Back to Ski School!

I just realized how much I REALLY REALLY love my job!!! I thought it was going to be super hard to leave I. and go take care of other people’s kids.

Spending equal time with our daughter is helping all of us in many different ways…and a few more French words…

Our arrangement for the winter is working out better than I hoped it would! I. spends 3 days with me, then 3 days with her Papa! She is really happy, calmer than ever and is enjoying her time with Dad: getting the Christmas tree, visiting horses, going to library story times and going tobogganing on the frozen lake nearby…

I realize how much our daughter changes in 24 hours when I don’t see her all day…

Oh, my God, my work-week has already gone by…just like that, in the blink of an eye.

I’ve got two classes of 3-4 year old little ankle biters. 5 little guys per class, one class comes Mondays and Wednesdays and one Tuesdays and Thursdays. They are all doing great for their first week, starting to gain mobility on their skis and having fun. It’s been super cold (-17-20 *C) but they are staying warm by moving a lot, and I am shedding layers all day, since the “Magic Carpet” (the carpet lift) is broken and I become their personal magic carpet when they are too tired to side-step up the hill.

We have an extremely travel-friendly baby…oh, and some more new words

Well, we are back home, after a month in Quebec. We got home more exhausted than we left B.C., partly due to all the dinners, parties, shows and get-togethers we attended, as well as a late, 6pm flight home, that got us home 2:30am Quebec time.

Words are starting to take shape, but which language is it?

I am starting to realize that we have to pay really close attention to what I. is trying to tell us. When we do, we tend to realize that there is a word hidden behind all the babble. Once we get it, she beams with joy and satisfaction.

The only challenging part is that the word could be in any of the three languages, so you need to be alert, listen carefully, and keep an open mind.

Lessons I learned on noise and toddler naptime…oh, and more new words: mostly French…

We spent all day yesterday at D.’s brother’s (K.’s) place.  The two guys were working on the second bathroom while I hung out with I. and her 3-year-old cousin, L.

A bit of Quebecois culture

Here is the best version of one of my favourite Quebecois songs…

Isabelle Boulay: Parle Moi

Interesting Presentation on the “H1N1″ flu

Interesting video on the background of our ever popular “Swine Flu”…

First part of video (after that just click on the rest):

Exams and the possible brainwashing affect of schools

My Dad used to have a great saying about exams: “Think about what you know, instead of worrying about what you don’t. You don’t have to be good at exams. Just be good at LIFE.” Sometimes it’s better to improvise in certain situations, than know “what the book says”. In some instances it can be another form of brainwashing…

This coming from someone who does believe in getting an education and completing a University degree had all that more of an impact.

Breathe – How changing your energy inside can help you solve challenging situations

Below I describe three independent circumstances where kids taught me about the power I have over my energy inside (one babysitting and two coaching situations):

1. I was babysitting I. and her little friend F. For some reason after their naps both girls ended up somehow conjuring up a cranky environment while I was doing the dishes. They both started on a whining spree.

After trying to find the source of their “drama” and realizing there is nothing I can do to comfort them or snap them out of that mindset, I decided to try music.