My youngest and I went out for a special date this afternoon, because her older sister had the rare, spring break treat of having a friend over for a sleepover last night, and little sister was most definitely NOT included in the fun. Now the bigger girls were pretty tolerant, but it was still a devastatingly sad blow for my five year-old to not be able to sleep in the guest bedroom with the big girls. So to console her, I told her I'd take her out today to get her nails done; a special mother-daughter treat that we indulge... More »

So. I live in Calgary, which is, according to its own PR "the Heart of the New West". Which is a phrase that just makes me want to barf. But I guess that's because I grew up in stodgy old Toronto which is, as anyone west of the Manitoba border will tell you, THE CENTRE OF THE UNIVERSE. Funny thing is, the whole time I lived there I certainly never thought Toronto was anything of the sort. In fact, much as I love Toronto, I did always think it was a bit, well, small-time. You know...not London or New York,... More »

...the second after you get dinner started:You know, in retrospect, I don't think that me taking that extra second to put the lid on the pot would have pissed off the person on my doorstep. Me on the other hand? Scrubbing baked on tomato sauce off the stove? Pretty pissed off.... More »