My daughters are taking piano lessons this year for the first time.  We go every other week as our piano teacher lives an hour away (she is our good friend, the drive is very worth it).  Due to Covid restrictions, our lessons shifted to virtual piano lessons, and the Christmas concert was done virtually as well.  Short videos of each student playing their song were be collected, put together, and then released at a specific time so everyone could still attend the recital together - she even delivered cookies to everyone that day so we could still have recital treats!  Our teacher gave us instructions on how to film each student playing their song and she taught them how to introduce themselves and how to bow when they were done at a lesson that preceded the recording. However, we did not consider the background when we filmed them . . .

For my daughter to participate in her online classroom, I had to get her set up in Microsoft Teams.  I figured this would be no problem; I have used Office before, a piece of cake.  Except, I did this while multitasking, so I did not give this my full attention. After forgetting the password, I clicked the reset password option.  Up came the security questions and it all went downhill from there

We recently had to put our cat down.  My husband and I agreed that we would not be getting another cat.  I agree, but I still want one.  Our kids and I had been joking about potential names for a new cat.  While watching my husband’s favorite NHL team, we tried to sell my husband on the concept of a kitten by offering to name it after favorite players, the team mascot, or even part of the team name.  All were a no-go.  A few days later, we were having dinner, and during a quiet moment, this exchange happened . . .

July 13, 2020, is a date I’ll never forget. It was the early evening when I walked into the hospital for the last time to be at my mother’s bedside. I felt all of the emotions at this point– restless, exhausted, and, of course, devastated and scared that this was one of, if not the last night with my Mother. A few hours later, amidst the final hours of my Mom’s life, my Fitbit sent messages encouraging me to keep up the good work; I was in the right zone!

“I’m here live. I’m not a cat.”

Full disclosure - my parents are “those” people. The ones who things just happen to; some of it is self-inflicted, but some of it is just the roll of the dice. But they approach life with an ‘it’s us against the world attitude” that’s served them well.

My parents are remarkable really. At age 92 and 93, they still spend six months in Arizona, coming home to live the summer in a small town 70 kilometers from most services.

With the news of COVID-19 paralyzing the rest of the world, they were living in a bubble after their Canadian satellite system “stopped working” in February. We thought we had convinced them to come home before all hell broke loose. But they chose to wait a couple of weeks to save $200. In the face of a pandemic!

I was doing highway patrol and had stopped a vehicle.  I was checking the person’s license, etc., and dispatch called me on the radio and asked me if I was 50. Please note that when dispatch calls you, everyone in the area can hear the radio conversation. I responded (somewhat confused), “No, I am 51.” Dispatch came back again and said, “ We want to know if you are 50”  (i.e., Are unauthorized listeners present?) I responded,  “No!  I am not 50; I am 51.”  At this point, I am getting a bit annoyed, and I am still confused. By this time, there is a lot of laughter on the radio . . .

Because of COVID, I’m standing outside the lab in a long line; it’s about twenty people long and growing by the minute. The nurse from the lab comes out every ten minutes to ask the people at the front of the line the screening questions and the reason for our visit. It’s a brisk and quiet morning, and with the six-foot rule, the set-up is less than confidential (in fact, you’d have to be 300km away not to hear these exchanges).

Last Monday, I was grateful, frustrated, and finally amused. Grateful for emergency vet care but frustrated, it cost me $80 and half of my workday to learn that pine needles irritate a dog’s throat. When this happens, your dog will appear to be choking . . . Does This Shit Happen At Your House?

A parking lot, an ice patch, a purse and a seat belt. A common collection of items or recipe for disaster? Well, there’s a story on this blog about it, so chances are disaster it is!

Recent family photos have my family appearing coordinated, well put together and happy. Now, we are happy, but the story not told by the photo is that on any given day there is chaos brewing and/or raging at my house. So, in this post I share the “staged” family photos that we present to the world that make it appear as though we have our “shit” together and the real story that demonstrates that the photo is far from the truth

Kids are sneaky! Check out how this little guy outsmarts his parents using his sippy cup and an unusual water source!

We needed two step ladders, we experienced two minor injuries, we had two “tree down” drills and we needed to use our chainsaw – in the living room.  Nothing in 2020 has been “normal”.  Decorating our Christmas Tree was no exception.

An early freeze up, a sump pump that won’t cut out, an ill-placed deck and no back up. What could possibly go wrong?

we are talking about a family of six: Four humans (mom + dad + 9-year-old + 7 -year-old), one dog, one cat. Mom and Dad have jobs that see them working from home 80% of the time under normal circumstances, but the kids are usually at school or in daycare.  From time to time the kids have been home with their parents while they are working so being home while parents are working is not new to this family, but it has never been done for consecutive weeks before while the kids are supposed to be doing homework. This family is active and used to heading to after school and sport activities 3 days a week and having activities on the weekend.  Now, everyons is home.  All.  Day.