Vacations as a small business owner

So many people ask us how do we take a vacation as a small business owner? 

I can answer this question for us because every small business owner will do things differently and that is expected. We have friends that just take a week or two off and they hope that someone can help support their clients. Of course, that should be scheduled with the person that you are hoping to support your clients because that person might also be away at the same time. Giving notice for any vacation for support coverage is important.

Our business is in IT consulting so it will be different than for an accountant, lawyer or other types of small businesses. Each business is going to have a different way of handling vacations, and no method is either right or wrong. If the clients/customers you serve are served when they need you that is what is important.

How we manage most vacations is to take a few shorter vacations and have them either start on a Wednesday or Thursday and then be back by the end of the weekend. We are fortunate that we have clients that are great hands and eyes if something were to go wrong. We can also remote into client sites from locations in Canada to assist if something major was to happen.

We have taken a couple of longer vacations, but we have arranged for people to assist with support of our clients if it was needed. This scheduling was done at least 3 months before we went away so that we knew that we would have people available to support our clients. We also made sure to let the clients know that we were going to be away for a week, but we did have support for them if needed.

It is very important as a small business owner to understand how vacations will work for you as well as your clients. Making sure that you communicate with our clients IT department is important to ensure that you aren’t away while the main IT individual for a client is away. Sure, vacations can be different as a small business owner, but it is up to you how to manage them.

 

Why can't I write

There are so many reasons why I cannot write, and I just need to figure out how to get back to writing like I have done in the past. What I would like to do is document some of the reasons that I cannot write and maybe that will help me get back to writing.

1. I cannot find the time to put the writing as a priority. I know that I have the times to do that but I just don’t give myself permission to do the writing that I want to achieve during a specific amount of time.
2. I have other things that I need to get done. Have you figured out the priority of all the other things and do they need to get done today or can you schedule them for a different day so that you can get them done without destroying your writing time.
3. I cannot figure out to get the writing done that I want to do. Here is one of the biggest issues and it is not knowing how to get the writing done. It can be a challenge when you cannot think how to put writing as a priority.

Not being able to write can be such a challenge but you also need to figure out what is the block for getting the writing done and how you are going to manage everything that is currently being thrown at you. What people have said is that they have not been able to deal with the blank again and what I have done to give myself a break from that empty page, is set up a page that I can open up at the beginning of each day and it starts me writing without looking at a blank page. Before I do any writing for the day, I quickly open up a blank/formatted page and then I can start to get the writing done. I understand that there are going to be days when I can’t get a lot of writing done even with the formatted page.

I think for everyone there are going to be days or even weeks that you cannot get the writing done that you would like to achieve, and you just have to give yourself permission to accept that writing isn’t going to happen each day and we need to deal with that. It would be nice to be someone that can just write off thoughts/stories a day but there are going to be times what we all need to step back and understanding that I can’t write today and no matter how I try and get more things written it just isn’t going to happen.

This winter

Here we are the end of January, and I think a lot of us are saying when it is winter going to end. What has made this year so different is we have been having major snow falls and extremely cold weather. Here in Toronto, we have broken records for the most snow fall in one day and the coldest January on record. 

In some cases what we haven’t said anything about is the areas just outside of Toronto that have broken records of their own. Barrie, Ontario which is roughly an hour north of Toronto has set a record with getting move than 300 cm from November 1, 2025 – January 28, 2026, which isn’t a record I would like to say we achieved. So, 300 cm of snow is 118 inches of snow which is 9.83 feet of snow. I wouldn’t have wanted to deal with that amount of show and thankfully it didn’t come all at one time but having to continually have to shovel our driveway would become a little much. We have friends that live up in Barrie, and they are saying “enough is enough”.

It isn’t just Ontario that has been getting the extremely weather as there are people in Texas, that has seen snow and then areas like Atlanta, George that have received ice storms which are extreme for both of these areas. I know people in other of those areas and they have commented on how different this has been.

