I grew up different in a community that wasn’t very open to it. Part of my difference was my name – specifically my last name. While some friends have commented over the years how much they like it, it has never been a name I liked. It’s very Canadianized, lacking any of the fun of …
This post is part of Mothering’s “Blog about Breastfeeding” event (http://www.mothering.com/community/a/blog-about-breastfeeding-and-win). I’ve been proudly and enjoyably breastfeeding my child for almost 34 months. After a slow start, I’ve been thrilled to provide this amazing food for her into her toddler years. After initial embarrassment and some questions about my public and ongoing breastfeeding, the vast …
We went to the market today, and baby saw the bouncy castles. We had checked them out before but she wasn’t ready. Today, she said she wanted to go in. I paid, she took off her shoes, and then asked me to hold her. And we stood there. We looked in. She talked about it. …
Friends, I am about to be a published writer. On Tuesday night at around midnight, just before we headed out on our vacation, I sent an inquiry to a local magazine asking if they might be interested in my writing for their next annual issue. I didn’t know when it was to be published; in …
So, as parents, we don’t always make the best choices, but I think we’ve found one that works. We don’t make our daughter say thank you. Or please. Or “sorry.” Following from my beloved Alfie Kohn, we don’t push her to say anything that she doesn’t feel authentically. We want her to mean what she …
I can’t avoid it. WHY??? We head on vacation tomorrow. Yay!!! Vancouver, then San Francisco. Totally spontaneous, one of the major benefits of my unemployment + airmiles. And we thought we were on top of things. Totally! We were wrapping stuff up. We wouldn’t over-do it. We were almost packed. We would have all day …
I’m now heading into well over one month as a stay-at-home parent. I don’t want to comment on whether it’s going well or not, but here are some things I’ve noticed. I generally love it. And Alya seems to as well. Not setting an alarm clock = totally wonderful Not having to make/pack lunches + …
Alya’s first trip to the dentist today left me with a bad taste in my mouth. She doesn’t like invasions of her personal space. At all. She has put restrictions on kissing and hugging, even by her parents, and we do our best to respect that and inform other people about it (i.e., “Alya doesn’t …
I just finished “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg yesterday and was pleasantly inspired by it. I had heard a few things that made me think I might not like it (perspectives on children, HR practices, an emphasis on careerism at the expense of family). My reading was a good reminder not to rely on the …
After some comments from friends and family, I realized that I probably should clarify one important point in my last post. I guess I was not 100% honest with you, my wonderful readers. I wasn’t fired. I was terminated. Or rather, my position was eliminated and my employment with the university was terminated as a …