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Full Moon at the Bay – My Life With T
We celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary this weekend, halfway through our two-week visit to T’s grandparents in New Brunswick. It was peak full moon - sounds about right 🤣 - and we enjoyed a morning barefoot walk on sandbars during low tide. The breeze, cold salt water, soft sand and gentle waves were soothing. We…
Sarang Kitchen: A Restaurant For Minds of All Kinds – My Life With T
Delicious Korean fried chicken with a side of inclusiveness for neurodiverse people and dogs. That was the impressive, yummy and heartwarming experience we enjoyed at Sarang Kitchen, the first social enterprise and restaurant in Toronto that welcomes and employs neurodiverse people, including autistic individuals. I’ve been wanting to visit this place since it opened in…
“Every Day is a Blessing” – My Life With T
T snuck up on me while I was reading on the couch and with a mischievous grin, he said earnestly, “Every day is a miracle.” I still chuckle at this exchange and I also see the wisdom, intended or not, in his innocent words. Yesterday morning, I attended the funeral of a family friend and…
Exploring the Beauty of Lake Superior Provincial Park – My Life With T
For five years, I’ve thought about this beautiful drive through Lake Superior Provincial Park. This summer, we went back and explored. In 2020, we did an amazing roadtrip to Thunder Bay and I regretted that we only drove through Lake Superior; it was the middle stretch of a 14-hour return drive to Sudbury. 😝 This…
The Hours: Lessons from a Windswept Pine at Killbear – My Life With T
The windswept pine tree on sunset rocks at Killbear Provincial Park is beloved by visitors. Over 100 years old, standing on rocks over 2 billion years old, it has witnessed many untold moments. I’m thankful that we are a part of each others’ passage in time, from the hubby and my first visit before T…
Canada Day Fireworks in Timmins – My Life With T
We kicked off T’s summer with our annual family roadtrip and headed back to Northern Ontario. I planned this 7-day trip in April. As the days grew closer, the excitement was palatable in our home. On our first day, on Monday, we drove 4 hours from Toronto to Sudbury, making a pitstop at Killarney. We…
Building a Child’s Confidence – My Life With T
With less than a handful of days of school left, I’m leaving with one key takeaway: confidence is built and nurtured. T’s Grade 4 year flew by. Many things clicked this year. With his CYW’s continued support, T has grown academically, personally and socially. Even daycare staff have noted how far he has come. There…
Driving Mr. T – My Life With T
3,500+ car rides together. That was my best guess when I tried to quantify how many drives T and I have had in our 9 years as a family. We're celebrating our 10th Fathers Day today. Nine years flew by. One minute, the hubby and I were meeting him for the first time at his…
Cooking with T – My Life With T
Our 10-year-old got a taste of being a cook when he helped me make dinner and filmed it for a reel. Caregivers of neurodiverse children can attest that they can be very selective eaters, due to sensory sensitivities, such as smell or texture. I’ve learned to let go of worrying about what T eats or…
Teaching Kids Personal Life Management – My Life With T
My friends and I, now in our 40s, think fondly about a class that we took 30 years ago in Grade 9, which remains one of the most useful classes ever. "Personal Life Management," or PLM for short, covered practical life skills, including financial literacy, through reflective discussions, journaling and assignments. I thought about PLM…
When a Child Loses A Pet – My Life With T
Our sweet Lanaya unexpectedly left us this week, the first time T has experienced the loss of a pet. Lanaya was a wonderful part of our family for 10 years and for almost all of T’s life. She came into the hubby and my life on Canada Day 2015, when we adopted her and our…
Meeting a Karen – My Life With T
“Aren’t Karens mean?” T asked when I let him know we found him a tutor. It was not the first time he’s made such a comment. The other time was directly at a grocery cashier named Karen. Thankfully, in the case of his new academic support, she has been wonderful and kind so far. Finding…
It’s All in the Details – My Life With T
An important lesson that school teaches kids is that details and presentation matter; and they help move average towards excellent. Two weeks ago, we learned that T had to complete a diorama about a Canadian region of his choice and accompanied by a research report and presentation. My first thought was “What fresh hell is…
Candid Conversation: Frances Victory on Her Journey To Find A New You – My Life With T