Here we are the first week of February and I am not certain what this winter has in store other than the next couple of weeks are going to continue to be very for us here in Ontario and I just hope things will star to warm up even a little bit for areas to the south of us. Seeing the temperatures are levels that not what we normally have doesn’t make me happy. This morning, we awoke with a temperature of -1F feeling like -28F wasn’t a good thing. Now I am looking at the forecast over the next 14 days, but we might not reach the temperatures that we did in the last couple of days, but we are still cold and that doesn’t make me happy.

We might not be reaching the lows that we have reached this past week, but I have to admit that I am very tired with the snow that we have got in the last couple of weeks (12 inches, and then an additional 22 inches) as well as the cold temperatures. I guess all we can do is except that this is the weather that we are going to get in the next couple of weeks and then hope it warms up soon.

It might not feel that we are getting a break from this cold and fridged weather but we also have to remember that in the middle of July when we are complaining about the heat and humidity we have to deal with extremely cold weather as well.

 

Are you present when out for a meal with others

How many times have you seen a bunch of people at a table for a meal and all of them are on their devices. It is always interesting when a bunch of people seem to be together, but they also seem to be separated because of how little they have communicated with each other.

I know that there are times when we might spend a bit of time checking our phones, but we also spend quite a bit of the time chatting and spending time together. There are also times when we will sit and just spend time together and totally ignore our phones because that is what we want to do. It is nice when people can go out, and our devices are put away and they are present with the company that they are with.

When you go out with a bunch of people it is important to ensure that you are spending some time with those that you are with. I understand that you might have to check work e-mail especially during the week but making sure that you can enjoy the company of those you are with is also so important.

If you want to spend all the time on your device, it is probably a good idea to just stay home and do that, because you aren't good company for other around you. If your device is more important than the company, you are with you are communicating quite a bit to those other people as well. You are saying that their company isn't worth your time or energy and those that are messaging you are very important.  

When you are out with others it’s extremely important to make sure that you put your personal device away a while so that you can enjoy the company you are with instead of the company that might be part of your phone. It might be hard to walk away from your device totally but remember we need to be present with those around us because there might be a time when other individuals are no longer around.

I know for use, we have made it a rule to make sure that we have found time to be present with who we are with because that is who we are having a meal with. Sure, we might need to check our device due to work demands but other than that we try to be present in the moment and enjoy the company we are with.

Snowstorm Jan 25/26

Here we are trying to document the storm that hit us here in Toronto, Ontario on January 25, 2026. The original forecast was that we might get around 10 or 20 cm of snow, so it wasn't going to be too bad. 

Well, I have to admit that after watching the snow fall throughout Sunday, I came to realize that we were getting a lot more snow than was originally forecast. What also made me wonder about the show was watching the snow falling and looking out our window and seeing that there was roughly 9 inches of snow on our windowsill, so I figured we had got a lot more snow that we had been originally forecast.

I was also trying to track the snowfall that we were getting and it kept increase from the original 10-20 cm to now 30-40 cm to what they finally said we would be going to get between 50 - 60 cm of snow before the storm finally stopped. Well, we were watching the area around us and realized that there was a lot of snow that we wondered how it had been cleared because we hadn't heard a lot of snowplows, so we decided to go outside and see what it really looked like.

Now, word of warning, I went outside without putting boots on and only went out with my runners on because I didn't think I would venture very far from the door. Well, as you can clearly see there weren't very many paths for anyone to walk so I decided that I would try and see if I could at least get some walking achieved but before long I decided it was time to turn around and head back to the door and forget about trying to adventure to see what it was like out.

What I did discover was a lot of the parking lot hadn't been plowed because the snow had just kept falling making it a challenge to doing the plowing that was necessary. We also saw that a lot of people had taken the advice of the police and had stayed home and avoided being on the road.

