just percolating...
Back-to-school is here! As usual, summer has whizzed right by and we're back into the busy fall season (both at work and at home). This summer was a milestone for us -- we moved houses for the first time in 14 years and we enjoyed a special visit from overseas relatives. But we're ready for routines again, I think. That's one bonus of school-aged children; it helps the whole family get into consistent routines. Not to be outdone by Valentine's … [Read more...]
A while back, I decided that I'd really like to attend Blissdom Canada, which is a blogging conference taking place in Toronto next month. I thought, hey, I love blogging and it's my 40th birthday in October, so why not? All the tickets were sold out ages ago, but I was able to buy a ticket from someone who wasn't going to be able to go. (Although I am still hoping to win a ticket so that I can recoup my cash. Keep your fingers crossed for … [Read more...]
On Friday, Stella turned nine years old. And in keeping with the birthday traditions around here, a piñata was a usual must. While last year, the angler fish was the creature of choice, the mighty dragon is this year's. Stella's favourite is the Chinese Lung Dragon, which looks like this: Time and materials were in short supply this morning before the full extended family were going to descend upon the house this afternoon for a … [Read more...]
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...]
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...]
Happy Father's Day to all the Amazing Dads out there!!! (Yep, that includes you Dad! And you too Hubby!) … [Read more...]
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...]
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...]
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, 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...]
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 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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
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