About Me

You say "Single Mom," I say "Solo Mom." The word "single" usually appears with "dating," "bar" and "mixer." "Solo," on the other hand, appears with "flight," "backpacking" and "Han." (Okay, that last one is not strictly relevant.) Parenting without a partner is quite the adventure and, like other solo adventures, it's a bit scarier to do alone. Sometimes it would be nice to have someone to share the adventure with, but mostly it's exciting to hike up the mountain, carrying all your gear, knowing that you did it by yourself. Having no one to share it with, well, it's a mixed blessing. You don't get to share that parental pride that sometimes fills you to bursting...but you don't have to share the sticky baby-kisses either.

I say Solo Momming is a fair bit like the regular kind of Momming. I pin their artwork up on the fridge and I referee fights about what Barbie should wear today. I snuggle my girls as often as possible, mindful of the fact that it's only a matter of time before they squirm away and say "Mom, you're embarrassing me!" And sometimes I hide in the bathroom to get a bit of peace and quiet.

You say "Lazy Mom," I say "Efficient Mom." In my world, it's all about having your priorities in order, and getting my whites whiter than white is never, ever going to be a priority. Helping my girls paste glitter to their artwork, that's a priority. And if some of that glitter falls to the sticky k kitchen floor? Well I might clean it tomorrow -- if we're not busy going to t the park. If everyone is healthy, then it doesn't matter that I'm not baking homemade bread and making salads from organic veggies grown in my garden. Jarred baby food and disposable diapers and the occasional Lunchables sent to school -- these things mean more time for singing along on the Spongebob karaoke machine. And that's a priority.

I am a proudly "efficient" Solo Mom who lives with her two girls in Ontario, Canada. Diva Girl is six and Lives Out Loud. Most of all, she likes to be The Boss. Zen Baby is two and she sometimes retains the Zen-like calm of her i infancy, but lately she has embraced toddlerhood with loud and crazy abandon.