Parenting a teenager is not easy. There are so many things we as parents need to figure out and navigate and monitor and discuss. Are they having sex? Are they doing drugs? Are they skipping school? Are they making good choices? Somehow, we have to figure out how to help guide them and keep them … [Read more...]
Bringing Families Together Through Food
It’s always been my goal to eat dinner together as a family, but our busy lives have gotten in the way. My husband gets home late. My kids are picky. It’s just been easier to feed them before my husband gets home and prepare a more elaborate meal for him and me to eat later. March is Nutrition … [Read more...]
In My Family, In-Law Is Not A Dirty Word
My parents moved to Canada from the United States before I was born. I grew up with my parents and my brother, and my next closest relative was a 10-hour drive away. It was just us. One sibling, no extended family to speak of. I don’t know what it would have been like to grow up surrounded by … [Read more...]
How The Simplest Of Days Proved I’m Not Screwing This Parenting Thing Up
Today was one of the best days of my life. Nothing significant happened. I didn’t get the job of my dreams or win the lottery or find a twenty on the sidewalk. It snowed last night. The first real snow of the season and the whole way to school, the kids threw snow in the air like it was the … [Read more...]
If You Take Away Childminding In Gyms, You Take Away The Mental Break Moms Need
When I was on mat leave with my son, my office shut down and I ended up with an involuntary, very, very extended maternity leave while I looked for work. It was an extremely stressful time in my life. I was carrying baby weight and the burden of needing to find work while, at the same time, having … [Read more...]
Instead Of “Enjoying Every Moment,” This Is What I’ll Tell New Moms To Do
The early months of both of my kids’ lives were not easy. My daughter had colic and my son was as fussy as they come. I remember how many people back then tried to tell me to enjoy those days. “They grow so fast," they said. "Savour this time,” they urged me. It was probably the most obnoxious … [Read more...]
This Is The Reason Why A Nation Wept For Gord Downie
Why does it hurt so much? Why did I cry over losing someone I didn’t even know? What is it about Gord Downie and the tragic loss of his life last night that has struck such a chord with me, and with so very many of us? I’ve seen so much in my newsfeed today about how The Tragically Hip was the … [Read more...]
Weinstein’s Victims Stayed Silent And I Bet You Would Too
I was 7, maybe 8. Our usual sitter was busy that night so my parents had a neighbourhood boy, one I barely knew, babysit for my brother and I. My brother and I were watching TV downstairs when the babysitter, who was probably about 14 at the time, called me upstairs. Obediently, I went. “Do you … [Read more...]
Why I Won’t Apologize For Having Wine O’Clock At My House
“It’s wine o’clock” “Bottle opener = Mommy’s fidget spinner” “My kids whine so I wine.” I’ve seen so many ‘mommy loves wine’ references across my social media I’ve lost count. They all make light of our love for wine. Many of us share them in solidarity of how we enjoy ending our long days … [Read more...]
When You’re An A***hole Sports Parent, It’s The Kids Who Lose
Do you ever read a news article where you’re legit embarrassed that it’s a real story, a real thing and that this is something that happens on a widespread basis? Honestly. Where are we as a society in North America, when our kids turn up to rinks and pitches to play their sport and it's the … [Read more...]