Today, I drove into work, as usual. Same time, same route. The commute takes me about 45 minutes to an hour, and that includes one critical stop at my drive-thru of choice where I order my standard morning fare: a medium black coffee and a cranberry muffin. I get the same thing every day (except Fridays if I’m craving something sizzled in a little grease). I sip the coffee all morning and sometimes nuke it for a second … [Read more...]
My five-year-old son is a lovely, sensitive little boy. But when he wakes up grouchy…watch out! Today was one such morning. Last night a thunderstorm kept him awake a little longer than usual, and then at 6:15, his blanket fell on the floor leaving him in the direct line of fire of the AC. And so he caught a chill. This meant his sleep was cut short on both ends, as was mine, and the two of us wound up in the kitchen having … [Read more...]
Ever since my first son was born he’s shown an affinity for music. In fact, when most little boys are learning to throw a baseball or hold a hockey stick, my son was beating on a drum and singing his patchy rendition of “Old MacDonald” while strumming his three dollar, secondhand guitar. At two, his obsession with drums and the guitar escalated to the banjo. Fortunately (and rather surprisingly), Melissa & Doug … [Read more...]
When I think of my mom there are so many fond memories to pull from, but this one is extra... memorable. It was our very last trip to our family cottage, one sad and nostalgic weekend in the spring of 2007. A few of us had just spent a painful two days exploring memory lane, reminiscing over thirty years of incredible summers spent frolicking at our lakeside property where every rock had a story and … [Read more...]
There’s nothing boring about raising kids. Every age and stage is like a piece of uncharted territory: beautiful, wild, and oftentimes overwhelming despite all the pre-planning we try to do before embarking on each little piece of the journey. No, they don’t make a GPS to help us navigate the ‘terrible twos’ and there’s no ‘how-to’ app for those emotional pre-teen years. But as parents, we do our … [Read more...]
It’s a sunny summer afternoon when my husband peels up the driveway in a shiny 24-foot recreation vehicle on loan from Owasco RV rentals out of Oshawa. “Wow, cool!” exclaims my four-year-old knocking his little brother out of the way while scrambling to get inside. My husband hops out of the driver’s seat with a huge grin on his face, a gleeful grin like that of a child who’s just taken his first spin around the … [Read more...]
Up until a year ago, the words ‘Monster’ and ‘Jam’ had absolutely nothing to do with one another. But then, one bitter cold Sunday in January, we took a subway-ride down to the Roger’s Centre, and two and a half hours of dust-spinning, jumbo-wheeled, high octane action later, the words have never been disconnected since. If it’s your first time heading out a to Monster Jam, here’s what you can expect: A whole … [Read more...]
Listen up ladies… A new study from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is warning Canadian women against postponing pregnancy for too long—or it may be too late! Well, I suppose this isn’t exactly “new” guidance considering we’ve been hearing about it, like, forever. Our mothers and their mothers were spitting out complete sets of siblings by the ripe age of 25. Back then, … [Read more...]
In recent years, flying has become something that I dread with every fibre of my being. It all started shortly after having my first child—in fact, pre-kids, I used to love to fly. It was exciting…an adventure. It meant I was shooting off to some foreign destination and any discomfort was well-worth the experience of travelling somewhere new. I’d bury my nose in a book, listen to music, or fall so deeply into sleep not even violent … [Read more...]
Last night I came home from work to a nice, clean and quiet house. The boys were bathed and fed (thanks to my wonderful caregiver Rose) and there was a bouquet of hand-picked flowers on the kitchen counter. “These are for you!” they exclaimed, ever so sweetly, in unison. The day before that, my sons embraced me affectionately as I left for work in the morning. They both woke up in friendly, non-confrontational moods. They ate their … [Read more...]
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