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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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Holiday and home again
I’m recently back from a wonderful trip to Turkey with my 15-year old daughter. We had a marvellous time and there’s so much to tell. I set out to tell that story today, but those aren’t the words that came out. That’s not what this post is about. We’ve been home for eight days now. And in that eight days, a lot changed. Just four days after we arrived home, an ISIS, suicide bomber blew up more than 30 young people – and injured over 100 more – in a town called Suruç, on the Turkish side of the border… 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…
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Decisions, decisions – and none of them mine…
My son called me from university before the school year ended in April. He was very excited – he’d found an apartment. Plans were afoot with new friends he’s made this year to live together next year. In fact, they plan to move in together in May and sublet if necessary. All that remained to be done was the official paperwork He’d thought out how much the next year of school would cost, had estimated high and had a plan to cover the part over and beyond what I can help him out with. He was proud to have done so,… Read more…
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Cooking up new adventures
There are cookies in my kitchen. Peanut butter cookies. And last week there were cupcakes. Blueberry cupcakes. The week before that, the smell of fresh brownies nearly drove me to distraction. My daughter has recently discovered baking and she’s treating us to an array of mouthwatering goodies on a continual basis. Now, far be it from me to complain about this cornucopia of sugary confections, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to maintain my willpower and refrain from gobbling it all down. For years, my young Ms. Baker has talked about becoming a biologist when she grows up. It’s morphed over… Read more…
