It’s September, which means my social media feeds are currently being flooded with the annual Summer Wrap-Up. And I genuinely love it. The cottages. The beaches. The sunsets. The European vacations. The kids jumping off docks. The family photos where everyone somehow coordinated their outfits and nobody appears to have screamed over a missing Croc…
There was a time in my life when I was very invested in being understood. Not in a cute, emotionally mature way either. I mean deeply, aggressively, borderline professionally invested. If someone had the wrong version of a story, I wanted to correct it. If someone believed something about me that wasn’t true, I wanted…
Somewhere along the way, self-care became deeply unsexy. I used to think it meant pedicures, brunch, buying something I absolutely did not need, maybe wandering around Winners alone with an iced coffee and no particular destination. It meant doing something indulgent because I deserved it, or because I was bored, or because it was Tuesday…
Registration Season There used to be a season every year that I dreaded more than the busy fall season itself. Registration season. If you’re a hockey and sport parent, you already know the one I’m talking about. That magical time of year when OMHA politely reminds you that your child would, in fact, like to…
It Didn’t Happen All at Once I always assumed there would be one big moment when I’d realize my kids weren’t little anymore. Maybe it would be a graduation. A driver’s licence. The day one of them moved out. Instead, it happened quietly. It happened while standing in my kitchen making lunches that nobody really…
I don’t remember the exact moment I gained weight. I wish I did because it would make for a much better story. There would be a dramatic scene where I put on a pair of jeans, hear a suspicious ripping sound, and suddenly realize I’ve entered a new chapter of life. Instead, it happened the…
I always think I’m going to be one of those people who eases gracefully into summer. Every June, I imagine myself becoming a calmer version of who I am for the rest of the year. I’ll spend slow mornings drinking coffee on the deck. The kids will sleep in. The pool will sparkle. We’ll eat…
The Graduation A few nights ago, I sat in a crowded auditorium watching Kristian graduate from Grade 8 and found myself thinking about Father’s Day. Not because Father’s Day was particularly close on the calendar, but because milestone moments have a funny way of making you take inventory of the people who helped get you…
There’s something beautifully Canadian about a holiday Monday that smells faintly of wet grass, charcoal, and nostalgia. 🇨🇦 Like the entire country collectively exhaling into Muskoka chairs. Victoria Day always feels like the unofficial gateway into summer. Growing up, it meant the carnival at Memorial Park, fireworks after dark, and inevitably arriving home with a…
Come sit on my couch for a minute. Coffee in hand. Fireplace on. Hockey bags by the door. A competitive gymnast’s grips drying on the counter because chalk is now a permanent design choice in this home. If someone yells about missing tape or a charger, that is just the soundtrack of raising resilient humans….