I am often inspired by those who’ve gone through a journey of discovery and then use their experience to inform and inspire others on similar journeys. Frances Victory is a Life Coach, Speaker, Developmental Psychologist and Adjunct Assistant Professor. She completed her doctoral degree in Developmental Psychology at the City University of New York’s Graduate…
Lost in Translation – My Life With T
Learning a new language is hard. Having a laugh with it, intentional or not, makes it fun. Like other Grade 4 public school students, T started French class this year. It’s a good thing the hubby is fluent, so he can help T with the work, as needed. His CYW shared photos of T’s presentation…
This Grateful Heart – My Life With T
When chaos disrupts my peace, gratitude helps reframe my focus to face the challenges ahead. On our recent flight home from a wonderful family vacation in Mexico, T had a full-blown meltdown during boarding. The hubby had deleted his favourite game from the phone, which I had advised the hubby against giving to T beforehand.…
On the Edge of Saturday Night with Kylie Minogue – My Life With T
An ice storm couldn’t keep us away from a night 16 years in the waiting with pop queen Kylie Minogue. The Australian icon brought her Tension Tour to North America, with her first stop at Toronto’s Scotiabank Centre on March 29. The weather was miserable; freezing rain and ice storms further north of the city.…
The Deadly Walk – My Life With T
Writing helps me process my world. Reading T’s school writing work, I see he might’ve done the same. As an ice storm descended in our city, I settled into my Friday evening and noticed an artwork that T had created in his school folder. Upon closer inspection, it was an image of what looked like…
Another Lap Around the Sun – My Life With T
I celebrated my 44th birthday weekend with my two favourite guys on a rare Saturday night out at a glow-in-the-dark trampoline park. We piggybacked on one of T’s peers’ birthday party. It started at 8:30 when I am usually getting ready for bed. 😂 I enjoyed sitting on a couch watching T have a blast.…
March Break in Mexico – My Life With T
For March Break last week, our family returned to Cancun, Mexico and had a blast. The week leading up to the trip, T’s excitement was palatable. On the Friday before the break, I picked T up from school at lunch, to let him relax in the afternoon, as we had to get up at 2…
The Exceptional Caregivers Life – My Life With T
I’m excited to share that a podcast I worked on has launched! The Exceptional Caregivers Life features real and compassionate conversations about the highs and lows of caring for individuals with disabilities and complex needs. Created by Surrey Place’s Family Advisory Council and hosted by members Liz Phipps and Wendy Robertson, our podcast features stories of…
Awards Season – My Life With T
We all need recognition sometimes, as it boosts confidence, motivation and self esteem. It’s Sunday night and T is taking a bath while I’m relaxing with the Oscars. They just handed the first award to Kieran Culkin for Supporting Actor and he gave a joyful speech. Oscars night has changed since my 20s when friends…
Full STEAM Ahead: Nurturing Creativity and Curiosity in Neurodiverse Kids – My Life With T
It turns out our sweet T has burgeoning skills other than driving me batshit crazy. I say this with love and fondness. 😇 I recently watched the documentary “I’m Tim,” about the rise and tragic loss of EDM artist Avicii, whose upbeat music T and I enjoy. It struck me how supportive his parents were…
At Age 10, We Threw Our Son his First Birthday Party – My Life With T
Our little guy is 10! 10, double digits, how is this possible?! It was just yesterday that he was learning to walk, we had just started potty training and I was counting with one hand the number of words he could say. T had his first-ever birthday party on Saturday at Skyzone Trampoline Park. I’ve…
Lean on Me – My Life With T
Who we lean on during the hard times. That is the definition of family. A few days after T’s birthday party, I got quite sick. Fever over 40 and after a day sitting in Emergency, I was prescribed antibiotics for pneumonia. Yes, twice in less than two years. Fun! During the four days I was…
Cooking for the Soul: Thirds – My Life With T
2025 is the year of lean. This includes leaning into activities that bring me joy and comfort, like cooking. The hubby and I also want to be leaner with our food expenses. While we are budget conscious, we can do better at eating out less and getting Uber Eats takeout, which we do out of…
His First Real Sleepover – My Life With T
