I've been more of a scattered mom than usual lately. The kind that forgets doctor's appointments and perpetually arrives late or unprepared for the kids' extra-curricular activities? Yeah, er, that's me. This life with young children, and work, and household maintenance ... it really does feel like a hamster wheel sometimes, doesn't it? Everyone TALKS about how to achieve balance, but I'm pretty sceptical about it being even possible. So, for … [Read more...]
Are we there yet? (or why the heck do people go camping with their kids)
February 24, 2011 by 7 Comments
Artifacts and the passage of time
February 8, 2011 by 14 Comments
My colleague and I were talking about great outings for toddlers, when I asked if he'd ever taken his young son to the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa. He paused slightly before explaining that he didn't quite enjoy pointing out all of the "artifacts" on display: "Daddy used to use this ... and this was the phone Daddy used to have ... oh, and here is the television I used to watch ..." and so on. That got me chortling. I … [Read more...]
An eight-year-old’s views on marriage
January 24, 2011 by 2 Comments
The other day my daughter Stella walked into the room while I was watching television. On the screen was a very pregnant woman who was trying on wedding dresses. This sparked a few questions from her, which led to me re-iterating the whole spectrum of choices that are available to folks. Then there was a slight pause in the conversation, so I asked her what her thoughts were... Me: So, what do you think about marriage ...do you think it might … [Read more...]
Teenage idols
December 30, 2010 by 9 Comments
Putting up a poster in your bedroom as a kid is like putting up a stamp of your own personality. Sure, your mother may have painted your room a colour you didn't like or put up flowered wallpaper everywhere, but with a few posters, it was all good. It's kind of a right of passage, isn't it? When I was my daughter's age, I had my bedroom plastered with ballet posters. And likely a (young) John Stamos in there too. But after spending most of my … [Read more...]
Christmas and the Marshmellow Test
December 26, 2010 by 6 Comments
I was driving into work a little later than I normally do a few days ago and the CBC radio show "The Current" was discussing reader feedback to a piece they had aired. In the piece, a "famous marshmallow test" was discussed. I had never heard of this test, but it is really interesting and directly related to my post on giving my kids the gift of anticipation. It was an experiment conducted by Stanford University in the 1960s with children on … [Read more...]
Why do kids love Christmas so darn much?
December 22, 2010 by 6 Comments
The excitement in our house is really building ... My 8-year-old daughter is a believer and my 2.5-year-old son doesn't really know who Santa is but he sure likes all the sparkling lights and chocolate! Is it the same at your house too? I've been thinking about why kids love Christmas so darn much and I've decided it's really not the gifts. It's the anticipation of the gifts. This and a few other thoughts are being shared over at Life … [Read more...]
If it’s silly, is it still poetry?
December 4, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Kids and poetry -- do they go together? Or is poetry something that can only first be properly absorbed during the emotional highs and lows that start in the teenage years? I know that as a teenager, I sure wrote my own share of poems on unrequited love for the older boy next door! It was also that time that I was able to start to appreciate how a few words strung together could evoke so much. But I'm also starting to realize that at the … [Read more...]
Brownies: Oh, the places you will go!
November 22, 2010 by 1 Comment
This year is Stella's first year in Brownies. And so far, it's the only organized activity she's really shown an interest in. I have to say, I can't blame her! The programming for Brownies really is fantastic because every week is something new. So far, the girls have had an evening of sewing, of speaking with a Canadian Air Forces pilot, and most recently, a visit to a fully automated dairy farm. It was the last visit -- the farm -- that … [Read more...]
Even brain surgeons must find children’s birthday party planning stressful
November 12, 2010 by 3 Comments
If you don’t have children, the title of this blog post may seem unreasonable. But, here, a true story courtesy of my friend J. J: Did I tell you about C’s birthday party?? Me: No, what? J: Well, it got really complicated because there are 20 children in his class and we didn’t want to leave anyone out, but 20 … well, we weren’t going to have 20 children at the party. Me: I hear you. I would never have 20 kids over to my house. J: … [Read more...]
A man in a uniform
November 3, 2010 by Leave a Comment
There's an old saying that a woman simply can't resist a man in a uniform. And I'd have to agree ... especially when that "man" is two years old! ;) … [Read more...]
Happy Halloween!
October 30, 2010 by 8 Comments
Hubby and Stella have crafted up three jack-o-laterns for tomorrow night. While past years' pumpkins have featured dinosaurs, Webkinzs and Pokemons, this year's current favourite creature is The Angler Fish. … [Read more...]
