Open Letter to the Montreal Canadiens

Dear Montreal Canadiens,

Congratulations on selling out your entire season well before it has started. I would also like to congratulate you on breaking the hearts of many of your fans, especially the youngest ones, but also the old ones. Your system makes it so unbelievably unfair and difficult not only to purchase the tickets, but you completely shut out those with larger families. Your limit to buying only FOUR tickets does what for a family of five, please tell me. How can a family of five, go together to enjoy the game, savour the moment of the two youngest members of said family at their very first NHL game ever. Just imagine their bright blue eyes full of bewilderment, excitement and to feel their tummies all a flutter as their team skates on the ice. Pardon me? What’s that? You can’t? That’s right, because you make such a special experience like that absolutely impossible for your fans to share.

I just got off the phone with the Ottawa Senators. I can buy five tickets to any of their games (in fact I can buy as many as eight!). Oh, and did you also know they only put three months worth of games on sale at a time, likely to make it more fair to their fans. Imagine that! Till such a day here, I guess we will drive west 2 hours to attend our NHL game, all FIVE of us.

Sincerely,

nancy

*I sent this to both the Montreal Gazette and the Montreal Canadiens organization. Not that it will do anything other than make me feel better for getting of my chest.

Deux mille sept

If you didn't already know, I am so excited for the boys to be in French Immersion at school. From parents of kids previously in this school, their experience was nothing less than exciting, thrilling and amazing at the progress of their children. I was always happy for them, albeit a little skeptical.

Well, you know how we all are "My kid is the BEST at...!!!!"

Anyway, the boys were a little nervous about going to school in "French". They asked, "Why do we have to do that? It's going to be hard. It's going to be boring."

French Immersion in our school bard in Quebec is 85% French, 15% English.

I respect their concerns, I honestly did. I never told them, but it was always agreed between the Hubs and myself that should the language barrier ever jeopardize their academics, we'd switch them to an English school if need be.

As English as an "English" school gets in our school board in Quebec is 50% English, 50% French.

To date, nearing the end of our third full week of French Immersion, there have been no complaints. In fact little T now refuses to say "Goodbye" and only says "Au revoir". And when little B plays with his animals, they are often heard saying "Oh OUI OUI!" to each other.

I love it.

FFfffffffffzzzzzzzzzzzzwwwwwwwwwwwwtttttttttt!!! (that's the sound of fast-forwarding the story)

This morning T was looking at the calendar. He says, "On this calendar, it is deux mille sept."

I am gobsmacked. I ask, as I was certain I didn't really hear what I thought I did, "Pardon?"

"Mommy, this calendar is deux mille sept."

I erupt in excitement, hi-fives all around, hooting and hollering my pride for him.

He says, "Mommy, what's that in English?"

Music to my ears.

7.5 hours to go...

...until they come home. They've gone.
To school!

Which they LOVE!

If those two little 5 year old boys only knew how much they have helped me through this big change in our lives, well, they'd likely be asking for a big raise in their allowance. Oh, that is if they got one.

This is the start of week 3 of full day kindergarten. We are off to a smashing start full of excitement and new friends, new activities and all that fun. They've done the monarch butterfly cocoon thingy, learned new songs, played dodgeball, made new friends, love the school bus ride, and have to date only expressed one minor concern about the long day. That was last Wednesday. Mid-week of week #2. Other than that, the honeymoon continues.

I am certain there will be a crash'n'burn phase once they realize this is no summer camp deal and we are in for the long haul, but hey, perhaps not. We'll deal with it as it happens. So, as for the kiddies, they are exploding with happiness so far.

How am I doing? I'll try to be quick.

I feel rather euphorically displaced. I am thrilled for my little school boys, yet I am kind of lost. I can't seem to stay in the house to attend to all the cluttered closets, the 10 years of photos to sort, the filing and all other items of importance I committed to attending to once school started. I tend to get out. For breakfast, lunch, shopping, dog walking, volunteering at the school as often as I can, and now I am starting back at the gym today. I will settle down, eventually, I hope. Right?

The month of sleep lost over deciding on whether to keep the boys in the same class or not has been well worth it. They are each in their own class, with their own teachers, and it is working out amazing. The best part is listening to them ask each other about what they did that day. They have never had a conversation like that, pretty much being together every minute of their lives since snuggling in my uterus. It is so exciting for me, and I do believe for them. They each learned a different song last week, and were teaching their respective new song to each other. Made me cry.

Crying? Me? Well, there has been a little, but not out of pity for myself. Again, with what my mom is missing, and mostly just pure pride over how well they are doing. Oh, and well this morning, since we were a tad late catching the bus, I didn't get a goodbye kiss. I know it won't be the last time, but it is the first time. They saw the bus, ran ahead, hopped on and waved at me from the window. No kiss. So yes, I cried.

The best part of my day? No, not going for pedicures or reading the newspaper uninterrupted, but standing at the corner and seeing that bus coming down the road. I literally get butterflies in my tummy. I share this with the other moms at the bus stop, their kids are in grade 3, they say that eventually goes away. I am in no rush, that's a feeling I can live with for as long as I can get it.

One small step for a five year old (ok, two steps, two five year olds), one huge step for a Mommy.

And away they go...