Welcome to September

Made it through the first, crazy week of September. A week where everyone is excited, where there is so much to get done, where we get up early and turn in late.

Back to School

It's the first year we've had back to school without it being a headache. All three kids are happy with their classes and teachers and the mix of students in their class. Erik started in grade 7 at the high school and has made the adjustment so easily, I am starting to wonder if he's the same shy kid or if some wood elves swapped him in the night. He even got up to run with me one morning, has decided to try both the chess club and a team sport (!), and is considering mentoring a group of younger kids to teach them Lego Robotics in his spare time. Plus he is taking the lead in organizing a canoe trip with his scout troop and working with the other senior scout to plan routes and menus.

It's a bit WTF but in a good way.

No surprises with the girls. Anna one of a solid group of grade 6 keeners who brings home extra math because it's her weakest subject and she wants to improve, and who already has the book read and the report done for the project due in October. Whose kid is she, anyway? Grace loves loves LOVES her french immersion class and took on the teacher's 80-item challenge this year - we're still not 100% sure what that entails.

All of that makes the first week go by quickly. I was at the college too, helping out with orientation on the Tuesday. As part of the day's events I participated in the faculty challenge on behalf of the Arts and Sciences students - and I got to race in a bouncy castle obstacle course, through a tunnel, around stalagmites, up and over a wall and down the other side. I lost to the Pre-Health Science department BECAUSE THEY CHEATED AND USED A TALL ATHLETIC STUDENT INSTEAD OF FACULTY and really, how was I supposed to compete against that, despite the roar of support from some of the students I taught last year. It was a fun day, though I ended up with burns on my knees and elbows from the damn bouncy course, for which there was NO sympathy on the homefront (and to be honest, if one of the kids had complained to me that they'd hurt themselves on a huge inflatable kids' playground, I'm not sure I'd have been sympathetic either).

On the up side, I was mistaken for a student by three first years, which made me think I should put my hair in a high ponytail more often.

Before the fun of orientation, there were staff meetings; afterwards, there was the fun of marking 650 post admission placement essays before classes started for real this week.

And now, one day into week two, and I'm pretty tired. Working my days prepping for classes, and my evenings editing books. It will get easier as the routine settles into place, and I am planning NOT to have to work on weekends too often. Got a weekend booked to see a play in Ottawa, a weekend to myself while everyone else in the house goes canoeing, a possible weekend trip to New Brunswick (hi Julie), another trip to Toronto to try and organize...not quite sure how the empty spaces fill up so quickly.

But first there is tomorrow evening - and the welcome back school barbecue/meet-the-teachers night.

Welcome to September.