This is my car. Correction: this is my van:Or rather it was my van? Maybe? (This is where the woe part comes in, fyi.)It is a 2001 Sienna XLE. It's actually a pretty sweet ride (for a van). It's totally loaded - to the gills - with features. JBL speakers (which apparently means something really cool), leather interior (love), heated seats (LOVE), power sliding doors (DOUBLE LOVE), sun roof, 6-cylinder engine and so on. The problem is, it needs a new engine. And a new radiator. And when they install a new (actually used and "rebuilt", with 137,000 km on it)... More »

I will freely admit to it: I am a geek.I've always loved dinosaurs (never lost that childhood fascination with them) and will spend hours and hours exploring the exhibits at the Royal Tyrrell Museum (which I very fortunately live close to). I love fantasy (how many times have I read/watched Lord of the Rings? There isn't a big enough number). And do NOT get me started on Ancient Egypt. I've been kicked out of the British Museum at closing time after losing an entire day staring wistfully at the Rosetta stone and the stony face of Ramses the Great. Put anything historical... More »

I've always been a big fan of the Winter Olympics, but I gotta be honest with you: I think Vancouver 2010 is going to go down in history (at least my own personal history) as the best Olympic Games yet. I found them exciting, entertaining and engaging, and I have to admit to feeling a sense of let-down now that they're over. Amongst all the great moments during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, some stood out more for me than others. Here are my Top Ten Olympic Moments, in no particular order whatsoever:The Opening CeremoniesI loved it. All of it. Every minute... More »

Okay, Ali gave us her top ten iPhone apps in So You Want It, and then Vicky did it, too. And far be it from me miss an opportunity to jump on a bandwagon, so here is my list of top ten iPhone apps:Bejewelled 2If you like to play Bejewelled Blitz on Facebook (you know who you are), you will likely have figured out that lots of your friends whose scores seem astronomically high to you are getting these scores on their iPhone/iPod touch. You want this app. Yes you do. Okay, they don't have any of those weird coin... More »

My six year-old was sick last week. Sore throat, bad cough, headache and congestion. Poor little thing was miserable and you couldn't help feeling bad for her. And of course Doctor Mom was on the case 24-7: plying her with pain relievers and decongestants, cough syrups and just plain Mom medicine (hugs, cuddles and kisses). She's better now, back to her running, skipping, gregarious self. What a relief. The only problem is this: during my doctoring duties, I managed to catch her bug. And for a variety of reasons, I guess my immune system just wasn't up to the challenge, and... More »

Well, we're home. Sorry I haven't posted more or sooner, but our time in Québec was so busy I hardly had a chance. And then it was 12 hours of travel (kill me now) and I finally find myself with a few moments to check in again. So: we had a terrific time in Québec City, thanks to our remarkable hosts Paule and Sylvain with Québec City Tourism and Patrick with Carnaval de Québec. We were treated to all the best Québec has to offer, from fine dining to amazing local venues, to front-row seats at all the Carnival attractions.Québec... More »

Well, the day started at 3:45 a.m. for us today and ended up with my kids locked in the bathroom 4,000 km from home. In between we rode a jet, a turbo-prop (god, I hate those planes) and a van emblazoned with Bonhommes, driven by the very gentil Michel. Yup, we're a travellin' family.You know you're in an airport when you pay $9 for a sandwich, can't get the WiFi connection to work and can't find a women's washroom. ***SIGH***But I still wouldn't trade it for a regular day at home!Suffice it to say, we arrived in Québec City without... More »

Yup! My family and I are going to Carnaval de Québec in (where else) Québec City this week!Thanks to the folks at Québec City Tourism and Carnaval de Québec, we're going to visit Bonhomme in his ice castle. I'll be posting here, on Facebook and on Twitter over the next five days as we take our journey from (freezing) Alberta to (freezing) Québec City. ... More »

10. It's awesome9. It's awesome8. It's awesome...Okay, but seriously: this movie is awesome, and if you're like I was (until Saturday afternoon) and you haven't gotten around to seeing it yet, then what are you waiting for? GO OUT AND SEE AVATAR. NOW. SERIOUSLY! It's just that good.It's not very often that I see a movie and then want to just walk right back in and see it again, but Avatar was one of those. And if it wasn't for having my kids with me, I think I would have done just that. Honestly: I loved it that much. But... More »

Yesterday two friends and I took our six (collectively) kids out of school for the morning so we could attend the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay celebrations at Calgary's Canada Olympic Park (site of many of the events at the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in this city). Here are some visual memories of the event:(I said the memories were amazing, not necessarily the pictures!)Hoping these are memories my kids will hold close forever.... More »