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Turning 18 – My Latest for CBC Parents
Both of my kids now are technically an age where the world considers them adults. This year, my youngest was just turning 18, when my nephew asked me if both of the kids were adults yet and that gave me pause. I mean first of all what is an adult? At what magical age or stage are we all adults? Happy Birthday! Second of all, I think most of you know that my kids are not neurotypical. They are neurodiverse kids aging during a pandemic and frankly that just hits different. So I wrote a little something about what is turning 18 anymore and what does it mean. This is…
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My Oxygen Mask and Life During a Pandemic
Huddle up real close. I have something to say regarding life this past year. But wait just a moment, my oxygen mask is askew. Put Your Own Oxygen Mask on First You know on airplanes before takeoff when the flight attendants give you that safety demonstration? Oh, I know you are supposed to be listening, but honestly a lot of us have zero interest in the safety demo when we just want to get to where we are going. Right? Lately, I have been reflecting on that simple statement – please put your own oxygen mask on before securing others. Hunting for My Oxygen Mask Ever since the second lockdown…
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Take the 30-Day Mindfulness Challenge Now!
Time for a mindfulness challenge! No better time than the present. At least, that’s my current philosophy. So, some of you probably know that mindfulness here is an ongoing battle. Or, should I say has been an ongoing issue. Ironically, or curiously, I think that I have actually achieved more mindfulness during the pandemic than ever before. My Previous Experience One year I made mindfulness my word of the year and it was the worst word of the year experience that I had ever had. That’s right. I have successfully chosen a word of the year for many years but could not make that one work. My mind wandered too…
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Creative and Fun Sick Day Scavenger Hunt
Well, here we sit in the middle of cold and flu season during a pandemic. Why not download this Sick Day Scavenger Hunt and keep it for those days when you need a little something low key to do at home. Colds Happen. Be Prepared That’s pretty much my Motto. This time of year you can try to avoid all of the germs and you definitely should. But, also be prepared. Kids get sick. Period. They are germ magnets. While I hope nobody I know gets anything more than a cold this year, I am sure there are a few of you home right now nursing sick little ones who…
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30 Day Health and Wellness Challenge and Printable
Well here we go again! Lockdown threatens to disrupt any progress on my fitness routine. But hopefully not for long. That’s why I am sharing this 30-day health and wellness challenge. Make a Commitment to Health & Wellness I have done my best to maintain a health and wellness schedule for years now. It’s part of my life and I need that as a parent and as someone who has chronic pain and Crohn’s disease. Working out to maintain health and wellness is not an option for me. So, from the start of the pandemic to today, I have been seizing all of the opportunities to get fit. Getting and…
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The Simple Art of Walking
Or How I Don’t Want Your Pity Walk Became Let Me Get a Sweater and My Shoes) With gyms closed for much of the past year, I have discovered the value of the simple art of walking. We walk in all the weather, sometimes alone but often together. That’s been a highlight of this year actually. Walking. Discovering the art of walking has been an unexpected positive in a year too full of negatives. The Art of Walking It started as a way to get the kids moving and a means for me to get my steps in for the day. Way back in March, when the pandemic was new…
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My Daughter Has FASD – My CBC Parents Post
My youngest daughter has FASD. I have occasionally written a bit about that here, but I am adding a bit more content about this invisible disability and publishing in major national outlets to grow awareness. My CBC Parents Content Over the last two years I have been writing a lot of consistent content on CBC Parents. I am happy to be able to reach a wider audience and frankly freelance, of course, is where I began years ago when I started writing. A few of my posts have centred on our journey parenting kids with special needs, or mental health issues and disabilities. For whatever reason, that content resonates with…
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Don’t Let This Rare Eye Disorder Go Undiagnosed
“This VKC blog is sponsored and supported by Santen Canada Inc.” A rare allergic eye disorder affecting children and adolescents is often missed by parents and can cause lasting damage. VKC, vernal keratoconjunctivitis, usually strikes during main allergy seasons, but it can also be present all year round. VKC is a relatively rare disorder. Public awareness is very low,” says Dr. Michael O’Connor, Pediatric Ophthalmologist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO in Ottawa), and Past-President of the Canadian Association of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (CAPOS). Common Symptoms of This Eye Disorder With a range of symptoms that mimic allergies and pink eye, VKC can easily be overlooked, but there…
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Getting My Gym Legs Back – Returning to the YMCA
After seven months of working out in my basement, I am moving on. This was the month that I found my gym legs again returning to the gym in person. Here’s how I found my gym legs again and here’s how it’s going so far… Deciding to Leave the Basement The decision to return to the YMCA near my home was not without a whole lot of introspection, hand ringing and anxiety. In fact, it kind of surprised me that I had anxiety returning at all, but after seven months of basement workouts, there it was. Nerves. Let’s face it the nerves were not unwarranted. I mean look around and…
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What It’s Really Like Getting a Coronavirus Test
This is our story of what it feels like getting a Coronavirus test. Here’s my disclaimer. We live in London, Ontario and we went for Covid tests the week before Labour Day when one of us showed 1-2 symptoms. Waits for testing and actual local case numbers were low then. Now, they have changed. This was our experience getting a Coronavirus test. Why Were We Getting A Coronavirus Test? Three weeks ago, my older daughter, who was just about to start university went to sleep with extreme stomach upset. After a night spent running to the bathroom, we were a little concerned. Sure, it could have been nerves at starting…
