It’s Spring Break, or as I called it last year, Spring Break-down. So far, after four consecutive full days with my kids, I’m still remarkably composed. I haven’t been overly tempted to lock them in the closet, at least not for a long period; I’ve also locked myself in my walk-in closet only once during […]
Hilarious Family Moments
3 Things You Should Never Teach Your Children
1. What Sarcasm Is It’s not much of a secret that I unsheathe my sarcasm sword regularly. When William knocks his glass of milk on the floor, I can’t stop myself from quipping, “Thanks for the help cleaning up.” It’s not going to get me any Parent of the Year nominations, but it’s my style. […]
Why Teachers Need Holidays
I’ve been looking haggard lately, more so than normal. I’ve had a long stretch of teaching, followed by two nights of parent-teacher interviews. Bedtime’s come too late and sleep has been unsettling. In the classroom, I’ve looked and sounded like Charlie Brown’s teacher. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcZlalsyOxE] I’m not sure if it’s the tiredness or the fact that […]
A Music Memoir in 12 Questions
With all the 80s fun I’ve been having recently, I’ve been able to listen to music I grew up with. Whether it was Toto, Peter Gabriel or (God forbid) Air Supply, there are a lot of songs that have somehow influenced my taste in music today, which is a tad eclectic. A couple of weeks […]
The Zoo: Seeing Much More Than Expected
While I was chatting with Colin Firth at the Oscars, my husband took Vivian and William to one of our favourite family activities, the kind where you can waste half a day with children and still emerge more coherent than Muammar Gaddafi. They went to the zoo. We love the Calgary Zoo. When the animals […]
Teaching Children Conversational Skills
Vivian, my daughter, is gifted in the art of conversation. Not only can she can ask questions and empathize with both peers and adults, but she can do so with her mouth stuffed with food, mid-chew. Although her twin brother, William, will wait until he swallows to speak, he then proceeds to speak at you […]
Destroying Things on International Women’s Day
Last year, in honour of International Women’s Day, I destroyed a toy that I believe lowered the glass ceiling for my daughter and didn’t help my son’s view of women. On March 8, 2010, I gave Stripper Barbie a funeral. I’ve reposted the You Tube video below. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpWZGb_QyKo] If you want to read more about […]
Thing 1 and Thing 2: The Makeover Edition
When I returned from Hollywood, I decided to wash everything. Several of my friends had told me horror stories about bedbugs as post-travel bedfellows, so I took precautions by doing laundry immediately and leaving my suitcase to harden and crack in our -18 C garage. This evening, when I finally unloaded the dryer, I discovered […]
Why Going To Work Is Easier Than Parenting
Today was one of those days that stretch endlessly, kind of like watching the Superbowl Half-Time Show in slow motion. Because I’m a snarky parent, I’ll share the low-lights. 6:00 a.m. Vivian wakes me up because she’s had a bad dream. 6:15 a.m. Vivian wakes me up again because she can’t stop thinking about the […]
Super Bowl XLV, the Women’s Movement, and Broken Dishes
On Super Bowl Sunday, I subjected our six-year-old twins to ten minutes of the big game as well as the halftime show. I don’t usually make William and Vivian watch TV, though I may have done this one or two hundred times on Saturday mornings when I’ve been trying to read the newspaper. On this […]