One year ago yesterday, a cherished and unusual little person named Kieran was born. His mom, my friend Skye, already knew he would be born with a cleft lip and palate. It was a tough time when she found out about it, because there are a lot of challenges that go with having a cleft…
Tag: family
One Decade of Marriage
Dear Sean, It’s hard to believe that it has been ten whole years since the day we pledged ourselves to each other as husband and wife. A decade sounds long, but feels short these days. On the other hand, ten years is short, in a way, since our story began long before that. It has been…
Anti-Rape Training Begins at Birth
My firstborn son E is an extremely cuddly kid. He has always wanted snuggles and hugs and kisses, in good times and in bad. It’s great for me, as his mom, to know I can calm him by taking him in my arms, even now that he’s five; and honestly, I’ll be heartbroken when he…
100 Happy Days – Day 23: Party at the Farm
Sunday, November 23rd: Festive Fun at Springridge Farm! We have a group of friends that do two Christmas parties per year – one for the kids and one for the adults. Our friend K organized this epic outing this year: It was very fast-paced. There were also mini-pizzas, cupcakes, juice boxes, mural-colouring, and even a wee…
100 Happy Days – Day 21: Uncomplicated Indoor Fun
Is it awful that I took the kids out for sledding today and kinda sorta hated it? It was a sunny day but our park has no shelter and is very windy. We were all cold, especially AB because, against the odds, she had snow up her snow pants right away; E had to groom the…
100 Happy Days – Day 4: Silence
There are two kinds of silence that made me happy on Day 4. One was in my 5/6 Core French class. They are a class that is, as a group, not great at self-regulation. Many of them have great difficulty stopping themselves from saying whatever they feel like saying, whenever they feel like saying it, in whatever language (i.e. English,…
Please Don’t Wish Me “Happy Turkey Day”
Don’t worry: this is not an angry rant or even a grumpy one. A little persnickety, perhaps. It might not even qualify as a rant. I would just like to ask that you wish me Happy Thanksgiving this year, instead of Happy Turkey Day. I know y’all are excited about your turkey. Some of you look forward to…
Happy Second Birthday, Rainbow Baby
Dear Delicious Little Girl, Two years ago yesterday, you came peacefully into the world, and immediately began howling. It was a day joyous beyond description for the people who love you. Since then, we’ve learned a lot about you. Some things we learned right away: You like to be snuggled – but not every second….
I am a square. (And such a fortunate one.)
This past Sunday, as you know, was Mother’s Day, and also my thirty-sixth birthday. It was pretty much as lovely as I could have wished for. You also could say it started on Saturday, when I got to (1) take an impromptu nap on the reclining couch upon arrival at my parents’ house, while members…
Singin’ and Dancin’
In our house, we like music a lot. Our family favourites include Raffi, David Francey, Vampire Weekend, Great Big Sea, the 3 Bs (Bach, Beethoven, Brahms), The Good Lovelies, The Lumineers, and The Beatles. Right now, here are some selections we can’t do without: E and AB and I fell in love with this album…