A few weeks ago at school I taught a mini-lesson to my students about being a voracious reader. It's important, of course, that kids learn not only how to read, but also that they learn to love reading. We want kids to not want to put their books down when reading time is over, to hear them say, "one second" when we ask them to mark their pages and put down their books. Actually, I secretly smile when I notice children in my class sneaking books into their desk drawers so they can keep reading once everyone else has moved on... More »

I don't want to rain down misery on everyone's Mother's Day, and I promise a nice post tomorrow, but today and for the last few days I've been feeling the loss of my own mother so very keenly that I had to share.Yesterday my youngest sister sent Jen and me an email with a link to this song by Colin Hay, formerly the lead singer of Men at Work.Hay captures so accurately the pain of losing a beloved parent - the loss, the longing, the reflection. I cried long and hard when I first heard this song. And then Jen... More »

"I see the early stages of cataracts, but that's normal for your age."Thus spoke my optometrist at my last eye exam a scant two months ago. Scary, scary words. When I questioned her, she assured me that they were very early signs, quite typical for a person in her early forties, and that they would not affect my vision for many years, if at all. The good news was that I had absolutely no signs of any other common age-related eye problems, such as glaucoma or macular degeneration.Still, all-in-all, it was a sobering appointment for me. I've been visiting the... More »

When my kids first asked me if they could download Minecraft, the only questions I asked were these:1. does it cost money?2. what is Minecraft?The answers are basically, it depends and a game where you build stuff. So I let them download the free version, and watched with interest as they entered this strange CG world that reminded me of nothing so much as all the cheesy low-res video games I loved to play in the 90s. The sigle-player, free version seemed pretty harmless, and I actually remember likening the experience to digital lego to a friend.You basically wander (or... More »

The first time I ever heard the term, I thought it was a joke, or at least a chuckle-worthy oxymoron: competitive ballet.I mean, really? Dance -- and maybe particularly ballet -- is an art. And the very nature of art (at least in my understanding) is so rooted in personal expression that I couldn't imagine it becoming fodder for competition. Can you imagine a sculpting competition? Or an oil painting competition? You see my point.But then again, we are all familiar with music competitions (who didn't attend a Kiwanis Festival at some point during their choir or band experience at school?),... More »

I've lived here for nigh on fifteen years and I'm still baffled by the politics of this place. As a civic-minded individual, I've voted in every single election for which I've been eligible to vote - following my conscience every single time. In Alberta, that means that I've never ever (not even once) seen my vote go to a winning candidate. I must admit, it does get a bit disheartening after a time.And this year, despite the fact that I think I will -- shockingly -- vote conservative for the first time in my life, it looks like that vote... More »

We never meant to stay in Monterey.But it almost seemed as if we were meant to stay there.We left San Francisco in the morning, driving down the Pacific Coast Highway. Destination: Los Angeles. It's a long, beautiful, scenic, LONG drive. We stopped at what I thought would be the half-way point, in beautiful Carmel. There was a beach: just there, on the side of the road. Surf crashing and sun shining..."Mom? Can we?" It was one of those wonderful and sometimes too rare moments when Mom can unreservedly say..."YES!"After a sandcastle and lots of splashes, it was time to hit... More »

I have come to accept that there are two things in life that you cannot control and must simply accept.1. The Weather2. Your ChildrenAnd both of these factors conspired to affect my ambitious San Francisco sightseeing itinerary.Here's what I had planned:Wake up early, breakfast at Omni hotel restaurantCatch Muni cable car down to the piersBlue & Gold Fleet bay cruiseLunch Visit California Academy of SciencesDinnerVisit Aquarium of the BayAll of these attractions (well, not the meals!) were included in our San Francisco CityPASSes, and are easily accessible by public transit (also included). As it happened, though, our visit coincided with a big... More »

This series of posts on family travel to California is generously sponsored by Omni Hotels.Stay tuned for more of Kath's adventures in California courtesy of CityPASS. You could win four CityPASSes to one of ten exciting cities! Click here for details. You know that feeling when you get a taste of something - but just a taste - and it lingers in your mind, leaving you wanting more? I'm not talking about good food or fine wine here (although both of those have inspired similar feelings - ha!). No, what I'm talking about here is a city. And that city is San Francisco.... More »

This series of posts on family travel to California is generously sponsored by Omni Hotels.Stay tuned for more of Kath's adventures in California courtesy of CityPASS. You could win four CityPASSes to one of ten exciting cities! Click here for details.Saturday was a long day. Let me offer you up a piece of free advice: when planning a family trip to Disneyland, don't book a flight departing at 7:15 p.m. (even if it is several hundred dollars cheaper). I guarantee you that as you listen to your children whine all. day. long. as they wait until it's time to head to the... More »