Where feminist motherhood meets expat life in Italy
Nomen-culture: the challenges of cross-cultural baby naming
Choosing a name for your baby can be one of the most fraught decisions in the run-up to parenthood. Not only do you have to come to an agreement with someone who may be bringing ...
Cagne, zoccole e troie: slut-shaming in Italy
I realize something must be said for linguistic subtleties, so that certain things may sound harsher to my ears than they’re perceived by native speakers. But it troubles me how easily “slut” and “whore” can ...
On deceptive appearances and silver linings
Although I have briefly alluded to some recent personal struggles, it occurred to me that it might appear to the outside world that I live a charmed life, that I “have it all.” After all, I live in ...
Reflecting on Florence
I recently had the great honour of being invited to share my favourite things about Florence for two different (and beautiful) travel-related sites: Design*Sponge and Let’s Get Lost. Coincidentally both of these projects came to fruition ...
The Liebster Blog Award: sharing the love
I’m pleased to announce that Maple Leaf Mamma has received a Liebster Blog Award! I’m very flattered to have been nominated by Jess at Buonasera Baby, a fellow Canadian mum in Italy who has a ...
Mother Art: a nursing mother by Leonardo Margiacchi
My new friend Alessandra Barucchieri, who is an incredibly talented photographer and a rocking feminist mum, has been the first and only reader so far to heed my call for mother art. She is also the only ...
Photoset: an unconventional Tuscan wedding
This past weekend we were invited to an Italian wedding in the mountains near Prato. I especially loved how non-traditional it was. The civil ceremony was held in the middle of a forest on ...
Florence Birth Story 5: Kate and Livia at Ponte a Niccheri
This on-going interview series shares the experiences of expat moms who have given birth in Florence. The aim is not only to tell their stories but also to provide pregnant foreign moms with an informational resource on ...
The stories we tell: making story-time feminist-friendly
I am not very good at playing. I so envy adults who get serious pleasure from throwing themselves into child’s play. I am very much my father’s daughter in this, which doesn’t mean I don’t ...
Bilingual toddler speak
This recent piece over at Huffington Post Parents, “The Ten Toddler Words That I’ll Miss Most” by John Kinnear, is right where we’re at with Peanut these days–that hilarious phase when carers are the only ...
Family Friendly Florence: where to change your baby in the centro storico
A friend of mine is returning to Florence for a visit soon and asked where she could change her new baby in the center. This is an especially good question now that the Prenatal store ...
Ich liebe Berlin
My Berlin Top Five 1. The gorgeous, velvety cloak of anonymity you walk around in. And, relatedly, how you can dress however you damn well please. 2. The contemporary art that seeps out of every ...
How I weaned my toddler
I’m a bit baffled over how I missed this excellent list of weaning techniques at KellyMom and am only reading them now, already a few days into “nursing liberation.” Especially since I’ve been reading lately on ...
O mammamia: five annoying things about motherhood in Italy
1. That the Madonna/whore complex was, in a manner of speaking, conceived here. 2. That there are no words for “gender neutral” in Italian. Just kidding. But not really. 3. That mothers get very little ...
La bella figura: body image, beauty, and street commentary in Italy
I’ve been thinking a lot about street harassment in Italy lately and I’ve come to believe that this issue, tied as it is to the very heart of the nation’s character, is far more complex and ...
December in Tuscany
blue milk inspired me to kick off 2013 with a photo post of what it looks like in and around Florence in December. It’s usually a lot milder than my native Toronto, Canada, but this ...
The glass half full: a personal 2012 countdown
Without going into detail, 2012 was a shitty year for me, especially the second half. But there’s nothing like being in a children’s hospital at Christmastime to call the cops on your pity party. So ...
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