Bella’s Score: Good Rated: PG-13 Plot: Vivian, a shy teenager at Rockport High School, is personally drained from the sexism in her school. Inspired by her mother’s rebellious past and a confident new friend, she creates an anonymously published feminist magazine to lead a female revolution at her school. Bella’s Verdict: I adored this movie,…
I’m not going to mince words: I live with two fussbudgets. At least when it comes to food, that is. My son and husband are both very picky eaters, and while I wouldn’t say that my culinary tastes are super diverse, I beat the heck out of them in that department. When it comes to…
COVID Life Through the Eyes of a 14-Year-Old You adults are probably finding quarantine pretty rough – you have to find ways to entertain your kids, work has become more of a hassle, and you’re probably bored most of the day. I get it. But do you ever wonder what quarantine is like from a…
One of the major themes in my middle grade/young adult novel, The History of Hilary Hambrushina, is mother-daughter relationships. Like several of the other young characters, Hilary has a turbulent relationship with her mother. Writing this book has caused me to reflect on my own relationship with my mother and its evolution. With the exception…
My middle grade/young adult novel, The History of Hilary Hambrushina, deals in part with bullying at a junior high school and was inspired by my own experiences. Although I’ve often been teased, more or less good naturedly, for being different, I’ve experienced only two distinct periods of behaviour that I would define as bullying: persistent,…
I had all the signs of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) early on, but I had no idea what I was dealing with. Since I was a kid I worried, felt guilt, was overprotective, had my quirks, over-thunk things, and held on to superstitions. Nothing too bad, I just thought I was a worrier. Once I became…
Amid mounting evidence that mothers in the US have among the world’s highest levels of stress due to lack of post-natal and childcare support, the government has decided to step in. “We aren’t actually talking about free childcare, laundry assistance or post-natal counseling like in France,” said HHS official Chad Hunt. “That would be un-American.…
Over the years I have cleaned to pretty much every standard on the spectrum of house cleanliness, from my student days of dust bunnies the size of the Easter Bunny, to having my first child and sterilizing the entire house to laboratory standards. Our last house was for sale for a full year, thanks to…
If you’re a working mom like me, then I am not sure how much you are paying attention to popular culture. And if so – are you tracking the public feuds between musician artists? Do you even know what I’m talking about? Are you aware that Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have a very public…
Growing up with dyslexia wasn’t an issue for me. I’m the fortunate one. I escaped the stigma well into my teens and finally got diagnosed just prior to applying for a place at university. For this I am eternally thankful. I escaped the ‘stupid’ tag. Fast forward 30 to 40 years, and both the…
