The calendar declared that spring had arrived weeks ago, yet the snow kept falling every few days. Temperatures hovered well below freezing, dancing temptingly close to breaching zero every so often, before scurrying back down to miserably cold. Happiness that the snow no longer stuck so firmly to the ground was tempered by the realisation […]
Entering the apartment with two kids after being out in the snow is no small feat. First, I have to get the stroller through a narrow and heavy door before it swings shut. Then I haul bags of groceries up the steps to the inner door. Followed by carrying the wriggling toddler. The real bottleneck […]
There is something about this precious in-between time. Hovering at the edge of daytime duties and the slow fall into sleep. Something you only truly appreciate when you have young children in the house 24/7, and are never ever alone. Those few short minutes when the entire house has gone to sleep, except for […]
“Mammy, my tooth is moving!” announces the five-year-old one evening. “Oh,” I say to this latest proclamation. Knowing that it may or may not actually be true upon further investigation. “Did you bang your mouth or anything recently?” “Um… yes,” he says. I start to be a little concerned. “You banged your mouth and your […]
I heard about the ‘One Word Movement’ from Kate Takes 5 last year, and loved the idea of setting a one word intention for the year. It’s a simple alternative to the usual list of unoriginal New Year’s resolutions that are trotted out each year – and have usually been abandoned long before the start […]
Tues 12th December. That’s when winter arrived in Montreal this year. A thick heavy curtain of snow fell, and within hours the face of the city had completely changed. There are no half-measures here. When it happens, it happens fast and hard. Fresh clean snow swiftly blanketed all surfaces. The temperature dropped. And dropped. The […]
Autumn came to the city of Montreal as a breath of fresh, cool, air. Such a relief from long days and nights wearing a slick sheen of sweat. This unwanted second skin could be briefly washed away in the shower, only to return by the time you emerged from the bathroom in a puff of […]
By the time it’s all done… Everyone has been fed their breakfast. They’re both scrubbed clean of peanut butter smears. Porridge cement scraped off the tables and chairs. Floors swept of debris and crumb trails. Dishwasher unloaded into cupboards, then reloaded with dirty dishes—removing the toddler as he attempts to climb inside or steal a sharp […]
He struts alongside me – on the alert for airplanes, insects… or sticks. You can never have enough sticks. I’m struck by how tall and lean he has become. A young boy. Not an ounce of baby chub remains. Every week he stretches a little closer to the sky. He wanders along with a running […]
“What did you do today at camp?” “I was drooling”. “Drooling? Um, ok.” … “Oh wait, do you mean you were drilling things?” “Yeah, drooling! I was drooling today. Like I said!” My eldest child is caring, smart, curious, stubborn, strong-willed, persistent and highly entertaining. He has the potential to be an amazing adult as […]
