I was strolling through the grocery store today when I passed a dad who was pushing his young daughter down the aisle in a shopping cart. When he passed me and our eyes met, he glanced down at his daughter and did something that I realized many of us parents do – he talked through his child. “Look how messy your hair is today,” he said to her while side-glancing my way, “how did it get so messy huh?” He said this in a playful, high-pitched voice, as if to be joking with his little girl, but I knew his…

On average your head weighs about 10-12 lbs. With your head at a 60 degree angle – a common hunched-over texting position – your head can weigh up to 60 lbs. That’s like walking around with my Dalmatian AND my little Cloey wrapped around your neck all day. With that much pressure on your neck and shoulders, it’s no wonder a new health condition, deemed Text Neck, is rapidly gaining recognition with health practitioners around the world. At first I laughed when I heard the term “text neck” and references to this new condition being seen as a “global epidemic”. I mean come…

As an adoptee with a mixed-race background, I am constantly asked questions about where I come from, what my parents look like, and why I look the way I do. And while these seem like simple everyday questions to most, questions like these make me a little nervous about sharing the truth – that I don’t look like my parents because I was adopted. Adoption: Skirting The Questions Growing up, the fact that I was adopted was something that I felt awkward sharing with people. Because I have a unique look, people would constantly ask me: “what are you?” or “where…

I haven’t yet decided if it’s a blessing or a curse. I was born with a head full of curly tresses, and my love/hate relationship with my naturally-frizzy fro has dominated my life. I’ve constantly changed my hair – convinced that a little colour, chemical, or chop would make me love it, but I’m never satisfied. The grass is always greener as they say. People are always complementing my curls – “you’re so lucky, when I was a little girl all I wanted was curly hair” they’d coo. But they have no idea how hard being a natural curly head can be. Because…

I can’t count the number of times my children have asked for my help with something, and instead of showing them how to do it for themselves, I’ve just quickly done it for them. Putting toothpaste on their toothbrushes, tying their shoes, and even wiping their bums – it all just seems easier to do it quickly and properly, and I confess, I’m a bit of a control freak. I like things done in a certain way. So when they ask to help with folding laundry or making dinner, I frequently reply with a “sorry honey, not this time”, sprinkled with some…

The name’s Cloey, and while I might only be 3.5 months old, I have a lot to say. Too bad no one’s listening to me because I’m the third child. My mom’s busy right now (big surprise). She’s combing my big sister’s hair into a slick bun for ballet class and nattering on and on about how important it is for her to write sentences in her journal since school’s out due to some “teacher’s strike” (whatever that is). My dad’s off kicking the soccer ball around with my brother in the front yard, and my dog, well she doesn’t even care…

Mast-effing-itis. When you’re pregnant for the first time, no one tells you about it. Perhaps on purpose. It could be because women who have had it before are so haunted by the experience that even uttering the word “mastitis” brings on dark and disturbing flashbacks. Because even the thought of it elicits feelings of fear, anxiety, and toe-curling pain. Full-fledged mastitis is no laughing matter. It can be worse than a bad flu, and in severe cases like actress Jaime Pressly’s experience, it can even lead to a 7.5 hour surgery to remove abscesses and breast tissue that have formed as a result of…