Too good not to share...

I'm reading a book for my final Masters level course: Empowering the Child: Nuturing the Hungry Mind by Raymond H. Hartjen, Ph.D

This quote / framework struck a chord with me, not only as a teacher, but as a mother:

I will be compassionate with my fellow beings, be moral in my decisions and relationships, be open to all points of view, and be creative. Be self-reliant and call on my inner strengths to get over hurdles, both large and small.

He then speaks about how these are some of the essential human skills children need to develop to realize their full potentials.

Pretty much, eh?

My Sacrificial Limb

My Sacrificial Limb... no typo...

As my old family doctor once put it, my back problems were

"because of your genes... and not the one's you're wearing."

I come from a long line of people with bad backs; my father, 2 uncles, 2 aunts, grand uncles have all had back problems, accupuncture, regular chiropractor visits, MRIs, CTscans, etc. Yay for family trees - pout- I am also the runt of the family (both sides) standing in at a whopping 5 foot fawk all. (Yay for me! The only people shorter than me are children under 10 years old!)

So... throw a couple of pregnancies into this mix...

I was lucky (?) enough to simply gain a baby belly while carrying both my children. From behind, you'd have no idea I was pregnant; from the side was a whole other different story! I had a BELLY -- both times. I don't know how many times I was asked if I was carrying twins, or when my due date was only to have people gasp when it was 2 or 3 months away. (Makes for a hellish cranky pregnant mamma!) My daughter, though, was born a month early and weighed 7lbs, 6oz... she would have been over 9lbs, they speculated. My son, he was a week overdue, and weighed 9.5lbs! ACK! (Just to note: I'm no scientific/yoga genius down there; I had c-sections with both... my "lowers" thank god for that!)

My real persistent back problems started by month 4 when I was pregnant with my son. Sciatic pain was dehabilitating; I'd be walking in a mall and almost fall on the floor in pain. It led to numbness in my left leg. It wasn't pleasant and because I was pregnant they couldn't do x-rays, so my doctor suggested I see a chiropractor:

Dr. Kate. I heart her!

I was in rough shape. She actually asked if I had been in any car accidents I was in such rough shape! (I wasn't!) She said my SI joint was, well, fucked.  Kate worked on my back twice a week until I was 8 months pregnant. SThen we switched to once a week simply because it was winter and she was scared I'd go off the icy roads driving the half hour it took to get to her place. I was also going for bi-weekly massages! I was a mess.

After giving birth, we all thought things would get better. By the time my son was 4 months, though, things were only getting worse with my back/hip/leg. My family doctor gave me exercises to do and sent me for x-rays. The x rays confirmed Kate's suspicions -- my SI joint was f'ed -- but it was because my pelvis struggled under the weight of those 2 children; it was titled and putting strain on the joint. It was causing my body to be aligned as if I had one leg shorter than the other.

Soooooooooooooooooooo.... in order to correct this, I needed orthotic soles for my shoes. More appointments! To make this already long story shorter, the orthotics have been a godsend! They, coupled with still regular appointments with Kate, keep me aligned! Yay!

But there's a problem...

What am I going to do in the summer? I was the one who wore sandals from mid-April until the first of November! I doubt I'll find sandals that will accomodate my not-so-sexy orthotic insoles?!?!? And I won't be rocking sneakers with capris! (Hello?! Sign me up for the tacky tourist contest near you! I'll even buy a fanny pack! -- eyes roll --) Ugh. Insight? Anyone? Do I foresake style for my back/leg/butt? Or do I foresake comfort for fashion? Suggestions are MORE than welcome!

(PS: this post was inspired by @nuckingfutsmama's parking lot back-heroics as she tweeted the other day. Misery loves company ;))

De do bharail?

I've been back at work now for over a month. The transition has been rather smooth, taing do dhia!

