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 »

Will started soccer yesterday.  We did a soccer skills thing when he was three, and frankly I'm amazed that he remembered any of it.  We went on Sunday and got his shin pads and a pair of cleats (because they were $9.99 and adorable).  He's been really excited.Yesterday morning, we woke up and I told him that I was his team's assistant coach.  Oh the look.  I won't soon forget that look.  Sheer joy.  Disbelief.  Awesomeness.Unfortunately, I said 'assistant coach' and he heard 'my mommy gets to hang out with me through the whole game'.  Wait back up.  He's playing... More »

I just pulled a piece of linty grilled cheese out from under the sofa. There is banana stuck to everything. At least Spouse found the queen and Raided those ants dead. We didn't used to live like this.Motherhood has been, for me, an exercise in waiving expectations, of shrugging off the shrug-offable, of not sweating the small stuff. I have never been a micro-manager; big picture-wise, I assume everything will be okay. For me, motherhood has not been a learning experience as much as it has been a process of refinement; I was already awesome, but now I am awesome... More »