It's Dilovely

Our family is lucky enough to be able to buy super-fresh, uber-local veggies from gardener friends of ours. Our first batch included pea shoots, green onions, rhubarb, and sorrel. To my knowledge, I had never cooked with or even eaten sorrel. It sounded like something from Outlander. But I figured, sorrel is a green leafy [...]

It’s January Seventh, Twenty-Thirteen! Happy new year (more or less), Di-hards. It’s the first day back to school, the 13th day after Christmas. As good a day as any for a new year post in which I lighten up a little bit… with a silly celebratory questionnaire meme. Woo hoo! {Disclaimer: Dilovely wrote these responses, [...]

Yesterday there were some radically contrasting highs and lows in the tapestry of our family life. Some high points with Baby A: Starting to get waking smiles this past week – the ones when she’s looking right at us, so they seem like she means them. She peed on her potty for the first time! [...]

There is a lot I’m re-learning about having a very young baby. Lots of things I only half-remembered, especially the counter-intuitive parts. For instance: The more sleep she gets, the sleepier she will be. The more tired – or overtired – she gets, the more awake she seems. She may hate the swaddle (and she [...]

And now, how we’re doing back on the home front, after 2.5 weeks: Mommy, Daddy, big brother, little sister… just like the Berenstain Bears. The New Family What’s the same: The new baby looks like Daddy! Although now, people are more likely to say she looks like her brother (who is Daddy’s Mini-Me). She does, [...]

Dearest E, We have been talking about your baby sister a lot this week, because we know she will be here very soon. In fact, as it’s now Thursday evening, chances are very good you’ll meet her within 48 hours! This morning you remembered, very soon after waking up, that your sister is almost here. [...]

Sean and I have always used the scientific words for certain body parts when talking with E. There are reasons for this. For one thing, we both know that personally, we would feel like tools if we used words like winkie and hoo-ha or whatever. (This is why I never got the immensely popular “Once [...]

Imagine a 12-year-old boy with a chip on his shoulder. He moves from an inner-city school in a large metropolis to a well-to-do urban school in a much smaller city. He has been moved, for the most part, because his mom doesn’t have a clue how to control or improve his behaviour. The administration at [...]

{So far, Mr. A is winning: I’m pretty sure “Di-hards” is my favourite suggestion regarding club names to make us sound more cool. (Well, he suggested it along with “fans”, but I’m just not sure I pull that off.) To me, you’re di-hards because you rock no matter what. You’re here for the funny stuff [...]

After the last time Grammie and Papa babysat, they left us a two-note written report: 1. Papa: “Let’s have a little noseblowing lesson.” (Gets out his hankie.) “Look.” (E. pays no attention.) “Look!” (E still pays no heed.) “Watch this trick!” (E looks up right away; Papa blows nose loudly.) E: “That’s a pretty good [...]