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Recapturing Christmas
It gets harder every year. With every season that passes, life gets busier. There’s more to do, more to deal with, more chores that need to be done, more activities that kids need to be shuttled to and from, more stress at work. It gets harder every year. Gifts and gadgets on Christmas wish lists are more techy and more expensive. With family becoming more spread out, it’s harder to stay close and to know what is the right present for the right person. Commercial Christmas songs ring out and decorations appear in the stores earlier and earlier, starting the… Read more…
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Random thoughts from a self-enforced moment of quiet
Are you strapped in? This week begins the “OMG, it’s less than a month before Christmas” panic that seems to afflict people – and especially mothers – throughout the land. The perfect joyous season our friendly advertisers bring us also results in a lot of stress and anxiety. There’s so much to do, so many places to be and so many events to attend that it can all feel a little overwhelming. This year, it seems particularly stressful. December is a whirlwind of Christmas concerts – between my daughter and I, our performances number close to 10 over three weekends.…
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How many innings in a hockey game?
Okay, I’ll admit it. I have failed my children. None of the three know much about – or have any interest in – team sports. It seems almost sacrilegious to say this, but I will have no trouble deciding what to watch on Monday night. National election results will be on my TV; the baseball game will hardly cross our minds. The kids come by their sportslessess not only by virtue of lack of exposure, but by genetics. Neither their father nor I had the gene either. I’d much rather compete against myself than be part of a sports team.… Read more…
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And now for a commercial break: a little personal PR
Don’t change the channel; this commercial break is a good one! You know that little frisson – that thrill – of excitement you get when something goes well? The kind where you feel just a little invincible?It’s been a good month. Why? Nothing huge – just a bunch of little things, but ones that add up to more than the sum of their parts. And it has me feeling pretty positive about life. Early this month, son #1 was moved back to Ottawa for school. It went smoothly. He’s living in an apartment with friends this year it was only a few days… Read more…
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A time to think … and a time to act
Over the last couple of days, I’ve spent a lot of time in my car. Taking my eldest son back to University required a 5 hour car trip (well, the first leg was closer to 6 ½ with construction and traffic) with him – and another one back alone. I really like long car trips with my kids. They’re great times to delve into the “deeper” conversations that teenagers do NOT want to have when you can make eye-to-eye contact. On this trip, we talked about his summer camp job, his aspirations to move up further in the camp management…
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Countdown to chaos
I’m reveling in my last few days of quiet. Not that my kid-free month hasn’t been busy and full – it has. But it has been nice to take a break from 24/7 parenting of teens. Making order from chaos! I’ve been out with friends – restaurants and back yard parties. I’ve strolled through farmers markets and malls. I’ve cooked fish and other seafood for many times, and I’ve even had popcorn for once (OK, maybe twice!) without worrying about what message I’m sending. A business trip gave me a few hours to wander in Montreal. I’ve spent more than one Saturday morning… Read more…
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It’s quiet…very quiet
I’m sitting in my back garden with a glass of icy cold lemonade, listening to the sounds of a lazy summer afternoon. Apart from the buzz of the cicadas, It’s quiet. Eerily quiet. It has been for a week and it will be until the end of the month. Two years ago, I finally managed to get all my kids away to camp at the same time for two weeks. That first year, I immediately got on a plane (literally that evening!) and enjoyed some long-awaited time just for me. Of course, that blew the budget so when the miraculous… Read more…
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The day I forgot my daughter
I was very excited when my daughter started preschool. With all three kids now spending at least a few hours a week learning outside the home, it now meant I had a little more guilt-free time to spend on my business and more importantly volunteer in classrooms. That fateful day started out like any ordinary day. Grade two son up, fed and teeth brushed. Same for SK son, after the usual battle about whether this was a school day or not – he hadn’t taken well to full-day alternate-day kindergarten. A third checkmark for my three year old daughter and… Read more…