So now, here it is the start of another work week, and we have already heard that schools within the GTA are closed tomorrow which I think is a great idea and we will see what else ends up being closed. There were things that were closed today during the snowstorm but now to figure out what is going to be closed tomorrow as a result of the after effects of the storm. I guess we are going to be waking up tomorrow to figure what is going to be cancelled or opened tomorrow. 

I haven't heard the total snowfall accumulation as of when I am writing this blog, but I have to say that we probably have between 18 - 24 inches of snow that fell and that wasn't what was forecasted so now we need to figure out how now to manage this snow. 

If you were impacted by this storm, I hope that you were able to manage it because I know there were areas that got freezing rain, others got sleek and then there were us that got snow. I hope if you were impacted by this storm, you were able to stay safe and hopefully things are getting better for you.

Edit: now that the snow has stopped it was reported that downtown Toronto received 56cm (22 inches) of snow.

 

Getting map locations wrong

Recently we heard that a restaurant would be opening in the GTA and that made us happy because this restaurant was around when I was younger, so it was nice seeing that it was going to be turning. When I heard the announcement, it was great because it was in an area that isn’t too hard for us to get to as it was in Vaughan Ontario. The restaurant is Olive Garden so that is nice that it is coming back. 

Well, what made me laugh is when I saw a map of where the two locations are going to be in Ontario. (Picture from a social media post) The map is totally wrong because on the map, Vaughan Mill, GTA is indicated to be around Thunder Bay which is not even close to the GTA. Thunder Bay is approximately 1,390 KM from Toronto so that would be a long way to go. So that is the first location on the map that was wrong. The other location is Westboro, Ottawa region and once again the indicator on the map is off. This time it shows that the Ottawa location would be around North Bay which is approximately 350KM from Ottawa.

If you are trying to get people excited about restaurants coming to their area it would be a good idea to make sure that the map is correct because these locations aren’t even close to where they are going to be opening. Now my concern is if Olive Garden really knows where they are opening because given the map, they might be doing construction if different areas than they should be doing the work.

What makes me laugh is the company that owns Olive Garden has its corporate head office in Vaughan, Ontario so you think that the map would be a lot more accurate. I understand that the previous owners are from the states but please when you are promoting the returning to Ontario of restaurants make sure that you are showing them correctly on the map.

Intersection lights not working

 Recently we were at an intersection that the traffic lights were not working and what we saw wasn’t something that made either of us happy. We were happy that we were turning right because we weren’t going to have to deal with trying to get across this intersection. What we saw was a lot of people not understanding how to handle an intersection with lights not working. In some instances what we saw were so many people just driving through the intersection as if they had the right of way. 

What we saw was so many people didn’t seem to understand how to handle the intersection. The rule is when you come to an intersection that the traffic lights are not working you need to treat this as a four-way stop. What this doesn’t mean is just to follow the car in front of you no matter what.

The rule clearly starts that you are to come to a complete stop as if you are approaching a four way stop and then only clear the intersection when it is safe to do so. What this doesn’t mean is you can just drive through the intersection as if you are the only one. The best way to handle an intersection when the lights aren’t working is for two of the directions to go at one with only the first row of cars moving and then allowing the other two sets of cars to complete crossing the intersection. Yes, it can be a challenge in some instances because there are going to be individuals that they that they have the right of way no matter what.

Every city as a means of reporting when an intersection doesn’t have working traffic lights, and you just have to figure out where you are and how to report such an issue. In the case of Toronto, they have a clear method of reporting the issue and it is something that everyone needs to know about.

Toronto rule and how to handle it

If you see a traffic light at an intersection in Toronto not working, you should treat the intersection as if it were an uncontrolled intersection, meaning treat it as if each corner has a stop sign. To report the malfunctioning light to the City of Toronto, you can call 311 or use their online service request system. 

Summary

So, when you get to an intersection that the traffic lights are not working remember to treat this as if it is a four way stop and not just immediately follow the car in front of you. If you simply just follow that car in front of you, there are changes that you could be involved in a serious accident, and you don’t want to be in it or the cause of it.

