Happy Halloween!

Well folks, another week has come and gone.  I am currently experiencing the tell-tale symptoms of an oncoming cold but doing my best to fight it BECAUSEEEEEEEEE I am coming home to Ontario this week to be Maid of Honor in my wonderfully lovely and gorgeous friend Katherine's wedding!!

Let's backstart (as the kids say).  Last week was a glorious 4 day teaching week which meant we were blessed with a PED day on Friday.  What I anticipated would be a drawn out, perhaps boring day of professional development turned out to be an awesome science workshop facilitated by Elephant Thoughts, an educational group that works with students in the North as well as all over the world in the field of science.  We carried out experiments all day and learned some really cool ways to get kids engaged in science in the classroom.  We dissected owl barf (barf), made ice cream in a bag, experimented with circuits, made goop, pop bottle car machiney things, homemade lava lamps, soil profiles with cookies and pudding and so much more. It was very cool and a great way to spend the day. 

That night, I did some snack prep for a surprise baby shower on Saturday and then headed over to my fellow teacher Shelby's house for a really fun night of wedding invite-making activities and wine tasting!  It was super fun to sit and chat with some friends, try some really great wines and help her prepare for her big day! Lots of fun!

Saturday was a surprise baby shower for another friend Katherine.  She will be leaving the community soon to give birth to her first child and we were all excited to shower her with gifts and play some really fun and hilarious games.  The organizers went all out and it was a great afternoon.  Later on though I began to feel a little under the weather and had to cancel my dinner and a movie plans with the girls.  I spent the rest of the evening getting my Halloween goody bags ready and other tasks requiring little energy and watching Netflix.  Can someone please explain to me why Netflix likes to interrupt what I am watching to ask if I am still watching it?  Um yes it is still playing IS IT NOT?  Anyways.

Today I slept in, woke up, ate breakfast and went back to bed.  Then I headed into school to plan with Meghan and Monika for the upcoming week of fun Halloween activities and excitement! I am a little disappointed to be missing out on all the fun because if you know me, you know I LOVE to dress up and act a fool.  But I have been #blessed with a great substitute and know they will have fun even with my not being there.

The reason I am missing out on Halloween in the classroom this year is that I am honored to be Maid of Honor in my dear friend Katherine's wedding!! I was SO surprised and touched when she asked me last summer and I have had so much fun participating in all the wedding festivities that I have been able to attend.  Being far away definitely doesn't make me the best candidate for a position like this so I have tried to make the best of it while I am home and Katherine has been more than understanding and accommodating.  I am really looking forward to seeing her and my friends for a (really) quick visit home on Wednesday through Sunday. 

So in preparation I have been trying to grow my hair and nails for the occasion.  If you know anything about me, you know I have THE WORST luck with hair growth and hair cuts.  The last time I had my hair cut, it was styled into a most fashionable mullet, taking me two years to grow back into some sort of length.  My hair is particularly fine as well, making any sort of beautiful style fall incredibly flat.  So since I haven't had a cut since December 2012, my hair is understandably crispy and resembles a petrified forest.  I have decided to throw caution to the wind and get a trim up here tomorrow afternoon by a visiting hair stylist so that I don't insult the wedding hairstylist with my offensive locks.  Yes, I know the last time I got a trim in Wemindji I was left looking like an 80's soccer mom, but I am hoping the words "JUST 2 INCHES" and a stare of death will send the right message. 

Anyways, I am hoping to get to bed early again tonight to continue to fight off what I hope isn't a bad cold and get myself and my classroom ready for the big departure!!

Inspired baby shower diaper bouquet!

Large crack in my windshield.  Not impressed. 

Too Tired to Think of a Title (oo but that kinda works)

If I woke up one morning not feeling tired, I would think that I had died in my sweet slumber and had been transported through the pearly gates to heaven.  Being exhausted is something I have grown accustomed to.  It is something I accept, don't fight and don't question.  I know why I am tired.  I understand that I am treating my body in the worst way and I know it is all in the name of fun and exciting ways of teaching and learning.  So I guess it's a fair trade! (??)

