It's hard to believe another Christmas has come and gone (though our holidays are not over yet!) Andrew is like a certified Christmas elf. He loves the hustle and bustle and has been proclaiming for months now that this year was going to be the B.C.E. (Best Christmas Ever). I don't know how we could actually measure that, as there have been some pretty amazing Christmases in our past, but this was certainly a good one! I entered into this holiday season with the highest of intentions to do less - buy less, worry less, spend less, stress less - and I think I've been mostly successful. We've be ..read more

I haven't been posting on my blog as often as I once had been - not for lack of inspiration, but more about trying to manage all of life's daily adventures. The way our life looks now is not a mistake. We were made for this. We have learned lessons and had struggles, but I am continually thankful for this little family of ours, and for the one person who's experience matches mine. I am proud of us. I don't know if we've quite figured out how to do it all well - it will be our life's goal - but we are working on finding a balance between letting it be hard and trusting that we can do it, k ..read more

On October 3rd, the Canadian Hard of Hearing Association - Newfoundland and Labrador (CHHA-NL) launched a brand new self-paced online learning course called Read Our Lips. Read Our Lips is an innovative social enterprise that will contribute to the programs and services of the CHHA-NL. Read Our Lips is the first of its kind in Canada and consists of online lessons that teach adults how to lipread by learning to identify and watch for important movements of the mouth, including the lips, jaws, teeth, and tongue. This technique is an important part of overall speech reading. The full Re ..read more

I am super excited about the launch of "Spark the Conversation" - a creative contest for students from K-12 in Newfoundland and Labrador to get them thinking about inclusion and accessibility. "Spark The Conversation” is a creative contest where young people are asked to draw or design a picture of how the concept of inclusion makes them FEEL. The hope is that these efforts will spark a broader conversation on how accessibility in the built environment benefits us all. Organized by the Universal Design Network Newfoundland and Labrador (UDNNL), in partnership with the Government of Newfoun ..read more

It's been a busy couple of weeks! We are officially two weeks into the new school year, and I am happy to say that things are going pretty darn well! The initial feelings are always the same for me - panic, worry, and wondering if we are going to make it through. The difference between Brennen's first school year and his eighth, however, is that the panic doesn't last as long. I know we will make it through this year because we've made it through the previous seven. Brennen is in Grade 8 this year, and I actually feel like I can finally exhale and let go of some of my own nerves about ..read more

On Labour Day weekend, Andrew and I were able to sneak out of town for a bit, trading the busyness of the city for some tranquility around the bay. We visited friends in Green's Harbour, where we were treated to the most gracious hospitality I think we have ever experienced. What a beautiful way to spend the last few days of the summer! I should have been a bayman. See the article below on the history of "making fish" in Newfoundland! "Hard Racket for a Living" — Making Light-Salted Fish on the East Coast of Newfoundland ..read more

As much as I hate to admit it, we are nearing the end of the summer. It just seems to go so fast, especially considering that the weather didn’t start to pick up for us here in Newfoundland until mid-July. While we have packed a lot into a few short weeks, there are still some things on my summer bucket list and a few key things I want to experience with Brennen before he goes back to school. One thing on our list this year was to make more time to read together, and I think we’ve done a good job of that! Brennen and I have been participating in the TD Summer Reading Club – Canada’s bi ..read more

There isn't much that beats the feeling you have after spending a long day outside with your family. Though it often takes a lot of planning to get us all out of the house, it is almost always worth it. Today was a beautiful day and we had no prior commitments, so we decided to meet my sister and her kiddos over at our parents' house to take a spin around the lake. Brennen was so relaxed in the heat, and our little girlie preferred to stay in the shade, but we made it work and had the best day! There were a few minor meltdowns, a little sunburn and a whole lot of back sweat, but there is noth ..read more

Summer is in full swing, and playgrounds all across the country are bustling with energetic youngsters, happy to have been released from the confines of classrooms and formal learning environments. These spaces are filled with endless possibilities for curious young minds and active explorers, but not all kids can play alike. Those with physical disabilities must often navigate a playground terrain not built with them in mind, leaving them with limited opportunities for exercise, socialization and outdoor play. As a parent of a child with a disability, I am all too familiar with the feel ..read more

Have you guys been to the Firewood Factory?! If you haven't, you must go! With the weather slowly creeping up to a summer-like temperature, Andrew and I were planning a little family backyard camp-out this weekend, but needed a little extra dry wood to get our fire going, so we thought it would be cool to take Brennen down to the woodlot and check out all that goes on there! The Firewood Factory is a local, family-run business, owned and operated by Luke and Kaylen Janes. All of their wood is sustainably sourced from harvesters in central Newfoundland, and is seasoned over several months to ..read more