just percolating...
I'm really thrilled to be hosting a guest post tomorrow by Julie Henning of Road Trips for Families! But let me back up a little in order to introduce her ... While I was at BlogHer, there were "Birds of a Feather" lunches that we could join. I dropped into a seat at the "travel" table and met some really cool women who run really clever blogs. These included (and please let me know if I've forgotten someone!): Traci from Go BIG or … [Read more...]
So. BlogHer. I know, I know. I'm supposed to do a recap of my experience -- what was great, what was not so great, which blogger idols I met and what swag I lugged back. But I'm not going to. I just didn't have time this week and now I don't feel like it. Plus, it's totally unnecessary, since some fabulous writers have already done great recaps. So I'll share a few of those with you instead. First, I'll point you towards the recaps written … [Read more...]
Edited to Add: The New Mother & Baby package had a total of 5 entries and the winner via Random.org was Tracy! The winner of the Toddler package had a total of 14 entries and the winner via Random.org was Judy! Congrats to you both and thanks to you all for participating in the fun! I got back from the BlogHer conference in New York City late last night and I'm still processing everything -- it was non-stop activity from morning until … [Read more...]
I started up this blog just over a year ago as an outlet for personal writing -- the kind of writing that doesn't take place during my work day in corporate communications. I envisioned it as my own little creative and social sandbox for my free time. But what I didn't realize then was just how much I would enjoy playing in this sandbox. And I think the reason I love being in this space so much is because it's a constant learning joy ride. I … [Read more...]
While in Bar Harbor, I took in a tourist attraction to see a much-loved creature. "I stood shuffling nervously. Nervous because I really wanted a lucky glimpse of the creature and also, because I hoped that the motion-sickness pills I had gulped down would work." The experience left me wondering about the finicky nature of human love ... Please click here to read the full piece as featured in the e-zine Life As A Human. … [Read more...]
We had had only one criterion for our holiday: an ocean view. So I simply searched the internet for all cottages that met this criterion and then booked the one at the best rate, which happened to be in a small fishing town called Jonesport ... [to read more, please click here to read the full post on Life As A Human] … [Read more...]
Not long back, I wrote a post which shared my excitement in being able to hear the voices behind blogs. In it, I noted that many of the blogs I read include a photo of the author, so the voices were going to be the big draw for me. Well, I was wrong ... my dear Ottawa bloggers and their readers are just so darn gorgeous in real life that the faces really made the entire night last night a real treat. A real treat that was entirely made … [Read more...]
If you were a fly on a wall, you'd easily be able to tell whenever a working mom has a big day ahead of her in the morning. This is what you'd see: 11:30 pm: Shutting down computer after putting some finishing touches on a report. 1:00 am: Youngest child wakes up. Mom makes sure everything is okay, puts in some cuddle time and offers some milk. 1:30 am: Youngest child now settled, Mom returns to her bed. 2:00 am: Youngest child … [Read more...]
In an attempt to bring ourselves back into the camping spirit now that we have children, we bought a pop-up tent trailer this spring. I admit that we swallowed our pride when we parked it in our driveway. It really put a damper on our camping "street-cred." Just as we defiantly swore we'd never buy a minivan just because we had children (and, for the record, we still have not succumbed ... yet), we also swore to never "car camp." Our first … [Read more...]
Some people hate it when their favourite books are made into movies. The movie just never measures up. That's generally a given. But personally, I love it. I love comparing how I imagined a character to look -- and move and speak -- to the movie's version. Sometimes it's very close, but sometimes it is so vastly different that it simply reinforces why reading is just such a wonderful, uniquely personal experience. In some ways, reading a … [Read more...]
Do you dare wear short-shorts? If you’re my age and can pull off short-shorts, all the power to you. If you’re a young woman with long tanned legs you want to show off, all the power to you. But please — let’s not dress our young girls in short-shorts. {click here to see why I'm such a prude about … [Read more...]
Lately, I have found myself watching commercials more consciously. And it seems that pretty much everything about me is simply not good enough -- not my skin, my body shape, the way my house smells, or even my own role in my family. This constant barrage of criticism can't be good for my mental health, can it? Even though I can intellectually reject it, messages can still creep into my subconscious. And if it's not good for my mental … [Read more...]
I didn’t get around to posting anything on my blog this week because my husband has taken to making these beautiful after-work drinks called Brandy Lime & Soda. Mmmm… they are such a refreshing summer drink. But trust me that you will lose any desire to be productive after having one (which isn’t such a bad thing of course, but just be warned). I’ve been missing you though and even though I’ve already consumed said drink, I’ll attempt to … [Read more...]
I've got a confession to make. You know when you sent me that email chain letter that said we would all have bad luck if I didn't forward it on? Well, I deleted it. And that one where if I didn't send it on to my seven dearest friends, they would never know how much I cared? Deleted. That internet meme that I you sent with best intentions? Sorry, deleted. Even that chain letter full of stickers for your kids' friends? Yes, I'm the bad guy who … [Read more...]
For a recent grade 2 project, my daughter was to create a poster. In my era, this poster would have been along the lines of "Don't be a Litter Bug!" or "Help Smokey the Bear and be sure to put out your campfire!" You know, that kind of thing. The title of her poster reads: "Oil Spill: Sea Animal Nightmare" And the captions read: The oil blocks the whale's blowhole Air bubbles in sea otter's fur damaged by oil Fish gills clogged … [Read more...]
Stop #1: Anna Fine Thai Cuisine Where: 91 Holland Avenue (Parkdale market area of Ottawa) What: Super-yummy Thai food with great service. My Mom had the seafood Pad Thai and I had the Dinner for One, which came with soup and a selection of tasters including ginger fried veggies and red chicken curry (see how cool the dishes are! and even better? it was a lazy-susan style platter. Life doesn't get better than this!) Cost: $6 for a white wine, … [Read more...]
Here I am with Joanne Harris, author of one of my favourite books Five Quarters of the Orange but most famously known for her novel Chocolat, which was made into the Oscar-nominated film with Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche. I recently had the chance to hear her read from her latest offering blueeyedboy when she came to Ottawa as a guest for Writers Fest. She was part of a series of events that Writers Fest puts on called The Writing Life. As … [Read more...]
This month marks my first-year bloggy-versary. When I first started blogging one year ago, I didn't -- and couldn't -- have known what to expect. But BOLO left me feeling very optimistic about it all. It seems that blogging is one of those things that, like becoming a parent, you just have to do it order to really understand it. And although I have a much better understanding now than I did one year ago, I still have so much learning to do. … [Read more...]
This weekend I had the good fortune of attending the Odawa Festival of Aboriginal Culture. I'd like to learn more about Canada's Aboriginal cultures, so I jumped at a suggestion from a friend to attend with her and her family. (Everyone -- Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal -- is welcome at these events.) One of the first things I learned is that Ottawa has a campground smack in the middle of the suburbs, and this is where the festival was … [Read more...]
We've had some really horrific and tragic bike accidents in our city as of late. People have always commuted to work by bike in Ottawa, Canada's capital. In fact, I distinctly remember my father biking to work every day from our family's westend home in the suburbs to downtown. But, now more than ever, we need more cyclists. The environment needs it, our bodies need it, and our children need the role-modelling. Unfortunately, our city … [Read more...]
For as long as I can remember, it’s been common for people to observe that Stella is “Daddy’s little girl.” They don’t mean that he spoils her, but rather that she just loves to do whatever he is doing. And as a result, they have now cultivated a mutual passion for the outdoors that is really beautiful. But something else that is beautiful has taken place recently. When it comes to reading, Stella is now “Mommy’s little girl.” Just as the … [Read more...]
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