Three years ago I wrote this and here we are now. 23 years have passed since the Montreal Massacre
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre.
I was 18 years old when the 14 women were gunned down. As an earlier adopter of feminism, I had already done much of the reading required of a budding feminist and had some very decent mentors in place.
When the Montreal Massacre happened, it rocked my young world. Twenty years have gone by and never have I forgotten that day. Throughout my life, I have remembered.
According to my calculations, six kids equal a ridiculous amount of Hallowe’en candy. Parents always wonder: do we let them gorge and be done with it or do we portion it out over an extended period of time? I checked in with nutritionist pal, Theresa Albert, who basically said it’s six of one, half a dozen of the other. Her advice? Get rid of it altogether—you really don’t want your kids consuming that much sugar.
I recently had what I thought was a private conversation with my brother and SIL. They asked how I thought my kid who was starting hockey would do. My response was “Well, it should be interesting since he SUCKS at skating.” Now, not normally a big deal, right? That’s what I thought until his older sister admitted overhearing. She pulled me aside and expressed her disappointment at hearing me talk about her little brother like that. Ouch. I dug myself out of that hole with apologies and explanations around how the words were not meant for kids’ ears.
So, apparently there has been a lot of “buzz” around this question, and I have been asked several times over the last week if I do, in fact, have a favourite child.
Are you a parent who thinks you have a favourite and feel guilty about it? I think the issue is confusing for a few reasons:
Back-To-School season is an expensive time for families. With five little ones heading off this September, I put all my own tips and tricks in high gear.
It’s Inventory Time!
Go Through Those Closets: Purge the stuff you no longer need, but keep an eye out for those little gems that are hand-me-down worthy. They are invaluable—we rely on hand-me-downs from older siblings, cousins, neighbours and pretty much anyone else who is willing to drop a bag off at our front door!
1. Green school™ - I use a lot of their products, but my favourite is the one that helps me deal with the ridiculous number of forms sent home from school. Permission forms have to be returned for class trips, and I’m always sending in money for these, pizza days, milk and fundraising. I use the green school™ mini tote to ensure money and forms return to school safely and don’t get lost in the bottom of the knapsack black hole.
Nine years ago, I bought a cottage with my siblings. For all of those years, I have enjoyed it thoroughly. OK, I’m kind of lying – for all those years, all it represented to me was a lot of hard work. Bringing babies and toddlers to a cottage is challenging – it’s all of the work of home, without any of the conveniences. Kids in strange beds, no safety guards around the lake and – in our case – no electricity. You can imagine how stressful it is when you have a bed-wetter or a puke fest ensues and there is no washing machine in sight.
There are many ways a woman can become a mother. It often comes in the traditional way—hours of labour and pushing until finally your bundle of joy arrives. Other times you go through countless interviews and sit on waiting lists before you finally get the call that your baby has arrived and is ready to come home. Sometimes you travel to foreign lands shaking with excitement knowing that on the plane ride home you will be cuddling your new baby. Sometimes we inherit children from loved ones who have passed too soon.
Our friends at YMC have been long-time and loyal supporters of Mabel’s Labels and, as a YMC blogger, I am thrilled to share some exciting Mabel news.
As a company started by four moms working out of a basement, it is exciting for us to announce that we now have a product going to retail in Walmart—the largest retailer in Canada. Since we started Mabel’s Labels over nine years ago, we have done all of our business online so this is new territory for us and with it came a lot of learning!
My long-time friend Joanne has a TV show on our local cable station titled “In Your Corner.” She meets with local youth, giving them a voice on various topics.
When she approached me about doing a segment on sibling dynamics, I jumped at it, thinking it would be fun for my kids to share their experiences being part of a big family. Joanne sent along a form for each to fill out so she could prep for the show.
People often wonder how I strike balance between being a business owner and a busy mama.
When you’re an entrepreneur, having a holiday completely disconnected from work is almost impossible. My situation is even a bit trickier because I’m the company spokesperson. I get calls or e-mails from media folks at all times of the day and quite frankly, I don’t want to miss them. Indeed, it’s my job NOT to. If someone reaches out at 8:00pm for a quote to go to press in the morning, I’m giving a quote and tucking kids into bed at the same time.
With camp season quickly approaching, parents are gearing up! Big purchases will be made and backpacks will be jam-packed with all the clothing and supplies happy campers need. Certainly there are plenty of camp lists that can advise you on how many pairs of underwear and socks to pack, but there are a few other items worth sending along that many parents might never think of.
Most parents say that there was a particular age and stage in their child’s life that they enjoyed most. I’ve always identified as a “baby” person. If there is a newborn in the room, before a minute passes, that babe will be in my arms. I’m quite sure that every time I smell a newborn, I immediately ovulate.
When I was a child, we had a neighbour who suffered from Lou Gehrig’s disease. She was a mother of four and died at the age of 42, only slightly older than I am now.
When you have six kids and a Daddy-o who is out of town, having a tummy bug go through the house is most uncivilized. Last week I had five pukers in a 48-hour period, with a total of 19 pukes. Yes, I counted. Mostly I counted out of pride. Pride, you ask? Some people beam when their kids get a gold medal in a sport or win a spelling bee.
An autism mom friend recently wrote a touchingblog postabout her son’s desire for friendship, something that does not always come easily for “our guys.” The response was amazing—with her loyal readers, fans and friends honouring her request for prayers that her son’s wish for friendship might come true.
When we were looking to buy a bigger house two years ago, there were a few things that topped the “requirement” list—a big mudroom, green space behind the house, a court and an eating area that we could fit in. Many were surprised that “more bedrooms” did not make the list. The conversation came up again recently when I mentioned on Facebook that Cousin Matthew was staying in the spare room of our house for a few weeks. Spare room? Six kids and four bedrooms—how could there possibly be a spare room? Well, there is!
January is upon us and it means the season of the world’s worst parenting is over and we must now reform the monsters we created.
Christmas provides moms and dads with the perfect opportunity to parent badly. December is all about “Santa is watching” and “You better be good.....or ELSE!”
