1) Write it down! Keep a mini note pad and pen with you at ALL times. I know it sounds silly but there have been many times when I was standing over a poopy diaper or washing bottles when a great idea came to me. Then, just as easily it was gone because the next [...]

Yes, I know that Maternal Spark is barely a month old but staring at white text on black was making me blind. This new template is a bit easier on the eyes. I hope you like it as much as I do, it was tricky to get together. I know some things are still not [...]

Kristen and Julie are two moms behind PixieMist, a new store on Etsy.com which has seen higher than average sales in their first month. As accomplished seamstresses with over 14 years sewing experience between them, this duo creates a multitude of baby things like burp cloths and blankets. What caught my eye though was their [...]

Having a little version of myself crawling around has got me wondering what traits she will inherit from Mommy and Dada. Of course, one hopes their child will share some of their passions and a few of their interests. I can’t lie and say I wasn’t a bit sad to see little H’s disgust over [...]

I approached becoming a mother the way I approach everything in life. I jumped on the net and did some research. How moms in the pre-internet age managed I’ll never know. What with milk intolerances, babywearing, introducing solid foods, sleep training etc, etc, how did they know what to do? Little H is a touchy [...]

I’ve just finished two more flash pieces in my Emotion series. They were about empathy. I’m not the type to easily feel sorry for people so this was a bit of an eye opener and challenge for me. Up next I’m working on fear. The fiction piece will be much fun. I plan to write [...]

I just finished watching a documentary on National Geographic channel about body modification. The location was the West African state of Cameroon. Here, mothers and grandmothers of young girls whose breasts have emerged use large wooden staffs heated in the fire to iron the new breast tissue. It is an attempt to keep them looking [...]

Little H is nine months old now. Yesterday in fact. This means that my maternity leave is nearly over. For the non-Canadians, let me explain. Parents in Canada are entitled to one year of paid maternity leave as long as you contributed to the Employment Insurance fund during your previous employment (ie, you weren’t self [...]

Flash fiction is one of the forms of story telling that I absolutely adore. I love writing it, and, because it is short, it fits in with my schedule or lack thereof as of late. Right now I am working on a series of flash fiction pieces where the subject matter revolves around emotions. Empathy, [...]

Shortly after my bundle was brought home I was hit with a wave of creativity spawned by my very intense feelings of love and amazement for her. This is something I wrote during that period. It’s short and it’s a sort of poem. I’d never written a poem before so I’m not even really sure [...]