Tim and Olive's Blog
- Q&A with Tim Chan about Fatherhood[This is an interview I did with Dad of Divas about fatherhood. An earlier version of this interview was originally posted on his Dads in the Limelight series. I was the 351st dad that he has interviewed.] Read More
An Honest Letter to my Post-baby BodyDear post-baby body,
To everyone else in the world, you probably look pretty much the same as you did three years ago, before pregnancy and childbirth ran their course. But you’ve changed. We both know it. I didn’t mind the changes so much during the first year of motherhood when breastfeeding melted off the pounds and moved me up a bra size, but now that the baby is weaned and things are back to “normal,” it’s quite a different story.
You’re Looking for the Wrong Person to MarryAfter spending the last decade surrounded by people in their twenties, I’ve discovered the topic that occupies the majority of their thoughts is relationships. They think about how to find the right person to marry and they wonder whether the person they are dating is their soul mate.
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Learning to Put Family First (before Work)Many families I know live by the motto, “Family First.” Olive and I try to live by this principle as well. We believe that relationships are the most important thing in life, and of those, our relationship with God and family are the most valued. But what does that look like practically?
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One Good Reason to Have a Child“Give me one good reason to have a child,” two of my friends recently asked me on separate occasions. Each had been married for about two years and were now thinking about whether or not to start a family. They could come up with many reasons not to have kids: the cost, the declining condition of our planet, the total life upheaval and the loss of personal freedom among others. But they weren’t so sure about reasons for having a child.Read More
Live Amazed [Plus Win 1 of 5 Books!]Everyone loves to be amazed. They love being surprised by something that is awesome, breathtaking, inspiring… something that has a WOW-factor. That’s why people love travelling – going to see the Grand Canyon or the Eiffel Tower or the Great Wall of China. That’s why people love watching great movies with unexpected plot twists, amazing graphics, and moving performances. That’s why people enjoy watching reality TV talent shows or singing, dancing, cooking, home renovation competitions. We all love to be amazed.
Read More- Our Summer Plans
Hi everyone,
We thought we’d take a break from our regular blog posts today and write you a personal note.
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The Day I Realized I Was a Bigot“There are two types of friends: friends of the road and friends of the heart.” I heard someone refer to this African concept in a talk once and thought it was a very perceptive way of describing friendships. As I think about the friends in my own life, I would have to agree.
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How I Fought With My In-Laws (and Won)[This is an excerpt of our book, “Then Came The Baby“, about the time I fought with my in-laws shortly after Allie was born.]
Before Allie was one week old, I had a big fight with Olive’s parents. They were so angry they wanted to cancel Christmas.
Well, technically no one could cancel Christmas. But they wanted to cancel Christmas with us by changing their plane tickets to fly back to Toronto early.
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Dear Bride-to-be, It’s Not (Just) About You“It’s your big day, you deserve for it to be perfect – the way you’d always dreamed for it to be.” So goes the common sentiment when it comes to brides. This line of thinking might be good business for wedding magazines and bridal shows, but in reality, it’s untrue. If I could write a letter to all the women out there who are planning for their wedding day, here’s what I’d say:
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