Word Association of the day

Robot Monster
Ring Wedding
Kangaroo Droppings
Savage Garden
Alien Invaders
Television Set
Media Television
Crack Whore (eek)
Hanger Wire
Construction Site

As always, word associations are pulled from Write Anyway

Snowed-in and bored on a Sunday

Today was supposed to be spent taking Owen to London (Ontario, don't get too excited for me) to visit my mom. We've been planning a trip to the craft show at the fairgrounds for a couple of months now, and I was looking so forward to it. I have a list of things I wanted to try to find: a stocking for Owen, some homemade tree ornaments, a unique "crafty" gift for my MIL, and some delicious baked treats (you know, a reward for shopping so hard...). Afterwards, we were going to pick up my Grandma and have her over for dinner. She hasn't had any one-on-one time with her Great-Grandson since he was 4 months old (he's 11 months old now), so I had my camera all packed and ready to capture some wonderful moments.

Then I had a play-date planned for tomorrow morning with a mom friend of mine from high school, whom I reconnected with on Facebook while we were both pregnant last year. Her daughter is just a couple of months younger than Owen and the last time we got together they had a lot of fun - again the camera was ready for certain cuteness!! After that we would go to my mom's place of work where she would show of her one and only "Bright-eyed, Beautiful Baby Boy" to her co-workers and we'd likely go out for dinner afterwards. Tuesday was to include a visit to my cousin's house. She has three young children and also runs a home daycare, so it's always tons of fun over there!!

So, we woke up this morning, very pumped to get on the road. I called my mom right away, and was talking about how excited I was to get there when she totally burst my bubble - there is a major snow storm watch in her area and it would not be safe to travel. It took a few minutes for me to totally accept it, and if were just me going I might have even chanced it, but now that I have such precious cargo to transport, it's just not worth it. The warnings were for "severe and dangerous driving conditions". Who wants to mess with that? Certainly not me, but I'm just so disappointed that our plans have been ruined. To top it all off, Luke had to go to a work course all day today, so it's just me and Owen hanging out at home. There's absolutely nothing going on on Sundays - no drop-ins, no programs, and none of my friends are available to rescue us. So I'm stuck trying to find ways to entertain a spunky kid (who, by the way, has decided to switch to only one nap a day recently), without having anywhere to go, or anything in particular to do. I must say that, so far, it's going well - he's in pretty good spirits and happy playing in the living room. But how much playing in a two bedroom apartment can a kid do before he gets bored? I fear what happens when that time comes. And it is imminent...

Anyway, if anyone has any Sunday boredom busters (for today or future reference!) I'd love to hear 'em!

A new Coalition government?

We had a national election about 8 weeks ago, in which the Conservative Party of Canada secured another minority government. The other three main parties have been butting heads with the Conservatives, lead by our Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, for ages now, and it looks like they've finally had enough. Our Finance Minister delivered his economic and fiscal statement the other day, and its lack of a comprehensive stimulus plan has enraged the opposition. They see it as failing the Canadian people, and the final straw. Jack Layton wrote in his official statement on the coalition, "We have a government that refuses to act when our economy, and the people whom it serves, need it more than at any time in a generation. The government has lost the confidence of the people of Canada and therefore it has lost the confidence of this Parliament. It falls on us to act." The opposition's stance is that more than half of the country does not support Harper and these people are not being listened to. We all deserve a more definitive strategy regarding the economic struggles our country is in for. So now the Liberals, the NDP, and the Bloc are forming a united coalition in the hopes of creating a better economic future of Canada and all of its citizens.

I've been trying to wrap my head around all the millions of pieces of information that are floating around on message boards, and on official party websites, but truthfully, I find it all pretty mind-boggling. Certainly, I do not care for Stephen Harper, but I wonder if usurping the Conservatives with a coalition government is the answer. And do I want Stephane Dion, the presumed choice for the leader of this coalition and, by extension, the would-be Prime Minister representing this coalition? Representing Canada? Representing me? I would need to be convinced that he's up to the task before I can get on board with this plan.

I read a number of posts by people who thought the idea of the coalition isn't a bad one in itself, but they're wondering what on earth took them so long to do it. They're wondering why didn't they didn't do this before the election, so as not to waste the time and energy of all of us who voted (not to mention all those who volunteered and campaigned). My thoughts are that they were hoping the election results would bring in new numbers that could better influence the Conservatives in its second time around in power. However, even though the election did result in a slightly more diverse group of seats in Parliament, the opposition says that Harper won't listen to or negotiate with the other Parties. This is frustrating because, again, more than half of Canadians do not support his government or its ideologies.

