Parenting a child with special needs has taught me the journey is often times more important than the destination. And more interesting, rewarding, fulfilling and one where you will be stretched, bended, tumbled, spun around, flung, chewed up and ultimately become all the better because of it. I reflected on this during the long drivesContinue reading “Taking and Embracing the Detours on Life’s Journey”
Category Archives: Parenting
Swimming in a Secluded Spot at Painting-Like Killarney
We spent Friday at Killarney Provincial Park, where every corner looks like a painting with its smooth red rock facade and Georgian Bay backdrop. Our friends and I have been wanting to camp here for years but sites always sell out. It took a pandemic to get the hubby, T and I here – sansContinue reading “Swimming in a Secluded Spot at Painting-Like Killarney”
Finding the Roaring Spirit of Adventure in Thunder Bay
We arrived in Thunder Bay close to 10 on Sunday evening. T screamed, “Why does it look like this? Where’s the thunder?!” The scenic adventures that unfolded over the following three days of our Summer 2020 family roadtrip more than made up for his initial lack of enthusiasm. First stop on Monday: Beautiful Kakabeka Falls,Continue reading “Finding the Roaring Spirit of Adventure in Thunder Bay”
Every Child Needs and Deserves a Hero
The late Terry Fox took his final steps in his unfinished Marathon of Hope in Thunder Bay, Ontario. We visited the Terry Fox monument on our first day in Thunder Bay on Monday. It honours his memory near the spot where he took his last step. Terry Fox is a famous Canadian athlete whose rightContinue reading “Every Child Needs and Deserves a Hero”
Family Roadtrip to Explore Northern Ontario
We were determined not to let the pandemic take away our summer tradition – the family roadtrip. In August, we always take two weeks off to visit the hubby’s parents in New Brunswick, two provinces East of Ontario, and add a detour. This year, we hoped to visit New Hamsphire. It goes without saying theContinue reading “Family Roadtrip to Explore Northern Ontario”
Living with Pragmatic Positive Thinking
I’ve always been a positive person but parenting a child with special needs has reframed how I approach optimism into one of living life with pragmatic positive thinking. I recently saw this tweet from educational consultant Doctor Marcia Tate on Twitter. She stated that “being positive doesn’t mean you ignore or lie to yourself aboutContinue reading “Living with Pragmatic Positive Thinking”
Loving and Supporting the Often Misunderstood Special Needs Child
While standing first in line to be let in the outdoor pool, T tells me he’s peeing. I look down and sure enough, a puddle of pee on the pavement with 20 people looking at my 5-year-old. I feel mortified and I could not hold in my embarrassment. “That is disgusting, why would you doContinue reading “Loving and Supporting the Often Misunderstood Special Needs Child”
Family Weekend Roadtrip to Breathtaking Killbear Park
The last four months of lockdown – working, schooling, parenting – have been so hard but also creatively and emotionally rewarding. But the hubby and I are beyond burned out. So we took T for a recharge in nature with a short but sweet family roadtrip – three hours from home – to scenic ParryContinue reading “Family Weekend Roadtrip to Breathtaking Killbear Park”
Teaching My Son To Be Bored
When we started lockdown homeschooling, the blank page of a day gave me great anxiety. I’ve since learned it’s okay to leave pockets of time during the day as unstructured time for five-year-old T to be bored. Research has shown that boredom supports a child’s healthy development, as it helps them build creativity, resilience, andContinue reading “Teaching My Son To Be Bored”
Return to the Pool!
Our City opened outdoor public pools this week and T and I leapt into its refreshing water this afternoon like reuniting with an old friend. It brought me so much joy to see how giddy he got in the water, the first swim since early March. We’ve always gone to indoor pools, but we’re notContinue reading “Return to the Pool!”
Love is Love: Celebrating Pride at Home
Pride celebrations are different this year, but its spirit is even more relevant and important. Pride was born out of protest 50 years ago, from communities saying enough was enough. Activists and allies paved the way so that today, we – at least in our part of the world – can love who we wantContinue reading “Love is Love: Celebrating Pride at Home”
Camping in Our Backyard
The hubby and I were not going to let a pandemic take away our family camping tradition, so we pitched our tent in the backyard this weekend. It was also camping week at homeschool this week. T’s teacher gave a series of camping-themed learning activities, from books and poems, to math exercises, and more. TContinue reading “Camping in Our Backyard”
Fathers Day Reflections: 5 Favourite Moments So Far
The hubby and I are celebrating our fifth Fathers’ Day this weekend. Time sure does fly! I’ve written openly about the ups and downs of raising a child with great potential and challenging needs since launching this blog in December. This weekend, it’s all about celebrating the positive and favourite moments on this unpredictable andContinue reading “Fathers Day Reflections: 5 Favourite Moments So Far”
“I’ll Never Give Up On You…”
One day, in the early weeks of lockdown, I was so worn down and T was out of control. In a fit of anger, I yelled to the hubby, “I‘d never have adopted if I knew it was going to be like this!” I regretted it as soon as those hurtful words left my mouth.Continue reading ““I’ll Never Give Up On You…””
A Rejuvenating First Nature Hike Since Lockdown
A family of swans, Canadian geese, ducks, and a deer feeding from afar. My family basked in a feast of nature this afternoon, our first outing since lockdown began three months ago. It was a beautiful Saturday. Sunny and a comfortably cool 16 degrees for t-shirt and shorts. A steady breeze. We headed for LyndeContinue reading “A Rejuvenating First Nature Hike Since Lockdown”
Making the Hard Decision to Medicate Our Child for ADHD
I’ve avoided this for four years. But this week, the hubby and I face an important decision in our 5-year-old’s journey: medication. We adopted our beloved T four years ago – feels like an extra year in there with this pandemic! – and shortly after, he received a prognosis of at-risk fetal alcohol spectrum disorderContinue reading “Making the Hard Decision to Medicate Our Child for ADHD”
Our Budding Little Baker
Learning comes in all forms, as we’ve learned from homeschooling in lockdown. Making a no-bake keylime pie with T reinforced lessons in measurement, chemistry and having fun! The hubby enjoyed the strawberry and rhubarb pie that T and I made last week and asked us to make this no-bake keylime pie recipe from A MillionContinue reading “Our Budding Little Baker”
We Can and Must Do Better
Like many others, the horrifying murder of George Floyd weighed on my mind this week. Since we adopted T, I often view and process news and events through the eyes of being his Papa. I often think to myself about how I can protect T from the horrors of the world while he is young,Continue reading “We Can and Must Do Better”
Learning About Social Skills and Friendship From His Cats
It took four years and a pandemic but the Cold War between our hyperactive and loud five-year-old son and his skittish fur siblings has thawed. T and our two cats, Kyrie and Lanaya, had a rocky start. We adopted the cats, both at 1 year old, in 2015 and T came into our lives andContinue reading “Learning About Social Skills and Friendship From His Cats”
It’s All About Perspective
For today’s home learning activity, we gave T a magnifying glass and went for a nice walk to look at ants and the beauty of nature up close. T has been learning about ants for school this week. His teacher gave us a series of online books and videos about ants, fictional and factual. OneContinue reading “It’s All About Perspective”
My Life With T 