Lisa Kadane
I am a Western Canada-based writer with broad interests. I used to travel and ski a lot with my husband, and write about our adventures, but then we had kids. We have two special children and one of them has special needs. I now balance parenting with writing assignments that range from family travel and tequila cocktails to more in-depth pieces on fundraising for a new playground for my daughter’s school, or coming to terms with my son’s disability, for example.
After spending seven years as a lifestyle reporter at the Calgary Herald, I embraced the freelance writing world in 2011. I am a regular contributor to WestJet Magazine, Today’s Parent, Best Health, Avenue, Summit Magazine and online at Snowseekers.ca. My work has recently appeared in the Globe and Mail, Western Living, Ultimate Family Vacations, Walmart Live Better, YLW Connect and Toque and Canoe. I also write the Thirsty Doctor and Thirsty Dentist columns in Just for Canadian Doctors and Just for Canadian Dentists magazines.
Life can get a little crazy trying to juggle kids’ schedules, regular date nights with my husband, household chores and deadlines. Not to mention finding time to dream the big dreams (the next escape from the kids to travel or ski somewhere cool).
This blog is about all the stuff a busy, wanderlust-filled mom thinks about, but doesn’t necessarily share with the world. I’ll tackle parenting issues and mis-steps, cool places and pursuits near and far, and my #TGIF Drink of the Week. Over the years I’ve found that the right balance of Drink – Play – Love keeps me sane. I hope you’ll agree.
E-mail me at lisa.kadane@shaw.ca. I’d love to hear from you!
Drink - Play - Love 
With a grandson with autism, I can certainly relate. Nice to hear of other Calgary folk dealing with this issue.
Hi Lisa,
Read your article in Swerve magazine. thank you for sharing as I have a boy in pre school in renfrew who has been diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Lucas has also seen drastic improvement since going there.
We deal with some social difficulties with him and some speech delay but the big thing for us is Lucas is 4 and turning 5 and he has not eaten solid food yet. His sensory radar doesn’t allow him to put solids in his mouth without gagging. He is literally scared of chewing real food. Thanks to Renfrew they have got us in touch with FSCD and we hope to hear soon about getting in house help to deal with the eating. Eating is such a social thing that he does not take in as we have to blend and mash finely all his food. So he doesn’t partake in cake at parties of family events, or hot dogs or pop. I guess the positive is that he has not had one lick of junk food in all his life.
Again thanks for sharing and I wish the best for you and your family going forwards.
Regards
Jason Dodd
Loved your piece “Food Fight” in Today’s Parent. As a mother of twins who are acute anaphylactic to peanut & tree nuts, I find managing their allergy a constant struggle. They attend a school that allows peanuts butter, etc. at first this was a big conundrum until I took the approach, that my girls will have to self advocate, and that I won’t be at their side at every waking moment. So I accepted that their school was not nut free and provided them with the tools they need to manage their allergies. I also send a letter that has been approved by the principal every year to their classmates that outline their allergy and all the stores and products they can buy that are nut free if they choose to support an environment that will foster a safter environment. I have had parents thank me for this, and I also have parents that would say, “I don’t know what my kids would do if they couldn’t have peanut butter sandwiched!”. Thank you for writing your article, I too believe parents need to be rational and arm their children with allergy smarts!
Thanks for the feedback on my Today’s Parent story. Sounds like your kids will be well-equipped to manage their food allergies as adults!
hello Lisa I just got through reading your article, a roll of the genetic dice and I found it very sad and close to home, I have a child with autism also, so I know all about the good days and bad days, I love the crazy dancing and I hate the weird looks in public. it makes me sad that I’m the parent with a child with a dissability and our future scares me. but thank you for a great read its nice to know I’m not the only one getting the weird looks.
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