I suppose drastic measures do need to be taken, but I can't help but feel uneasy about this plan for now. I'm hoping for more comprehensive information from all the parties - the rhetoric from ALL sides makes my head spin. It's so hard to know who to have faith in. I just wonder what it would be like if we could all actually work together... although, I suppose, that is exactly what this new coalition is proposing to do. I guess we have to wait and see what happens in the upcoming weeks.

What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them.

Friday Fill-In (On Monday)

1. My stomach is in knots. 
2. Trailmix is what I ate the most of today.
3. The yard is underwhelming.
4. On the beach is where I'd rather be at any given time.
5. The smell of my Vaseline lotion reminds me of my vacation to Panama a couple of years ago.
6. Faith in government is what I need right now!
7. And as for the weekend, Friday I'm looking forward to Aquafit, Saturday my plans include seeing The Nutcracker ballet and Sunday, I want to go to the London craft show with my Mom, and have dinner with Grandma!

Owen being hilarious

I'm having trouble getting my video to show up here... *shrug* can't figure it out for the life of me. To see a funny video of my little guy, Owen, cracking himself up, check out my You Tube page here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qGofpszXkY

Merry Christmas

Make a Smilebox greeting

Sarah Palin pranked by The Masked Avengers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m38kNLSEras

In case you haven't heard Sarah Palin was prank called by The Masked Avengers, two notorious comedians from Montreal Radio Station CKOI. They pretended to be French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Palin lasted 7 minutes in the phone conversation before the duo revealed themselves as frauds. Not once did she clue-in that the whole thing was a set-up! Even when they used completely ridiculous names for the Canadian Prime Minister and Sarkozy's advisor. I pray more of these types of things come out in the next few days before this crazy lady becomes the next VP of America. lol

Enjoy the clip!

Word Banks from Write Anyway

These word banks come from writeanyway.com

My words are in blue...

First Word Bank - I don’t want you to write a short story or anything actually. What I want you to do is word association. For every word there, I want you to write the word and then write the first word that comes to your mind after.

Expectation - heavy
Pressure - peer
Brown - bag
Leisure - suit
Soap Opera - Days of our Lives
Alarm Clock - blaring
Dentist - root canal
Eggs - shells
Gentle - soul
Cup - and saucer

Third Word Bank - I would like you to try your hand at writing a poem incorporating the words provided. (You don’t have to use them all if you can’t; poetry is a bit different.)

It's late, I'll attempt this tomorrow... stay tuned!

white
old
meaningful
need
change
life
perfect
help
smooth
balance

Friday Fill-In

1. Right now, I'm feeling accomplished. 
2. In a classroom is where I want to be.
3. How does one find the motivation to work out everyday - there's so much more I want to spend my time doing!?
4. Guilt keeps me on track.
5. Please don't litter.
6. My son, Owen, fills me with joy.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching The Hulk with The Husband, hee, tomorrow my plans include working out (I swear) and going to the movies with my girlfriend and Sunday, I want to celebrate my birthday at a Victorian Tea Party my friends are throwing me!

fridayfillins.blogspot.com

Guest post on Saverqueen.com

My good friend, Megan, invited me to write a guest post on her awesome blog, saverqueen.com. I was so happy to do it and had a lot of fun writing about the joys and benefits of puréeing your own baby food. 

The goal of saverqueen.com is to help others by offering fun and insightful tips on saving money, and I'm honoured to have been asked to contribute to it with my perspective as a new mom.

Check out my post and stay awhile while you're there - you won't regret it. It's a great blog. :)

http://saverqueen.com/

Interesting new article: "Blame The Party"

I just came across this article from the Ottawa Citizen. I think it has a new perspective on the much-crucified Stephane Dion's plummet in popularity (especially within his own party). It's a good read and it has influenced my opinion of the Liberal leader and power he lacks politically.

Blame the party

The Ottawa Citizen

Published: Saturday, October 18, 2008

Integrity is something that people have asked for in their elected officials for many years. But when a politician with integrity comes along but loses an election because he wanted to stick to his integrity we immediately label his honesty as naïve or impractical.

