My older son, Jake, turned 21 yesterday. When Jake was born, John’s boss gave us a bottle of vintage port to save for this day. Jake is studying far away, so we will have to wait until he is back home to uncork this beauty that has been gathering dust in our back basement for […]

When I met my husband-to-be at 23 we lived in separate apartments, at diagonal corners of a large park. I remember that giddy feeling of walking to his place late at night, excited about how the night might unfold. There was a kaleidoscope of butterflies dancing in my stomach.

I have a large extended family and we get along famously—for the most part. Unfortunately there are two male members who can’t stand each other. It is so bad that they have had to be physically restrained on more than one occasion. Left to their own devices they would tear each other limb-from-limb.

I read an article recently in The Good Men Project (a publication I also write for), titled “How to Achieve Happiness Despite Everyday Challenges,” by Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage.

When my boys left for university I tucked “launch letters” into their suitcases. While my job as hovering over-protective mother was finished, I felt I would be remiss if I did not impart invaluable maternal wisdom as they flew far away from the family nest.

A couple years ago, my son Micah had a jazz concert at The Rex on Queen Street West. He is an alto sax player, and was part of an ensemble. My sister Anita is a huge fan and came to watch him play. After the concert I thanked her for joining us.

Have you ever fantasized about cutting your partner up into tiny little pieces, and feeding him to sharks? Me neither. Except when my husband is sending me into orbit over differences in how we manage money. Then all bets are off.

Here is what took two decades of being in a heterosexual relationship to learn. Like many people, my husband: 1. Takes what I say at face value. 2. Is not able to read my mind. I wrote a thesis on gender differences in cognitive functioning back in the 80’s when I was doing a graduate […]

The very best thing about Christmas holidays is having my university-aged cubs back in the family den. The next very best thing about Christmas holidays is having my cubs’ friends around, many whom I’ve known since they were in diapers. They are now all sporting permanent dents from my mama bear hugs.

I was at a dinner party last weekend at the home of my friends Sharon and Frank. The food is always fabulous. This time our meal began with a delicate roasted cauliflower soup drizzled with a smoked cumin and coriander puree, and took off from there.