reminders why I quit baby books

I’m taking a course right now as part of some teacher-upgrading stuff that I need. The course is all about cross-cultural understanding, so for the final paper, I’m writing a paper about the different parenting practices in collectivist and individualistic cultures. Don’t glaze! I swear it’s actually interesting! But I won’t bore you with that [...]

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things to do while your baby naps

A couple of days ago, I decided that I needed a break. I’ve never been particularly good at the old “nap when they nap” solution to all one’s woes. For starters, we can’t seem to coordinate our schedules. When I feel like lying down on the floor and dying (like actually DYING: I’m sure it’s [...]

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demystifying things I realized about labour

I truly believe that our culture has a very twisted perspective on labour and delivery. This attitude is designed to scare the pants off expecting couples everywhere. We learn about labour by seeing screaming women in sitcoms, raging at their husbands in the most ridiculously clichéd of ways. The television shows on the subject, which [...]

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things that parents need to stop competing over

Birthday parties. The number of kids invited should be limited to the age of the child. Presents should be an added bonus, not an expected cover charge for the petting zoo. How will hot dogs and pin the tail on the donkey survive the insanity? HOW? Percentiles. This is usually in the early stages of [...]

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parenting euphemisms

“The Spirited Child”. Out of desperation, I just ordered a book by this title from the library. The full title is actually “Your Spirited Child: A Guide for Parents Whose Child is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent and Energetic” (I guess that’s five euphemisms right there, come to think of it). I suppose if they [...]

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meanings of ga

Before I had kids, I always had trouble understanding them. I still do, actually. It’s always a bit uncomfortable for all parties involved: there’s me, trying desperately to figure out what the little ragamuffin is trying to say, and the little ragamuffin becoming increasingly frustrated by my incompetence. “Wawiffa pweeeeet! I SAID waWIFFa PWEEEEEET!” My [...]

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things I wish someone had told me when I was pregnant

Your recovery will be on the back burner. I’ve been watching my husband snivel and groan on the sofa this week as he recovers from his wisdom teeth extraction. I have been making him banana smoothies, renting him awful movies that only he enjoys (Talladega Nights and Valkyrie, to provide a sample of the Oscar-calibre [...]

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worries that prove we have it very, very good

I once heard this German director, Werner Herzgov, be interviewed on CBC radio. He was born in war-torn Munich in 1942. When he was only a few days old, sleeping in his cradle, Allied bombs shattered the skylight in his nursery. Somehow he survived, despite being covered in broken glass and debris. He talked about [...]

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Wee Warmers giveaway

Did you get the Flashdance clue? Of the many new and exciting baby items to come on the market in recent years, baby leg warmers are up there! And this week we have a giveaway courtesy of Wee Warmers. Wee Warmers is the brainchild of yet another amazing Canadian mompreneur, who makes these adorable little [...]

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why I started writing this

It has occurred to me lately that I do a lot of grumbling about parenthood. It might lead people to believe that I am an ungrateful hag who doesn’t particularly enjoy the whole business of baby-raisin’, and that I write this to vent about the whole gawd-awful experience. Nothing could be further from the truth [...]

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