Even before the ballot boxes had been put back into storage, articles by pundits and Liberal insiders were streaming out demanding Mr. Dion's resignation and declaring he would be the cause of the Liberal party's downfall. But shouldn't the Liberal party bear some blame? When you work as a team, you win as a team and lose as a team.

Don't get me wrong. Mr Dion did lose the election because he made some poor decisions and he just couldn't make Canadians understand the benefits of the Green Shift.

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But you have to admire a man who stuck to what he believed in and didn't alter his course to match the latest polls.

What I think is the most disappointing is that Prime Minister Stephen Harper secured his victory in the election by investing millions of dollars in crass, personal and tasteless attack ads. And we have enabled this behaviour by increasing his mandate.

Sadly enough, I do think Mr. Dion needs to step down as the head of the Liberal party, not because he lacks the passion to help his country but because he's an idealist swimming with hardened opportunists.

So the next time you decide to complain about "slimy" politicians, remember we created those "slimy" politicians and the world they work in.

Mr. Dion tried his best, so rather then pushing him out door like an unwanted in-law, let us at least show our true Canadianness and give him a pat on the back, a shake of the hand and a thank-you for trying to make a difference.

He tried to help his country and it is the least we can do.

Ashoka Patel,

Ottawa

© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

Friday Fill-In

1. Follow your moral compass. 
2. Sunscreen is something I always take with me on vacation.
3. To achieve your goals, you must get off your butt.
4. I'm passionate, sometimes to a preaching fault, is something I'd like you to know about me.
5. I have a desire to learn more.
6. Dreams float.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Katy coming over for a girly night, tomorrow my plans include working out and shopping and Sunday, I want to do some overdue reading and sign up for an online course!

What will it take?

I'm sitting here at my computer, alone for the weekend, enjoying some trivial celeb gossip and catching  up on email. Or I was anyway. While scrolling through the mindless and wonderfully entertaining smut online I came across a heading begging Americans not to follow in Canadian footsteps regarding their upcoming election. Why? Because in our federal election this week we Canadians didn't show up to vote. "Canadians shunned the polls during their national election with the lowest turnout on record... some 59.1% of voters went to the polls on Tuesday." (yahoo news)

I read the article and started to cry - actual tears formed and I rested my head in my hands. I'm struggling to find the right words here... I just can't understand why people didn't care enough to participate. It makes me so upset and frustrated, because I care so much and I pray for something, or someone, to come along that will inspire the rest of the country to get involved in the process. 59.1%? It's insulting to all the people who campaign, who work the polling stations, who stuff envelopes, who engage in intelligent and sometimes combative conversations during these times, to not at least make the effort to cast one vote for a say in our collective future. How can you not do that much? How can you not care what happens? For your children, for your parents who may be reaching an age where they rely on the government to survive, or for goodness sake, for YOURSELF!! Don't you care about the economy, about the states of education and healthcare, about equality and human rights, about keeping industry in Canada, about protecting our fragile environment? Seriously, do NONE of these things matter? 

I am so offended by the disrespect shown to the women and other minority groups who came before us - people who fought, with dire consequences, to have the right to vote. They cared so much about having a say that they were beaten, imprisoned, and ostracized, and it is a slap in their faces that we didn't even show up (literally and figuratively). They fought to give us the right to vote, and now it is our responsibility to use that right. It breaks my heart that pride of civic duty and pride of impacting our nation's future aren't strong enough incentives to get people involved. We have turned into a country of people who are not accountable anymore. Somewhere along the road to bettering ourselves the lessons about responsibility and community action fell by the wayside. We all want something for nothing these days, and we believe we're entitled to it all without necessarily earning it. Well, guess what? The reason we can take our abundant human rights for granted today is because our predecessors voted and fought to provide them for us!! We are so blessed and we owe it to ourselves and to those before us to respect these rights we have. We have a moral obligation to care! 

The world doesn't change by people complaining, it changes by participation and action. And 60.9% of this country chose to sit home and watch Dancing with the Stars instead of voting. We should all be ashamed.

"That's so gay."

Check out this video on perezhilton.com featuring Hilary Duff. It drives me crazy when people use "That's so gay" as a synonym for "That's so shitty", so when I saw this clip I had to share it with you here.  I really hope that this insulting phrase fades away as more people realize the true meaning behind the words.

http://perezhilton.com/tv/index.php?ptvid=c527bac2395be

Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity

 I'm posting a slightly edited version of an email I received this morning. The message remains in tact, but some of the phrasing was awkward and words were even missing from the version I got (friggin' forwards... something always gets lost in translation I suppose), so I had to extrapolate in a few places. If the original author comes across this, I hope they won't be upset that this isn't verbatim.

