Janita Van De Velde

I don’t recall a lot about the days immediately following the birth of my first child. Even as I write this, my feelings are hard to retrieve, tucked away and hidden in a faraway place. My safe place. My,I-don’tpull- these-memories-out-to-fondly-embrace place. I don’t like to share my inadequacies or my fears — to hold these […] Read more

Prior to this miraculous occurrence, my husband and I had been discussing the merits of adding a third child to our family for some time — me being for, him being against. I’m from a farming community in Manitoba, heavily populated by Belgian Catholics. Translation: no one stopped at a couple of kids. In fact, […] Read more

Let me start by saying that I never gave this much thought prior to having children. Who does? As an adult, I’ve had to deal with my own bouts of incontinence but those usually ended with a solemn vow never to drink again. I’ll save those adventures for another story. So when it came time […] Read more

When I was young, going to church was a big deal. It meant that we got to dress up in our finest and leave the yard. Being raised on a farm in the middle of nowhere didn’t offer a vast array of entertainment, so Sunday morning was a real treat. When I study the rare […] Read more

For those of you who have children, you’ll understand the following dilemma: when one of your friends organizes a night out with the girls, your initial excitement of getting out of the house is immediately eclipsed by the sheer panic of making it happen. Is my husband around to watch the kids? Will I have […] Read more

Animals with massive fur pelts tend to thrive in, perhaps even enjoy, subarctic climates. However, if like me, you’re of a species not born with a rug of hair covering your entire body, then you may have a harder time embracing our Prairie winters. I attribute my distaste for cold weather to the following incident. […] Read more

When it comes to making lists, I’m a complete nut job; I’ve been known to leave a note to remind myself to “make a list.” There’s something slightly sadistic and deranged about that. Mock me. My husband does. In my quest to do it all, I’m delusional in believing that writing out a detailed list […] Read more

In anticipation of the holiday season, I herd my family outside, usually sometime in late fall, to partake in the annual torture I now call:attempting to capture a $*%@!#% family photo for our Christmas cards. There’s nothing quite like it to bring on the festive spirit. Last year’s attempt can best be summarized as follows: […] Read more

I had a sneaking suspicion I was slightly overweight. Granted, it was only three months after giving birth to my second child, but in my books, excuses are for wimps. I had just finished breast-feeding, so up until this point it’s not like I could deny my body the calories required to produce milk; the […] Read more