Anyways, like every week, nothing and everything happened!  Last week my mom and my sister Eryl came to visit me for 5 whole days!  It was SO nice to see them and have the opportunity to show Eryl around Wemindji and also show my mom some spots around town that were too wintery to explore (for my liking anyways) while she was here last year.  We had a really nice time and I love playing host so it was fun.  Eryl, a certified Yoga instructor, came into my and a few other teacher's classrooms to teach the kids yoga which was AWESOME.  My kids loved it and really put some effort into the poses!! It was so cute and I am glad she was able to come in and meet my kids too.  It was a crazy rainy day and the kids were amped but we managed to have a lot of fun regardless.  My mom was able to come into the classroom as well which was really nice and I was proud to show it off.  The kids were in awe of my sister and still ask me when she is coming back.  They also wanted to know if I would be pretty if I had yellow hair too but that's a story for another day. 

Anyways, we had the obligatory trip to Radisson where I showed off Chez Mika and its fine cuisine and we dropped some serious cash at the craft store.  The drive was all kinds of weather freaky - rain, snow, sunshine, overcast.  It was hard to keep up.  The drive was nice, Eryl managed to meditate in the backseat while Mummy and I chatted in the front.  I also killed two animals with my vehicle which harshed my buzz.

Thanksgiving dinner was great! My mom brought up one huge turkey and we had Meghan and her lovely visiting parents Donna and Doug (shoutouts!), Monika and Samantha over for an evening of interesting conversation and good company.  The food was DELISH and I have been chipping away at leftovers for days.  Mummy also helped me put the finishing touches on my home by hanging curtains and pictures (okay did it all for me while I handed her the tools)!  My house is complete!  I am sooooo happy with the way the living room has turned out and I couldn't have finished it all without her.  Oh and I forgot to mention Bobo also joined them in their trip North and I have to say I miss him like the deserts miss the rain.  He is so adorable and handsome.  Enough about him.

Anyways since my family left we in Grade 1 dove straight into PUMPKIN WEEK.  My mom had the job of procuring all three of us 3 different sized pumpkins for our unit and so far it is turning out great!  The kids LOVE the hands on learning and got really into counting the seeds, carving up the pumpkin and exploring all things pumpkin!  Somehow all conversations lead back to pumpkin pie so I managed to score some pies from IGA this week and we will be trying them out as a wrap up to our unit!! Normally I would be puking in the corner because I hate all things pumpkin but I think I can hold my cookies for the sake of the children. 

Yesterday we had a very official visit from the Quebec Minister of Education and the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs.  They came to announce that we would be receiving a new elementary school in the near future!  This was a very nice announcement and we are all very excited.  I hope work begins soon so I will see the school in my lifetime up here!!

Well I am hoping this weekend will be nothing but relaxing and quiet as I think I have earned a sleep in and some couch time.  Of course I will spend probably an entire day in the classroom planning something or other but that is the life of a teacher right!!

Halloween 2014 door!

So spooky!

The dignitaries and staff.

KM70 my fave.

Mummy giving some love to Wemindji's Penis Tree!

Sweet little Thanksgiving angel.

Eryl doing her thang on top of a mountain.

Gorgeous day with gorgeous ladies.

Oh, there she goes again!

Fam Jam

Panoooooo

The favorite daughter shot

Yoga!

So zen!

THIS LITTLE GUY IS BACK AGAIN.  He was so brazen, actually stared me in the eye and LICKED the window like the crazed psychopath that he is.  http://wheninwemindji.blogspot.ca/2014/04/he-is-back.html

Post Birthday Rundown

As you may or may not know, the world, everyone's lives as well as the general weather and well being of mankind revolves around my birthday.  For example, I use units of time like this: BAB AAB (Before Aidan's Birthday and After Aidan's Birthday). It makes a great reference tool and helps me keep things in check.

So the week leading up to my birthday was, of course, as busy and crazy as ever.  It truly amazes me that despite living in a town with no conventional amenities such as movie theatres, hospitals, highways, restaurants, malls etc. can still have me busier than I could ever imagine.  That, ladies and gents, is solely because I teach Grade 1. 