           So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year

           because - why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to

           get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?

           Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's

           new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of

           the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain 

           at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I 

           needed the reminder.

           My friend, Wendy, saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my 

           desk to talk about it, she looked angry. She was -- with herself. 

          'One thought kept coming back to me as I watched that movie,' 

           she said. 'What would those women think of the way I use, or

           don't use [my right to vote?]' Social studies and government teachers 

           should include the movie in their curriculum. I want it shown on 

           Bunco night, too, and anywhere else women gather. I realize this 

           isn't our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the

           numbers that we should be, and I think a little shock therapy is in order.

           It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to

           persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that

           she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is

           inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong,

           he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy.  The doctor

           admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for

           insanity.' 

           We need to get out and vote and use this right that was

           fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Remember

           to vote. 

                       *PS  In Canada the women of Manitoba got the right to vote

           in 1916 thanks to the efforts of Nellie McClung and her

           colleagues. The rest of Canadian women were allowed to vote

           in federal elections when the Women's Franchise Act was

           passed in 1918. However, it was not until 1940 that the

           women of Quebec got the right to vote in provincial

           elections - the last province to accord them this right of

           suffrage.

It's so important to vote

"The price good men pay for  indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." - Plato 

I've attached links to the websites of our four main political parties here in Canada, in the hopes that it will jump-start your research into the issues that are surrounding us during this election period.

It's so easy to shrug it off, or to say that your vote won't count, but it will. Some people are elected into office by just a handful of votes, and it's in those instances where we see that each person really does influence our resulting government. Even if your candidate doesn't win, you still send a message to Ottawa that influences how policies get decided - more seats get allocated to other parties with different views, so debates become more layered and objective. That is how we ensure our democratic future.

Our country is full of many people: rich and under-priviledged, farmers and businessmen, men and women, liberals and conservatives, people of every imaginable ethnicity, religion and value system. It would be a shame for the voices of the voting minorities (including middle class women, btw) to hand over their rights and opinions over to those who have no understanding of the issues that affect them.

Their are so many issues to get behind, and I hope that you will get involved - at least enough to cast an informed vote on October 14th. Please take the time to look over the policies, platforms and history of the candidates. It may not be fun, but it is our responsibility to get involved in the electoral process.

www.ndp.ca

www.conservative.ca

www.liberal.ca

www.greenparty.ca

Word Bank Poem - Torn

Word Bank from writeanyway.com

nature

step

fragile

pair

knowledge

mistake

advice

rescue

time

devote

Is it a mistake

to pass on the advice of others,

and step into forgiveness?

As half of a fragile pair,

I attempted a brave rescue

and devoted too much of myself

to the task.

Now I must choose if her nature

can be negotiated with,

or if it's time

to acknowledge the truth.

That years alone

can not bind us.

It will all be undone

if the rope is too frayed.

A big week for my big boy

This has been a big week for my son. First he started crawling, and today his first tooth broke through! 

Man, for all the hell that the first 4 months of parenthood was, I'm now being rewarded big-time with the sweetest, most wonderful little boy. He has energy like you wouldn't imagine, and he is so curious that he's getting into everything - particularly the things he shouldn't get into like cables, cords and cat food. Today we had eachother in hysterics sticking out our tongues at one another. He started it, just playing with his own tongue, pointing it, rolling it around in his mouth, grabbing it with his fingers... you get the idea, and I stuck mine out at him to see if he would understand that we were doing the same thing. He reached for my tongue and started giggling, then stuck his own out and I would laugh, which would make him laugh even harder. It was the best moment of my day, just making my baby so happy like that - there's nothing like it in the world. 

I also took him out this afternoon to meet up with my girlfriend, and during the drive to the mall I kept glancing in my rearview mirror at him. He sat quietly, playing with his toy phone or tugging on a car seat strap, and I couldn't help but smile at him. My chest felt full and warm looking at my gorgeous, well-behaved little guy. Even though we were stuck in rush hour traffic I couldn't have cared less, because singing "Down by the Bay" to my baby, and reaching back to stroke his hair at red lights totally makes my life. Now, I know that during those first few months of colic and exzema I had doubts as to whether or not I was really ready for this whole motherhood thing. But as days of smiles, babbling, and laughter have become the norm, the days of freakouts and poor sleeping (his and mine!) fade into distant memories. I realize that not only was I ready for a child, but having this person to spend my life with has blessed me in ways that I'm only just beginning to discover.  I look forward to each new day with excitement about what he might learn or do, and in this particular stage (8 months) it seems that there really is something new every single day. I can only imagine what the coming days (and months and years!) will bring, and I wonder how my heart will manage not to burst with love for him, considering it's already so full. :)

Miley Cyrus wants you to suck on this...

