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...]
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...]
Spring pick-me-up (for you and for me!)
April 20, 2011 by 27 Comments
So, after "going to the cave," "fulfilling my to-don't list," and living in "survival mode" last night, I woke up this morning feeling a bit more recharged already. I even put on a matching outfit today and that kind of perked me up a bit too. Which reminded me that I have a nice spring me-pick-me up to share with you! Remember how pleased I'd been with the selection and price of the clothes at Mark's? Well, I have $50 with your name on it to … [Read more...]
The Week of the Rain Cheque
April 19, 2011 by 10 Comments
I have holed myself up in my bedroom with a new episode of Glee and a beer (yes, I'm out of red wine). Actually, as this episode moves forward, I'm starting to suspect that this too is another Glee repeat. Which would go with the rain cheque theme of my week. Here is what I have managed to do so far this week: Shower Work Wash dishes Laundry That's it. Just the very basics for me this week. Everything else is on rain cheque. I … [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...]
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...]
David Sedaris is Worth It
March 29, 2011 by 6 Comments
Late this afternoon, I got my dirty little paws on tickets to see Mr. David Sedaris (!) tonight at the National Arts Centre. But really, the timing couldn't be worse ... our house is torn apart and we're in the middle of painting it, the kids have stuff going on tonight that requires taxi-driving, and I can barely think straight from the insomnia I had last night. In case you are wondering who he is, which I suspect you might be, because … [Read more...]
Are you guilty of labelling people?
March 16, 2011 by 1 Comment
I think it's safe to say that we've all been guilty of labelling someone -- consciously or subconsciously -- according to a stereotype or just simply out of ignorance. So it's precisely for this reason that I found this video created by Mabel's Labels so valuable. It gives me that reminder to constantly challenge labels ... of those that come to mind when I meet someone as well as those that I place on myself. In the video, which was made … [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...]
Are we there yet? (or why the heck do people go camping with their kids)
February 24, 2011 by 7 Comments
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...]
Ballet and Domestic Violence?
February 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The concept of a ballet troupe undertaking cause marketing intrigued me. So I was really pleased to get the chance to attend the global premiere of Ghosts of Violence last week. With it, the Atlantic Ballet of Canada aims to raise awareness of domestic violence against women as it brings its performance across Canada and then overseas. I share some thoughts from the experience in the e-magazine Life As A Human today. Clicky on over to check it … [Read more...]
In honour of my first kiss
February 14, 2011 by 5 Comments
So, I was late to this kissing game. It was at a grade 9 dance, Bobby (yes, that really was his name!) and I slipped outside of the gymnasium and went for a little walk. He was a gorgeous boy, with dark hair that fell into his eyes. I'd been admiring him in Science class ... sitting there all tall and handsome in his football jacket. And now, here I was, holding his hand in the dark. We leaned against a wall where we couldn't be seen and … [Read more...]
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...]
I may not be writing, but I’m always reading
February 3, 2011 by 2 Comments
Between work, and illness and, oh ... that little time-consuming thing called child-rearing, my moments of blogging bliss have been very infrequent. But just because I'm not blogging, that doesn't mean I'm not reading blogs! Blogs are perfect for snack-bites of exquisite writing. And one of the best things about blogs is that you can find writing that is not found anywhere else -- topics that mainstream media simply doesn't cover. The intimate … [Read more...]
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