Sometimes, it feels like the only thing I say to my kids is “no”. “No you can’t buy a gameboy.” “No, we’re not going to the store so you can foolishly spend all your birthday money.” “No, we’re not renting a movie tonight.” “No I’m not buying a bag of chips.” “No,...

Are there REALLY professional competitive eaters? And they have an international federation?? Huh?If this 4 year old child can run 65 kilometres, why does MY 4 year old child whine about walking 2 blocks to the store?Does anyone REALLY need a vibrating razor blade...

Yesterday I took myself on a date. Partly because I needed some time and space to prepare my talk for church on Sunday, and partly because I’d promised myself I would do it before my 40th birthday (see 40 days ‘til 40), I went on a personal retreat. Villa Maria is a...

Nobody told me about this. Nobody warned me that sometimes parenting could feel like you'd yanked your heart out of your chest, tied it to your arm, and let the world whack it with an axe. Nobody took me aside and said "hey, sometimes, you'll be sitting on the...

I had a speaking engagement in a small prairie town yesterday – similar to the small prairie town I grew up in. (I was in Boissevain, for those who know Manitoba.) I love living in the city, and I don’t ever plan to go back to the country, but sometimes I get a little...

Inspired by Owlhaven (a recent addition to my blogroll), I wrote an "I am from" post. What fun! If you want to join in, she has a template here. It's a great excuse to take a little walk down memory lane. Here's mine...I am from horses without saddles riding down road...

Most people, when they know they have a dentist appointment in half an hour, stop to brush and floss their teeth.But not me - oh no, not I. I stopped to pop a chocolate in my mouth on the way out the door.Why? Oh, mostly absent-mindedness, I suppose. But maybe I...

Call it "the muse". Call it "the writing that has a mind of its own". When you're a writer, and you know that you must write to have any kind of life or sanity at all, you satisfy the muse in any way you can. You feed it bits of yourself, and, like someone once said,...

This is our latest aquisition - Maddie's tag-along-bike. She is SO proud! When we got to church on Sunday morning, she had to show it off to anyone who would stop to look.There's an incredible scene in American Beauty, when Ricky Fitts is showing the girl (can't...

I know I’m a little slow on the up-take, but Gina infected me with the Indie Virus, and unless I pass it on, I’ll be stuck with this pesky bug forever.You see, Pearsonified has started a small, casual social experiment, it's called "The Indie Virus." Here's how...