So, we all know that Miley Cyrus has taken over the world with her (and her alter-ego, Hannah Montana's) mass merchandising. Movies? Check. Clothing line? Check. Posters and lunchboxes? Check, check. But if you thought that was enough, well then you would be mistaken, because whose life could be complete without... drumroll please... Hannah Montana candy?!! 

Especially if that candy looks like a big, hairless penis. The lineup starts behind me!  The package says that they're supposed to be Guitar & Microphone Shapes, but you tell me, does that flesh-coloured, rubbery treat look anything like a guitar to you? Didn't think so. Now I'm sure (I hope!!) that this next observation is subjective and not intended by Disney, but the way the shaft - ahem, sorry, the neck of the guitar - is pointing at Hannah Montana's wide open, smiling mouth... it just sends too many messages that shouldn't be there when looking at the image of a 15 year old "role model". Messages that surely someone in Miss Cyrus' camp should have questioned when looking over the final product!

Honestly, who on this earth could have approved this? Do her parents/management team even look at this stuff before it goes out, or are products bearing her name and image handled by an entirely separate group of people? I mean really, even if the "guitar" shape could pass, certainly someone should have questioned the colour! It is the colour of skin for God's sake!

Friday Fill-In (On Sunday)

And...here we go!

1. When I'm sick I'm prone to read US Weekly.

2. When I take a walk, I think about how I wish my neighbourhood was less hilly just this once.

3. Money can't buy happiness but it can buy you a new fall wardrobe, which makes you happy!

4. Cotton makes me comfortable and leather makes me feel guilty.

5. The strangest person/character I've had lewd thoughts about was Chris Farley - I was dreaming though, therefore not my fault.

6. My favorite color these days is blue because it brings out my eyes.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to watching Gossip Girl, tomorrow my plans include watching Gossip Girl and Sunday, I want to shop for a dress for an upcoming wedding.

Why do men cheat (and women for that matter)?

I'm so beyond frustrated at the number of douchebag celebrities lately that have been caught cheating on their wives. In particular -because they're the most recent offenders - Balthazar Getty and John Edwards. 

You all know the stories: Balthazar Getty has been caught by photogs having an affair with Sienna Miller. She's topless, he's grabbing and kissing her, she's groping him below the belt... he has a wife and 4 children at home.  John Edwards was busted when pictures surfaced of him meeting with his mistress and the child he allegedly fathered with her. His wife, Elizabeth has been battling incurable cancer and supported him during his 2 huge political bids (for Vice President with John Kerry in 2004 and as a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in early 2008). It has also been determined that he has been paying off his mistress - likely with campaign dollars. 

Oh and then there's always Dean McDermott, Tori Spelling's sleaze of a husband who left not only his wife for the washed-up actress, but also his toddler son and newly adopted, infant daughter. 

I can't even begin to imagine what these women are going through. The thought of my husband who I adore and depend on so much touching another woman, loving another woman, leaving me and my son to start another family, it leaves me feeling frantic. To betray the person who has stood by you and given you children, it's the worst thing you could ever do to someone. For God's sake, leave your wife if you need to stray. Leave her and then go frolicking, but do not bring your wife down so low as to be your mistresses sloppy seconds.  It makes me shudder to think that a man could lie with another woman and then come home and get into bed with his unsuspecting wife.  I would feel so filthy, so nauseated, so totally insulted if my husband ever betrayed me like that. 

These men deserve whatever scorn and nasty karma that befalls them. I don't care what your wife did or didn't do, nothing would make stepping out explainable or forgivable. If you can't stand her, or you're that bored with her, please show her the respect of leaving her first. Do not insult her by going to another woman (or man, whatever...) in search of whatever you're missing. It's cowardly and low, and I have zero sympathy for these men who cry about how sorry they are (after being caught of course!), how it was a moment of weakness, how they were going through an awful time. I couldn't care less. Maybe it makes me a cold bitch, but that's a label I can handle. 

