Loulou's views

My world turned upside down as soon as I become a mother. No matter how many books I read or how much advice I received from friends who were already parents, nothing prepared me for what I'd feel once my baby was placed in my arms. That love? Intense. My opinions, my views, my thoughts on everything shifted the day I became a mother. I became a mother, and with that came a world of new responsibility. The life I knew before—going out for drinks every night with my friends, getting my hair done at my leisure, spending hours at the bookstore, weekly dinners out with my husband, watching movies in a theatre once a week, frequent vacations to sunny destinations where the only thing I had to care about was how many bikinis I was brining with me—those days were behind me. A recent article written by a popular Canadian author was brought to my attention by Ali today and has caused some debate because the author left her 10 week old baby to go on vacation. I'm not a pers...

When high school came to an end, and my closest friends were going away to different universities around the world, we promised we'd stay in touch through letters until we'd see each other again. One of my closest friends moved to England, another friend went to Vancouver, and my best friend moved all the way to Australia. Checking the mail was suddenly worthwhile because now I'd be getting letters and cards addressed to me, on a regular basis. I'd read pages and pages about the new adventures my friends were experiencing at univeristy, like falling in love, boyfriend problems, and living alone in new cities. I'd write back, updating my friends on the status of my life and what was going on. I cherished those letters and still have them stored in a wooden box in my closet. Then the internet came along and changed the way we communicated forever. Letters were replaced with daily and frequent emails . The 4th floor at Carleton University had a computer lab t...

It feels like only yesterday I was listening to School's Out by Alice Cooper on the loud speakers at my son's school, as the doors opened, like right out of a movie,   with hundreds of students coming screaming and running out with excitement. You know, like that scene in Dazed and Confused? Only with little kids. How can it be that it's mid-August already? And why is it that the best season of all is the one that goes by in the blink of an eye? Why can't winter go by that quickly? Yes, I'm already hating on winter. Sigh. We've had a great summer. We swam almost every single day. We went to the park, we went on walks through the ravine, we visited Lac Philippe, we went to south Florida with my mom and swam in the warm ocean for a week at our favourite Westin Diplomat resort, my oldest son turned seven , he played soccer for the third year in a row, and I went to BlogHer in New York City . My family and I just got back from a great vacation to Toron...

Well, I'm back from my third BlogHer conference, and back from an incredible weekend in New York City. There is always so much to process after returning from BlogHer. And a lot of sleep to catch up on. And a lot of laundry to do. Like, days worth. But hey, it's all worth it! This was my third year attending BlogHer, and without a doubt, I'll be back next year for more. There is something about this conference that keeps me wanting more. There is never enough time to connect with all the people I love and am friends with, but it's just enough time so that when the conference is over, I realize how much I'm going to miss these fabulous 'online' friends I've gotten to know so well over the years. I  attended BlogHer 2012 so I could see my friends, have a great time, learn a thing or two, and make new memories. I didn't even venture into the Expo Hall this year and as worthwhile as it is for BlogHer and for m...

Seven years ago today, I become a mother. Seven years ago today, my life changed in ways I didn't even know were possible. Seven years ago today, we welcomed a perfectly gorgeous newborn baby boy into our lives. Seven years ago today, I inhaled the sweet smell of my baby boy, and vowed to be the best mother I could be. I haven't slept in seven years, but it's been worth it. All those sleepless nights, all the nights filled with worry? Worth it. One hundred percent. My seven year old is a fish in the water, and has skills in the pool that make me think perhaps being the mom of an Olympic athlete just might be possible. My darling first-born son is a very sensitive child and has a heart of gold. Sure, he's a mama boy, although not as much as his little brother is. My seven year old is best friends (in the whole wide world) with his father. The bond they share is a special one. My big boy, he's smart, beyond measure. I'm positive he has reach...