We were back at Sick Kids this morning. We had a little, lethargic girl with a fever. This parenting thing is WAY too hard. This was supposed to be our hump day. She was primed to go back to school tomorrow. But instead she napped and cried and cuddled. My heart sat outside my body as I watched her. I turned to my mom with tears of my own and declared "this is just too hard." How do the parents of terminally ill children do it? I can not even imagine. Her pale face. Her skinny, weak body. It... More »

Well today was my first day on the Isagenix program. I started a day later than Kath and was fully prepared to be absolutely starving after her admission to nearly snacking on dryer lint. But to my surprise it hasn't been bad. I mean, I'm hungrier than I would normally be but not so much that I have had to eat something outside of the plan. What I did notice was how often I reached for something. I obviously pick and snack a whole lot during the day without even noticing. I went for the crusts of my kids' sandwiches,... More »

Today was supposed to be my first day of the Isagenix cleanse. I was going to start along with Kath and her hubby but, as it often does, life had other ideas. On Friday afternoon I took my sick little girl into the emergency at Sick Kids referred by our local walk-in clinic. I wasn't too concerned thinking this was merely a precaution. After all, she was a healthy, energetic kid. She was, however, getting really sick - high fever, lethargy, cough - so the visit was not a bad idea...just in case. I knew it was bad when, despite... More »

Over the last 6 months or so I've had some recurring issues with my knees. In fact, it has effected most of my larger joints; knees, hips, elbows, and ongoing pain in my back. The strange thing is I have never been more fit and healthy. I had similar problems with my knees after both pregnancies but it went away after a few months and I chalked it up to hormones. Then, for the last few years it has been my back. On and off pain and stiffness. And finally this fall it was my knees again. Swollen, fluid filled,... More »

Tonight I have had enough. 8 years of broken sleep, musical beds, and soothing him to sleep. My sweet, sensitive, anxious young man and the battle of bedtime. My 5 year old goes to sleep on her own and sleeps soundly through most nights but not her big brother. And not that I don't appreciate your advice but I wouldn't bother if I were you. I know some of you are reading this thinking that we aren't tough enough or our parenting is lacking. Didn't your child sleep through the night from the time they were 3 seconds old? Didn't... More »

Yes, I am coming out of the closet in hopes that someone can help me. I have an addiction. OK, it's not quite as serious as Britney or Brad Efron or Amy Winehouse I realize but no matter what I do I can NOT shake it. The truth is, I know I should but I really don't want to...I love it toooooooooooo much. Here's the deal. Every morning - no joke, EVERY SINGLE MORNING - I go to Starbucks for this: Now, this ain't no regular coffee. I don't even like coffee. I self-righteously avoided coffee for years. Then, one... More »

Summer 2003 - Kath and I both looking a little plump... Summer 2007 - Fit and at my ideal weight. Feeling great. How many times do I have to do this to myself? I have been up and down with my weight my whole life. I've never been "obese" by definition but have gone up and down as much as 50lbs (not including pregnancy...we won't even go there.) However, for the last few years I've been in a groove and since I started running a year and a half ago I have maintained my lowest weight since practically starving... More »

Today I am a bit melancholy...my baby turns 5. Wow. 5 is Big Kid. No more baby or toddler. I totally remember being 5. A fully formed person with opinions and personality. And if you know my daughter you will know she is not short on personality. This was her this morning in her birthday finest: This girl knows what she likes and nothing is going to sway her. She balks at princesses and ponies. She's going to fight the bad guys and save the world! In this pic she is Lava Girl but she could be Fire Girl, Super... More »