I may not believe in New Year’s resolutions, but I’ve become really good at setting personal goals for myself. It’s just the follow-through that I haven’t yet managed to master… When I turned 35, I shared 10 things I wanted to do before my 36th birthday. When I turned 37, I shared another list, this time 10 things I plan to do to remain youthful. My lists always seem reasonable: have fun, take time for myself, try something new – it’s not like I’m planning to change the world or anything. Yet every year when I revisit my list of goals, I’m left…

I wake up at 5am to the smell of dog shit and a toddler tugging on my hair. It’s the Friday of a long weekend – not exactly the way I had envisioned the start of my “day off”. I guess that’s the beauty of parenting (and housing a 15-year-old dog with wavering control of her bowels thanks to old age) – you never really know how your morning is going to unfold. I look over resentfully at my snoring husband, and roll out of bed like a log dead-falling over the cliff of a waterfall. Eyes squinted, I navigate my way through…

In the middle of my son’s Kindergarten year, he decided that he didn’t like pants. He didn’t just dislike them as an item of clothing – he refused to wear them. For months I fought the daily battle, trying my best to wrangle him into pants. Some days, physically forcing him into the ankle-length garb. And then one day, I gave up. I waved my white flag and walked away unscathed (except for maybe a slightly-bruised ego). I soon realized that my desire for him to wear pants wasn’t just about “dressing for the weather”, it came from my fear of being judged…

21 days until school’s back in session. Yes, I’m counting. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve definitely had some fun this Summer. We’ve enjoyed a week at a beautiful lake, we’ve had some fun get-togethers with friends, and we’ve taken advantage of every sun-drenched day that our city has had to offer. But while I’ve done my best to fill our days with active, kid-friendly activities, the work-life balance pendulum has definitely been swinging too far in the opposite direction over these past few months. When your work and your family are housed in the same spot, obvious challenges present themselves. I write…

Some may think that leaving a “dream job” with the Vancouver Canucks to pursue a part-time writing career is more of a cautionary tale that a true success story, but I’m proud of the path that I’ve chosen. Yes, the money pales in comparison to that of a full-time corporate job. And yes, freelance work can be fleeting, but I love what I do. For many, the recipe for success includes a showy salary, a nimble nine-to-five, and a sumptuous collection of stylish suits, but thats’ just not me – that’s not my definition of success.  At least not anymore. I’ve…