Duncan and I bought tickets to a charity gala this month and it was a great excuse to get all dolled up and go out on a date. I also used the event as an excuse to treat myself to a new dress. It was probably only about six months ago when I swore up and down that I would never wear a crop top again in my life now that I have a kid– but the truth is, I am loving the two-piece sets that are so popular right now. They’re not as hard to wear as you might think… and yet it is just as difficult as you might expect if you want to eat a decent sized meal while wearing a crop top + high waist skirt combo…
Here is the one grainy photo I managed to take before the party, if you would like to see: Read more ›
This month, I coincidentally signed up for a few activities to help me learn some new skills. (I say coincidentally because I had no intention of learning new skills as some kind of new year’s resolution… this stuff just popped up and I thought, ‘hey why not?’.) For Christmas I gave my mom a cooking class. Then an email went around at work asking if anyone was interested in joining the company’s ‘photography club’ (totally extracurricular) and then last week my good friend invited me to a floral design class. All fun! All areas where I have a very general sense of what’s yummy/makes a good photo/looks nice in a vase- but no expert has ever really informed me.
Here are a few things I have learned so far: Read more ›
Back when I was pregnant my colleague gave me a great idea for remembering Donovan’s different life stages. She told me she writes to her daughter every year for her birthday and plans to give her 18 letters when she turns 18 years old. The letters describe her daughter’s personality, funny things she has said over the past year, what she likes and what she doesn’t like at that age. It’s a sweet snapshot of a little life in progress. I love this plan.
I have been almost obsessive about taking photos and keeping records of Donovan’s babyhood. If the house were burning down (and I knew my family was safe), I’d grab his baby book on my way out the door. I suppose it’s really more for me right now than it is for him. I fill in the pages and read and re-read what I have written every few weeks. I don’t want to forget a thing. Though I know I will. There is a page at the back of the book for a letter to Donovan. I thought about it for months and figured I would type it out and then copy it into the book, but one night I just put pen to paper and let it all come out- what he’s like at this age, how I can see his personality developing and what I hope for him. It’s all very mushy but it felt perfect. I don’t know if Donovan will even really care much about these things when he’s older. Perhaps his spouse will be interested. However, it brings me joy to write to him and it helps me put a little perspective on parenting. I drafted a little letter to him just before Christmas and I hope to write to him for his birthdays, just as my colleague suggested. But I also suspect, I’ll write him letters whenever the mood strikes- just because.
This book would make a great keepsake (not to mention a lovely baby shower gift).
What are your new year’s resolutions? Do you have any? I’m trying to make ones that don’t necessarily set me up to fail– so really vague, wishy-washy ones that I’m ultimately going to achieve anyways.
This holiday season seemed to race past without slowing down enough for us to really enjoy the time of year. Yet, we somehow managed to make our lists, check them twice and get it all done. It was a strange Christmas in every way- double digit temperatures on Christmas eve, no baking…no Christmas tree! This year, we decided not to get a tree because we are trying to pack up our house to move and adding stuff to the house just didn’t make sense. I did decorate the mantle and hang up some stockings for Christmas morning, but it wasn’t the same.
I’ve decided I’m going ALL OUT for the holidays next year. I’m already dreaming of the decorations, the parties and the steady stream of baked goods and eggnog that will be flowing through our new home starting mid-November (wherever that home may be!). I’m also starting to think about what traditions I would like to start for us as a family.
Here’s a sweet holiday ritual I recently heard about. Read more ›
Where do you even start when it comes to picking a baby name? I recently came across this article about a Canadian Olympian who is letting the Twitterverse help narrow down her search. It’s not such a bad idea and they came up with a few pretty cute names (I vote Everett; it’s the same name as the cutie-pie son of a dear friend of mine).
We also had some parameters to work with when it came to naming Donovan. Read more ›
I think we can really call this post, “The past two weeks, these are the things I was reading on my phone during my trip to work on the streetcar when I burnt my mouth and spilled my coffee all over myself…” This is my third week back at work and I can’t really complain; it’s been more enjoyable than I anticipated. It helps that Donovan is happy as a clam here with his dad (though slightly less happy over the past couple days due to three new teeth popping through).
Here are some interesting Internet reads I have stumbled upon lately. Enjoy!
This motivating essay on finding purpose in life’s mundane tasks and obligations
Today is world chocolate day! Though every day, in my world, is chocolate day.
And finally, I will admit that leaving Donovan that first day when I went to work hurt my heart …and apparently, there might be a scientifically proven way to treat heartache.
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads and the grandads and the step-dads and the pet dads and the moms-who-are-dads and everyone who has or knows a dad they love! Read more ›
For the past few weeks, this article on slow parenting has been making the rounds on social media. It rings true for me right now especially since I’m heading back to work in just two and a half weeks. (sob!) So I’m just going to take the next 19 days to soak up every last drop of Donovan whenever he’s awake. I’m putting my phone down and unplugging (he’s napping right now, ok? This doesn’t count). But even when he’s asleep, I just want to relish these last couple weeks of being home.
Here are some things I will miss about mat leave- maybe you can relate:
This is how Donovan reacted when I told him what we were going through to find him a daycare spot
If you’re a working parent living in Toronto then you probably know by now, the struggle is REAL. The struggle to find ANY spot for your child in a daycare facility is so. very. daunting.
Last June, (so I was just over 5 months pregnant), I thought I was being fairly proactive by looking into daycares in my neighbourhood, in the area where I work and in the area where my husband works. But, it turns out that wasn’t good enough! I have been following up with the five (FIVE!) different centres where I put Donovan’s name down on wait lists and each one is telling me it doesn’t look like there will be a spot opening up in September. I also sent in an application form to an agency that matches families with home daycares in their neighbourhood. From what I read, this agency would set me up with a few options, I would go to these homes, interview the care givers and ultimately decide which home felt like the best fit for our family. This week I received a phone call saying there might be one option and basically that care giver is interviewing various families and the care giver is the one that will actually decide which family is the best fit. Are you kidding me?! I’m trying not to swear since there’s a child in the house these days but #$@#!!!!
Digging a little deeper into this, I now realize downtown Toronto has a pretty flawed daycare system. I found a stat from 2012 that indicates there is one registered daycare spot for every five kids. And while we’re talking numbers, let’s really get down to it. The cost for infant care is out of control. First of all, I paid $50 just to be on a waiting list at one facility. Another facility that ‘s not even licensed (!!!) wanted $25 just to go on a wait list. If you’re lucky enough to get your kid into these palaces, you’re looking at anywhere from $1,700 to $2,100 per month. I was floored. When I asked one woman about the monthly cost, she kindly explained they serve the kids lunch. (Do they get lobster for lunch? Prime rib?)
ON-THE-BALL HALL 