judyplea

Miller Family Reunion!

Now I realize that not everyone has a family like mine. You might think that, looking at the picture, we managed to somehow get everyone in our amazing extended family (on my mother’s side) in one place at the same time, and possibly, that we borrowed a few strays along the way. (well there is…

The last week of school!

Ok, well, since the last entry was the winter solstice and today is officially summer solstice, I guess I’m just a wee bit behind. I’m super excited, and sad, all at the same time, that next week is my last week of full time teaching, ever! I’m officially retiring this year and am REALLY looking…

It’s the most wonderful time…

Solstice is approaching, the days are getting shorter and darker (and in many cases, drearier, with all the rain here). These days are always mixed for me: it’s exciting getting ready for winter concerts – so much fun music to learn and create choreography for, and watching the delightful expression on the faces of ‘my’…

Wait! What? Summer’s over? Already?!!!

I had so much fun this summer and got to spend a lot of time doing many of my favourite things: camping, playing music, playing games, hanging out with friends, old and new, swimming (in lakes and the ocean), hiking and just chilling in Nature in general. As a public school teacher, that down time…

The Canada Song

I wrote this song a very long time ago, when my daughter, Erin, was in grade 2. (She’s now a grown up woman – how did that happen?!) I used to go into her class and sing songs every week. I think I was asked if I was up for the challenge of writing a…

The next phase

Teaching at an inner-city community school is an all-consuming kind of job. Especially, I think, being the music teacher and volunteer drama coach/musical theatre director. There’s no such thing as ‘down time’ i.e. “silent reading”. I’m always ‘ON’. We just finished our Spring Production, which was a blast! (Space Pirates – by Beat by Beat…

Step 2, and 3 and 4 and…

So… my first book HAD to be the poem, ‘Please Don’t Go in the Dryer’. I loved listening to it on my CD – it made me laugh out loud so many times. I even performed it, quite a few times, as part of my children’s show. I got a big yellow dryer made out of…

My first children’s book!

I’ve always been a voracious reader. Books were my constant companions growing up in a childhood full of love, hardship and lots of change. Later, as a mother, my own children practically devoured books from a very early age (we would take out as many books as we could on all 3 of our library…