First day of grade 9!

This is a picture that I will treasure as it has become increasingly difficult to get Nicklas to pose for photos! He starts grade 9 today and, even though he is at the same school, it has now moved into another building. Although he wasn't so thrilled about this move initially, when renovations took longer than expected because of covid and he got another week of summer holidays, it ended up being better than he thought ;) 

Now we are all back (unfortunately, Andreas did not agree to a back to school photo) and fall is in the air. What the heck happened to summer?!? Bring on the chaos!!

The first day of the last year

Today was Oliver's first day of the last year of elementary school. Grade 6! We have been at this elementary school since Alexander first started in 2009. I found out I was pregnant with Oliver just before having to take Alexander to his first day of kindergarten. For one year, I had Oliver in kindergarten, Nicka in grade 3 and Alexander in grade 6. The only year they were all at the same school... Now, it is Oliver's last year and I can't believe it!

Nicka will start online on Friday and in person next week. Stay tuned for part 3... I might have to sneak that photo though ;)

My first official day of school/teaching is tomorrow. Maybe I will be as photo resistant as Nicka ;) 

Happy first day of school! 

First day of college

Can you believe it? I can't! First day of college (CEGEP in Quebec).... where did time go?

I had to take this picture in the back of our house because Alexander was being picked up by friends (yes, his friends... driving!) who- heaven forbid- would see him pose for a back to school picture. So, this was the one and only picture that I was allowed to take... and I will treasure it :)

So proud of this kid!! Have fun on this new adventure!!

Last day of school 2021

Wow! The last day of school! This year was definitely packed with new experiences... things that we couldn't even have imagined before. No matter how it started, I am very proud of all the children and their teachers for how it ended up. They definitely showed their resilience, dedication, effort and strength during this past year. Now Alexander had his last day of high school and is off to CEGEP in the fall... Nicklas will be in grade 9, in the same school but a new building... and Oliver will be in grade 6 and looking forward to his own 2022 graduating year.

Here's to the last day and the summer ahead! May the next school year be a little more boring ;)

Happy boys!

First day of school in 2020.... the Alexander edition

This photo captures the ever-elusive and picture-hating grade 11 student in front of his habitat, and only standing still for a matter of seconds before jumping on his bike to head to school with his friend. Yes, Alexander started his final year of high school today. Wow- I can still remember his first day of kindergarten: since he is born in November, he should have been held back a year but our stubborn and fearless eldest son insisted on going to school at the same time as his friends. Andreas and I left it to the professionals who agreed that he was ready to go to school early**. So, off he went to his first day of kindergarten... We got there early so Alexander ended up being first in line, only to be joined by a boy who was (no joke) a good foot taller than him. I almost cried, thinking that we made the biggest mistake by letting our younger-than-the-rest-of-the-class son go to kindergarten early. Thankfully, when the other kids started arriving, we realized that boy was a good foot taller than almost everyone 😉 and, since he remains one of Alexander's best friends, I can say that he still sticks out in the crowd 😉 

Wishing Alexander and the rest of the class of 2021 a very happy COVID-19 graduating year... 

**In Quebec, the cutoff for each school year is September 30, so all children born after that date start school in the following year. Since Alexander is born in November 2004, he should have started school with the kids born in 2005 instead. Confusing, I know.

First day of school in 2020.... the me edition

 Here we go..... 😉

Yes, I did some online teaching when we shut down in March but, now, it is the real thing. All undergraduate classes are online for this semester but I still have to go in to work with my Master's and PhD students face to face. Honestly, as much as I like the challenge and variation of online teaching, I find it hard to connect with the students, especially when I have a large class and have to scroll page by page to see what is going on. I enjoy the eye to eye contact and the spontaneous communication/discussion. Now, it feels much more "organized" to ask a question (ie: clicking on the raise hand icon/using chat or trying to find who just said something), which can be a bit intimidating for the students. Also, they are not obliged to put their video on so, sometimes, teaching to a bunch of black boxes feels like talking to my kids when they are watching Youtube videos on their phone (ie: no interaction 😉). Plus, I had to change all my evaluation methods to suit online delivery... hope it all works out!

Anyway, we are back and I am looking forward to some sort of routine. I missed my job and those I work with. Keeping fingers crossed that my internet remains somewhat stable and I don't provide any entertaining background adventures for my students 😉

xox

First day of school in 2020... the Nicklas version

Today was Nicka's first day of grade 8. The school staggered all their entries by grade level so it was only his year that went back this morning. I know that I was only able to take 2 pictures of him but, considering that I usually get a hand in the camera, this is pretty good (even though he clearly looks unimpressed in the second picture 😉). 

There are many of his friends that he hasn't seen since March so, despite the cool attitude, I think he was looking forward to seeing them again. 

Again, after the parental "this is school in 2020" speech, he walked off to find his new bubble-class.... first high school start done... one more to go!

Happy Tuesday to you all xox

What is up with all the pictures? 

