I haven’t had cancer, but I wish I could be this centred if I did

I  accompanied my older son, Graydon, through childhood leukemia, from “phantom” aches and pains and emotional outbursts and the loss of his curly eyelashes, to the trips to the doctor and “weird” blood results, diagnosis, finally, at age 8 and then 30 months of unrelenting chemo, until he was 11, and when it was all [...]

Works for Me Wednesday: Brush those teeth!

After years, literally, of trying to get kids to brush their teeth—egg-timers that went ping, Days-of-Our-Lives like-sand-through-the-hourglass timers where the sand always got stuck, stopwatches, digital timers, bribes, threats, you name it, I have finally come late to the party of the singing toothbrush. Why didn’t I get here sooner??? I spent $12 to get [...]

Cancer DX anniversary; or, why this is always a weird day for me

December 17 is the anniversary of Graydon’s cancer diagnosis. On the weekend of December 14, 15 and 16 in 2001, we spent the weekend at home with Graydon with a printout of blood counts saying he had an ANC of close to zero, waiting for a fever and a race to the hospital. He didn’t [...]

Friday’s tribute to mom-to-be guest blogger Helen, good luck, here’s my first-birth story

This is who my first labour brought me: my beautiful Tessa. And this is the picture I took to the birth of my second child, Graydon, so I could concentrate on why I was labouring again. On Mom-to-be Tuesday, guest blogger and web editor Helen said buh-bye with her last post before she delivers her [...]

Caregiver fatigue, or, I’d like to reflect on this, but I’m too tired

Last night was the Light the Night walk for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), a five kilometre family-type event where all walkers carry illuminated helium-filled balloons to honour people affected by these cancers. Supporters carry red balloons, survivors carry white and gold balloons represent those who have died and whose family and friends honour [...]

Don’t run with scissors OR pencils!

Warning: Don’t Run with Pencils!! This is a cautionary tale, completely true and punctuated by REAL photos. This was in the CaringBridge blog of a fellow cancer mum friend of mine. CaringBridge sites are blogs for loved ones of sick folk to keep everyone update on their condition, battle, setbacks and great days. Holly wrote [...]

Mom blog: Because I Said So! Preparing the big ones for the hospital

Ha! I’ll bet a few of the mums checking in here think today’s title refers to the biggest boys in the house—the husbands, dads and lovers. While it is important to get them to their doctors (you remind them, you make the appointment, you remind them again), I’m talking about the bigger kids, in my [...]

Mom blog: Because I Said So! Friday at the ER

Is there any experience more central to parenting than spending the day in ER? Notice I said “the day” and not “two hours”? When I was a child, it seemed you fell out of a tree, you went to the hospital, you came home two hours later with a cast and an ice cream. Now, [...]

Mom blog: Going to urgent care

OOOOH, OOOOOOH, DAY THREE!!! Oh gosh, in my technicolour dream last night (I dream in full colour, loud sound, wall-to-wall in my skull every night) I had written everything I had. I had virtually emptied my brain into the computer, and