Netflix subscription offers lesson in art of compromise | Toronto Star

When it comes to TV viewing habits, my husband and I are ready to file a separation agreement citing irreconcilable differences. With rotating custody of our Netflix account, of course. Case in point: a few weeks ago I was riveted by the 2004 BBC series North & South.

Love in the time of cheap carnations | Toronto Star

My husband takes the kids to the grocery store for a weekly stockpile. It's my least favourite chore, along with laundry, dishes, cooking, vacuuming and dusting. When they return, he hands me a small bunch of red carnations, the sort you pick up at the checkout for $5.

Rich harvest possible with deep roots of empathy | Toronto Star

My son's Grade 3 class is participating in a Roots of Empathy project. If you haven't heard of this before, it's pretty neat. Every month, a volunteer mother and baby visit a class. Over the course of the school year, the class watches the baby grow from an immobile infant to a baby who can roll, crawl, cruise and babble.

Remembering the details in the kaleidoscope of parenting | Toronto Star

My 10-year-old is writing his autobiography, a project for school. I guess it's never too early to start reflecting on your life. Like any good field researcher, he uses primary sources only. He corners me at the kitchen table just as I'm drinking my afternoon chai and reading the newspaper.