First day of school in 2020... the Oliver edition

Today was Oliver's first day of school. Grade 5... wow! Nicka starts tomorrow and Alexander goes back by the end of the week. Honestly, I am still caught off guard with this whole return to school. Everything seems rushed... heck, I usually have everything labelled and organized a few days before their return (what can I say? I am a school supply geek). I found myself rushing last night to put Oliver's name on all his school supplies. No new shoes. A kind of wrinkly t-shirt. Just remembered to get him to wash his hair last night. It is, however, not only me being unorganized... it is the whole situation. Don't get me wrong... I am not blaming his school or teachers. Far from it... they get extra kudos from me. By rushed, I mean that we just literally went from shut everything down-pandemic-stay home-self isolate-how many people died today-how many people caught coronavirus today-daily press meetings to a sudden opening of everything. It seems rushed. Everything seems too rushed. This summer just sped by without any sort of transition or easing in process. Maybe it is just me? Not too sure. Before leaving home this morning, he chose his mask for the day (with a back up carefully packed) and I reminded him about the extra hand sanitizer in his bag. Andreas reminded him about keeping distance and to wash his hands regularly. Welcome to 2020.

Anyway, was Oliver happy to go back? His words say no but his face upon seeing his friends this morning said otherwise. 

First day of school, part 2

Last Wednesday, all the boys finally went back to school and the autumn routine started again... the lunches, the homework, the curriculum nights, the back to school shopping, the after school activities rush and the "it is no longer summer so you have to go to bed at a reasonable time" arguments ;) I am happy that I can now throw $5 at 2/3 boys when I don't feel like making lunch (the high school has a cafeteria). Oliver is pretty simple because all he likes to eat for lunch are salami sandwiches with cucumbers on the side or pepperoni sticks with cucumbers on the side (do you see a trend?) ;) I think that I finally am (relatively) organized for my own semester... but I am pretty sure that I am wrong and something will come up next week. This period is always extremely chaotic but I think that we are now settling in...

Hope your transition to the autumn routine is going well xox

First day of school, part 1

Today is the first day of school for Oliver and Nicklas. Oliver is now in grade 4 and, for Nicklas, it is the first day of high school! Unfortunately, it was absolutely pouring out so all of the usual rituals- both at home and at school- were scrapped in order to avoid a soggy start to the year ;) Especially at elementary school, all the kids usually line up in their previous grade lines and their new teachers will come out with a list of their students and bring their students into their new classroom. This year, the kids just ran into the school, trying to keep their new supplies dry ;) With Nicklas, I drove him to his new school but just dropped him off in the herd of other parents doing the same thing. Clutching his new lock and combination, as well as his schedule, I am sure that he regretted the move to high school. I am also sure that this feeling will change by the end of the day ;) Alexander starts on Tuesday so, at least next week, Nicklas will have a relatively friendly (?) face around.

I have absolutely no idea where the summer went to. Andreas has been in Denmark for work (coming home tomorrow) so the last 2 weeks seem like a blur of driving to football, buying groceries, trying to get organized for school, getting all the last minute doctor appointments in and trying to get my own work done. I suddenly went from getting the boys ready each morning for swimming lessons to making lunches for school... argh! What happened?

Anyway, the routine is coming back and the evenings are starting to get darker and cooler. I like the return to autumn... as long as I forget all about winter. I remind the boys that the start of each school year is fun, exciting and a new page (yes, I get dirty looks and eye rolls when I say that).

Happy first day of school (part 1)!!! Wishing you all a great year ahead xox

First day of school

First day of grade 4

First day of high school (grade 7)

Back to school part 2

Today is Alexander's first day back at school. As predicted, he was not too happy to get up early but, once up, didn't complain too much about not being allowed to sleep until 11am ;) He was even in a good enough mood to let Andreas and me take a picture of him before he left ;) I have noticed already that Nicka and Oliver are less tolerant of pictures than when they were younger but- let me tell you- Mr. Teenage Alexander is really a hit or miss for picture time. Luckily, today was a hit and we got him ;) Maybe it was because I bribed him with lunch money ;)

Here is the first day of grade 9!

Back to school part 1

Today was back to school for both Nicklas and Oliver. I can hardly believe it: grade 6 and grade 3! This morning's routine was a bit rough because it seemed so unfamiliar... and early.... and without enough caffeine (for me... not them) ;) They boys, even though they were denying it, seemed excited to see their friends again and to meet their new teachers. We even made it out the door 20 minutes before I had expected to leave. It was a good start! Let's see what happens tomorrow when Alexander starts. Getting that kid out of bed is a much bigger challenge ;)

See you tomorrow for part 2 xox

The usual "First Day Back at School" picture

Grade 3

Grade 6

The kid that is still sleeping behind this window will be in grade 9 tomorrow ;)

