The lights are on again tonight. They burn, soft glowing light inside our house, as is the usual way, of course. When darkness comes, lamps are lit. But our lights -- they are different. They speak of comfort, of home. When the lights come alive, something happens here inside our...

Sometimes one just needs to start where they are.

A few years ago, I was dealing with some mysterious health issues. I was having trouble with my stomach. Having trouble with my skin. My respiratory system. My mental health. I was having trouble, and thus feeling in general like I...

I just finished reading two blog posts on the matter of being a teenaged girl, and all that this entails. Matters concerning image and reputation and sexuality.

My own response is forthcoming. But first things first.

In light of the two opposing perspectives I hold...

I was asked recently whether having children with learning disabilities as wholly included members of a regular classroom environment, detracts in any way from the learning of other mainstream children in the room. That is, whether or not it detracts from the education of those without disabilities.

Normally these kinds...

She fills up a bucket with warm water, bubbles rising to the surface. And she carries it back to her classroom where she will then take tubs full of toys off the shelf and painstakingly wash out these containers, soiled from a previous year's group of children.

These toys...

Some otherwise rational and intelligent people that I know are erroneously suggesting that autumn, with its return to school and routine, is the MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR. These good people are sadly mistaken. Fall's not that awesome. It's not as rad as summer by any stretch of the...

There are two times a year when P.E.I. teachers feel like celebrities. Once during the Annual Provincial Teacher's Convention when rubbing shoulders with various Muckety-Mucks from across the continent at the famed Delta Prince Edward hotel. Two glorious days to sit (and yes, learn) while relaxing on thinly cushioned chairs,...

Since all the blogging world is in a tailspin over Miley Cyrus and her antics on MTV's VMAs, antics which have incidentally been the talk of the town (if you consider Facebook to be a town), it might be a great time to shift the focus away from...

Last week, I went away on a six-day excursion, some of which was spent without the company of Husband. Which is to say, I took the two youngest and flew the coop. I left with the understanding that Husband might do a few "projects" while I was gone. Which is...

This is not about lowering standards, convictions or expectations that I have made for myself. It is about lowering the expectations I have placed on others. And in the process, allowing people to be the marvelous and wonderful creation they were meant to be.

Not long ago, I was at...

So...let's talk about one of the best kept secrets that the parenting advice books will never touch on in their slick columns, and that is the art of pulling "the casserole card."

One of the greatest weapons in my arsenal of combat tactics, tricks and other such knick-knacks is this...

My son is celebrating his thirteenth birthday this month. I can hear him up in his room right now playing Risk with two of his cousins. And my heart vacillates between swelling with love and sighing with relief. The former is the obvious one- the latter is due to the...

On those days you are having a bad day take comfort. There is always someone else having one just a wee bit worse than you.

Humor me for a moment as I prove my point.

When I left the house early this morning, there was some leftover pizza in...

I realized something today as I silently watched from that safe distance afforded one when the other is unaware. I watched as my husband tickled our daughter, her infectious giggles urging him to do more of the same. And as I watched, I knew for sure what I'd never known...

I am clearly in no shape to write glowingly or positively about camping, having come through a partial emergency root canal the afternoon we checked out from our campsite. The pain meds are certainly doing most of the talking, people. But let me say, toothache aside: I swear, everything you...

When I was about nine years old, a beloved aunt on my mother's side was involved in a serious, life-altering car accident. The accident left her severely brain-damaged and wheel-chair bound, a condition in which she will remain for the rest of her life. Unable to speak or communicate clearly...

There are endless ways in which to be awesome. Endless books, videos, and articles written on the subject. What an awe-inspiring topic on which to reflect. Or rather, on which to gloat. Awesome-ness. Because when you've got it -- you've got it, baby. And...

I can feel the stress creeping up my back, into my shoulders, and down my spine.

Everywhere I turn, I hear what seem to be hundreds of little voices calling me. Calling me to "come" and "look!," to intervene and facilitate, to watch and guide. Happy voices. Tattling voices. Whining...

A recent tweet caused me to reflectively ponder my parenting skills (or lack thereof), and to ask myself: What evidence is there to prove my adequacy for this profound responsibility we call parenting?

True. I know I am a dedicated mother and parent to our four vivacious...

The P.E.I. Department of Education has made a recommendation to the province to "up" the number of days for teacher professional development. This means that teachers in my province will be given more days during the school calendar year than in times prior, during which they will engage in learning...