Children and high C versus well behaved children

 How many times have you been somewhere and you have heard at least one child screaming and hitting what seems to be high C. We were in a Tim Horton's recently and there was one child that seems to think it was fun to run around and scream loudly and at the high C. The mother just laughed it off and said "well at least everyone is awake now". The child continued to run around and the parents didn't do any discipling which was wrong. If you have a child that is causing a disturbance it is up to you to make sure that they are being told what they are doing wrong.

This same child was running all over the place and getting in the way of other customers which didn't help. The child figured they had the right of way and if they wanted to run and stand in the way they could. The parents just continued to pay attention to the other children in their family and ignored this child. When the kid screamed because she wasn't getting her way they just let the child scream.

When you are out and have children, it is very important to ensure that they are respecting the other guests in a restaurant. In some cases, this child could cause an accident, and the parents would probably say that the other customer should have been watching where they were walking. We have also seen children that are very well behaved, and they listen to what their parents are saying, and they don't run around at all. Just as I was writing that last sentence, a child decided it was time to have a breakdown because they weren't getting their way.

There are also the times when children and climbing all of the seats and parents are encouraging this behaviour. What this is shows that sure the children might be burning off some energy, but would you want to sit down on a seat where a bunch of children have been climbing all over the seats.

Parents need to consider others around them and not just thinking that their children's behaviour is ok with everyone. How a children acts can really show a lot about the parents are raising them. I know that I have seen parents that ignore their children and then there are parents that are full time and into whatever they children are doing.

Bucket List Concert

I think we all have a few concerts that we would like to see and one of mine was to see Il Divo perform in person and in October 2025 that dream became a reality when we went to the OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls Ontario.

I had been looking forward to this concert for quite a while and as it got closer, I started listening to the songs that I had and watch videos on YouTube of them as I was very excited to have a chance to see them there in Ontario, Canada. As the concert was in Niagara Falls, we decided to make it a mini-vacation and spent a couple of nights in Niagara Falls. Before we went to the concert, I mentioned to my husband that I hoped that they would sing one of my favourite songs and that is “Passera”. Of course, I listened to that song a few times before the concert, and I think my husband was getting tired of hearing it. 

The concert started as they had a feature act and that was “Simply Three” and their music was really nice and something that we both enjoyed. After this trio performed it was time for Il Divo and sure we were not sitting right down at the stage but the fact that we were there is what was important. They performed their opening song and then, I heard a few notes of a song that I had been waiting to hear. Yes, the second song that Il Divo performed at the concert was Passera and I was able to get a video of that song being performed and I have wanted it quite a few times since then.

The entire concert was wonderful, and I know that I was smiling through it all because a bucket list concert had been achieved and the song that I wanted to hear them perform live happened as well. We all have bucket list concerts or shows that we want to see and sometimes we just have to go for it and make it happen. Would I go and see Il Divo perform again, absolutely because it was a great show and I am happy we made it happen.

So, if you have a concert that you would like to see make sure you keep an eye on where the group or individual is performing because you never know when you will have that chance to make off something that is on your bucket list.

Winter in Ontario

There are some years when we get to Christmas and we look out the window and wonder if we are ever going to get snow and then there are the years that we have snow way before Christmas. This year we had snow earlier in December and then most of it melted so Christmas at least in Toronto was one of those where you could wear running snows and not worry about slipping and sliding. 

In southern Ontario the snow came on December 26^th when we got hit with quite a bit of snow. Of course, it made driving rather difficult so anyone that was heading off to see relations had to deal with snow covered roads for most of the day. For us, it was a day to stay home and not think about venturing out. We finally did go out on the 30^th of December just to get out and see what it was like out, but boots were part of what was needed for that trip out.

