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...]
A Day in New York City: May 22, 2011
May 23, 2011 by 5 Comments
For my friends not on twitter. Here is my day, via tweets starting when I woke up .... It is exceptionally difficult to make decisions without caffeine. No coffee maker in this hotel room. Must throw on baseball cap and go find a Starbucks asap. I guess I should change out of pjs too. This is rough. Yes, Latte in hand now. Life is good! Man, it's not even 10:30 am yet and @thegrumpymama and @thevoog have me craving Chinese … [Read more...]
A conversation about Twitter and DH
May 15, 2011 by 16 Comments
I joined Twitter back in January 2010, and at the time I felt really undecided about it. But now, there is no indecision. The plain fact is that I love it. It amuses me to no end. I know that non-Twitter folks find the whole thing "meaningless" and therefore a waste of time. However, I think the meaningless stuff is what is most amusing. Sure, I also hear about local earthquakes, international breaking news, amber alerts, Health Canada … [Read more...]
Winner of the Mark’s gift certificate!
May 11, 2011 by 1 Comment
I'm happy to announce the winner of my Spring-Pick-Me-Up Giveaway now! I just used random.org and the winner is comment #5. And comment #5 is Finola. CONGRATS Finola! And how perfect since you were just chatting about needing spring clothes on twitter! I know you will enjoy shopping at Mark's! It's a no-pressure, easy shopping experience. As for the rest of you lovely commenters ... I'm sorry I couldn't give you ALL gift certificates so … [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...]
It’s not so quiet around here any more
April 28, 2011 by 7 Comments
Okay, well, to be more specific ... my son is not so quiet anymore. (Stella still talks a mile a minute non-stop!) My son Max, who is almost three, has been late to start talking. He's a quiet little guy -- content to sit and do puzzles or play with his cars. However, he has now starting talking in earnest. Hubby and I are very excited about this and have been revelling in each and every new word that comes out of his mouth. Stella, on the … [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...]
Dear Blog
April 8, 2011 by 6 Comments
Dear Blog, I really miss you, I do. Just because I can't manage to post very frequently these days, I want you to know that it's about me, not you. (I know I used this excuse lamely to a fair share of boys in my time, but really, with you, it's true.) I adore you. And it makes me feel so great when I press the "publish" button. And even better when readers join in and share comments with me. For one thing, we're selling our house. What that … [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...]
An Ottawa Giveaway! Tickets for two to the National Arts Centre
March 25, 2011 by 9 Comments
EDITED TO ADD: WE HAVE A WINNER!!!! The winner for this giveaway was determined using random.org and it was PB Addict. Congrats to a fellow peanut butter lover and I hope you have a fabulous time! (Come back and tell us all about it!) Warm wishes, Julie Great news! The National Arts Centre has generously offered two tickets for Coffee with Julie readers to see a really interesting show that's coming to town. The performer is Patricia … [Read more...]
#Blog4NZ: New Zealand never leaves you
March 22, 2011 by 7 Comments
Blog4NZ is a grass-roots effort on the part of the international travel blogging community to promote all that is good about travel in New Zealand from the 21st to 23nd of March — the one-month anniversary of the quake. Tourism makes up approximately 10% of New Zealand’s GDP and it is essential for the world to know that New Zealand is open for business. So ... New Zealand! Where to start? Well, it was 1993, I had a one-way ticket and a one-year … [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...]
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