Category: Outlook
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Enough is enough: let’s give our children their lives back
One mother’s thoughts on COVID-19 policies and children My oldest son Tomislav was born nearly 12 weeks premature. It was a scary yet happy time; my husband was in the midst of his residency and we were so excited to become parents. We learned a lot about parenthood during those precious 65 days in the […]
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Wanderlust, discovery and a sense of identity: my thoughts on travelling to Croatia during the pandemic
Hans Christian Anderson once said that “to travel is to live.” I’ve been very fortunate to travel to many different places around the world since early childhood. The anticipation prior to boarding a flight is something that never gets old for me. But there is something special to be said when I go to Croatia […]
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Why the kids need a village: thoughts on reopening schools in ontario
Schools throughout Southwestern Ontario have remained closed since the Christmas break. The original plan was for students to return to in-person instruction on January 11, 2021. However, statistics from the Ministry of Health released just days before the return to school indicated a spike in cases as a result of “holiday gatherings,” (which in my […]
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It’s okay to cry: why it’s okay if you have to sometimes
One mother’s perspective on the challenges of raising spirited children and debriefing after a challenging situation Parenthood is full of ebbs and flows, and on this particular night, I was done. I walked away to a dark corner and needed that space to be alone. When I went down to the floor, so too did […]
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One mom’s perspective: igniting that spark in your children’s mind through reading
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”— Dr. Seuss from the book “I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!” I grew up in a humble, middle class home to Croatian immigrants in Windsor, Ontario. Both my parents worked in the auto industry. We grew […]
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Was it really a cruel summer? My recap of summer 2020
A parallel universe The summer of 2020 will go down in history as one of the most difficult summers our generation has ever had to endure. Typically, my family and I spend our summers in Croatia, however, we (regrettably) decided not to go due to the pandemic. As you may recall in earlier blog posts, […]
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How COVID-19 got to me: stress, fear, uncertainty and self-care during a global pandemic
Friday was the first day that I cried….a lot. I felt exhausted from homeschooling the kids, trying to get some work done as well as regular chores and I just couldn’t handle it anymore. I buried my head into a sea of tears and had to walk away into a different room in my home […]
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Quarantine and chill: What slowing down has taught me
We are now entering week three of self-isolation here in Ontario, Canada and I must say that despite all the insecurity and fear surrounding the pandemic, for the first time in a long time I feel peace. I feel peace away from the traffic. I feel peace in the neighbourhoods and in the streets. I […]
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Fear, resilience and hope: reflections as we enter an unknown world
Since the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 virus a pandemic, I was silent. I did not know how to process this information. A few of my close friends described this as a real-life “Contagion.” I am not a medical expert, but what I do know is that the worst here in Canada is yet […]
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The secret of happiness
“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” – Dalai Lama What is happiness? The past few years I’ve been on a journey to figure out what true happiness is. Over the course of 7 years I’ve went through some pretty big transitions from being me -> to wife -> […]
Stilettos and Espressos 