So to all you cheating men out there: I hope you're having a blast knowing that you've destroyed your family (whether your wife let you stay or not) in order to indulge in some extra-marital booty. You are a loser and a disgrace. A real man would never do what you did/are doing. 

For all the ladies home alone on a Saturday night...

I had the hottest dream about David Beckam last week and I can't get him out of my head, so I thought I'd put him in yours! Oh, and do yourself a favour and open up the last one, if your computer can handle it (it's huge). Enjoy!

Friday Fill-Ins

 

#85

1. The last meal I had at a restaurant was Red Curry Chicken from Spring Rolls.

2. Apathy is something I intensely dislike.

3. The full moon is round?.

4. Douchebag is one of my favorite local expressions.

5. Sometimes it's best to rest.

6. The Orphanage is the best movie I've seen so far this year!

A weekend to myself

My husband took our son up to Wiarton to visit his parents for the whole weekend, in order to give me some much needed R&R.

It took a bit of time to get used to the idea that my baby would be 3 hours away from me for 3 whole days - I even cried as they pulled away from the house - but now that I'm well into my 2nd day I think I've hit my stride, and I'm really enjoying myself. Yesterday, I did some light housework, prepared some purees for my son that I'd been behind on, goofed off online for while, and spent the evening at a girlfriend's place, where we ordered in Thai food, and indulged in a mini Queer As Folk marathon. 

Today I slept in a bit, did a 90 minute workout (which I haven't been able to achieve since my son arrived in January!), walked up to the village to pick up some fresh veggies and a movie for later, and now I'm, obviously, writing a post that's long overdue. This is not a weekend of thrills and adventure, but it is the weekend I've been needing so much. My God, I've missed having such abundant time for myself! No matter how prepared I was to make big changes to my own life for my son's, it has been one heck of a shock to completely alter my pre-baby existence for this new one where everything revolves around someone else.

Sometimes I get frustrated with a few people in my life who insinuate that I need more "me time" than other moms they know. They never come right out and say that I'm over-indulgent or anything, but I hear the judgement anyway when I mention that I'm looking for ways to enhance my personal happiness. I think it baffles them that I need activities and accomplishments in my life that are separate from the joys that motherhood has given me. Whether it's by writing here, or going out of town to visit a girlfriend, or staying a night at a hotel in town just to get away for a bit, I try to find simple ways to reinforce my own identity. In the future I'd like to take a course in political science, or women's studies. I want to write more, I want to be more charitable... the list goes on.  However, my desire for "more" does not diminish the fulfillment I get from staying home and raising my son - I love that he is my little partner and that my days are spent caring for him. I just hope that he always thinks of me as being someone who lives a rich, well-rounded life, and as someone who wants the same for him. He is already such an inquisitive little guy and I want to support his curiosity and independence all his life. Hopefully, I can do that partly by leading by example. In the meantime, I'll try to work on not caring so much about whether or not my goals differ from those of other moms, but rather focussing on what works for me and my family. And what works right now is having an amazing relaxing weekend OFF!

Now that that's off my chest (hee)... the rest of the weekend should include a nap, some reading (I've vowed to finish the David Suzuki Autobiography), and watching Penelope. Tomorrow is a cleaning/organizing day, getting ready for my cousin who's coming to stay with us for a few days. I think I might also try a new aquafit class - hopefully with better results than last time! 

Is it awful that I wish I had just one more day to tack on to the end of this weekend? At first I thought I would struggle through it, just missing my boys terribly, but it has turned into the world's fastest weekend and I'm already starting to dread that it will soon be over. *sigh* Mother's guilt is in full swing. lol :)

Down 3 lbs!

This probably will not be the most thrilling of posts, but I'm so excited that I had to share! This is the first week I've lost weight in the last 6 or so, and I'm just soooo happy. I ordered Turbo Jam online and it came a few days ago. So far I've only done the first "learn and burn" dvd, but it seems pretty cool and I've had achy muscles that I haven't felt in a long time for 3 days now from just my first workout! I like that feeling though, it means I was working hard and that hopefully my body will respond to that hard work. 

