p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; min-height: 12.0px} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} I’m trying my best to ignore the simmering resentment emanating from the in-law suite.  We are in day two of a massive … Continue reading Why Jichaan is Mad at Me

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; min-height: 12.0px} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} What I’ve done this week:Listened to the movie ‘Inside Out’ 1,247 times.Listened to Ojichaan tell me how to prune my roses so … Continue reading Growing Flowers with Jichaan

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; min-height: 12.0px} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} But first, so it turns out it isn’t going to be easy to apply for my masters degree.  (I know…I was surprised too)  … Continue reading Pulling Weeds by Hand and Muttering to My Tomatoes

The two things I’ve always wanted to be, since I was a teeny tiny tot of a terror, was a writer; and a Star Ship counsellor.  I wanted to be telepathic too like Diana on Star Trek. Whisking through the stars helping humans and aliens with their troubles.  Then writing a best seller about it.  … Continue reading What I want To Be When I Grow Up. Hint: It isn’t an Oompa Loompa

Upon walking into my home you won’t immediately see anything different.  A new pair of shoes by the door.  The strange sounds of Japanese men singing and playing….something…on TV.  Depending on the time of day he’ll be eating his morning gruel or his afternoon Ramen noodles.  I suspect routines mean a lot to elderly people. … Continue reading A Beautiful Tsunami Has Reduced Me to Cliche’s

Three years ago when we bought the land and built the house we live in we made the third bedroom into an in-law suite because his dad was going to come live with us.Fast forward three years and now we’ve got two kids and a room full of ‘storage’.  Until this weekend.  This weekend we … Continue reading The Imminent Arrival of Ojichaan. For Reals This Time.

It’s Super Bowl Sunday!  It’s flu-season!After weeks of keeping my kids away from possible sources of flu-contagion, the flu came right to me.  (Deadly flu-pandemic with extra olives ordered here?  No?)I kept Ellie home from school Wednesday out of a gut feeling there might be flu germs circulating.  I usually trust my gut it rarely … Continue reading Building Resiliency in My Children and Other Lessons I Hate Learning

My life is loud.  It’s really, really loud.  It’s also messy.  It’s really, really messy.  I DO like a clean, quiet house.  But I’d rather have messy and loud if I have the either/or choice.  Some women have both a loud, fun, messy, chaotic, CLEAN house.And some women don’t.That’s all I need to say about … Continue reading My Loud, Messy Life

Home.I've moved around a fair amount in my life.  Not like, military-family moving but around the Maritimes growing up and as an adult around the US a little.Suffice to say I’m no stranger to getting settled in a new space.  It’s strange because I am such a home-body.  My home really is like my shell, … Continue reading Being Warm While I’m Dying (I’m not dying. Or, not any faster than the rest of you).

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} I want to be an authentic parent.  I am, admittedly, the most lenient parent of most of my friends.  It isn’t that I need Ellie to like me AND love me.  It isn’t about wanting to be her friend … Continue reading Being an Authentic Parent