Mothering without a licence

Flashback Faves: This is how they grow up, quietly and quickly and right under your watchful eye

11 February 2016 Flashback faves

Thanks to Facebook, I know that five years ago today I wrote this post. Tristan is now in middle school and safely walks to and from the bus stop without incident. What I find charming is that he was in Grade 3 when I wrestled with the idea of the risk of letting him walk […]

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World Diabetes Day: Dylan’s Story

14 November 2015 Life, the Universe and Everything

In 2013, I had the pleasure of meeting and photographing a charming extended family on a farm just south of town. It was truly one of the warmest, most fun days of portraits and play in the five years I’ve been in business, and since that warm summer day on the farm, I’m happy to […]

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In which she fights the urge to wrap her boys in bubble wrap

18 June 2015 Mothering without a licence

Help me navigate this one, oh wise and experienced bloggy peeps. I’m trying to be free-range relaxed, but my inner helicopter parent is screeching for control. As I’ve mentioned, we’ve signed Lucas up for soccer. He’s loving it and to my great surprise, so am I – so much so that I regret not caving […]

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In which she capitulates to being a soccer mom

1 June 2015 Mothering without a licence

We are not exactly, if you haven’t yet noticed, a sporty family. I’ve made great strides (pun intended) this year to lead a less sedentary life, though, and have been encouraging the boys to be as active as possible as well. So when Lucas expressed an interest in soccer for the second year in a […]

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Is fruit juice bad for kids?

19 May 2015 Eating and thinking and thinking about eating

This is timely. I was just thinking about writing a blog post about kids and their drink choices when I came across this article in the Ottawa Citizen about how fruit juice may be dropped from Canada’s food guide as a healthy choice. The article illustrates two sides of the argument: on one hand, fruit […]

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Our newest sponsor: Manotick School of Music

5 March 2015 Editorial asides

It is with great bloggy enthusiasm that I welcome our newest sponsor, the Manotick School of Music. We’ve had the boys enrolled in lessons at the Manotick School of Music for quite a few years now and I’ve always been pleased with the school and especially the wonderful teachers. Tristan took a couple of years […]

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How to host an at-home art themed birthday party for seven year old boys in five easy steps

7 February 2015 Lucas

For his birthday party this year, Lucas was insistent on an at-home party. Really, I asked. Are you SURE? I am always willing to throw money at an on-location party, partly so someone else will have to deal with the mess and the noise and the chaos, and party because I am just not the […]

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A new high in parenting lows: UK parents send invoice to child for not attending birthday party

19 January 2015 Mothering without a licence

I was all fired up to blog about this outrageous story about a Maryland family who were reported to police and eventually had child protective services threaten to take away their children for the egregious sin of letting their six and eight year olds walk a mile or so to a park unattended. But then […]

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An outright ban on toboganning – is that where we are headed?

6 January 2015 Mothering without a licence

Remember waaaaay back in 2007 when we had a great conversation about a proposed helmet law for toboggans? Here’s the next iteration of the bubble-wrap-your-kids movement: apparently some cities are banning tobogganing altogether. According to this article in the National Post, a ban on everyone’s favourite winter pastime is going viral across US cities. “Dubuque, […]

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Photo of the day: Halloween 2014 (and Tristan’s first foray into gourd carving)

1 November 2014 Ah, me boys

This year represented a pretty significant milestone for us. Like so many parenting milestones, it was begat not of careful thought and extended discourse, but by poor planning, chaotic lives and the lack of any other options. This is the year I let Tristan carve the pumpkins. Well, two of the pumpkins. I’d cut off […]

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