Category Archives: Armchair Mayor News

Moments of Motherhood: Lessons learned

Posted in Armchair Mayor News, Column, Moments of Motherhood, Parenting by

This week’s Moments of Motherhood column is now up at the Armchair Mayor News and in it I talk about the lessons I’ve learned in parenting over the past year. You really do learn something new every day when you’re raising a toddler, and 2014 was no exception.

Here’s a snippet:

While we’re already a few days into a new year, it’s hard not to look back at the past year and remember what we may (or may not) have accomplished.

When raising a toddler, 365 days is an enormous length of time for growth and 2014 was certainly a year of growing, not just physically but mentally as well, both for my daughter and myself.

I hereby present to you a list of lessons learned in the past year while raising a toddler: 

You can brush their hair when it’s wet but if it’s dry, forget about it. Attempts to do so will result in screaming and flailing fits coupled with proclamations that they “don’t want to be beautiful.” [Continue reading …]

What lessons did you learn in the past year? (As a parent or not?)

Moments of Motherhood: On Christmas

Posted in Armchair Mayor News, Christmas, Column, Moments of Motherhood, Parenting by

For my last Moments of Motherhood column of 2014(!), I talk about how getting wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season can be exhausting, and how sometimes it’s just more important to simplify things and not try and do everything all at once.

Here’s a snippet:

Nothing brings the magic back into Christmas more than being able to celebrate with your kids. From rekindling your own personal childhood traditions to creating something exciting and new for your kids to carry on down the road, it’s easy to get lost in the Christmas spirit and ultimately end up exhausted and burnt out.

When my daughter’s first Christmas came around, I am 100% guilty of being the parent who wanted to “do it all” with her; I had a mile-long list of wintery things to do that I was just itching to start crossing things off of. 

From touring the town to check out Christmas light displays to visiting Santa at the mall to watching all the classic Christmas movies, I wanted to start creating those warm and fuzzy holiday memories right away. [continue reading…]

 

Moments of Motherhood: On growing up in a small town

Posted in Armchair Mayor News, Column, Life, Moments of Motherhood by

It’s no secret that I grew up in a small town. While I often longed for the opportunity to live in the city, I’m glad that my parents raised me where they did. There’s a lot a pros and cons to small town living vs. the big city, and in this week’s Moments of Motherhood column, I share my thoughts.

Here’s a snippet:

I grew up in a small town. With a population of around 1,800, it was your typical village; there were no stoplights, all is quiet after 6 p.m., and practically everyone knew your name, or at least who your parents were. It was hard to get into trouble, but I managed to do just that on a couple of occasions. Once high school graduation came and went, I up and left for the big city of Kamloops and never looked back. 

Okay, so the never looking back part may not be true. I still enjoy visiting my hometown, especially in the summer when everything is so green and growing. I don’t resent the size of the town where I grew up but when it comes to where I want to raise my own children, there’s a big Venn diagram of pros, cons and otherwise for both the city and the country. [continue reading…]