The weather has also been very cold which hasn’t helped at all because it isn’t even enjoyable being out in the snow so for us it’s been a season of hiding at home and not wanting to deal with the wind chill that we have been getting. Being able to go out only when we had to go out was nice.

January 5^th which was the first day back to work and school was met with another 10 cm (4 inches) of snow which isn’t something anyone wanted to see when they were trying to commute to work. It resulted in a rather messy day on the roads. Being able to work at home does have its advantages because we didn’t have to deal with the traffic or the snow.

Here it is the next day when I write this, and we are now under a freezing rain warning with a possible accumulation of 1 to 5 mm of ice accretion or build up possible. This isn’t the start to the new year that people have wanted. School buses outside of Toronto have been cancelled because of this year so it isn’t the start that anyone wanted. The forecast for the next few days so looks like it is going to warm up some so we will see if that really happens. We may still get rain but the forecast for Friday is 9C (48F) so a lot of the snow is going to melt.

Yes, winter in Ontario is so different and you don’t have to drive very far out of the City of Toronto before you see lots more snow. We will see what the rest of the winter is like and know that there are other places even in Ontario and other parts of Canada that are getting worse weather than us.

Why people do online shopping versing going into a store

There are so many times that I wonder why people do online shopping versus going to a store to buy and purchase something else. I think I have figured out why, just being able to purchase things in a store makes me happy, but you have to understand that there are times that I would like to just walk into a store and pick up the items that I need and not have someone trying to figure out how they can help me when I know what I want and I know where to find things. 

What I have found is that sometimes I need to figure out what is available online and maybe it is more important to just pick up the items that I need versus doing an online order. Sometimes there are things that you might be able to find online, but the delivery is going to be three or four days, but it is available in the store immediately, so you have to make the decision if picking it up in person is more important than getting the item delivered.

What is overwhelming is trying to figure out if doing an online pick up for an item in store, versus going into the store to find the item versus ordering the item online and getting it delivered, which is better. It can be such a challenge to figure out the price difference and the timing difference because there are times that ordering something online and getting it delivered means you will get it faster with last frustrations than going into the store and trying to find the item or standing around waiting while a person tries to find your online order.

It can be such a frustrating thing to try and figure out what is the best way to find a items, but it might not be available to purchase in store, and it might be available to purchase online for a store pickup but that is going to be longer than if I just purchase online and get it delivered to my house and if I purchase enough I will get free shipping.

In our case we discovered that something that I wanted to purchase was available at the store that we were visiting but when I checked online those items were not available in that specific location. Before we went to the store I decided to look up what was available for a specific scent and they told me that nothing was available, but when we got there the quantity that was available was far more than I expected. I was able to purchase what I wanted without having to dig through multiple bins to find what I wanted, and I walked out with more than I originally thought I might be able to get.

So something that I found is that the company website might tell you that I an item you are looking for might not be available in that location but you need to do to that location because it might just be sitting on a shelf and is ready to be purchased.

Another year has come and gone, 2025

Here it is the start of a new year, and it is time to look back to see what happened in this last year. The good news is I was able to post a blog every week in 2025 which was good. Now what happened in the middle of September, I’m not quite sure, but I started posting 2 blogs a week, because I started writing even more. I didn’t think the two blogs a week was going to last, but I must admit that it has continued to happen and let’s see what 2026 has in store.

One of things that I did in 2025 was really focus on getting blogs written and it didn’t matter to me when they were going to be posted, it just matters to me that I had a blog that I wrote and it was going to be posted in the future. Sure, having lots of blogs scheduled into the future has meant some rescheduling of the blogs, but that doesn’t me as I just keep moving the different blogs forward and that means that I have things ready to post in the future. 

My writing has been very important to me this past year and I hope through 2026 I can continue to write lots of posts like I have in the past. I have some ideas for some other topics so we will see what happens with them. Until then I am going to say I hope everyone has had a good holiday season if you celebrate, and I look forward to continuing to get more blogs written in 2026.