It’s a new year! Actually not that new. Mid-to-late February, for Pete’s sake. This post takes forever, especially now that I consult my family for authenticity. But linear time be damned! (It’s all a construct anyway.) I wonder if there’s a formula for calculating how fast time flies for a person in any given year….
Tag: decisions
The New Year Questionnaire – What Was Up in 2023
Here it is! Been working on the New Year Questionnaire since New Year’s, predictably. It’s still January (barely) and not yet Lunar New Year, so it’s still “timely”. What did you do in 2023 that you’d never done before? D: Attended the Annual General Meeting of the provincial Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario in Toronto….
8 Unromantic-Sounding Ways I Know Our Marriage Will Last
“How’s your relationship these days?” is not a question most of us ever ask people. I’ve probably only ever asked it of newlyweds (where it’s more like “How’s married life?” nudge-nudge) or of very close friends with whom I have a precedent of relationship discussions. It is a bit odd, though. Among parents, there are the constant…
National Holidays and Life’s Trajectory
Happy Canada Day, Canadians! And happy strawberry season, to everyone who can get ’em locally. (The smell of the warm strawberry field yesterday evening, when we went picking, was delectable. You can’t beat strawberries that were picked minutes ago, just a few blocks away.) While I’m at it, happy early Independence Day, Americans! I don’t…
The Baby Name Game
I’m always amazed when parents (-to-be) are able to agree on the name of their impending child many months ahead of time. I know two expectant couples, both due to have daughters in August, who had names ready (boy and girl options) even before they knew the sex of their baby. They make it seem so…
Okay Stephen, now I’m ******* ticked off.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper Langevin Building 80 Wellington Street Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 Mr. Harper: As a polite Canadian, I’d like to be able to write a proper, respectful salutation; unfortunately, I have seen no evidence of respectful governance to warrant one. This is my second open letter to you. You obviously did not heed…
Committing Your Heart: please share your wisdom
There’s this couple I know who’s going through a rough time. I love them dearly, and more importantly, they love each other – they have for years. They are one of the best, cutest teams I know. But right now, there’s heartbreak. One half of this couple looks forward to a future of happiness together,…
The Christmas Conundrum
When I first started thinking about the Santa Claus myth in relation to my own child, I wasn’t sure I liked the idea. A bit of a bleeding-heart “How can I lie to my child?” thing. Why would I bother with this farce, this deception? Now that my child is old enough to start getting…
Why I Vaccinate My Child
I first became truly aware of vaccination when I was about eleven. I’d had my standard (Ontario) childhood vaccinations, but didn’t remember them, and hadn’t actually thought about them. Then I read a story about Edward Jenner in Cricket magazine – and I never forgot it. As you may know, Jenner was the English scientist…
School Snippets: Student Elections and the stuff we really want from our world
The other week at my school, Grade 5s and 6s participated in hypothetical democracy: student “elections”. I put that in quotes because they don’t actually get to elect anyone – there is no student council or anything – but they get to hear speeches and platforms and read campaign signs, and then vote. One of…