My mom was here for a visit this week and she helped me pick up the pieces. Literally.This is what my house looked like before she arrived:And this is what it looked like when she left:Not seen: me cheering in the corner just like Brinley.My mom is the patron saint of frazzled mothers. She swoops in on an airplane, settles into our home and cleans up the wake of disaster we leave behind us, she buys me mochas and cookies, she reads stories to my girls and plays with them, and she tells me I'm doing a good job (even... More »

We had a great weekend, so busy but by far the best part was the opportunity to spend the majority of the weekend with my extended family at our cottage.  14 people and five dogs made for a lot of laughs, lots of great food and the appropriate amount of accompanying wine and beer (and maybe a scotch or two).Growing up I had various places to go on weekends throughout my childhood, but they were sporadic and felt that way. For the past 7 years, our boys have the luxury to scoot up north and play in the water and... More »

I was really hoping to just have a bath in the tub by myself.... More »

Most of us have seen the video (and likely the spoof) of the new Real Beauty Sketches by Dove but this is one I hadn't seen before. It is a special version featuring mothers and their daughters. I found this video in the series especially touching because I lost my mom almost 4 years ago. As I watched the video I started to think about how I would describe my mom to the artist. Every word I thought of was a positive one - soft, bright, warm, sparkling. It made me remember her in a way I haven't been able... More »

This kid's favourite sport is soccer. He loves watching it, playing FIFA video games, and spends hours kicking a ball around with his cronies in front of our house, for as many hours as I'll let him. And these many, many hours of practice have garnered him some pretty excellent footwork... and he's gentle about it - he's not likely to push his way to the ball, but he'll neatly steal it from between your ankles with quick little jabs of his nimble feet.Case in point: As we watched the Toronto Maple Leafs let their excellent lead slip away during... More »