Good Things Are Worth the Wait

2 siblings, 2 generations of cousins, and T’s 1st summer tall enough to go on the biggest of the big roller coasters at Canada’s Wonderland. The hubby’s sister and her daughter, T’s beloved cousin, A, visited us over Labour Day weekend. They were in town from New Brunswick to watch the Dua Lipa concert onContinue reading “Good Things Are Worth the Wait”

Sarang Kitchen: A Restaurant For Minds of All Kinds

Delicious Korean fried chicken with a side of inclusiveness for neurodiverse people and dogs. That was the impressive, yummy and heartwarming experience we enjoyed at Sarang Kitchen, the first social enterprise and restaurant in Toronto that welcomes and employs neurodiverse people, including autistic individuals. I’ve been wanting to visit this place since it opened inContinue reading “Sarang Kitchen: A Restaurant For Minds of All Kinds”

On the Edge of Saturday Night with Kylie Minogue

An ice storm couldn’t keep us away from a night 16 years in the waiting with pop queen Kylie Minogue. The Australian icon brought her Tension Tour to North America, with her first stop at Toronto’s Scotiabank Centre on March 29. The weather was miserable; freezing rain and ice storms further north of the city.Continue reading “On the Edge of Saturday Night with Kylie Minogue”

Miss Americana, Taylor Swift

T and I celebrated the hubby’s birthday with a night out at Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated Eras Tour show in Toronto. We had purchased the tickets, nosebleed seats, last Fall and were lucky to get them at face value. The hubby’s sister visited us for his birthday week and it was nice they got toContinue reading “Miss Americana, Taylor Swift”

The Stories We Tell

Stories inform, inspire, and illuminate life’s complexities and contradictions. Earlier this week, our team at work participated together in a learning and reflection activity to pay respect to National Truth and Reconciliation Day, which is observed on September 30. We watched a short documentary that featured interviews with survivors of the residential school system. MyContinue reading “The Stories We Tell”

Drumming Heartbeats for FASD Awareness Day

September 9 is International FASD Awareness Day. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder describes the impacts on the brain and body of someone exposed to alcohol in the womb. On Sunday, we participated in a community event at St James Park in downtown Toronto organized by Surrey Place, the wonderful organization that has supported T since heContinue reading “Drumming Heartbeats for FASD Awareness Day”

Riding the Rollercoaster of Life

The build up often outlasts the thrill themselves, but boy, are they worth it sometimes. Our annual Labour Day weekend camping plans were thwarted by bad weather and we kept it local and chill instead. We took T to Canada’s Wonderland on Saturday, a beautiful day, our first visit in two years. Going in, weContinue reading “Riding the Rollercoaster of Life”

Born This Way

We kicked off T’s summer by marching in Canada’s largest Pride parade and championed freedom to information. I have a leadership role on my work’s Pride employee group and was part of the team that organized our march. For the second year, we chose the theme of intellectual freedom and reused signs from last year,Continue reading “Born This Way”

Nature is Healing for Neurodiverse Kids

A beautiful sunny t-shirt weather Spring Sunday gave T and I the recharge we needed. After breakfast, we practiced reading two chapters in his latest book then headed to one of our favourite nature spots: Rouge Park. I feel blessed for this urban oasis near our home. I appreciate the government recently adding a boardwalkContinue reading “Nature is Healing for Neurodiverse Kids”

Ray of Light

We took T to his first concert, Madonna’s Celebration Tour, and it provided a needed holiday. Our family had a challenging start to 2024 and this show was a ray of light during gray days. We prepped T for his first concert by looking at photos of the venue and show and speaking about whatContinue reading “Ray of Light”

Horsing Around

The best things in life are not free. Thanksgiving a year ago vs today, the dinner table is cozier and I am reminded how life flies by. Friday was a PA Day and I took T to a fun and free activity organized by Surrey Place, the amazing organization that has supported our family sinceContinue reading “Horsing Around”

Love Leads the Way

T marched in his first Pride parade and he did amazing! I’m part of my work’s Pride staff group and it was wonderful to march with colleagues, family and friends for the first time since the pandemic. It was important to march, because of increased attacks towards the 2SLGBTQ+ community. It is horrifying to seeContinue reading “Love Leads the Way”

Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Experiencing life through a child’s eyes is sweeter when you do something for the first time together. On Sunday, our friend, T’s Auntie E, whom we recently went to Tobermory with, organized a stand up paddle board outing for friends and us. E is a SUP hobbyist and took us to Cherry Beach, a scenicContinue reading “Stand Up Paddle Boarding”

Sanity Savers for Enjoying An Outing with A Neurodiverse Child

Some people joke their restless kids are “climbing the walls.” Kids like our T actually climb them. I’ve seen memes of this boy climbing a pillar in an airport (below) many times on social media. I empathize with this kindred spirit. Even though it’s never disclosed why this kid was climbing, I infer and understandContinue reading “Sanity Savers for Enjoying An Outing with A Neurodiverse Child”

Summer in the City

Sometimes, you only need to look at your own backyard to find lots to enjoy. The big day finally arrived: T’s cousin A’s big summer visit. He’d only been counting down since they last saw each other at Christmas. After spending the weekend cleaning, I sat down Sunday afternoon to enjoy a cup of tea,Continue reading “Summer in the City”

Soaring to New Heights at Canada’s Wonderland

T visited his first amusement park last weekend and went on his first big kid rides! Canada’s Wonderland is like the Canadian version of Six Flags amusement parks – with big rollercoasters, spinning rides and a Snoopy-themed kids area. The hubby and I have gone many times as kids and together as adults. But thisContinue reading “Soaring to New Heights at Canada’s Wonderland”