In my last column, I wrote about the importance of getting outside for mental and physical health reasons. I received many comments in agreement with the sentiment (though one allergy sufferer disagreed with me wholeheartedly). This week I thought I’d let you in on our family’s little outdoor secret: the joys of geocaching. Imagine an activity that wraps up exercise, …
Go outside and have fun
Ever wonder how you can improve your life? More and more the solution seems to point to one very easy and obvious solution”¦ get outdoors more. Yes, mother was right. Her answer to every problem was: “Go play outside.” Even though she probably just wanted my sister and I to take our bickering away from her, in retrospect, there was …
Warm up to acceptance — it makes winter easier to handle
It’s been a long, cold, snowy winter. With record snowfalls so early in November, some days it seemed like winter was here to stay forever. The first day of spring came and went, and while daytime highs rose, the melt was abated by night-time lows, and further stammered by more snowfall. In reviewing old photos, on the same day a …
Give a hoot about owl attacks
Did you hear about the owl attacks in early February? No? Neither did I, that is until last week. A neighbour down the road called me to tell me that he’d been in hospital and had heard that two independent people, in the same evening, had been admitted in the emergency department after being attacked by owls while skiing at …
Children’s birthday parties say so much
Throwing a successful children’s birthday party is no easy task. I try to execute a party that will make my child happy and will be a healthy, and hopefully a learning, experience for the guests. With a little extra upfront planning, this is possible. They say that kids spell love T-I-M-E and I am inclined to believe that. One friend …
Don’t risk safety for fear of offending stranger
A woman shows up at your door in the night and asks to use the telephone as she’s run out of gas. What do you do? Given two recent incidents like this in the Sault with dastardly results, we should all be thinking about what we would do to protect ourselves, our families, and our property. An ounce of prevention …
Forgiveness and New Year’s Resolutions
As we stand on a precipice of a New Year, it’s a moment to reflect on the past, plan for the future, and also to enjoy the present. I like the idea of New Year’s resolutions, because they give me pause to think about how I can be a better human being. (There’s nothing wrong with me, I’m perfectly imperfect, …
Purge, but save the landfill
With the year drawing to an end, there is a sentiment we often hear: “Out with the old and in with the new.” To me this sounds like the rallying cry for consumers everywhere, and it scares me a little, but regardless, at this time of year we find ourselves rearranging furniture to find room for the Christmas tree and …
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Wisdom from mom to children
Just over eleven years ago, I gave birth to an amazing baby girl. Her birthday is a gut-check for me as a parent and I’m never sure that I’ve said or done enough. I’ve penned this column, to her and her brother, as though it were my last, to really cut to the chase. Be yourself: originally you. You are …
Home is not belongings drop the s and it becomes clear
People say that “Home is where the heart is,” but I want to restate it to: “Home is where the fart is.” It’s a bit crude, but truthful. I got there after careful consideration and a greeting card-style poem. Home is a place: a physical structure that houses our belongings and lives. We look for a solid foundation to build …