“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” – Gustave Flaubert Some of the most meaningful memories of my life have been made while traveling. I studied abroad for a semester in Ghana during university, spent two summers doing research in Singapore, undertook my honours thesis research in Papua… {read more}
Parenting
How to Build Character while Playing with Young Children
When my first son became a toddler and started to play “make-believe” I realised how easy it was to use the language of virtues when playing with him. In my series Getting Started: Raising Kids with Character I am exploring some of the initial questions I had when beginning to incorporate character education into our family life plus questions I now hear from… {read more}
How to Teach Joyfulness to Young Children
I think it is so wonderful and empowering to remember that joyfulness is a virtue… we can actively choose to be joyful and practice joyfulness even when there are challenges we’re facing during our day. This is, of course, much easier said than done. When you are running late and everyone is still getting dressed,… {read more}
Dear Daughter: Don’t Rush
Dear Daughter, When I was a little girl, I remember my father saying that the time seemed to go faster the older he got. I never really understood it until you were born. These past few months have just flown by. I guess my life has become more and more busy – three kids, part-time… {read more}
How to Teach Gratitude to Young Children
As with any character trait, I think teaching kids about gratitude begins with us. When we see blessings in the everyday and try to remember what we have (versus what we want), our children will likely imitate us. You can read my thoughts about fostering gratitude throughout the journey of motherhood here and here. Starting conversations… {read more}
10 Facts about Baby Massage
When I had my first son I heard briefly about baby massage and gave it a try once or twice, but wasn’t quite sure how to go about it so I gave up. Because I kept hearing about the benefits of massage for babies, however, I decided to take a baby massage course when my second son… {read more}
Tips for Better School Holidays
Do you love school holidays? It’s awesome to spend more time with kids who are usually at school… but the change in the day-to-day schedule can sometimes feel a bit difficult as well (for adults and kids!). Routines are thrown out the window, the kids don’t see their friends every day, and mama has to go… {read more}
5 Ways to Ease Your Family’s Transition to Winter
A few years ago, I recognised that I tend to feel a bit down during the winter season. To me winter meant not wanting to get out of bed because I’m so cold… going out in the wind and rain… defrosting the car… dealing with colds and flu… shorter days… less sun… and I actually… {read more}
