'Tis the season, I suppose. With my daughter having started JK this year, I expected the odd virus, but not to this degree! Yes, many a parent had warned me that the first year was filled with plenty of trips to the pediatrician and I half expected it. This, however, is bordering on the ridiculous! Last week, we recovered from a nasty bout of stomach flu. We didn't take it too well in light of all the media coverage about the listeriosis outbreak. We wracked out brains trying to figure out... Read Full Story

And really, should we be blamed for being hysterically paranoid about the tainted meat recall from Maple Leaf Foods? Since the "scandal" broke out in the news, I have been wracking my brain to recall whether my family has consumed any of the recalled & voluntary recalled products. The only thing I can think of is a pizza luncheon that was part of a summer-fun rewards program at work. Did I eat the pepperoni pizza? Oh dear. At the slightest hint of nausea last night...and other... Read Full Story

It's more like "starting school for the first time blues". This is the day I've been dreading for just over four years - the day my baby girl goes to junior kindergarten. My heart breaks just thinking of it! Oh yes, I hear you hollering at me to get a grip & keep it together. Hah! Easier said than done, my friend. How can I possible get a grip when I've always kept my children perfectly coddled in my little cocoon? How in the world am I supposed to drop her off & say goodbye without a... Read Full Story

It's perfect...well, at least according to me & my dad. He's put in an order for rum cake for his 70th birthday. Honoured? Hell yeah, baby! Who knows, I may even open up a rum-cake kiosk. Okay, that's pushing it. So, a promise is a promise. I agreed to post my rum cake recipe when I felt it was good enough to post & here I am. Before I begin, I'd like to preface it by informing you that it's time-consuming & ever-so-slightly nerve wracking. But please don't let that discourage you... Read Full Story

Let me tell you how much I love this time of year... I LOVE IT! I love love love those juicy, fragrant little specimens we've come to know as strawberries. MMmmmmm strawberries - fragole - fresas - erdbeeren - morangos - Doesn't matter how you say it, they're sooooo yummy. I've always made it a point to go strawberry picking toward the last week of June. Even as a teen, when most were way too cool to pick fruit out in the country, I'd put together a yearly excursion. More often than not... Read Full Story

How proud am I of my rum cake? From the top of my head to the tips of my toes, I still tingle when I think of my rum cake. When I get an idea stuck in my head, there's no shaking it. My idea was to make an old-school Italian cake. Chalk it up to a nostalgic feeling anytime a celebration rolls around. We had some rum cake at my brother-in-law's graduation. It was okay. So-so. It wasn't mind-blowing. Just "meh". Somehow, rum cake in the 70's & 80's always tasted divine and I decided to make... Read Full Story

Those schoolgirl days, of telling tales and biting nails are gone, But in my mind, I know they will still live on and on, But how do you thank someone, who has taken you from crayons to perfume? It isn't easy, but I'll try... (Lulu) It is only fitting to dedicate this blog to teachers, what with today & tomorrow being the last day of school for most students. For some, it means the last step in their formal education. And though there's so much to say about the last day of school, I... Read Full Story

How can I possibly express my disappointment? HOW!?!? There we sat - friends from waaaay waaaay back, crying and laughing. We had been planning this "movie event" for a month. My husband was watching our kids. My friends had made arrangements for their children and husbands. WE WERE READY FOR SEX IN THE CITY! Wooooo hooooooo! Sex And The City is more a bonding experience between friends than it is a movie going experience. Most women would agree with this statement. So there we sat, having... Read Full Story

It's not every day that your children tell you they want to marry you once they grow up. It's sweet & unsettling all at the same time. As we drove to the grocery store for sushi (yes, my children eat California rolls - no avocado for the girl - extra avocado for the boy!), my daughter professed her love for me & my husband, assuring us that she will marry us once she's older. My son, not one to be left out, piped in with a big "ME TOO, MOMMY! I MARRY YOU & DADDY TOO, OKAY?". Hmmmmm... Read Full Story

It's that time of year again! Time to battle the crowds, wait in endless line-ups, pay five dollars for a bottle of water, and try darn hard to scrub Scooby Doo off my hand before heading in to work the next day. Yes, my friends, Wonderland is officially open for business. I love love love Wonderland. I've been through those gates countless times, and yet, I still get a rush when I get past security & into the park. Perhaps it's just the amusement park atmosphere in general...or the... Read Full Story