Our boy Max, who is three, is our second child; our second round at this potty training business. The first round was about 6 years ago now, and more of a faint memory. What I remember of the experience was that I had timed it for when I would be on holiday, I showed our daughter Stella some Dora the Explorer underwear as bait, I covered the sofa with a towel and there was only one accident that I can recall. Easey-peasy, right? Right. Now, … [Read more...]
#SoCapOtt: Ottawa’s first (annual!) Social Capital conference
July 24, 2011 by 6 Comments
I spent one of my only free days of the week at an all-day conference, paid for out of my own pocket. Insanity? My Hubby might agree. But I, for one, was certainly not going to miss Ottawa's first social media conference! Organized by a smart group of folks who I all consider to be my friends due to our connections on Twitter and via blogging, I was also there to support their efforts and help keep the attendance numbers high. Well, I … [Read more...]
A Visit to The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto
July 20, 2011 by 7 Comments
For our family, a museum visit is often a highlight when we're travelling. In fact, I think Hubby and I have taken in at least one museum in every large city we've ever visited. And last weekend we were in Toronto to farewell our out-of-town guests before they hopped on a cross-Canada train trip. So before driving home on Sunday, we decided to squeeze in a tour of The Royal Ontario Museum, or "the ROM." We debated whether we should bother or … [Read more...]
Guest Post! “Harry Potter crafting” by Andrea Tomkins
July 18, 2011 by 2 Comments
It's not that I don't have a bazillion things I'd love to write and share with you, it's just that I haven't had two moments to myself lately. (I'm not exaggerating, honestly. We've had guests from Australia for the past three weeks. It's been busy but soooo amazing to have them here!) Things will be calming down soon, but in the meantime, I have called upon my bloggy buddy Andrea to help me out. I call her my "bloggy buddy" because we both … [Read more...]
Relieved and so very happy
July 7, 2011 by 6 Comments
So, after 14 years of planning and then stalling, and then debating whether we should renovate our charming little place, we decided to move. Since Hubby builds houses regularly, he was going to be the main force behind the reno. But so many years later, we now have two children and two full-time jobs and we even manage to have hobbies and interests now and then ... all of which we realized would be sacrificed in some way or another if we spent a … [Read more...]
Photos from Canada Day in the Capital
July 3, 2011 by Leave a Comment
View from Parliament Hill, with the waiting crowds for the evening show View from street, outside of the Chateau Laurier Hotel View from the water, on a boat moored on Rideau Canal beside the National Arts Centre … [Read more...]
Teachers’ Gifts: The Bi-Annual Conundrum
June 27, 2011 by 9 Comments
Every Christmas and end-of-year, there is the conundrum: What should I give my children's teachers? I like to give a little something as an expression of thanks, but what to give is often a challenge because I don't want to be giving something that will end up in the lunchroom with the tag "free!" on it. And, well, I also don't want to go broke either. Max has three teachers at his preschool and Stella has two teachers at her elementary school … [Read more...]
Dads Rock!
June 19, 2011 by 3 Comments
Happy Father's Day to all the Amazing Dads out there!!! (Yep, that includes you Dad! And you too Hubby!) … [Read more...]
Googling “buckle fracture”
June 12, 2011 by 12 Comments
My feelings of maternal guilt were successfully lifted by the stories of my Coffee with Julie friends. Ouch! One almost forgets how injury-prone the young can be! As for my dear little Stella, she came home with the following verdict from the hospital: buckle fracture. Buckle fracture? Okay ... never heard of this! The physician we'd first seen at the clinic mentioned the possibility of a "greenstick fracture." Beyond these two, there … [Read more...]
Random thoughts on “tough love” and parental guilt
June 10, 2011 by 3 Comments
I am waiting to find out if my daughter Stella will be getting a cast on her arm. In fact, I've been waiting anxiously since 4 pm. If she comes home sporting one, she will be the first of our children to have one. Not the first to break anything, since, strictly speaking, it could be said that she broke her two front teeth (baby ones, the adult ones have since grown in). And as I wait, I am having a lot of random thoughts. Many of which return … [Read more...]
Monday Moments: Change
June 6, 2011 by 9 Comments
This blog post was prompted by Capital Mom and her "Monday Moments" project. This Monday's theme is "change." By the time I was nine I had lived in three different provinces and spent a year overseas. These were exciting, positive years. And I think that’s why the word change is ingrained in me as an exciting and positive thing. As child, I didn't have any control over these changes. And most research will tell that change is easier when … [Read more...]
Come on out to Dickinson Days this weekend!
June 3, 2011 by 5 Comments
Bear with me as I tread through some nostalgia .... On June 5, 2009, I wrote my first blog post ever and it was titled "Happy Birthday Mr. Dickinson!" This brings back fond memories for me because not only does it mark my 2nd-year anniversary for blogging, but our village's annual celebration, called "Dickinson Days" (check out all this year's details here), which has always been a highlight for us. Imagine our delight when we moved … [Read more...]
A Day in New York City: May 22, 2011
May 23, 2011 by 5 Comments
For my friends not on twitter. Here is my day, via tweets starting when I woke up .... It is exceptionally difficult to make decisions without caffeine. No coffee maker in this hotel room. Must throw on baseball cap and go find a Starbucks asap. I guess I should change out of pjs too. This is rough. Yes, Latte in hand now. Life is good! Man, it's not even 10:30 am yet and @thegrumpymama and @thevoog have me craving Chinese … [Read more...]
A conversation about Twitter and DH
May 15, 2011 by 16 Comments
I joined Twitter back in January 2010, and at the time I felt really undecided about it. But now, there is no indecision. The plain fact is that I love it. It amuses me to no end. I know that non-Twitter folks find the whole thing "meaningless" and therefore a waste of time. However, I think the meaningless stuff is what is most amusing. Sure, I also hear about local earthquakes, international breaking news, amber alerts, Health Canada … [Read more...]
Winner of the Mark’s gift certificate!
May 11, 2011 by 1 Comment
I'm happy to announce the winner of my Spring-Pick-Me-Up Giveaway now! I just used random.org and the winner is comment #5. And comment #5 is Finola. CONGRATS Finola! And how perfect since you were just chatting about needing spring clothes on twitter! I know you will enjoy shopping at Mark's! It's a no-pressure, easy shopping experience. As for the rest of you lovely commenters ... I'm sorry I couldn't give you ALL gift certificates so … [Read more...]
Most Awesome Mother’s Day Present! (Ottawa giveaway)
May 4, 2011 by 21 Comments
EDITED TO ADD: I used random.org and as the universe of random dictated the winner of this most awesome mother's day prize pack is Shakira Whitton! CONGRATS SHAKIRA -- I will be in touch with the details for how to use your prize! :) Quick! You seriously don’t want to miss this giveaway! And I will give it out just in time for Mother’s Day so you can give your mother, your wife – or, heck, just yourself (I won’t tell!) – a fantastic … [Read more...]
I witnessed my first flash mob performance!
April 30, 2011 by 1 Comment
Despite having spent more than a decade turning-out, tendue-ing, and ronde-de-jambe-ing, I don't generally care to see a traditional ballet. And when I do happen to be at the ballet, I usually find myself daydreaming or running through my endless to-do lists, which might have something to do with my still un-acquired taste for classic music. But when my fellow former bun-head Trish invited me to join her to see Canada's Royal Winnipeg … [Read more...]
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