The first time I had attended the One of a Kind Show here in Toronto, my daughter was still a baby. I remember my husband and I taking turns pushing an empty stroller and carrying a fussy one-year-old through bustling aisles, barely able to fully appreciate the unique wares and merchandise up for grabs. So when my bestie called me up suggesting we take advantage of the late night shopping hours this past Thursday, sans enfants, I could hardly say no. And we lucked out with free parking!

This was one of the funnest shopping experiences I have had in a long time. It was the perfect opportunity to hang with my girlfriend, who drove in from out of town, all the while admiring and supporting the work of local and North American artisans. It was an added bonus that within the first five minutes I came across an unexpected vendor Cuillères Héritage Spoons. After attending the OMLTA Conference earlier this month, I knew I wanted to buy a pair of wooden spoons that I could use to introduce my students to French Canadian traditional music. When I heard the unmistakable clickity clack soon after I arrived at the One of a Kind Show, I ran right over to the booth that housed a variety of beautifully crafted wooden spoons designed by the one and only Richard Cyr. And yes, I bought myself la belle boîte à boîte, a newer design which offers more variations in sound than the traditional giboulée. I was also given a mini refresher course on how to play. Cause, yeah... I can play a mean spoon diddy.

Here are some invitations I made for a co-worker this week. I wish I had more time to share my handmade greeting cards over on my craft blog Diana's Designs but I just can't seem to find the time. I'm definitely looking forward to the summer break!

Please feel free to link up your Wordless Wednesday posts below.

On Saturday, April 13, Oprah Winfrey will be in Hamilton to bring you "An Evening with Oprah" as part of her cross-Canada tour. Renowned as one of the most influential people in the world, Oprah will be sharing insights and stories from her life, including her triumphs, fall-backs, learning experiences, and some lessons from her favourite heroes on how to find happiness and reach your full potential. So you can imagine my elation upon discovering an email from the president of Sleep Country Canada, the title sponsor of the event, inviting me to join her as a VIP guest. Not only will I be able to enjoy front row seating, I have the great fortune of meeting Oprah Winfrey and Christine Magee backstage!

Of course, I won't be the only lucky one. Sleep Country Canada is currently running a contest with an amazing grand prize. The Grand Prize package includes two VIP back stage passes to meet Oprah Winfrey and Christine Magee, two front row tickets to "An Evening with Oprah" at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, on April 13, 2013, including airfare and accommodations for two PLUS a Tempur-Pedic® Cloud Supreme Breeze queen mattress set! Further prizes include additional VIP packages, tickets to the show and $200 towards your next mattress purchase at Sleep Country Canada. Visit the Sleep Country An Evening With Oprah contest site for more details and to enter for your chance to win.

If you had a chance to meet Oprah and ask her one question, what would it be?

On Friday, I attended the OMLTA Conference held right here in Toronto. While I was a little disappointed about the new setup and the apparent decrease in the number of exhibitors, I was lucky enough to attend a number of very interesting and informative workshops. One such workshop was called, "I know about the CEFR - now give me some strategies!!" This session was presented by Susanna Gojsic, Alfreda Le Donne and Carole Knezevic from my hometown of Hamilton. During the session, I learned some interesting strategies that I am excited to implement, one of which involves the use of videos. 

As a French teacher, I cringe each time a student prepares a written assignment in English and then plops it into Google Translate. They never seem to realize that the end result could be a completely erroneous interpretation. After watching the video below during the workshop, I think it would be great to show it to my students in the hopes that they will question whether or not Google Translate is a good idea. Kick up your feet and watch this Fresh Prince inspired video created by cdza:

This is the testimony of Toronto Teacher Mom, her continuing mission to explore strange new storage solutions, to seek out new space and new organization, to boldly go where no husband has gone before.

Apparently today is the first day of spring. With the arrival of the season is the inevitable need for me to get into spring cleaning mode by packing away the bulky blankets and comforters, and trying to find somewhere to store them all for the next several months. Luckily, I was sent the new Ziploc Space Bags collection to help de-clutter our home and take better advantage of the little storage space we have.


First, I tried the Ziploc Hanging Suit Bag. I decided to store a number of my husbands shirts and sweaters that he hasn't worn in years. Many of them were hanging on a thick wooden hanger so I transferred them to wire or plastic hangers to save some space. I maxed it out at ten of my husband's tops, as per the directions, but I probably could have fit a few more.

After making a booklet for my grade 1 French students called, "On est malade." I decided to make another one for this month's theme on travel and methods of transportation. I based this booklet on the song that is taught in this month's unit called, "Si tu pars en voyage" which the kids just love to sing. The students can illustrate a couple of pages to personalize it and after the unit is over, they can take it home and teach their parents how to sing the song.

