EECOM

It's a pretty intense year overall. Work is also strange. It's mostly virtual but in addition to sorting that all out, I was given the opportunity to present at the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication (EECOM) conference. Even better, it was not just one session, I delivered two! It was a lot of work to get prepared, especially because the conference had to be moved online, but it ultimately went well. My family was super supportive during my focus preparations (read, ignoring their needs) and leaving the house for the presentation. They even brought me a lovely hanging plant to celebrate. 

Messy Piggy

Setting:
Keva's bedtime, later than Mommy would like it to be. Mommy walks into Keva's room and discovers a disheveled mess on the floor after Keva 'cleaned her room'

Mommy: (surprised)
"Keva! This room is a mess! You need to clean it up!"

(Mommy storms out to the bathroom to get things organized in there)

Keva: (muttering to herself after Mommy has left the room)
"I wish I was a piggy. They are allowed to make a mess..."

Just Not My Thing

I needed to take a call one day and was able to find a small, cluttered slice of privacy on the messy floor of my 12 year old. It didn't last long. About a minute later, Keva found me and made herself comfortable in Tavish's room as well. I mouthed "aren't you in class?" to her, then quickly realized my focus needed to be on the call. A few minutes later, when the call was done, I looked back to Keva who had written a note in response to my earlier question... 

She's a pure truth speaker and ... a potential grade 3 drop out too? ha.

Vaccine!

I feel very fortunate to be eligible for my first vaccine. Pfizer. I went to the Convention Centre and was impressed by the organization and professionalism. It feels so very momentous - is this beginning of the return to normalcy? Thank you, science. Let's do this!

41 and Fabulous

Cannot believe it's been a year since Tom's big 4-0 ... and we're still having virtual celebrations and having to wear masks outside! However, covid can't get the celebrations down! Kids put on brunch, made a delicious cake. We went for a (busier than we would have preferred) bike ride to the Leslie Spit. And balloons. Always balloons.

Balloons for the Old Guy

Fantastic Faces to Celebrate With

Brunch

Birthday with a View

Gourmet (kid made) Cake!

Keva Cosburn

Another early settler attends the Century School House with "Miss Taylor"! Keva being in grade three meant a TUSC field trip with a covid twist - it was done virtually! 

Keva Cosburn

Meeting her Mom, um ... Miss Taylor!

The Class of Characters

MOMENTS: Past Schooling with Present Technology

What is usually a full-day field trip has been modified to two separate online sessions. For the first session, I taught from my home office (aka: my bedroom) so had Keva join me in person and virtually at the same time! 

The second day, Miss Taylor headed off to the Century School House and met her class of characters, including Keva Cosburn, virtually. Being 'mindful of her manners', Keva Cosburn told Miss Taylor of her chore (gathering 8 eggs carefully), correctly spelled 'sister', used the new vocabulary word appropriately in a sentence, and was sure to say "thank you, Ma'am" where appropriate. Excellent acting skills all around! The 1890s school days experience was further supplemented by a 'settler' style lunch for Keva too. Yum!

All in all, a great way to spend the day together ... a virtual throwback to early settler days here in Toronto!

Cotton Candy Blizzard

To help bolster wellness during the ongoing (read: never ending) pandemic, Tom and I created a challenge board for the kids where they earn points for doing productive things and get a reward of their choosing. Both kids completed one of their challenges on the same weekend and claimed their respective sweet-treat prize!

Tavish earned his prize for exercised (squats, push ups, lunges, pull ups) and chose a 6 pack of doughnuts from Tim Horton's and enjoyed every bite of it!

Keva earned her prize for her daily challenges (stair climbing to strengthen right leg with another exercise like jumping jacks, bicycle pedals, stuffy toss, etc). She chose to get a Blizzard from Dairy Queen and enjoyed her large Blizzard over a few different servings. (thank you freezer)

Tavish claimed his prize after we returned home from our family bike ride. Keva got her prize at the half way point of our bicycle outing. While she was enjoying it at a parkette, she calmly shared a detail about the Blizzard buying experience...

Setting: 

While Keva enjoys her Blizzard, Mommy tells Tavish and Daddy about how Keva confidently chose "Raspberry Fudge Bliss" from the long list of Blizzard options I had read out to Keva...

Keva: 

"They have cotton candy Blizzards."

(pause)

"Mommy skipped reading that one though"

... it is known in this family that I think Cotton Candy is a gross food for kids to eat in general, doubly gross in ice cream and I must have subconsciously thought that by skipping it as an option, Keva wouldn't notice it. Mommy was busted... and relentlessly ridiculed!