• Be A Rebel.

    21/02/2016 - By 

    Be a Rebel. Be a positive thinker. I was standing with a bunch of moms once. I didn’t really know any of them. It was one of those weird city things where you end up in a group of random people and you eavesdrop on their conversation. They didn’t know each other that well either. Chit–chat ensued and they started to bond the only way they knew how. First, they bonded over their complaint about how hard parenting is, which I don’t wholly disagree with. Then they talked about how the weather was terrible, how they don’t get enough sleep,…

  • A Day With My Kids.

    01/02/2016 - By 

    Today is Monday. The schools here are having a PD Day, where teachers go to learn and the kids stay home from school. My kids ate breakfast for an extra hour and now are running around pretending to be Pokemon characters and dragons. They are hyper! Normally we would have struggled them in to their snow pants, coats, hats and mitts and walked them to school. I would be back home,  having coffee and looking up emails on my phone. Josh would be working from the living room while finishing up a coffee before taking off. Today has been different…

  • I Thought About Leaving My Baby in A Garbage Can….How to Help Someone with Postpartum Depression

    19/10/2015 - By 

    A little while ago, I was reading one of my favourite blogs, MindBodyGreen, and answered an open call to tell a story about struggles having kids or in the first year. I answered, with the intention to just offer sympathy to these women who are trying and can’t have kids, but ended up telling my own story. I was honoured when they wanted to publish it. My story was about surviving postpartum depression. I think every woman has a bit of depression after having a baby. This is bad enough itself and women don’t often offer up that they are…

  • My Crazy Week.

    13/10/2015 - By 

    Well, everyone I have talked to has a crazy busy week. Did we all put off tasks until after Thanksgiving? (Hi, Fellow Canadians!) For me, it is just how the week stacked up. I have a million appointments, volunteering at my son’s school all week, a bunch of shopping to do, a birthday party to shop for, laundry to do and I am committed to finishing all of my Kayla Itsine’s Bikini Body workouts this week. I have talked to so many women today that have the same packed schedule as I do. I am going to have to put…

  • Little House on the Prairie Memories

    05/09/2015 - By 

    When I was a child I read a lot of books about the past. I obsessed over Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables. My dresses from that time are a direct reflection of my tastes in literature. One is a brown dress with a peter pan collar and a small pattern of white flowers and small green leaves. It has long sleeves and goes well past the knee. I could have walked off the set of Little House on the Prairie or Road to Avonlea. I longed to live on a farm, washing my clothes on…

  • Looking Back to July: Saskatchewan Roadtrips

    02/09/2015 - By 

    This summer we went to the prairies, twice. Once to Northern Saskatchewan and one to Southern Saskatchewan. The one to the north was to visit Spiritwood, Saskatchewan and to stay with my best friend and her family. If you have never been to the prairies you should at least once. I know that the mountains get all of the fame, but it is really relaxing on the prairies- especially on the lakes and at farms. There is a sense of peace as you look over rolling hills or endless fields. When you can stare out at land and trees for…

  • My Kids Learn How to Place a Call.

    24/08/2015 - By 

    Do you know what I realized as I dropped the kids off at their grandma’s for a week? I haven’t taught my kids how to dial a phone, or make an emergency phone call! I am kind of appalled with myself. So…before I left grandma’s house for the long drive home, I taught the kids how to dial my phone number and reminded them how to make an emergency call…and also what constitutes an emergency, just in case they thought not being able to find a toy counted. The wonderful off-shoot of this life skill being taught? My daughter has…

  • Books About Being Resilient, For Kids

    14/07/2015 - By 

    For kids that have trouble with anxiety, nervousness in crowds, or are quick to react emotionally, there is nothing better than a good book for them to gain perspective. Here are some that I have read to my kids that have struck a chord and opened up discussion. They teach coping skills to help kids bounce back from their problems on their own, so that they will be more resilient in the future.   Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell. Both Molly Lou Melon books that Patty Lovell has published are amazing. They are all about being yourself in the face…

  • Things to Consider Before You Start a Day-home

    22/06/2015 - By 

    I took care of a kid for one school year. Originally I was told it would be 2, maybe 3, days a week. No matter how many days a week it will be here are some things I didn’t consider, but should have. The difficult bits……. 1. Have a contract. Oh, but, it’s for friends you say. Oh, but, I like these people you say. Oh, but, verbal contracts are the same as written you say. You are wrong. Contracts do many things. They keep things clear. Humans like certainty and a contract creates certain rules that will be understood…

  • Calgary Staycation

    27/05/2015 - By 

      We live off the beaten path in a sort of suburban area. We used to be the outskirts but now are a residential area, with older houses and not much for shops. I don’t even think my children realize we live in a city. I think they believe they live in a small town just outside of a city. For that reason, my son always brings up this weekend as the one where we “went to that city with all that cool stuff and the good food.” It makes me laugh, but I have to agree, it was a…