My (not so) secret addiction

Soon, it is back to school time. All my life, I loved this time of year. Sure, part of it was because I missed my friends.... another part was because I was always excited to see who my new teacher was.... and another part was because it was always exciting to start something new. All those, together, might have accounted for about 25% of my love for back to school time. The remaining 75% was- and still is- school supply shopping. My not so secret addiction is school supplies :)
I LOVE school supplies... the feeling of being able to (haha!) get organized... the new-ness of the pencils and pens... the fluorescent highlighters... the sticky notes... the clean binders... the endless possibilities of a new agenda ;) I can spend hours wandering in the aisles, just looking at (and buying) supplies ;) My boys think I am strange... but, maybe, that is why I ended up a teacher ;)

Happy school supply shopping :) xox

Slow back to routine

Today is my first day back at work. To be honest, I am not quite sure how I feel about it yet. The return to routine is always a mix of relief and panic at the same time. The boys still have a little over 2 weeks left of their summer breaks but already you can feel a sense of winding down... no more swim meets... tennis ending... fall football starting... school supply shopping... the mad dash to get that last minute dentist/doctor appointment... soccer playoffs.... school shoe shopping.... seeing whether last year's school clothes still fit.... starting to think about the return to school lunches. As much as I feel the summer is a non stop whirl wind of activity, it seems so short when it is over.

Happy Monday! xox

Last day of school

Today was the last day for elementary school (Oliver and Nicklas). Alexander has already been off for a week now (= the teenager can finally sleep in). I have to admit that I am pretty excited for the summer holidays to start... at least I am now. Ask me again in a few weeks... after the fighting starts... and I will tell you about how much I love the school year ;) For now, though, I can feel vacation coming up.... and it feels good :)

Happy last day of school xox

Alexander was sleeping when this photo was taken... lucky kid!

Celebration

Today was my last day of making school lunches for the year. Enough reason to celebrate 😉

Hallelujah 😉

School rite of passage

This morning, Nicklas left for a 3 day/2 night trip to a winter camp with his grade 5 class. This trip, which has been going on for years and years, is a kind of ritual or rite of passage for the children at our school and they remember it fondly for years after. Even last night, Alexander was giving his younger brother tips about the camp, obviously having really enjoyed his experience. Most of his advice was based on the food served, some about the rooms and the rest about the winter sports and activities... you know, the important stuff ;) We spent the evening packing up his gear; I got the clothing/supplies together and Nicklas, very seriously, checked off each item as they went into the backpack.

As much as it is always strange when the boys are not at home, I am excited for Nicklas and hoping he has the time of his life! Have fun, my love!! xox

Wishing you all a great day! Especially the teachers who are taking children on such a great adventure!

All excited to go!

First day of school, part 2

Today was Alexander's first day back. He already dislikes Spanish (again) and has gone back to grunting when I ask him how his day was. So nice to know that my kids all fall back into the routine so effortlessly ;)

It is almost Friday :)

xox

First day of school part 1

Today, Nicka and Oliver started school and I did my BIG happy dance ;) Alexander will be starting tomorrow (this is why this post is the first day of school part 1)... and I will be doing an even bigger happy dance ;)
As much as I am a bit sad to see summer go, I will be happy to get to a family routine again. I am tired of 1) boys fighting, 2) loud Youtube channels, 3) tablet addictions, 4) fighting them over tablet addictions and 5) the never ending driving from one activity to another. My attempt to work from home was ok but not as productive as I would have liked. Maybe the constant refereeing or food service had something to do with it ;)
This morning, I woke the boys up with a happy "Wake up. It is back to school" and I didn't even get a grunt in return. I am guessing that they are happy to see their friends again after the summer break. Let's see how the wake up routine goes again tomorrow ;) I didn't even mind making their lunches ;)

Happy first day of school (part 1)!

In the bad books ;)

My boys are not big fans of reading. Actually, Nicklas is not bad. He has some favourite authors and, if I ask him to read, he does... and willingly. The other two are terrible! Alexander, when he was little, loved books. Suddenly, in grade 4, his love of reading was suddenly over :( Now, it is like pulling teeth to get him to read anything. Oliver is even worse: he has decided that he cannot read and, no matter what I do, he is not changing his mind. All summer, I have been trying to do little 10 minute manageable blocks of reading time and it has just ended up being a form of mother-torture ;) I took him to the library to choose his own books (because the 5 million books that I bought while trying to get the other 2 boys to read were just not enough) and- still- he is not into reading. I try to make it more fun by playing reading games while we trudge through the book. I also try to alternate between me reading a page and him reading a page, just so it isn't so tiring for him. I provide French books (he is in French immersion), English books, comic books, space books, fiction books, non-fiction books, reptile books, cheetah books, dog books, Pokemon books, karate books, adventure books and he is still not into them. I have borrowed reading technique books from friends who have children who are good readers (I guess I was hoping for osmosis?). I guess I just have to accept that Oliver will read when he is good and ready. Or, considering that he tells me that Ninjas don't need to read**, I might have to wait until he changes career choices ;)

**Yes, I do tell him that Ninjas have to be able to read the instructions that come from their Samurai Masters but Oliver tells me that they just know it all by magic. No reading required ;)

Happy Friday to you all xox