When you’re pregnant, you enter a nesting phase where you have a palpable need to get your house ready for the impending bundle of joy. Setting up a beautiful, functional room for the baby is top of mind, including cleaning, painting, and buying a lot of gear. My nesting right now is kitchen-related, as I seem to be getting ready …
Affordability one of shampoo bars’ ‘mane’ perks
As I age, there have been very few physical changes that make me feel more confident. COVID-19 stay at home measures further impacted my waistline, work attire, and hair. You may recall my article on the clothing mullet or #jammiesmullet. I also trimmed my own hair during quarantine. Luckily, I was able to resist the siren-like call from boredom telling …
Let’s be more prudent when pinning on hero medals
As our elementary and secondary schools are approaching the end of the school year, I appreciate that those who are graduating Grade 8 or high school are missing some rites of passage, but I think we need to be careful about the language we accord to their circumstances. Words matter. When I read the director of education’s May 26 message …
Tightening belt during pandemic doesn’t have to be painful
Perhaps you, like me, are in a household where the monies coming in have been reduced or cut off completely by COVID-19. Or perhaps you know someone in this position. If you’re facing a tighter belt, here are a few things I’ve done this week to save money. Before we get started, this is a great time to get a …
‘Hair’s’ hoping mighty mullet won’t make return
For many of us, quarantine and working from home looks quite similar. There’s a lot of eating, way too much screen time, and some lax grooming. My days are quickly blurring together where I: wake-up, eat, maybe shower, and then get dressed. Then I “attend” one or more video conferences, and I inevitably have to ask at least one person …
Sporting mask doesn’t have to be a pain
Mandatory masks in the Czech Republic reduced their infection rate. Austria ditto. Seven states in the United States have made masks mandatory for people in public places. In Canada, mask are only mandatory on airplanes, and are recommended on trains and boats. Why wouldn’t we make masks mandatory for everyone in Canada (or Ontario or at the very least locally) …
Tents are tolerable, but can’t beat cabin comfort
Given that summer vacation plans are up in the moist air at this time, it got me thinking about possible vacations for the fall. Anything out of the house would be a grand escape, but I keep reminiscing about my Thanksgiving last year, spent up at Pancake Bay Provincial Park, in its new, cute wood cabin. Instead of dealing with …
Homeschooling is no April Fool’s joke
I’ve seen people writing on social media that, with current school closures, perhaps parents will value teachers more and understand the issues that teachers are striking for. For all of us who are trying to keep our children learning while they are off school, this may indeed be correct, but we are in the minority, or so my teens are …
High school theatre helps students develop practical, life skills
My daughter recently finished her run in the Superior Heights Onstage’s production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I watch these community theatre productions through a bunch of different lenses including: educator, parent, and theatre lover. As a columnist I get to share my thoughts about all three lenses. I teach at the post-secondary level, so as an educator and …
Usury appears to be alive and well
I got a piece of direct mail last week for a service that purports itself to provide “affordable loan solutions.” It said I could apply easily at the branch, online, or by telephone. I could get $5,500 loan – today. I read the conditions on the back, and nowhere did it mention the interest rate for this “affordable” solution that …