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...]
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...]
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 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...]
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...]
It’s not so quiet around here any more
April 28, 2011 by 7 Comments
Okay, well, to be more specific ... my son is not so quiet anymore. (Stella still talks a mile a minute non-stop!) My son Max, who is almost three, has been late to start talking. He's a quiet little guy -- content to sit and do puzzles or play with his cars. However, he has now starting talking in earnest. Hubby and I are very excited about this and have been revelling in each and every new word that comes out of his mouth. Stella, on the … [Read more...]
Liar, liar, house on fire
April 13, 2011 by 8 Comments
It would seem to me that, as humans, we like to lie to ourselves. Sometimes this reflexive instinct can, on the surface, strike me as a form of ego-massaging, but mostly I think it serves as a form of self-preservation. What kind of lies am I talking about? Oh, how about that if you don’t dress like a slut, then you won’t get raped. Or perhaps that Canada doesn't get enough sun to even bother worrying about skin cancer. And surely, you've … [Read more...]
Dear Blog
April 8, 2011 by 6 Comments
Dear Blog, I really miss you, I do. Just because I can't manage to post very frequently these days, I want you to know that it's about me, not you. (I know I used this excuse lamely to a fair share of boys in my time, but really, with you, it's true.) I adore you. And it makes me feel so great when I press the "publish" button. And even better when readers join in and share comments with me. For one thing, we're selling our house. What that … [Read more...]
PLAYtime (for parents AND kids!) + an Ottawa giveaway
April 3, 2011 by 4 Comments
If you are a parent, let me ask you this: When was the last time you went to see live theatre? (Do I hear *crickets*??) Yeah, I thought maybe that was the case. Because that is pretty much the case over in this household. Actually ... correct that: I DO manage to catch some wonderful theatre, but I rarely ever manage to do so with my husband. Instead, I take along a girlfriend and hubby stays home with the kids. We have just never really … [Read more...]
Feeling mildly ashamed of myself
April 1, 2011 by 10 Comments
The other day, Stella and I popped into Chapters-Indigo to pick up some new books for her. We were looking for some chapter books that she could really sink her teeth into. So imagine our delight to come across a line of books published as “Wordsworth Classics” that were only $3.99 (!) each. We had to limit ourselves since there were so many great titles to pick from! Here are the four that we took home: The Swiss Family Robinson, Alice in … [Read more...]
Dragons
March 14, 2011 by 1 Comment
Dragons A Poem by Stella Sometimes I see something that makes me think: "Was that a dragon or a blue bellied skink?" Some people say they are not real. But when I see something like that, it's not the way I feel. Maybe when I grow up, they will be known. But right now, as I said, many people think they're dead! … [Read more...]
Admiring the Tiger Mom
March 13, 2011 by 13 Comments
I have been sitting back in fascination for some weeks now watching the scathing reaction that has continued to out pour towards Amy Chua, aka the "Tiger Mom," for some weeks now. In case you missed the brouhaha, Chua is a Yale professor who recently released a memoir titled Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom. The flames were first fanned with an excerpt of the book shared in the Wall Street Journal. The WSJ titled the article "Why Chinese Mothers … [Read more...]
“Party Favorites” in Parent & Child magazine
March 1, 2011 by 2 Comments
In the March issue of Scholastic's Parent & Child magazine, you'll find an article inspired by a blog post of the old fashioned party games we put on for Stella's birthday! It's a fabulous magazine and I feel really honoured to get a few of my words into ink for such a top-notch publication. So if it's in your home or you see it on the news stand .... check me out on page 12! … [Read more...]
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