I’m going to preface this by saying that every age seems to be the best age – especially with your first child. Every time my oldest has a birthday, I quietly wish that time would stop. I don’t want her to get any older, this year was the best age ever – I think to myself. And every year, it seems to only get better. Yes, the level of sass seems to grow faster than her feet. But with the added sass comes so many other wonderful qualities in my daughter. Here are 9 reasons why I think this new…
I grew up in a small apartment in Granville Island. No backyard, and definitely no trampoline to call my own. I had friends who had trampolines in their backyards, and I did everything I could do to have playdates with those friends, just so I could feel the rush of bouncing high into the air – doing bum drops and summersaults as I reached for the sky on each ascent towards the clouds. When I became a parent, fear and hesitation replaced my enthusiasm for trampolines. Having young children made me privy to the downfalls of trampoline play. Everyone seemed…
On the night of my high school graduation, my mom handed me a wrapped gift and, teary-eyed, asked me to open it. As I ran my fingers along the edges of my present, I could tell that the item underneath was encased in a picture frame. I assumed that it was a family photo or a piece of artwork that she had selected for me to hang on my wall, but when I tore the carefully-taped paper away, something unexpected appeared before my eyes. My mother had composed and scribed (in calligraphy) a poem, written straight from her heart to mine. It…
At first it may seem strange that I passed up the opportunity to bring my whole family along on a press trip to Summerland, BC this past weekend. Finding a destination that can accommodate a family of 5 can be challenging (and often unaffordable), so one would think that I would jump at the chance to travel with my whole family in tow. Bringing my little swarm of bees did cross my mind. I knew that there would be other families in our group – families with babies, toddlers, teens, moms and dads, and even pregnant moms filled the roster of guests who would be joining us. But…
When I sat in the hairdresser’s chair this morning and told her that I wanted to go big – she squealed excitedly. “I’ve been hoping you would say that, I’m so excited that I finally get to play with your hair!” As she fluffed and snipped my dry afro, she continued to express her excitement… “I can tell you’re a bit of a control freak. You want to control each and every curl, keep them in line and in order. I’m so excited to hear that you’re finally letting lose – isn’t that liberating?” And in that moment, I realized…
Browsing through my old blog posts, I came across this post, and I laughed a little to myself. I had written the post almost 5 years ago, when I was working in a full-time office job, with two young children in full-time daycare. I loved my work, but I missed my children, and struggled daily with my desire to find balance between work and family. When I was at home, my mind was on my work, and when I was at work, I just wanted to be at home with my kids. I was never fully present, and I knew…
The other day, this tear-jerker of a video came across my Facebook feed (watch it until the end, and make sure you have kleenex on hand). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMs7dkdO4YY Not only was it the cause of many tears, but the video sparked a slew of comments about pet adoption and abuse, and shed light on a big problem in regards to animal welfare that needs to be addressed. Children love puppies (and kittens for that matter), and it can be easy to give in to their sweet little pleas to add a furry friend to the family. But just like the decision to have another…
Let me preface this by saying that until recently, I had no idea what ‘gluten’ even was. I figured it had something to do with bread, but other than that, I was completely (and embarrassingly) clueless. A few of my children’s friends have celiac disease (an intolerance t0 gluten). And while eating a gluten-free diet has become somewhat of a trend these days, celiac disease is not a lifestyle choice, and definitely not something to be taken lightly. When one of my daughter’s friends came over for a play date the other day, I wanted to make sure that I only offered…
There are certain conversations that parents dread having with their children – where babies come from, or the truth behind certain mythical characters – but there is one topic that is less commonly discussed amongst parents that can be equally as awkward: talking to your kids about meat and where it comes from. I remember when my firstborn made the correlation. When she was about 5 years old, I had served chicken for dinner. When she asked me what we were having and I told her, she paused. I could see the wheels turning as she thought about it for a moment.…
A week in Kihei, Maui. Without kids. It sounds like an unattainable fantasy, but it happened, and it was fantastic. It had been 5 years since our last adults-only trip, and to be honest, I didn’t think we would ever do one again, especially with 3 young children. When we were offered the last-minute opportunity to stay with my husband’s friend at his place in Maui, I hesitated at first. I was worried about leaving the children, missing work, and abandoning our everyday routines for a frivolous mid-Winter getaway. But I also needed a break. I’m very fortunate to have the best…