I love Grade 1.  For real.  I complain a lot, and for good reason.  These kids are HIGH ENERGY, talk a lot, ask a million plus one questions, tattle like its going out of style, are hard to wrangle and difficult to get the attention of - BUT - I actually do love them.  They are sweet, kind, honest, open, innocent (for the most part) and love new adventures and to have fun.  The things they love surprise me and give me much ammo for behaviour modification.  They are so touchy feely, love to hug and tap and pull and poke me.  I respond to all sorts of names and gestures, only one of which is my actual name.  We are slowly building the rapport and teacher-student relationship I have been working so hard on.  Gaining their respect is a very difficult task and it pains me to be a "hardass" but in this field and with these particular kids, you learn quick that you can be nice later, because they need stability, structure and firm boundaries in the classroom in order to get the most out of the fantastic educational experiences we are providing them with. 

Anyways, last week was nuts as I mentioned.  Monday was spent busily preparing Declaration Day which is the date that all students (or as many as humanly possible) are present in the school to be counted for official attendance.  This official count determines our school funding for the next academic year so it is important that everyone be accounted for.  We were given permission to plan the most exciting and enticing day to draw our kids to school.  Our team of Grade 1 teachers decided to go with the "Superstar" theme, complete with a red carpet and photo op stop, rockstar cupcakes, pin the guitar on the rockstar, walk of fame hand prints, Polaroid picture frames, VIP badges and cool shades, a hotdog lunch and tons of other amazing activities.  I am not sure who had more fun though, the kids or us!! Either way it got the kids to school and excited about being there!

Breakfast Program officially started last week too which was awesome.  The kids really benefit from the morning routine of a healthy breakfast before starting the day and I can see a noticeable difference in overall behaviour and ability to learn when they have a full tummy.  Happily, Monika and I have help from two staff new to MES, Gary and Samantha.  The extra hands are MUCH appreciated as it is not quick work to fill 25 breakfast buckets with the numerous items we give out each morning.

After Declaration Day came Anecdotal Night on Wednesday.  This was essentially a night for parents to come and get a progress report on their child, see their classrooms, meet the teacher and see the hard work the students have been doing since the start in August.  I was able to meet quite a few parents and give some really good feedback.  It is still very early days yet for these little ones so there wasn't a lot of hard evaluations or assessments I could show but I was able to show parents the progress from the beginning of the year until now, and most were very proud.  I expect to see a lot of these parents over the year which makes me very happy that they are well supported at home!

Understandably exhausted, the rest of the week crawled by until Friday night when I attended a friend's birthday.  The theme was "tight and bright" (aka neon and spandex) and if you know me, you know I own no clothing of any tightness or brightness of that caliber so I luckily found a pair of men's neon orange hunting overalls in Radisson and wore those.  Granted, they were a little warm, but the effect was perfect.

I didn't stay too long Friday night because I had my own preparations for my Mexican-themed birthday bash on Saturday night!  Let me tell you, the months of planning and preparation that went into this birthday would astound you.  But when you are single, have no children and nothing else to do but work, planning your own themed birthday party can fill a large void in your soul, I can attest to that!!  So I went all out with decor, food and favors.  Everyone got a sombrero, stick on mustache and margarita and it was truly an awesome night if I do say so myself.  I don't know how I will top it for next year!!!!

Sunday, my actual birthday, was spent puttering around the house kinda sorta cleaning up and doing pretty much nothing.  My amazing wonderful friends Meghan, Monika, Marsha and Samantha made me a delicious sushi birthday dinner and each one spoiled me till no end with beautiful and thoughtful gifts.  I am truly a lucky duck. 

Yesterday I was late at school preparing a mini unit on Pumpkins for us to work on next week as we five fully into Fall!! I wanted to make sure I got as much work done as possible before my mom and Eryl arrive tomorrow evening for about 5 days!  I am so excited to have them stay with me over the long Thanksgiving weekend and I cannot wait to show Eryl and Mummy around Wemindji when it is probably at its most beautiful.  I spent tonight cleaning like a fiend and getting the house ready for guests.  I will be picking up last minute things at the grocery store tomorrow and lighting up the BBQ for a nice dinner once they arrive! Aside from their general visit, I am excited that they will be here for the Cree Cultural Day at the school.  The team has lots of neat cultural activities planned which will be great to participate in!

I sound like a broken record but I am thoroughly exhausted as usual and must hit the sack.  Until next time...

Photo cred: Naomi Crisp