There's an old saying that a woman simply can't resist a man in a uniform. And I'd have to agree ... especially when that "man" is two years old! ;) … [Read more...]
Happy Halloween!
October 30, 2010 by 8 Comments
Hubby and Stella have crafted up three jack-o-laterns for tomorrow night. While past years' pumpkins have featured dinosaurs, Webkinzs and Pokemons, this year's current favourite creature is The Angler Fish. … [Read more...]
I survived Brownie camp
October 24, 2010 by 11 Comments
You know how after all the participants on the Survivor television come together and reunite for the final show and you can barely recognize them because they have showered, brushed their hair and gained the weight back from the lack of food on the island? That's how I feel right now. Except for the brushed hair. Oh, and the losing and gaining weight thing. Other than that, I look exactly like a Survivor finalist. And that's because this … [Read more...]
Sometimes the best birthday present for your Mom isn’t a present afterall (or a night out in Ottawa: Allium restaurant and Lynne Hanson CD-release concert)
October 11, 2010 by 9 Comments
Lately, I'm finding it tough to pick out gifts for my Mom. It's not that she's picky or hard to find things for ... it's just that I feel like she already has the things she really wants. With all four of her birds out of the nest, she has the freedom to buy the things that catch her eye. So for her birthday this year, I decided that I'd take her out for a night on the town. To come up with ideas, I did what now comes natural to me -- I asked … [Read more...]
“Old fashioned” party games
October 3, 2010 by 16 Comments
I've told you about this year's birthday pinata (here goes the mighty angler fish!), but I have yet to tell you about the actual party. Generally, birthdays around here have gone like this: one casual gathering with the family over a BBQ plus one birthday party just for the kids. I don't know about you, but I'm not all Martha-Stewart-let's-have-a-birthday-party kind of gal. In fact, I am all for forking out large sums of money to avoid having … [Read more...]
This Year’s Pinata: The Angler Fish
September 12, 2010 by 18 Comments
The pinata is a bit of a birthday tradition around here. Each year, Stella gets to pick a favourite creature and then she and her Dad create a pinata in its likeness. I'm not sure if we started making them because that's just the way Hubby likes to do things or if it was because we could not find pinatas that appealed to Stella's eccentric unique taste. Either way, this year we have The Angler Fish. Apparently, this is now Stella's favourite … [Read more...]
Saguenay Series, Part 1: It seemed like a good idea at the time
August 31, 2010 by 10 Comments
Once upon a time, I was an adventurous girl. I travelled with a backpack, I slept in forests unknown, and brought big souvenirs home from countries that I loved (my hubby!). I look back at photos from those times and I don't recognize that girl at all. Not one bit. If I look around, I can see that most of my fellow adventure seekers from that era have also mellowed out considerably too. I guess it's simply the passing of time, I suppose. But a … [Read more...]
A Conversation with my Grandmother
August 21, 2010 by 7 Comments
Me: Hi Gram! I got a new car! Gram: Oh, that is good, dear. What colour is it? Me: Black. Gram: *crickets* Me: You don't like black? Gram: No. I don't like black or green. Me: Really? Those are my two absolute favourite colours. Gram: I like red. Me: Yes, Mom has a nice red colour car, doesn't she? Gram: *crickets* Me: What, you don't like the colour of her car, either? Gram: No. I like FIRE ENGINE red. I … [Read more...]
Postcard from Jonesport, Maine: Are Fishermen Lonely?
July 25, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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...]
When will he learn?
July 18, 2010 by 14 Comments
We'd hardly cut into the long drive ahead when my hubby asks if we could pull into the Canadian Tire he'd spotted. I knew what he wanted. "Oh, come on," I pleaded, "We really don't need a bike lock. Your bike is the only one worth anything and we can bring it into the hotel room if we have to." He countered saying that it would be really quick -- he could just run in while I drove to the Tim Horton's for a caffeine fill-up. "No ... these … [Read more...]
Here’s how you can tell if a working mom has a big report due the next day
July 7, 2010 by 6 Comments
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...]
Camping lesson #1: If there’s no nature, it’s not worth it
July 3, 2010 by 4 Comments
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...]
Who wears short-shorts?
June 23, 2010 by 5 Comments
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...]
Commercials are bad for my mental health
June 21, 2010 by 9 Comments
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...]
Stuff that happened this week
June 18, 2010 by 9 Comments
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...]
There are some things I wish she hadn’t had to learn
June 9, 2010 by 13 Comments
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...]
Bike safety: More than just a helmet
May 28, 2010 by 13 Comments
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...]
The Joy of Reading: The Lion, the Witch and the Bathrobe
May 24, 2010 by 19 Comments
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...]
Oh, why do they have to grow up?
May 19, 2010 by 12 Comments
When I was 13, I was blessed with a baby brother. Sure, some days I wasn't too pleased as a teenager to be sharing a home with a "terrible two," but just like a mother of a child, you grow to love this tiny little person so crazy-fierce. Which is often how I feel about my baby brother (and the sister who followed); as if I'm a second mother of sorts. The reality of course is that I'm closer in spirit to a grandmother than a mother because, you … [Read more...]
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