenager in the house can be down right USEFUL!

The Boy is capable of all manner of help these days! He can run a load of wash - and I mean from start to finish. He grabs clothes from all around the house, sorts by color, etc., and when there is enough, he runs them through the washer and dryer, folds and hangs them, and then puts them away!

I got VERY spoiled this summer as this was one of his main duties (when he wasn't away at camp). He also helped out with dusting, vacuuming, care of the dogs, and many more household duties.

It has been such a blessing to ask for his help and know that it will truly be HELPful!

Our look back today is a bit more lighthearted though:


This image, taken just after the start of 2nd grade for the Boy shows off one of his many creative pursuits: balloon twisting!

During this phase, he filled our home with all manner of balloon animals and structures. I loved all of the animals, of course, including the above featured octopus. But my favorites were the structures. And specifically, his "pyramid of Giza." That one led to all kinds of interpretations! He made it once with green balloons to which we then tied smaller, multicolored balloons and used it as a Christmas tree centerpiece for our Christmas Eve celebrations!

I love this aspect of Wonder Boy's personality. He likes to learn new things, to use his hands and raw materials to make something new.

I can respect that.

Transforming Rose Box, a tutorial

Welcome to this inaugural origami video tutorial by Wonder Boy. Here he will instruct you on his latest origami project, a transforming Rose Box. Enjoy!

Origami Rose Box

Creating Wonder

Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play.
~Henri Matisse~

I'm sure it's true of all parents, but there are so many days when I just sit and marvel at Wonder Boy and I revel in the Wonder that is our Boy. To see his mind at work, to try to see the world through his lens ... it sends shivers down my spine.

Wonder Boy is a creative force! And it is something that I greatly admire about him. It started from an early age. He sees the world in a different light than I do. And rather than frustrate me, it inspires me (mostly). When he was tiny, we could see it in his play. Watching him put together a puzzle one day, I realized he wasn't matching up the pieces by color (like I naturally do) but rather by the physical shape of each individual piece. As he grew, you could hear it in the rhythm of his speech. Even after years of speech therapy, he has his own way of getting his point across. And today, as he is firmly stepping into his adolescence, you can see it in the way he learns, the manner in which he simply absorbs new skills.

Wonder Boy goes through phases of creative explosions. Usually we will see these explosions when he is picking up something new. This summer, you might recall, he got all fired up when he learned how to make paracord bracelets. He made them for all of his friends and Wonder Dad and I both sport several each as well! A few years back he studied up on balloon twisting and for months each visitor to the house left with a souvenir.

Right now though, he seems to be taking it to a new level! There is music in the house thanks to his viola. He looks forward to his practice time. In fact, he enjoys it so much, we have to make sure he has all of his other homework done before we let him begin or he loses track of time and can get behind in his academics before he realizes it. He's also revisiting his love of Origami. Like a lot of kids, he loves making paper air planes, but simple planes were not enough. So he found books, websites, and on-line videos to help him kick it up a level. Now we're finding everything from animals to ornaments to more planes than you can shake a stick at around the house.

And if this were not enough, as we edge closer to all of the fall holidays, there are more opportunities for a creative kid to make his mark.

This week we have been working on our Day of the Dead sugar skulls. The whole family has joined in the fun molding and decorating our confectionery creations. We also worked on getting our Halloween decorations up. And after a trip to the hobby supply store, we are dreaming of all the creative fun that Thanksgiving and Christmas will bring as well!

Wearable Art

The idea came from a craft learned at camp. Wonder Boy couldn't wait to get home and show us what he had made! Survival bracelets. At camp they used boat rope. Good sturdy stuff, inexpensive, and lots of colors and patterns available.

But really, you're supposed to use paracord, he told us. Could we find anything like that?

We visited the craft store and bought 'craft cord.' It's not the same stuff. Bummer. It's still fun and gave him a chance to try out some new color combinations. But not the right material.

So off to the military depot we trudged. BINGO! They had just what he needed (though it was hidden behind decades of surplus ... well ... surplus)! And by the end of the evening, every member of the family was sporting a fancy new survival bracelet.

We're heading back to the military depot for more colors and such. This was WAY too much fun and it might make nice little gifts for the cousins this Christmas. SWEET!

Wonder Boy has been in a very creative state this summer. I hope it lasts as I am enjoying it every bit as much as he seems to be!

Angry Eggs

Egg decorating day is one of my favorite days of the year! It's almost always a day when we slow things down a bit. And think about it - how can you even consider rushing around when you have to tend to boiling eggs, half-dyed eggs, and that kind of thing on your agenda?

I'm glad it's a slow day for us. It is almost always a most needed change of pace. And this year was no exception.

Wonder Boy usually has a pretty firm idea of what he would like to do in terms of an Easter egg theme. We've done sports-inspired eggs, dinosaur eggs, and even our version Faberge eggs. This year, the Boy suggested an Angry Birds theme (who is surprised, really?!).

We spent weeks thinking through our theme and looking for the right decorative extras to make our eggs spectacular. I think we hit the ball outta the park! What do YOU think?



While the 'birds' may be angry ... looking at these eggs really makes me smile! But it makes me wonder how we can possibly match this effort next year?!

Construction Update

Well ... thanks to a nagging cough that just wouldn't quit, Wonder Boy got an extra day of spring break. The cough is beginning to die down though, so it will be back to school tomorrow for sure. But for today at least, spring break stretches on.

And like he did over much of the break, Wonder Boy spent his free time working on his Lego version of the Harry Potter world. You've already seen Olivander's Wand shop. And to that, he has now added Borgin and Burke's, Gringot's Bank, and a towered bridge found on the grounds of Hogwarts itself!



Next we've discussed bringing out some older sets and completing the grounds of Hogwarts. Those will have to wait until after homework is done or for the weekends though, because this little vacation is quickly coming to an end for us all.

I have to admit ... I have really enjoyed the break. I think Wonder Boy has as well.

building a great spring break

WOO HOO for Wonder Boy! Spring Break has arrived! No school. No homework. Even soccer and judo are taking some time off for the week.

But what to do with all of this extra time?

Unfortunately Wonder Dad and Wonder Mom both have to work commitments this week.

But Wonder Boy is not one to let something like work for mom and dad get in the way of thoroughly enjoying his time off. We went through his closet and found a yet unopened Lego box from Christmas. One with THREE new buildings to construct - one for each day that Mom and Dad know they have to work. Feels like kismet, no?



Here is building one, completed on the afternoon of Spring Break Monday. For those who enjoy the Harry Potter series, you might recognize Olivander's wand shop. Still to come this week are Borgin & Burkes as well as Gringots! I'm really looking forward to my Lego-sized stroll through Diagon Alley when all 3 structures are completed.