I’m kind of particular. I’m that person in our marriage who knows how to load the dishwasher (the right way), for instance. But over the last seven years of being married and then being a co-parent, I’ve learned how important it is to not be picky. My husband is the tidy-freak. He hates clutter. He wants to constantly purge our…
Parenting
The Kids Are Alright
There are times when I feel utterly discouraged and I wonder if I have royally screwed up this responsibility of raising these kids I’ve been given. Maybe I’m too strict. Maybe I’m too angry and not patient enough. Maybe I don’t provide a loving enough place for my children to feel free to be themselves….
Netflix is Raising my Children
I’m here to unabashedly state that I am relying on Netflix to get through my days. You may shake your head over this but at this moment, I really couldn’t care less. You see, I’m in survival mode. I went from a full time working Mom with two kids to a stay at home Mom with…
Your Last Not First Day of School
We drove him to daycare this morning just like we do every morning, like we have been doing every morning this summer. We drove to daycare just like we’ve been doing every morning since I went back to work over a year ago. There is nothing different about today. No new shoes (though my growing…
The Importance of Reading with Kids and a Disney Baby Giveaway
I was solo-parenting on Thursday night while Dan was away on a work retreat. I was absolutely dreading bedtime, knowing how my kids choose their bedtime behaviour based on which parent is dealing with them at the time. If I’m out and Dan’s parenting alone, they’re angels at bedtime. If I’m around though – well,…
Mother-Son Relationship on Ice
Cameron hasn’t been a Mama’s boy since Gavin was born. It probably started before that, if I’m being honest. He started favouriting his Dad when I went back to work after his maternity leave. But he’d still cycle back, keeping me as a viable option for favourite parent position. When I left work early before…
Not Crying Over Spilled Milk
Text message. 10:24pm. Tuesday night. Hi. Any idea when you’ll be home? When I arrived home from work earlier that day, I didn’t automatically run to my bedroom to take off my bra and throw on sweat pants and put my hair in a ponytail, like I normally do. In fact, that morning I had…
Stressfree Family Dinners
Stress-free family dinner… is there such a thing? I’m not sure if I have a good answer to this. I think stress-free family dinners are only found at the bottom of a pizza box, and even then you have to worry about your finances. But dinner always comes around once a day and as a…
Dear Gavin: Happy Birthday. It’s Not Fair.
Dear Gavin, This letter is late. You turned one a week and a half ago on April 29th. Whereas I wrote a whole series of posts for your brother’s first birthday, I haven’t written anything for you yet. Until now, that is. Part of me worries about this. I wrestle daily with the guilt that…
Easter Confusion
He chuckled as he pulled the door closed behind him. We had gone into that bedroom far too many times since bedtime, so a chuckle was an odd noise for me to hear. I wouldn’t have bat an eye at a sigh or a grumble in frustration. But a chuckle in the midst of the…
Let There Be ‘Ogurt
“I want a treat! I want a snack!” Oh, the soundtrack of toddlerhood. I swear there are days when I want to yell “BUT YOU JUST ATE!” or “TREATS ARE NOT GOOD FOR YOU!” or “IT IS ALMOST DINNER TIME!”. Trying to raise a healthy child can sometimes feel like an impossible task when they…