I survived Brownie camp
October 24, 2010 by 11 Comments
You know how after all the participants on the Survivor television come together and reunite for the final show and you can barely recognize them because they have showered, brushed their hair and gained the weight back from the lack of food on the island? That's how I feel right now. Except for the brushed hair. Oh, and the losing and gaining weight thing. Other than that, I look exactly like a Survivor finalist. And that's because this … [Read more...]
The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Packing Lunch
October 13, 2010 by 6 Comments
Call me crazy, but there's something almost soothing about packing children's lunches ... all the little containers, and bite size bits, snugly tucked into a brightly coloured lunch bag. And yet, this does not translate at all to the act of actually packing a lunch for myself. There are countless good, solid reasons for me to pack a lunch: there is no convenient lunch spot near my work, buying lunch is expensive, I need the time to work-out … [Read more...]
Sometimes the best birthday present for your Mom isn’t a present afterall (or a night out in Ottawa: Allium restaurant and Lynne Hanson CD-release concert)
October 11, 2010 by 9 Comments
Lately, I'm finding it tough to pick out gifts for my Mom. It's not that she's picky or hard to find things for ... it's just that I feel like she already has the things she really wants. With all four of her birds out of the nest, she has the freedom to buy the things that catch her eye. So for her birthday this year, I decided that I'd take her out for a night on the town. To come up with ideas, I did what now comes natural to me -- I asked … [Read more...]
“Old fashioned” party games
October 3, 2010 by 16 Comments
I've told you about this year's birthday pinata (here goes the mighty angler fish!), but I have yet to tell you about the actual party. Generally, birthdays around here have gone like this: one casual gathering with the family over a BBQ plus one birthday party just for the kids. I don't know about you, but I'm not all Martha-Stewart-let's-have-a-birthday-party kind of gal. In fact, I am all for forking out large sums of money to avoid having … [Read more...]
Glamping?
September 21, 2010 by Leave a Comment
In the tradition of Bradgelina (the nickname given to the celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie), jeggings (a pant that combines the fit of leggings with the look of a jeans) and tweeps (your “peeps” on twitter), we now have “glamping.” Glamping, or glamorous camping, is where one pays the equivalent of a 5-star hotel rate to sleep in a tent. Are these people mad? Maybe ... but I'm one of the converted! Find out why I'm willing to pay … [Read more...]
Winter: If you can’t beat’em, join’em!
September 19, 2010 by 1 Comment
Photo credit: Jean Tanguay I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but winter is just around the corner. My husband thinks this is fantastic news indeed and has already equipped the kids with snowsuits and good hats and mitts. You might recall that I, on the other hand, am not quite as fond of winter. In fact, I spent most of last winter trying not to hate it. And although I still don't love it, to say the least, I did find that joining in … [Read more...]
Saguenay Series, Part 4: Vive le Québec! Vive le Saguenay!
September 19, 2010 by 3 Comments
Okay, so! My trip to Northern Quebec! There is a lot to tell; I almost don't know where to start. But I guess the beginning is always a good place ... I was invited by Quebec's Ministry of Tourism to attend a press trip which would share with me six different family travel ideas from the Saguenay--Lac-Saint-Jean area. But in reality, the trip was so well-organized and the area has so much to offer that I've come home with countless things that … [Read more...]
This Year’s Pinata: The Angler Fish
September 12, 2010 by 18 Comments
The pinata is a bit of a birthday tradition around here. Each year, Stella gets to pick a favourite creature and then she and her Dad create a pinata in its likeness. I'm not sure if we started making them because that's just the way Hubby likes to do things or if it was because we could not find pinatas that appealed to Stella's eccentric unique taste. Either way, this year we have The Angler Fish. Apparently, this is now Stella's favourite … [Read more...]
Saguenay Series, Part 1: It seemed like a good idea at the time
August 31, 2010 by 10 Comments
Once upon a time, I was an adventurous girl. I travelled with a backpack, I slept in forests unknown, and brought big souvenirs home from countries that I loved (my hubby!). I look back at photos from those times and I don't recognize that girl at all. Not one bit. If I look around, I can see that most of my fellow adventure seekers from that era have also mellowed out considerably too. I guess it's simply the passing of time, I suppose. But a … [Read more...]
A Conversation with my Grandmother
August 21, 2010 by 7 Comments
Me: Hi Gram! I got a new car! Gram: Oh, that is good, dear. What colour is it? Me: Black. Gram: *crickets* Me: You don't like black? Gram: No. I don't like black or green. Me: Really? Those are my two absolute favourite colours. Gram: I like red. Me: Yes, Mom has a nice red colour car, doesn't she? Gram: *crickets* Me: What, you don't like the colour of her car, either? Gram: No. I like FIRE ENGINE red. I … [Read more...]
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