I'm a teacher. I teach at a small, rural school of 125 students; I teach grades primary (aka Kindergarten) through to grade 12. (I know... the poor little things come in the door in grade primary and they don't get rid of me as a teach until they walk across that stage and get their graduation diploma!) Among other subjects, the largest part of my caseload is Gaelic language and Gaelic culture.

How does this fit in with being a mom? Well...

Gaelic is my second language. I learned it in university; in fact, it was my minor. Although I come from a family tree steeped in Gaelic tradition on both sides of my family + my husband's, it is not a language I speak on a regular basis.

When DD was a baby I spoke a lot of Gaelic to her. Actually, I spoke a lot of Gaelic to her up until she was about 3 years old and she "mastered" the English language. Suddenly, Gaelic took the back burner because whenever I would speak to her in Gaelic, she would answer in English. And so, the use of Gaelic in our house declined. When DS came along, we still exposed him to Gaelic music and some Gaelic phrases here and there, but he didn't/doesn't have nearly the same amount of Gaelic spoken to him.

Now that I'm back to work, I teach the Gaelic language on average about 3 hours a day. Mind you, once I pop by the babysitter's to pick up the kids, my mind is thinking in Gaelic, thus, I'm speaking more Gaelic to them. This has been met with mixed reactions. Sometimes DD will say,

"Teach me more Gaelic, Mommy" (I always usually write Mommy the Gaelic way "Mamaidh"; it still sounds the same, FYI!)

while other times she'll say,

"I don't wanna be talking Gaelic!"

This is an inner battle for me. I want to be speaking more Gaelic to them both, but it seems the increasingly English world has truly taken them over.

I'm curious as to whether other bilingual moms/dads/families have similar inner battles.
As the title of this post says, "What's your opinion?"

Wordless Wednesday

We're on a road trip & we're trying to keep 4 year old busy for the 5 hour trip by counting deer we see along the side of the road. The pic is her tally so far! ;)

Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

My entry in the MabelsLabels Blogher Contest...

My entry in the MabelsLabels Blogher Contest...

Premise:
Write a post on your blog in response to the following hypothetical situation: Electrical storms are going to wipe out the Internet (perhaps forever). You have one day left to write about your passions: what do you want to say to the blogosphere in 300 words or less?


Dearly Beloved,
 
We have gathered here today to bid farewell to our friend, our confidant, a significant part of our lives. For many years Siber Spayce brought us all together, united as one. No matter what our beliefs, where we hail from, our skin colours, our social status, our age, we can thank Siber for allowing us to share together.
 
When I think of Siber a small smile can't help but grace my face. Over my morning coffee, Siber & I shared news and sports headlines, simple "Good mornings" from my tweeps, a glance at electronic notes from my friends and family, or even my boss. (I think Siber would secretly chuckle along with me as I deleted some of those work emails without even a passing glance!) When life would give me lemons, I could turn to Siber to try and make myself that glass of lemonade. Siber helped me re-ignite my inner voice, gave me confidence to reach out, provided me with answers to seemingly trivial questions, allowed me to research and further my education and sometimes just provided the background music to my-so-called-life.
 
Now, this isn't to say that Siber wasn't without faults; nothing could be that great, right? Sometimes Siber would be slow, and cranky, and some curse words would be had, but, we all know this was before smartphones; so, Siber, you're saved on this one!
 
Alas, before we say our final farewells, I think we would be remiss if we didn't pause and think about the impact, be it a small ripple or an overwhelming wave, that Siber has had on each of our lives. So, let us raise our coffee mugs, squint our eyes, place our fingers on the home keys, or hit that enter button in the sky... in your own private, or not-so-private way, think of Siber...
 
Siber Spayce, I thank you. It's been a blast. I'll miss you and the impact you've had on my life each day. And I thank you for all that you've done, all you've inspired in me and in others. Someone once said:
 

A journey of a thousand sites begins with a single click. ~Author Unknown

 
Siber, I hope your last click takes you on the journey you've deserved.
We will all truly miss you.