In a film, it would go something like this: The camera would be located in the drain of the sink, looking up towards me. My little box of jewelry is balanced on the porcelain between the two double sinks. I’m in a hurry, packing for a business trip, madly trying to untangle the bracelets from the earrings, from the necklaces. You’d see my frizzy blond halo of curls, brow furrowed
I’m a pretty amazing cook. Quite awesome in fact. Just don’t ask my kids. They don’t really appreciate a fine osso bucco or chili prawns. I love cooking from scratch and sourcing interesting ingredients. Tahitian vanilla beans. Artisanal flour blends. Valrhona chocolate anyone? And yes, Irish butter DOES taste better. I’ll be totally honest and fess up that all of this loving care and attention wasn’t just for my family’s
Long, languid days at the beach. Stunning sunsets across the lake. Exquisite alfresco meals and refreshing cocktails. Summer is the stuff dreams are made of. But what if your summer dream isn’t so dreamy? Or the plan doesn’t quite get executed as perfectly as in your dream? We haven’t experienced this much pressure and expectation since Christmas. You remember Christmas – the beautiful Norman Rockwell image that in real life
Sometimes we all get a little off track. It may be due to an accident or illness, or perhaps just scheduling. Somehow this happens to me every June. With three kids, June is the wind up month: all activities and school draws to a close and our already busy schedule bursts at the seams. In the last week of June we’re also madly prepping for overnight camp: checking off items
Are you into big buts? Let’s be honest here: most people do have one or two big buts they’re really into that they just can’t resist: I know I shouldn’t drink so much wine BUT…. I know I should have more patience with the kids BUT… I know I seem critical BUT…. Here’s a few of my personal favourites: I know I should exercise more, BUT… I know I should finish
Lavish bouquets, brunch, mimosas, jewellery, mushy cards, and dinner at your favorite restaurant…. all this and more are the hallmarks of Mother’s Day. A single day in the year when we honor the selflessness and sacrifice of our own mothers and as our role as moms. Commercials capitalize on the pride and power of the mothering connection. Advertisers like Dove and Proctor and Gamble know exactly how to tug on our heartstrings, and
Have you ever had such a great time in your life that you were sad to see that period end? Do you find yourself remembering it with longing? This is always my experience around St Patrick’s Day. It is one of my favourite holidays tinged with a sting of longing. I used to live in Dublin in The Sweet Years. The economy was booming. I was in my mid-twenties. My
Do you ever have those less than stellar parenting moments that lead you to wonder if your kids will be telling a therapist all about you in 30 years? Do you worry that you’re screwing up your kids? Let me assure you, an occasional raised voice or an episode when your kids see you in tears is not the kind of thing they’ll talk about years later on a therapist’s
In the name of full transparency, I need to let you know that I have yet to parent a teen. However, I’ve earned my credibility on the front lines: My Masters Thesis explored therapy with teens and how to work with their “resistance”. (Coles notes version: teens won’t engage in new behaviors just because we want them to. It’s our job as the adult – therapist or parent – to
It’s August twenty-eighth and another summer has slipped past. In my house we’ve got the back to school supplies covered and this weekend my partner will take the kids shopping for necessary back to school clothes (I hate shopping, except for Fluevogs and books). Catalogues are bombarding us with backpacks and lunch bags, flashy new shoes and pencil cases. Sending my kids back to school is not the happiest time
