On the night of the US election I took to Twitter to share my disgust that it looked like Trump would win. I couldn’t believe it when I saw a tweet go by cheering him on from a woman. I was stunned. Little did I know then that white, educated women in the US would practically hand the Presidency to Trump. Everything I thought about the people voting for him (that they were uneducated, knuckle-draggers) was wrong. (I'm not including the tweet - it deserves no additional air time.)
I'm about as plugged in as you can get in today’s modern society. At just about any time of day, I can be reached via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Skype, LinkedIn, Email, and Text. I'm a full-time, online community manager, content creator, and social media strategist. Since my means of employment sits in cyberspace, and considering that the internet NEVER sleeps, it’s very rare to find me far from my computer or phone.
No matter what you’ve heard about nuts in the past, I’m here to tell you that size DEFINITELY matters. So does the feel of them. They should be dry and never oily, because ewwww, who wants to touch oily nuts? And if the nuts you grab aren’t fresh, then you haven’t been living my friend.
What? No, what did you think I was talking about? Sheesh, get your head out of the gutter, friends. This is a respectable website.
I love the carefree attitude that accompanies summer. Everything just gets easier. I worry less about bedtimes and having a clean house. And yes, we can have cereal for dinner when it’s too hot to cook. I let go of routines and become more spontaneous in all that I do. It’s a feeling that permeates everything, right down to my beauty routine.
Before you know it, Canadians will be outside in droves, stock-piling as much Vitamin D as they can get. My family is no exception. Just like that first meal on an outdoor patio is the sweetest, so too is the pilgrimage to Canadian Tire for everything we’ll need to enjoy every last second of summer.
When it comes to food, I’m pretty sure that as a society, we’ve gone off the rails. I first started to notice our unhealthy connection with food when my kids started school. It seemed to me that every occasion revolved around junk food. A kid’s birthday meant cupcakes for everyone. When parents bring cupcakes or treats for birthdays, this meant 20 to 30 days in the school year included unhealthy food. Add in Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas, Easter, pajama day, movie day, and bake sales.
When it comes to homework, I’m a hands-off mama. I already did my time, so I have zero interest in sitting down and doing more with my kids. That’s not to say that I don’t value homework — I do. It’s just that my time is better spent showing my kids how to be self-learners and how to develop homework habits, and not by actually doing their homework.
I’ve been travelling with my children since they were infants, so I’m often asked if there's a perfect age to take a trip with kids. My answer is always, right now. Right now is as perfect as it’s ever going to get, no matter what their age. Travel is one of the best gifts you can give your children and yourself, so don’t delay, start planning now!
When my youngest daughter was four, we noticed she had started to snore. At first, we thought it was cute, but then it started to sound like a freight train roaring through the house at night. Our family doctor immediately sent her for a sleep study. Imagine our surprise when our little waif of a girl was diagnosed with sleep apnea!
My dad likes to tell this funny story from my childhood. It goes a little something like this:
I had really, REALLY wanted the latest and greatest thing-a-ma-bob that all my friends had, and I begged my dad mercilessly to get it for me. Exasperated, he finally gave it to me straight. “Candace,” he said, “I don’t have the money for that right now. I can’t afford it!” Without missing a beat, I responded with: “That’s OK. Just write a cheque.”
