When I was 15, I had a great summer job as a mother’s helper (similar to what the French call an au pair, or basically a glorified babysitter-cum-housekeeper). It was in a suburb of Boston with two well-behaved kids that I knew well. I also got to spend time with a group of kids I […]
expert advice
It Didn’t Even Sound Like Her
It certainly wasn’t the way I would have done it. I took an online course with a well-known author, who shared his writing process and how he had written three bestselling novels. Someone asked about how he revised: did he rewrite directly on the page, or use the first file as a template to then […]
I Don’t Regret It
There we were, at the art opening of a friend of a friend: abstract oil and acrylic on canvas, plus some random photographs, at a bona fide art gallery in downtown Toronto. (Please don’t ask me the name of the gallery. . . I was in university at the time, way too young to pay […]
How your mindset affects your diet
I love stories of people who “made it” later in life. For instance, did you know that Julia Child didn’t publish her first cookbook until she was 50? Laura Ingalls Wilder didn’t publish her first Little House book (which became the TV show Little House on the Prairie) until she was 65. Grandma Moses didn’t […]
Why Self-Care Doesn’t Work (and What To Do Instead)
Have you heard that self-care is essential if you want to really want to maintain optimum health and allow yourself the best chance of sticking with healthy habits–including eating a healthy diet? Well, I’ve heard the same thing. And while taking bubble baths or walks in nature are great, it seems to me that what […]
Lessons the bank taught me about sticking to your healthy diet
As I write this, much of the world is just heading into Stage 3 of the COVID-19 pandemic (if you’re reading this and don’t know what that is, lucky you! Just Google “2020: the lost year” or something like that). Where I live, just north of Toronto, Stage 3 means mandatory masks in all public […]
When a new set of eyes can help your perspective…
Sometimes, a different set of eyes can make all the difference. Have you ever had this experience? Think about the last report you wrote, or even the last essay in college. You’ve checked and re-checked the text, ensuring that everything is perfect. Yet, when your colleague or friend reads over the contents, they easily point […]
How to get your diet back on track
I was talking with a collegue the other day about our current grocery shopping habits. At the time of this writing, the COVID-19 pandemic is still in full swing (although many retailers and other services are beginning to open up again), so we were both still “sheltering at home” as much as possible. There were […]
How to stick with it when you don’t feel like it
You know it’s the best thing for you. You know that this will make you feel better. You know that your symptoms will remain under control. . . If only you stick to eating within your dietary restrictions. And yet. . . somehow, you keep eating foods that aren’t the best for you. Why is […]
The Comfort Cookie
[Need a cookie, like, now? This quick and easy Comfort Cookie serves one in minutes. And it’s still vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg free, soy-free, optionally nut-free and low glycemic. Suitable for stage 2 and beyond on an anti-candida diet.] Raise your hand if this sort of thing happens to you: you find yourself in […]