When I was a little, little girl my mom got sick and was hospitalized. A single mother at the time, her family stepped in to care for my brother and me (my sister wasn’t born yet). I went to live with my grandparents (my mom’s parents) and my brother went to live with our aunt … Continued
Every year I go into denial about how stressful the holidays can be. Because I love the holidays! I love Christmas, and gingerbread, and festive lights, and yes, clementines! I want to say yes to every holiday get-together, to every cookie-exchange request and to be the person who gives the most awesome, most unique gift … Continued
We took Sweet Girl to see Santa last week. For the annual photo with Santa experience. It’s a weird custom when you think about it — something an online friend who grew up in the UK (waving at you Emma) pointed out to me once. Strip away the nostalgia associated with this holiday custom and what … Continued
I witnessed a car accident Monday morning. As I was sitting at an intersection waiting for the light to turn, two cars raced the light. One turning left. The other going straight through. They slammed into each other. Hard. The drivers were the only people in the vehicles and although both were seriously injured, it … Continued
I seem to be a bit unmotivated of late. Not sure if it’s the changing seasons, lack of sleep or basic ennui that is the root cause. All I want to do is escape into a book. I don’t want to knit, write, cook or talk to people (uh ya, my husband has noticed). Reading … Continued
I love pizza. My favourite toppings are mushroom, pineapple, green olives. Hit them with a couple of splashes of hot sauce…delish. I get teased a lot about those toppings, but seriously! The saltiness of the green olives combined with the sweetness of the pineapple. The mushrooms rounding the flavours out. So taste-bud good. We make … Continued
A few years ago, I along with two other rockin’ ladies — Kelly and Veronica — decided to organize an Ottawa chapter of Girl Geek Dinners (GGDOttawa). Our goal was to form a community of women with a passion for technology. Since 2009, this community has grown to over 1300 members strong and I’m incredibly honoured to count myself … Continued
Well no, not really. But…ever notice how quickly your child’s words can hurt you? A quick ka-pow! to the face can seem a walk in the park compared to the searing pain in your heart when your child rejects you. For the most part, I’m not on the receiving end of Sweet Girl’s less-than-kind comments. … Continued
if i write a sentence with no capitalization…is it like nails on a chalkboard to you? When you see a dangling participle does it make you want to grab your scissors so you can snip it off? Put it out of its misery? Or do you roll with the bad grammar punches? Well, I can … Continued
Last month after two classes, we pulled Sweet Girl out of swim lessons. We tried swimming lessons last winter, and though we toughed it out to the bitter end, it was a less-than-great experience for everyone involved. Sweet Girl didn’t enjoy the cold water and the noisiness of over 100 boisterous children learning to swim … Continued