I am learning, slowly, but surely, that life is not about taking the perfect picture. It is about the big picture. And the smaller ones that define and describe who and what we are. Husband turned and said to me, after the snowman fell and we were rebuilding a second, "He's just like all of us. Falling apart and getting re-built bigger and better again."

I haven't made a New Year's resolution in years, maybe decades. But our family life is only getting busier. Between one kid in JK and one starting preschool next month, swimming lessons, gymnastics, potty training, Angry Birds and dress-up, I need some parenting resolutions to kick-start 2013.

Gone are the days when you waited for New Year's Eve with anticipation. No, you are in a different stage of your life now. You are a parent of children. Young children. Though it may seem this way as you approach December 31 with the family, all hope is not lost. There are things that you can do with the kids where you and the little ones can enjoy the celebration.

Into every childhood there must fall some skinned knees. Some bumps and bruises and yes, maybe even some crutches. The "be carefuls" I hear in the park make my heart sink a bit. When we set our little ones down in the sand, should we check for choking hazards or should we should hand them a shovel and tell them to dig to Middle Earth?

Parents need to decide how much their children should know about this event. But what are parents to tell them? That is the questions on everyone's mind. Parents know best what their own child can handle. There is a range of sensitivities in children and only a parent knows their child well enough to know what they can handle. The rules you need to apply are as follows...

There is a family-building circumstance that some people find themselves in, that seems to only provoke condemnation from others. I am talking about when a parent or couple is unable to conceive a child of a particular gender which they desire.

Often, the choice of whether or not to allow a child to walk to school unaccompanied is fraught with fears of injury or worse. When our generation was school-aged, parents didn't seem to worry about our physical safety as much as we worry about our kids' today. When is a child ready to walk to school unaccompanied?

With 22 films and the much lauded Skyfall now in theatres, Bond remains an emblem of style, erudition, and blunt force physicality. It may seem a bit of a stretch to compare Bond to parents but it's high time to consider what parents might learn from a quick dive through the James Bond canon.

What is the first thing you think of when you hear "touring musician?" If your answer didn't include diapers, breastfeeding, homework and playgroups there is a new documentary you might want to see. Rock N Roll Mamas is a new documentary that tells the story of three mothers who maintained their musical careers while raising children. What the director found was that there are no easy answers.

It's completely normal want to protect your kids when they come home crying because someone was blatantly mean to them. But isn't it true that dealing with these situations helps build character? And if they can't deal with these situations and only rely on us, aren't we setting them up for failure in the future?

My husband and I had two children 18 months apart. If you have your kids close together like we did, the "lost zone" can stretch up to five years -- in a row. That's a long time to be living together but doing different things. Remembering to be married means remembering to be together on a basic level, kissing, touching, nice words, helping each other.

Christmas. The birth of Jesus. And the crucifixion of your credit card. In spite of these uncertain economic times, we're spending more than ever on crap for our little crappers. You give your youngster a big, expensive gift only to watch him toss it aside to play with the wrapping paper. This year, save yourself money with homemade gifts...

When my son was six, he began to wear ties to school. He wears either a dress shirt and tie or full suit and tie every single day. I don't even see it any more. But others do. For the most part, all of the attention he has received has been positive. But once, in Grade 2, he received a different kind of attention.

Who would have ever thought that our own precious baby boy would stoop to stereotyping his doting parents, pigeon-holing us into the category of 'duds'? And so soon, at the ripe old age of 11. He now has added another label to our name. Hill-billy.

When it comes to discipline, many parents have taken a large step backwards, and technology is to blame. In this day and age of smart phone journalism, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook shares, parents have become wary and hesitant of punishing their children in case their actions at any moment are recorded and uploaded to a willing audience in a matter of seconds.

I've been using the power of Santa Claus for a few weeks now, and things are looking good. For maximum effectiveness, the use of Santa and his omnipresence is good for the window directly following Halloween until December 25. During this time, I enjoy the increased attentiveness, dearth of meltdowns and general calm that precedes Christmas day.