Category Archives: General

Six months

Posted on October 15, 2013 | 10 comments

Holy crap! It’s been over six months since my first post. Wowza!

Looking back over the 106 posts, I can see the evolution in my site and I’m proud of its growth… have you gone and looked back over my 106 posts? (That would be really great for my stats!)

Growth in the number of views and followers, of course, but also in my content and style. It has become more personal and I can hear “my voice” more clearly. I planned to keep you all at arm’s length, but as I wrote and you commented, I couldn’t hold you back.

So, thank you! Thank you readers for reading and thank you commenters for commenting (you know I love you.)

I have tried to keep things light and witty but life can sometimes make that hard. As fun as it would be, my life isn’t all Scooby-Doo and Fantasy Island, it’s also the diseases I work with and my own personal struggles. So, thank you for sticking with me, no matter what the topic, and especially for sharing your own stories during the serious times.

I expected to have a lot of support from my family and friends because I have great family and friends. But I have been deeply affected by the amount of support I have received from complete strangers. You have rocked my world!

By its very nature, this blog is a work in progress. It will continue to mature as I become more confident in my writing, but it will also grow because of you. I now write knowing you are out there. I want you to read my posts and be happy you gave me that time. I’m thrilled to be giving you mine.

Here’s to the next six months!

Dear reader, do you have any suggestions for me?

10 Comments

Posted in General

Tagged blogging, Family, Relationships, Social media, writing

Late night wisdom

Posted on October 7, 2013 | 8 comments

The Husband and I are huge fans of observational comedian Louis C.K.. We have to make sure the kids are well and truly asleep (due to the profanity) but we often end an evening in tears after watching a few side-splitting moments of his stand-up.

He is a divorced dad of two young daughters and I find his parenting humour can be a pressure release valve after a hard week. This old bit about playing hide and seek with a toddler once actually made me pee my pants. (Don’t watch with kids in earshot – bad word alert!)

Early in his career he was hired as a writer for Late Night with Conan O’Brien and a couple of weeks ago he made an appearance on Conan to chat with his old boss. As usual, Louis is spot on with his humour, and he was discussing an issue that is starting to rear its head in our home. Continue reading →

8 Comments

Posted in General

Tagged comedy, Conan O'Brien, Family, humor, humour, kids, Louis CK, Observational comedy, Parenting, Smartphone, The Husband, Video game

My new mantra

Posted on October 2, 2013 | 11 comments

Image from Cato’s Domain

My writing group took an unplanned hiatus during the summer but got back together on Monday night. There was a lot of catching up to do. Before the night was over, my stomach hurt from laughing about moose hunting in Cape Breton, I learned some Disney vacation tips, and I got to physically hold our first published book. (Of course it’s not “our” book at all, I just want to bask in Meghan’s success for a little bit longer.)

The best part of the night, however, was when we actually talked about our writing. Continue reading →

11 Comments

Posted in General

Tagged advice, Funny, humor, humour, Mantra, writing

More than physical therapy

Posted on September 27, 2013 | Leave a comment

I’m bringing sexy back!

I had a physiotherapy appointment this morning. My sprained ankle from the beginning of August continues to be sprained. Everything is still swollen and is somehow both too loose and too tight at the same time.

The major issue is that I continue to injure it on a daily basis. I’ll take a step and my foot lands a little off kilter, or I’ll pivot and my foot stays in place. A couple of weeks ago, the doctor told me to “stay off it”‘ but then we both had a good laugh knowing that wasn’t going to happen.

Considering I have full insurance coverage, and I can see the physio clinic down the street from my front porch, there is no excuse for me not going for treatment before today. I just kept forgetting to make an appointment.

This clinic happens to be owned by someone I met through my work with ALS. Her best friend and business partner was a patient and they always came to the clinic appointments together. Today she was my physiotherapist. Continue reading →

The Ice Cream Social blues

Posted on September 19, 2013 | 12 comments

King of Kensington, CBC Television 1975 to 1980

Last night was the Ice Cream Social. Do all schools have one of these at the beginning of the year, or is it just around here?

Ostensibly it is for new and returning families to mingle and for the kids to have fun at school outside of the usual routine. In reality, it is a forum for the Home and School (fancy term for PTA) to recruit volunteers and for the kids to get high on sugar right before bed on a school night. Continue reading →

12 Comments

Posted in General

Parenting awards

Posted on September 18, 2013 | 6 comments

Photograph: Gary Hershorn/Reuters

Why aren’t there parenting achievement awards for extraordinary performances, just as there are in the entertainment business?

I’m not throwing this question out there because I think I should be getting a nomination. If I put aside my humility for a moment, I can admit that I’m a darn good mom, but I also have to admit that I’m not anything special. I know a legion of great parents.

I’m talking about an award for those amazing parents I sometimes stumble across during my travels in The Interweb. The people who are superhero parents in some seriously difficult situations.

Today, I need to share one of these parents with you. Continue reading →

6 Comments

Posted in General

Tagged awards, Family, gender nonconformity, kids, LGBTQ, Lori Duron, Love, Parenting, Raising My Rainbow

What was I thinking?

Posted on September 17, 2013 | 6 comments

Laughing Men sculpture by Yue Minjun, Today Art Museum, Beijing

When The Husband and I were in Italy, we did a walking tour of Florence that included the major churches and museums. It was a jam-packed day with only a short break for lunch.

The tour ended with us at the Uffizi and, after being shown the “must-sees”, we still had some time before closing. Even though our feet were throbbing and our brains were mush, we decided to stick around to quickly go through the areas that weren’t part of the tour itinerary.

When I reach a certain point of extreme fatigue, I start to look like the guys in the sculpture above. I get silly. I think it’s a survival instinct that kicks in to delay the next stage of my fatigue, which is a rage that might result in me looking for a place to dispose of a body. (FYI, I would have dumped it in the Arno.) Continue reading →

6 Comments

Posted in General

Tagged art, Florence, Funny, humor, humour, Husband, Italy, travel, Uffizi Gallery

Awwww… you guys!

Posted on September 14, 2013 | 3 comments

If you are not overly familiar with blogging, you might not understand the sense of community that can develop. I have been very fortunate to find some amazing writers to follow and, in turn, some amazing writers have followed me.

Over the past few months, I’ve been honoured with some kudos but it has taken me a while to feel confident enough in my blog to have the audacity to formally accept them. I don’t need to receive awards (I’m just happy you are reading) but it sure does feel nice!

Please take the time to click on the links of those who have passed on the awards. Each and every one of them is worth it!

(I’ve also set this post up to be one of my permanent pages so that their links will always be readily available.)

The Amazing World of Science – Tilly writes incredible articles that are easy to understand and are always interesting. She appeals to my inner wondering child and my grown-up scientist reality. Thanks for the Shine On award, Tilly.

Whimsical Eclecticist – EJ is inspired by whimsy and eclecticism (hence the name). And he’s Australian… does it get any better than that? He often makes me laugh and always makes me think. Over that past few months, EJ has awarded me The Versatile Blogger award and the WordPress Family award. I’m overwhelmed!

the mmmmm family – Michaela is a mother to three children aged 5 and under. She is the caregiver to her husband who is relearning to walk after traumatic spinal surgery. As if that wasn’t enough, she is also profoundly deaf. Michaela always makes me smile with her unending positivity that is firmly grounded in reality. She has passed FOUR awards my way; wow, I’m speechless.