If you'd like a free copy of the first booklet I made, which uses expressions with avoir, click on over to my post Free Download: French Booklet 'On est malade.' You can print a copy via Google Docs.

Linking up for Wordless Wednesday? Feel free to use the thumbnail linky below.

This week, the Ontario Modern Languages Teachers' Association/Association ontarienne des professeurs de langues vivantes is hosting another spring conference entitled "Connections 2013 Connexions" from March 21-23. This is the one conference I look forward to the most each year and I love that it is held right here in Toronto. Also, I am quite lucky that I am one of few Core French teachers in the board who have been offered subsidized participation through Ministry FSL funding. The OMLTA Conference offers amazing professional development for language teachers and I always learn something new every time I attend. This will be my sixth time attending since I moved to Toronto about nine years ago! Not only is a great opportunity to develop teaching strategies, listen to amazing keynote speakers, and check out the exhibitors and displays for the latest products and resources, but it is also a chance for me to connect with some of my teaching counterparts from my hometown of Hamilton as well as meet new friends from all over Ontario. So if you're planning on attending, let's 'connect!' I would love to meet you!

If you are a French or Modern Languages teacher in Ontario, I recommend becoming a member, especially if you are interested in attending the conference. The difference in member and non-member conference fees more than covers the cost of the annual membership fee plus you will receive Communication, the OMLTA newsletter published three times a year. It contains practical tips for the classroom as well as up-to-date information on language issues. 

Additionally, the OMLTA, supported by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Government of Ontario, is running Projet à Québec again this year. The Projet à Québec program provides professional development opportunities for 40 Core FSL Teachers from Catholic and Public English-language district school boards across Ontario and is taking place in Quebec City from July 15-26, 2013. The session costs, excursions, room and certain meals are covered. Participants will only have to pay for return travel costs and some meals. The deadline

The deadline to submit an application is Friday April 12th at 5:00 pm. Visit OMLTA.org for more information.

Hope to see you at the OMLTA Spring Conference!

All in favour of an early summer say, "Aye!"

If I had my druthers, I would file a lawsuit against Wiarton Willie for giving us false hope of an early spring. But instead, I will simply demand an early summer. Sounds fair, right?

This week, while off for the March Break, I refused to let the snowfall dampen my spirits. Instead, I gave myself my first pedicure of the year (you're welcome!) and pulled out my new sandals courtesy of Orthaheel. I decided to pour myself a fresh glass of lemon water, throw on my slingbacks and kick back for some much deserved down time. The thing is, as a French teacher that travels from class to class... to class..., I am always on my feet. I often wear running shoes or flats that provide enough support for the demands of my job. But sometimes I want to wear something more stylish.

While flipping through the Orthaheel 2013 Spring/Summer Look Book, I had no doubt in my mind that I wanted to try the Julie Slingback Sandal in coral. The floral t-strap is oh, so adorable and the gold accents were perfect. Stylish? You bet! And they are easy to put on and adjust for the right fit. I've been wearing them around the house all day long and love that they are so comfortable and lightweight. Did I mention they're adorable?

Orthaheel has a very nice selection of sandals designed for both comfort and style as well as various colours to choose from. This summer, I am leaning towards the colour coral. It simply reminds me of long walks on the beach at sunset and searching for seashells along the seashore. I think my next pair would have to be the Fleur Toe Post Sandal, which is also new for 2013.

In our school board, we begin Core French studies in Grade 1. The program we use is called Dimoitou, which I had never heard of prior to moving to Toronto. There are so many things I like about the program, namely the variety of songs and poems that are based on the characters and themes of the month. For February, the themes focus on Valentine's Day but also illnesses. Thus, it introduces the students to expressions with avoir to indicate pain, such as "J'ai mal à la tête." (I have a headache.)

Using images from one of the worksheets, I decided to create a blackline master for a little booklet entitled, "On est malade." Not only do the students enjoy colouring in their favourite characters but they take pride in being able to read most of the words. They can easily read the characters' names since they spend a month becoming familiar with each character, and the sentences are fairly repetitive with the most challenging words being the parts of the body which are different on each page (dos, nez, oreille, tête, yeux, bouche).

The students are already familiar with most of the words since we have spent a number of classes learning the French version of Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes.

Other songs I use to help teach the parts of the body in French include "Bonjour Monsieur" by Matt Maxwell. You can hear the song and follow along with the lyrics in this YouTube video by Sylvia Duckworth - Bonjour Monsieur, Matt Maxwell. One of my all-time favourite songs on this theme is "Dansez, Dansez" by an other popular Canadian children's artist Étienne. If you haven't heard about Étienne, you should. Even Justin Bieber knows his songs!