A weekend in December gave T his first taste of a beloved childhood tradition. As a parent, I wish for T to enjoy all the common childhood experiences, such as camping, birthdays and sleepovers. He had his first “sleepover” two summers ago at his grandparents’ cottage. He slept in a tent outside with his Aunt…
Window to His Soul – My Life With T
Art is healing, inspiring, a form of self expression and for caregivers, a glimpse inside their children’s thoughts. Before Christmas break, T’s teacher sent home his fall school work, which included his journal. This past week, I started reading his daily journal entries and they are a delight. I remember my very first journal, a…
Finding A Big Brother Mentor for Our Neurodiverse Son – My Life With T
This is a tale in two parts and one tail. One of our goals for this school year is to help T build positive peer and social relationships. These are often cited as challenges for individuals with FASD for reasons that include dysmaturity, regulation and impulsivity. As kids with FASD get older, research has shown…
Visiting the Real Life Schitt’s Creek – My Life With T
We kicked off 2025 with a daytrip to the real-life Rosebud Motel from Schitt’s Creek, located in Orangeville, an hour drive from Toronto. The drive was relaxing. The highway and roads were quiet and there was light snow further north. Schitt’s Creek is a beloved Emmy-winning Canadian comedy series that ran from 2015 to 2020.…
You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile – My Life With T
Christmas was full of relaxation and melancholy. We kept plans to a minimum - family dinner on Christmas Eve and dinner with friends tonight - and otherwise, lazy days at home. On Christmas, I opened my eyes at 7 am and T’s head was poking through our door like a ferret. I quickly shut my…
Lazy Weekend – My Life With T
I’m on staycaytion the next two weeks and my goal to do nothing got off to a wonderful lazy start. I stayed in PJs all weekend and binged Abbott Elementary - hilarious and highly recommended. I told T he’s going to daycare during the break and he better not screw me over by getting sick…
The Scarecrow – My Life With T
What are the urban legends we tell to keep people in line? On a recent Sunday grocery run with T, as I parked the car, he said, “There’s an owl on the roof.” I love that T notices things that we normally miss. There indeed was an owl on the roof of the supermarket, pictured…
Hide and Seek – My Life With T
We’re wired for connection and time with people can be healing and open our minds. I was delighted to be invited back to The Heart of the Matter podcast to speak with Wynne Leon and Vicki Atkinson about finding community. Connecting with Wynne and Vicki is always a joy. Our chat reminded me about recent…
Miss Americana, Taylor Swift – My Life With T
T and I celebrated the hubby’s birthday with a night out at Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated Eras Tour show in Toronto. We had purchased the tickets, nosebleed seats, last Fall and were lucky to get them at face value. The hubby’s sister visited us for his birthday week and it was nice they got to…
Win as a Team – My Life With T
Watching our 9-year-old T enjoy soccer lessons reminds me of why we work as a team. T is halfway through his first round of lessons and it’s been a fun Sunday morning family routine. The hubby and I signed our soccer fan up for these free lessons offered at a City-run recreation centre to help…
The Simple Life: Exploring Village Historique Acadien in New Brunswick – My Life With T
Less is more. Tight knit community connections. Want not, waste not. These were thoughts that came to mind when we stepped back in time during a visit to the Acadian Village in New Brunswick in August. Le Village Historique Acadien is an historical reconstruction that portrays the way of life of Acadians between 1770 and 1949.…
Story of My Life – My Life With T
I made it home just in time for a special unexpected bedtime routine with T. With thanks to the hubby, I had a rare weeknight out to support colleagues at an event. As I texted the hubby on the subway ride home, he let me know it was a rougher night; T was very disregulated…
Running for Life: “I’m Not a Quitter” – My Life With T
Thanksgiving is quieter and simpler this year. Two years ago, I hosted dinner for Ma and my sister; the latter had just moved in with us after receiving her terminal cancer diagnosis. Last year, Ma was at the Philippines for an extended visit and I don’t remember if we even did anything for Thanksgiving. So…
Sports as Social Medicine for Neurodiverse Kids – My Life With T
On the last Sunday morning of September, T woke up excited for his first soccer lesson. T loves soccer and his CYW suggested enrolling him into lessons. Sports is often therapeutic for neurodiverse kids, like T who has FASD and ADHD, to help burn off energy and to regulate their mood. I also see social…