With Summer Break just starting I've been thinking back on how much I hated March Break this year. For about six years now, ever since my eldest first started school, I've watched on social media as other parents complained about summer break (or March break, or Christmas break, or whatever), saying how it drove them bats to have their kids home for x many days... but I just … [Read more...]
Moms Don’t Do Sick Days, #NoSickDays
Waking up with sore throat pain, cough, nasal and chest congestion, aches and pains or a fever? I don't have time for that. Back in the B.C. days (a.k.a. Before Children) it wasn't that big of a deal if a cold or the flu laid me low for a day or two. I'd call in sick, sleep a bunch, read a book, and order some take in. But now? No way. Life doesn’t stop just because I'm feeling … [Read more...]
What’s it like to be the mother of an Olympic athlete? #ThankYouMom
What's it like to be the mother of an Olympic athlete? I get teary eyed at school events and banjo recitals. I can't even imagine what it would feel like, to be there in the crowd at the Olympics watching my child perform. Then add in the fact that cameras might be watching you, to see what your reaction is as your child is performing. Ack. Pressure. I don't think I could … [Read more...]
Six Reasons Why I’m Loving Summer Vacation…
Summer vacation has officially started. No school for two glorious months. No making school lunches, and no running to the school bus in the morning. Just non-stop lazy days with my two favourite little people. This isn't to say my children don't drive me mad approximately forty thousand times in any given day. The house is a mess and I'm not finding enough time to write. But … [Read more...]
The Best Part of Coming Home….
Just found these photos hubby snapped at the train station (when I got back from Blissdom a few weeks ago), which capture the best part of coming home... … [Read more...]
Being Difficult, A Birth Story
"She's being difficult. Don't let her go until she signs". Those were the words the obstetrician said as he walked out the door. The nurse nodded, glanced in the room and then shut the door on me. I stood there feeling furious and helpless and trying hard not to cry. I was late into my third trimester and my biweekly meeting with the OB had quickly gone south when he started … [Read more...]
I Am Not The Pinterest Perfect Mother…
My mother often tells me how lucky I am to be a stay-at-home mom in the digital age, reminding me of the isolation she felt as a homemaker 30-some years ago. She points out that I have online resources and communities to fall back on that she never even dreamed of. She also recently very cleverly pinned down something else I have that she didn’t, something less enviable.“You … [Read more...]
Mom Surprise: Each Kid is Unique
I think one of the biggest shockers for me since becoming a mom is discovering just how unique my kids are. I had my first daughter and while aspects of her personality startled me, for the most past she was easy going and a delight to parent. So I signed on for kid number two. We had another daughter, and while she brings joy and light to my life she also drives me insane. … [Read more...]
Mom’s the Word: Eight Canadian Bloggers Write About Motherhood
So Mother's Day is tomorrow, and in honour of that I thought I'd send you off to read a collection of articles on life as a mom... Remember when I wrote a few weeks back about the amazing experience I had with Blissdom Canada last Fall while visiting Canadian Family magazine? Well the piece I wrote has now been posted online at their website, and I thought I'd put up this … [Read more...]
How the Hell Do you Cope with Bullying in Our Cyber Age?
I'll start this by saying, I have no answers. As a mom, when I think about the incidents of bullying that have been in the media lately I have that worried sick in the pit of my stomach feeling. How could this have been prevented? How can I protect my own daughters from having the same thing happen to them? I think about about Rehtaeh Parsons and I cry. I bawl. But the truth … [Read more...]
Think sleep is for the weak? Think again…
Every time I see my family doctor she asks if I've been getting enough sleep and I always dodge the question. She tells me, "You must practice good sleep hygiene! Are you practising good sleep hygiene? How many hours of sleep did you get last night?" There is always an excuse for why my answer is not enough, the preschooler wet her bed, the baby woke up, my husband's on … [Read more...]
Working Moms vs. Stay at Home Moms Infographic ~ IS the Grass Greener?
Citizen Optimum has commissioned a new study called Citizen Mom, which is taking a look at Motherhood from the inside out. I found reading through the results of the study both informative and entertaining, so I thought I'd share a few of their insights with you. INSIGHT #1: Don't perpetuate the myth of mom as Superwoman. Without realizing it, you're adding unwanted … [Read more...]
Secret Mommyhood Confession – I’m No Dietitian
When it comes to making school lunches I sometimes suspect I'm a lousy Mom. I want to be the Mom making the cool themed bento-style lunches, with fruit shaped like flowers and tiny sandwiches shaped like animals. The reality is I'm the mom that goes to head to bed at 1 a.m. and realizes I forgot to make my kids lunch again, and I'm left wondering if anyone at the school is … [Read more...]
Postpartum Depression in the 1950s, my Grandmother’s Story (or A Short History of Postparturm Depression, from 1950-Now)
In 1951, after giving birth to her first child, my grandmother developed postpartum depression. She was diagnosed as having a "nervous condition". Her treatment took the form of electroshock therapy. She was twenty years old at the time. Separated from her family she was sent to a mental hospital in St. Thomas, many miles away from her home. In the meantime, my grandfather was … [Read more...]
The Kindergarten Question – Resolved?
So here I am, sitting up until 1:30 in the morning, pre-filling out the Junior Kindergarten registration forms so that tomorrow morning I can take my daughter to register at the local French Immersion school. We called to arrange a visit last Friday, and dropped in for a quick peek. We wanted to register on the spot, but were told to come back on Tuesday. I wish it were … [Read more...]