There are two types of people in this world: people who like quoting movies and me. I can’t remember lines from movies. I’m occasionally decent with Shakespeare, but only because I’ve taught some of the Bard’s plays a dozen or more times. But when it comes to movies, I tank faster than a cruise ship […]
twins
Family Vacations: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
What’s better than spending Christmas in Canada when there’s not enough snow to go sledding? Spending Christmas in Arizona when it has above average “winter” temperatures. Since you don’t come to this blog to read about unicorns (unless some catastrophe has befallen them – say, a guillotine), here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly […]
The Story of my Avatar: A Contest
In honour of my 300th post, I thought I’d share the story of my avatar. This photo was taken by Tim Reisdorf, a close family friend, on a cool November day in 2008. I had flown home to Winnipeg for two days – a rare weekend away by myself – to attend Lefse Bootcamp for […]
How To Find Humor All Around You
I love found humor, observing the seemingly innocuous and letting my twisted mind do its thing and discover something laughable. Let me assure you: humor is everywhere. Here are some of the places in my life where I’ve found humor recently: On my kids’ bedroom door: In a bookstore: Although it says “ages 14 and […]
NickMom.com: Realistic Endings to Children's Books
I’m having more fun than a bed bug in a mattress store writing for Nickelodeon’s new humor site, NickMom.com. Please check out my latest offering: Realistic Endings to Children’s Books. * What other titles can be reworked so they end “realistically”?
10 Years Ago Today
I stood in a New Zealand farm kitchen, stomach full of barbecued lamb, sobbing into my brother’s arms. I closed my eyes, shutting out the blinking Christmas lights surrounding his mother-in-law’s window. Our grandmother lay dying half a world away, near the end of a battle with Alzheimer’s that left her too exhausted to eat, […]
10 Items for Surviving a Family Vacation
Today I have a humor column in The Calgary Herald entitled, 10 Items for Family Vacation Survival. These are the pictures that ran in the print version. If you want to read the column, click on the link below: TEN ITEMS FOR FAMILY VACATION SURVIVAL Feel free to add what you need to survive a […]
Things You Shouldn't Teach Your Children
It’s time for Search Ironic Mom, when I take real search terms that have led people to my blog and answer them as though they were real questions. TODAY’S SEARCH IRONIC MOM: IRONIC MOM ANSWERS: If you’re looking for things not to teach your children, I’m your woman. Here are five things I don’t recommend […]
I'm Sending You Snail Mail
I’ve always been a letter writer. When I was 8, I started scribing letters about which boy I liked, and I sent them to my cousin who lived 800 miles away. Over the decade my cousin and I wrote to each other, the boys changed, but the rest of the letters stayed pretty much the […]
10 Junie B. Jones Titles That Were Rejected
Vivian, my 7-year-old daughter, is devouring chapter books. She’s been through the Rainbow Magic series, Jigsaw Jones, Ivy and Bean, and Judy Moody. And the infamous Junie B. Jones. Now that I’m pitching my own book, I’m thinking about rejections. So here are ten Junie B. Jones titles that likely would have been rejected by […]