A Mouse’s Christmas Wisdom

 As published in The Richmond News, December 4^th 2009

My friends are always surprised to hear one of my favourite holiday traditions involves a mouse. It all started many years ago when my mother was walking the dog on Christmas Eve. She was on a forest trail in the local park when she saw a little brown mouse scurrying into the brambles.  “What a sweet little mouse,” she thought to herself. That afternoon, with a few scraps of felt and a little imagination, my mother stitched up a new family tradition. From that year forward, a little grey “Christmas Mouse” would appear under the tree every Christmas Eve. She would have a note in her paws, and it always began:

            Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house...

A Tall Mocha Frappuccino with a Shot of Confidence Please!

As published in The Richmond News, November 27^th 2009

Money. It’s a loaded topic for all of us. Especially when kids come on the scene, fighting about money is one of the top reasons couples divorce. I remember when my husband and I first moved to Vancouver how we had on-going fights about the fact he would get a daily cup of coffee from Starbucks.  I resented the fact that he was spending $20 to $30 dollars a week on coffees! In my books, as a non-coffee drinker, that’s about $1200 a year drank away with nothing to show for it! I nagged, pleaded and grumbled, but the issue remained a sore point between us.

Then one day I decide to get curious about what was so compelling about the Starbucks experience for him. My beloved explained how in the country where he grew up, he had heard about Starbucks but there weren’t any there at that time, so he’d never been to one. He had always dreamed of going to American as a child, and going to Starbucks made him really feel how he’d reached his goal. As he went in with his Starbucks card and spoke the fancy lingo, he felt like he’d made it and after years of being a student, he could revel in the fact he was finally earning a good wage...

ABC Reciting Baby Sparks Fears

As published in The Richmond News, November 13^th 2009

Back in July I sat in the sun at a picnic and watched another mother quiz her eighteen month old on his ABC’s. “He knows all his letters and can read some simple words”, she proudly shared as she made her son recite letters off a printed napkin. I felt a twinge of parental fear as I listened. My four year old doesn’t know all his letters yet. Is he learning enough? Maybe he will be left behind? But this precocious toddler looked so sad, and he sat there stoically, not engaging with any of the other children. What is he missing out on with all this focus on letters? And what’s the rush?

When I lived in Japan I was amazed to see teenagers still learning how to read. In countries like China or Japan, where one needs to know thousands of memorized characters just to be able to read a newspaper, learning to read really is a daunting task...

Let your kids make money mistakes

 As published in The Richmond News, November 4^th 2009

“It is a good price, Mommy, but do you think it is good quality?”  My six year old is standing in the dollar store holding a small plastic toy in his hands. His comments get raised eyebrows from the older woman in the stationary aisle but I am proud of his growing financial savvy. Money matters, and our kids...

Don’t get snared in the envy trap

As published in The Richmond News, October 23rd 2009

I have a confession to make. I have lawn envy. As everyone tidies up their yards for winter, my neighbour’s leaf-free green carpet grins at me and I hang my head in shame as I pull into our driveway. Our lawn is a mangy leaf-strewn weed patch. Her beautiful turf is even mown in a symmetrical pattern, with sleek diagonal rows that crisscross at measured angles and seem to speak of an elevated existence. On bad days I look longingly at the lawn care ads that come through the mail slot. Maybe I should spend hundreds of dollars a month to nurture a perfect lawn. Would I not feel like more of a woman, a better mother, or even a better person, if I too had a super yard?

It is not just lawns that have me seeing green. In fact, envy rears her ugly head on a daily basis. As I gaze at the polished top-rated mini vans in the school parking lot I start to feel uncomfortable in our dirty aging Subaru...

Parents are drowning in too many lifestyle choices

As published in The Richmond News, October 7^th 2009

On Monday I ran out of shampoo. No problem, I thought to myself. But when I walked into the store I was met by a full aisle of shampoo looming from floor to ceiling. Essential hydrating rinses that instantly detangle, fortifying shampoo with reinforced active fruit concentrate, colour therapy spray with honeyed pear serum… this was complicated!!!

After many minutes of agonizing over whether smoothing serum or the frizz control cream would do more to tame my mane, I still hadn't made my choice. I finally grabbed the nearest bottle and ran, almost late to pick up my son from preschool. So much for a relaxing morning...

Back to school is hard on parents too.

As published in The Richmond News, September 09 2009

It’s official. The kids are back in school and the new shiny lunch kits sitting on the kitchen counter won’t let me forget it. My sense of relief is tinged with sadness to see them go. Back to school can be tough on kids. Perhaps your little one clung to your pant legs like a limpet or your teen shuffled back home with downcast glare and nothing but a frown to say about his day.

But back to school is hard on parents too. If you are a parent you will know the situation. There I am down in the entrance way, shoes are not on small feet, lunches are not in backpacks, and I am not being the calm, caring mommy I want to be...

I have always loved to bake. So when my visiting brother brought home a bag full of fresh Richmond dyke trail blackberries, I immediately thought of pie. As I rolled out the crust, I reflected on all the other times I had made pies; first as a little girl helping by my mother’s side, later as a tentative

Today I bought blueberries. Not the fruit, but rather 20 bushes to plant in my back yard. We have a public path next to our home, and the city provides a wire fence. We don't need much screening as the path is rarely used,

I am intrigued by how habits weave the content of our lives. Writing regularily is a habit I have been wanting to embrace for some time. So here it is! The new Baby Steps Blog. This will be a space for me to explore and mull over ideas. I hope you will stop by from time to time and find something valueable.