Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Festively Crazy Edition

Do you have a Buy Nothing group in your neighbourhood? I do, and it’s really a great thing: people post items that they want to get rid of, and also items – and sometimes acts of service – that they need. I have been able to re-home many items from my house in this way, […]

Everything Is Fine; Thirty-Eight Weeks In

The first week of at-home schooling has been fine. So much better – oh my god, SO MUCH – than in the spring. For one thing, we finally bought my older son a laptop – my younger son has had one since seventh grade – and that right there was worth the price, times one […]

Lockdown, Redux; Thirty-Seven Weeks In

Double Up The D I am a person who feels very strongly about the benefits of various vitamins and dietary supplements, and if you are a person who, like my dad, thinks that AT BEST such items are useless and a waste of money, not to worry. I am not going to try to sway […]

Nicole’s Favourite Things: The November Joys Edition

Usually at this time of year, my calendar is very full with so many social events; every weekend from now until Christmas would have at least one party, dinner, or cocktail event. I would usually be busy figuring out menus and buying ingredients and packaging up dozens of homemade goodie bags for my various yoga […]

19th Nervous Breakdown (in the grocery store); Thirty-Five Weeks In

The province announced what I am going to call a very mini-shutdown on Friday the 13th, and it called to mind the last Friday the 13th, eight months ago, when the very mini-shutdown led to the total big shutdown. It’s enough to make a person turn superstitious. I’ve been oscillating between despair that a mini-shutdown […]

The Return of Tiny Secret Festive Season; Thirty-Four Weeks In

Last Thursday, in a single adrenaline-fuelled afternoon, I finished my Christmas shopping. I do most of my shopping online, but there are always a few things that I want to physically look at, hence last Thursday’s trip to the mall. The mall, you guys. The mall. One thing I will say about the mall is […]

Halloween and Blue Moon Rising; Thirty-Three Weeks In

There was a war going on in our neighbourhood and my husband declared himself the winner. So how was your Halloween? We had about 25 Trick or Treaters, which was a great number for our street. Our neighbours told me that they each had about six, and so I think kids were only going to […]