just percolating...
When I was a teenager, every so often word would spread that a "bush party" was going to take place on the weekend. Unlike the "house party" which took place at some poor unsuspecting parent's home while they were away, a "bush party" involved no house, just a location in the woods somewhere. The two types of parties still shared some commonalities -- no parents, underage drinking and police showing up. The last item on the list being why the … [Read more...]
Good morning! If you don't normally buy an Ottawa Citizen newspaper, pick one up today to support not only your local paper but this caffeine-needy writer! In today's Travel Section, I have two articles for your morning coffee: #1: What a woman wants: how hotels can cater better to women business travellers and a list of hotels going all out to do so. Women entrepreneurs interviewed for this piece are Penelope Trunk of Brazen Careerist, … [Read more...]
She's a 15 year-old kid in a school uniform. And she's just given birth to a baby conceived through violence. That is her story. But it's also the story of her mother. And her grandmother before that. This is a cycle that's fairly common in Jamaica, according to a 2006 Unicef report: Approximately 20% of births are given by adolescents. In other words a child gives birth to a child in one out of 5 births. Had all teenage pregnancies been … [Read more...]
An open letter to Canada's Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney: I don't ever remember a time when I did not feel proud to be a Canadian. It's similar in fierceness to the pride I've always felt for my family. It runs right to the core. I drink my Double-double's at Timmys, I buy my backpack from MEC and I bite my nails to the quick when Canada's hockey team is in the Olympic finals. But these are just outward expressions of … [Read more...]
Last year, we lost Riley. Riley was our family dog. The puppy my husband and I adopted the summer we moved into our first home together. We had Riley for five years before any children came along. And in total, we had Riley in our lives for a decade. For anyone who’s had a pet, you know what kind of grief I’m talking about here. And my seven-year-old daughter Stella took it hard. She grieved. And then her grieving turned into a guilt-inducing … [Read more...]
The last item on my winter resolution list was: "Go on winter hike in the Adirondack mountain range." It certainly seemed a lofty goal for a book-worm gal like me, but hey, I put it out there in writing on my blog and while I don't mind being a private wimp, I don't like being a public wimp. So off we went to Lake Placid this weekend! I'd had the weekend booked with the grandparents for months but somehow it crept up on me. Friday was a … [Read more...]
My daughter celebrated the sacrament of first reconciliation this week. This is one of a series of sacraments that one progresses through in the life of a Catholic, which start with baptism and continue on to marriage. For this sacrament, one confesses their sins and then one receives forgiveness from God. Although I find myself unable to believe in a God or the church, my husband is a strong believer and we have decided to raise our children … [Read more...]
In a world where parents are increasingly beginning to question the benefits of overscheduling their children in organized activities, the Olympics reaches right into a parent’s heart and makes you want to fire up that mini-van and start signing cheques. Almost. {read more} … [Read more...]
I hate to say it, for fear of sounding unpatriotic, but Canada's opening ceremonies for the Olympics was kinda, well, sucky. Starting with the snowboarder entry that was cheesy and far too long. In fact, most of it just seemed like it went on too long for its own good. So much so that when K.D. Lang launched into crooning her melancholy lyrics: Your faith was strong but you needed proof You saw her bathing on the roof Her beauty and the … [Read more...]
I’m currently sitting in a beautiful suite in a resort hotel with access to two of my favourite things – but luxury version. The first, high-speed internet access – but in a quiet space that is not full of unsorted laundry, sippy cups and mountains of toys. The second, sleep – but in an enormous bed with high-quality linen and fluffy pillows and absolutely no chance that any little person will interrupt the snoozing. For these reasons alone, I … [Read more...]
Did you catch this CBC documentary yesterday? I got a heads-up from Ann Douglas' blog at parentcentral.ca that it was coming and I was intrigued. In her review, Douglas concludes that this "hyper-parenting" phenomenon is largely a thing of the past: The documentary is worth watching, if only as a reminder of where we've been and how far we've come in rejecting the consumerist parenting style that views parents as manufacturers and kids as … [Read more...]
Ah, the infamous Shilly Shally. Stella has been raving about the charm of the Shilly Shally for years now. I'm not sure if she goes on about it unconsciously or as a conscious attempt to convince me to go cross-country skiing with her and hubby. Either way, I have always responded with something along the lines of "Have a special time with Daddy, while Mommy does some reading." But that changed on Sunday. Why? Oh, because of that damn … [Read more...]
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So, today is the big day! Life As A Human, the Canadian-based e-zine I was telling you about in my last post has now launched. I really had no idea how it was all going to come together or who the other writers were -- it was a bit of a leap of faith to sign-on as a contributor. As you can imagine then, I was super keen to check it out first thing this morning. The result? I'm thrilled! And honoured. Because the editorial team selected … [Read more...]
My head is so big, it's practically toppling off my neck at the moment. Here's why: An unexpected shout-out! I like to poke around Girl about O-town's blog because she always seems to know what new funky things are going on around Ottawa. Not the same ol' stuff -- fresh, interesting stuff! I love admiring great design -- paper, home, web -- and as it happens, not only does she as well but she also creates a lot too. So much so, she just … [Read more...]
As you know, I am now bopping around in Twitter checking it all out and making new friends, er, followers. Today I started to notice some tweets about women having pelvic exams done to them while they are unconscious in the hospital. Like many bits of way too information that I let into my day, I let it go into my line of sight and then right back out -- I easily dismissed it as something pulled from a trashy magazine or something. But the … [Read more...]
If you live in Ontario, you still have a few days left to submit a nomination to the Premier's Teaching Awards for Excellence. Just being nominated means the world for a hard-working teacher! Below is my nomination and a public shout-out to a special teacher in our daughter's life. Please feel free to use my comments section to share your thoughts or memories of teachers that have made an impact in your life or the lives of your children. … [Read more...]
To push myself up into the higher ranks of the Mother-of-the-Year contest, I took Stella to Montreal this weekend. Yes, we went shopping and got Mommy & Me pedi's & mani's! Did I have you convinced -- even momentarily -- on that one? Okay, okay. We know my Stella would never entertain such notions. But I did go to Montreal. And I just may be up for Mother-of-the-Year, too! Because, surely, spending the weekend looking at tarantulas, … [Read more...]
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It's not too often that one gets to do something for the first time after 38 years on this earth. But through a combination of good luck and conscientious avoidance, I have never had a visit to the ER. Yesterday, however, I was initiated to life in the ER. I spent from 7 am to 3 pm there -- 8 hours of my life I will never get back (or get paid for, for that matter). I started getting abdominal pains on my right side at dinner time on Tuesday. … [Read more...]
I've been curious about Twitter for a while now. Although I'm completely captivated by social media, I've been holding off on joining because it just seemed like one more way for me to suck time out of my day. But this week I joined. My brother's response was "It was inevitable." My husband's response was "Just be careful what you 'put out there'." My response? I'm still undecided. On the one hand, it is really fun to exchange quick little … [Read more...]
As a follow-up from this post/rant, I did a bit of digging on this homework research I've heard people reference. And like most things -- or at least most research data -- it can be interpreted in a few different ways. Since the topic sparked a bit of interest, I thought I'd share what I'd found. Kind of like a Coles Notes version (come on, you used Coles Notes at least once, didn't ya?). Okay, so in one corner of the ring you have the more … [Read more...]
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