Tim and Olive's Blog

Thoughtful marriage, parenting, and life.
  • Happy Nappy Cloth Diapers Happy Nappy Diaper Service, Review After 7 Months
    It’s been 7 months since we started using Happy Nappy Cloth Diaper Service and I thought it would be a good time to write another review.  I did an initial review of the pre-birth starter package, and another review two months in.  But I’ve had some people ask me more recently if we’re still happy with their service.  In summary, we are.  [Update: As of Feb 2013, in the Vancouver Lower Mainland, this diaper service company is now called Happy Baby Cheeks. There is no more Happy Nappy in Vancouver. Most of the below still applies but there have been some changes. Read their review here.] Read More
  • 3 words I deleted from my vocab Three Words I Deleted from my Vocabulary

    In my Olive-dictionary, there are three words I no longer want to use.  I’m trying to delete them from my vocabulary.  I want to x them out.  They’ve proven to be toxic so I am doing my best to erase them from my thinking.

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  • guest post with us You are Invited to Write for our Blog

    This is an invitation for you to write for our blog! Olive and I are starting a Guest Post series entitled “What I Learned. We want to give people the opportunity to tell their personal stories about lessons they have learned about relationships, in hopes of helping us all grow and cherish the relationships that matter the most to us.

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  • A Warning to Single Men about Marriage and Parenting

    Dear Single Men,

    I am writing this letter to warn you about marriage and parenting. I used to be single, and now I’m married with a baby. Life is very different.

    VERY different.

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  • stop looking for mature men How to Find a Mature Man

    “I can’t find any mature men to date.” All too often, this is what I hear from women – especially Christian women.  They bemoan the fact that every man they know is not mature enough (or the mature ones are all taken).  Well, here’s what I think: the mature man is difficult to find because the mature man is a myth.  He does not exist.

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  • in-laws visit grandchild The Best Thing about the In-Laws Visiting

    My parents-in-law are in town from Toronto, visiting us for 10 days. It’s great to have them with us because we only see them once or twice a year (not counting Skype video calls). Do you know the best thing about them being here?

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  • blogging 10 Years Blogging and Counting

    Today marks 10 years of me being a blogger.  I find it hard to believe.  I have changed a lot in this decade – and my writing has changed with me.  All this time, I’ve kept a general life blog.  Then, when I burned out, I added a second blog focused on my burnout recovery journey (“Pardon My Dust, Please“). And for a while, kept a third blog documenting my pregnancy with Alena (“Introducing CHANnel 3”, now found under the “Family” category starting with this post).  I could never have predicted that today, my writing would all be migrated to this site, which I share with Tim!

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  • Happy First Father’s Day, Tim!

    Dear Tim,

    Last year for Father’s Day, I gave you a book called, “So You’re Gonna Be A Dad.” It was an attempt to help you prepare for one of the biggest life changes you’d ever face.

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  • Door Art Door Art in your Home

    Over the years, Olive has brightened up her home with door art. Door Art? What’s door art? Well, it’s art on the garage doors and art on the doors inside her home. And the theme was frogs. Why frogs? Because Olive’s dad loves frogs. Why? It’s because he loves the acronym of F.R.O.G. – Fully Rely On God.

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  • Goodbye home (Change is Bittersweet)

    [I wrote this post on Saturday morning, right before we moved out of our apartment.]

    It’s 8am.

    My wife and daughter are sleeping.

    There are boxes piled up everywhere in our apartment.

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