Small Wonders is Permanently CLOSED!

 Hello! Bonjour!

To every family, collaborator and friend of Small Wonders, Merci!

I waited as long as I could to write this message. I prayed about it. I cried...grieved immensely and made the decision that I didn't know that I could - not so soon.  

When I first told my family that I was going to open a bilingual Waldorf -inspired program, they were confused. When I asserted that our program would hand-pick the 'right' families for our program, they were horrified. They thought said it could not be done. They wanted to see the proof that there were people who had an interest in Waldorf - they got me there... (some parents had to Google the word), and worse yet, French as a second language...they were right, none of our parents had any desire for French language learning for their children.

My family wanted to see how a newcomer to this dayhome business could make "real" money being "picky" (their word not mine) with my clientele. I would like to add that I would never describe SW as picky—just uniquely niche. 

If you know me, you know I thrive on challenges. More importantly, I’m a forward-thinker who lives by the mantra: Go BIG or Go Home and I knew that failure was not an option.

I set out to do things differently from other dayhomes—and I brought you all along for the ride! 😉

Well, we did it! What started as a small dayhome, quickly evolved into a bilingual playschool within 2 years. Then came our next wonderful addition—a creative atelier. It was truly amazing, and, most importantly, so much fun!

I have seen so many of your children grow and learn, and I am proud of what WE all did. I am proud to call you all my family.

To our Incredible, Amazing sponsors and collaborators, words cannot fully express the depth of my gratitude. Your unwavering support and willingness to embrace my out-of-this-world ideas have left an indelible mark. You helped create core memories for the children in my care, their families, and my own family—moments that will be cherished forever.

From the bottom of our hearts...Merci...Thank you!  

Yours,

Salma + Iman + Amira

How we Spend our Days

There are seasons that require adjustments and I am smack dab in the middle of one right about now. I realized that I have been so busy with everything that I didn't even tell you all about my Lifeways of North America Waldorf training, which is a huge deal to me right now. It is a huge deal because I am studying, because I am doing something that is not directly related to my children -yep, you better believe it, and because I have loved Waldorf education for quite some time.

In our last conference call, we all discussed rhythm and the importance of it. Mary McConnell, one of our great mentors and teachers read a quote by Annie Dillard that just hit it home for me.

The quote, one of my favorite of all times goes like this:

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing. A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time. A schedule is a mock-up of reason and order—willed, faked, and so brought into being; it is a peace and a haven set into the wreck of time; it is a lifeboat on which you find yourself, decades later, still living.”

― Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

Annie Dillard's quote made me question various aspects of my life, especially since COVID 19 began. 

Questions that I have reflected on are , do I love/value certain things or do I feel afraid to live without it? Or When was the last time I read or went for a walk alone or (fill in the blank).

Whether  my lifestyle's in line with my values, is one thing. Am I living life to the fullest? At my highest potential? That remains to be seen.

Please read my article written for LifeWays of North America here. 

Homeschool 2020/21 In Their Words

 We did a little fun project to celebrate the end of homeschool 2020/21. It was a good year. 

One of my goals was to learn, learn, learn more French and just to speak with my children every day for at least 20 minutes. We killed it. We are awesome lol. Rainman is really MY teacher. They all are, but he has literally surpassed me, and I feel so darn proud when he corrects my French and my accent ha ha.

Moonface has come a looooooonnngggg way. OMG, so proud of her spirit and resilience. I had a very triggering moment...actually a few when I realized that she was progressing in French and struggling in Math. This was the area where I struggled and it is what ended my love for learning French (for a period of time in my childhood). 

It's a journey, but I got this! We got this! I am pulling out all the stops to get some Waldorf math into our learning this summer...fingers crossed.

WildRose...oh geez, what can I say. She has been learning French steadily and I am very happy with her enthusiasm. She rarely uses the language, however, unless she is learning with Mme Amy (123 Petits Pas), which is a marvellous thing tbh, because I know it's there below the surface.

The one thing that I have to keep reminding myself is that every day is a day we will never relive. I feel so blessed to be able to do what I do, and for some reason I find the most joy (which is a wonderful thing by the way) to be able to commit to this...whatever this is ha ha.

I love it! I love their responses :)

Happy end of the school year everyone! We are going to Ontario in a few weeks. I need a break :)