too busy socializing to blog...

Ah, there's been visits from Canada, birthday parties, long weekends with glorious weather, fun fairs, community school fetes, and all in the last two weeks...when is anyone expected to Blog around here? It's just not possible what with all the barbequing, drinking to others' health and all!

But not all is cake and bordeaux around here...since I'm preparing to be a single parent for the next three weeks. Now I know how military wives feel (and there are quite a few on my staff to empathize with)...Matthew is off to the land of Habs and Sleeman starting tuesday to sing to Queen's University graduates and their families no less than 19 times in ten days: National anthem and God save the queen.

I am nicely finished with the major fifth grade culminating project, getting geared up to take 63 ten-eleven year olds to Arnhem for a 5 day school trip all while finishing up the curriculum we set in the fall and writing report cards (this will be my first set of elementary reports...you can pity my sore typing wrists now as this is an extensive task with much composition at the computer--yikes). The last unit of inquiry is all about Bridges which encompasses history, geography, design & technology, health (yes, I said health: bridges as a metaphor for the transition to adolescence that these kids are already starting via the lovely hormones already wreaking havoc on their wee bodies and unsuspecting brains), science of forces and matter, literature (no, not Bridges over Madison County...more like Bridge to Teribithia--a much more appropriate novel for this age-range) and even math, though I'm still looking for that metaphor to connect math to bridges...geometry, maybe? That sounds good to me!

I cannot believe this year is coming to an end so soon. We're barely settled and we're to the finish line for my sabbatical year. How did that happen so soon? I think its like a roller-coaster: interminable wait in line before it happens; thrilling ride that ends too soon and leaves the rider just a bit dizzy as they approach the exit gate and costed way too much for the time spent on it...ah, but we line up again, don't we? And we are making plans for next year... Particularly since we're searching for apartments here so that our second year will be in the same community--albeit with much less posh digs, sorry to say...friends: backpackers welcome provided they bring their own bedrolls...you might be on the floor if you visit (well, okay, not that bad, but how does an IKEA pull-out couch sound? Better than a hostel? Thought so...)

Ah, the parties...there'll be pics soon enough. I have to wrestle the camera out of one of my boy's hands and download them soon. Forgive me for none in this post...next time.