I went out with my girlfriend, Dayna, yesterday to see The Dark Knight (sidenote: we've been in love with Christian Bale for years and see every movie we can that he's in at the theatre together). Normally when we get together we eat Thai food - Pad Thai and spring rolls almost exclusively - and then get at least a drink at the theatre, but yesterday we went to Lettuce Eatery and had big delicious salads. It felt so good to fill up on such good stuff, but not get so full and heavy that I wanted to lie down and die afterwards! Then at the theatre, I had a small non-fat frozen yogurt and Coke Zero instead of popcorn and orange pop as I would normally have done in the past. You see I can be pretty resistant to temptation at home, or when I'm out alone, but as soon as you get me in a social situation I justify horrible eating any way I can: It's a special occasion! I don't want to be a bad guest and refuse the food that's offered! It's just this once - I was good all week! But it's Christian BALE - he'd want me to be happy!

But I was no less happy for having resisted my habitual chow-fest, and I feel so victorious now that the numbers on the scale seem to be responding to my efforts. 

Please, do not let this week be a fluke! 

Aquafit

I'm in a miserable funk over my excess baby weight lately. I was steadily losing, then BAM I put back on 8lbs last month - you read that correctly. 8 pounds! I'm so depressed about it you can't imagine. The worst part is that I've been trying. I've been eating well, and staying active with daily walks, workout videos and - as of this past Friday - aquafit class. 

I take Owen swimming on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at the community centre, and while we're in the shallow end an aquafit class gets led in the deep end (participants wear specific aquafit floaty belts - very chic). The instructor is young and from the occasional glance over appears to know what she's doing. So, since I'm always searching for low-no impact exercise options (bad bad knees) I thought I'd pass the baby off to Luke on Friday and hit the drop-in class. Well, it turns out that the class I'd been eyeing is a registered class only and the girl who teaches it does not teach the drop-in classes. The gentleman who leads the class I attended was an elderly man named Robby. Robby wore spandex shorts and a bright blue sweat band on his forehead. Robby is senile and kept yelling incoherently at the teenaged lifeguards who were slacking off in the office behind him. Robby repeatedly got lost in the classic melodies of The Great American Songbook and kind of zoned in and out, guiding us through the most ridiculous, totally improvised routine I've ever experienced. The youngest participant by easily 40 years, I laughed silently to myself as little old ladies all around me sang along with Frank Sinatra while we did grapevines for the width of the pool. 

Near the end of the class, kids being let out of swimming lessons came filing through, some staring at us and some mimicking us. I laughed, knowing full-well just how hilarious we must have looked to them. I also laughed because I was closer to their age than the age of the people I was in the pool with and in a million years I would never predicted this day was in my future when I was 12 like them. Oddly enough, though, I wasn't embarrassed. Must be the whole "mom" thing - I actually found myself identifying more with the seniors in the pool who thought the kids were cute. It just goes to show that as we all get older, the differences that separate us become fewer and less important than the things that we share.  I wouldn't have expected that reaction from myself had I not experienced it that day.

Despite my revelation, aquafit will not be my body's salvation. *shrug* I'm alright with it - maybe Turbo Jam will be (that should arrive by mail next week - yes, I ordered a workout system from an infomercial)!  I'll keep you posted... This weight is coming off though, come hell or high water. 

  

In support of midwifery

As most people reading this blog know I had a natural, vaginal birth for my son, Owen. I laboured at home with a midwife until the very end, at which point we got our butts to the hospital as quickly as possible (I progressed more quickly than expected for a first baby). That was our birth plan from the very beginning. Luke and I decided, with the input of my mom taken heavily under advisement, that for our first child we would not attempt a home birth in it's entirety, but would transfer to the hospital for delivery "just in case", so we'd have access to any emergency treatments and facilities that one could possibly need if, God forbid, a scary situation were to arise. Fortunately, everything went perfectly. My total labour was 13 hours, and I did it without the intervention of drugs of any kind (for the sake of honesty, though, I must admit that in a moment of weakness when I thought Owen was going to come out of my back I did insist that I needed an epidural). Luckily, Owen came out so quickly that I could not be obliged. 

Owen was born in perfect health at 5:57am, and placed directly on my naked chest, where he remained while I "finished up" (I'll spare you the details, but in short this is about a twenty minute process of delivering the placenta, and being thoroughly examined and cleaned by my midwife). He was not rushed off for a cleaning or immediate assessment. He was not wrapped and diapered, and the delivered to me like a little present - until much later on, that is. I was given the proper time to bond with my newborn son in the most natural way possible. It was the most miraculous night of my life. I felt like a superhero - so strong, so capable. I also felt like I had joined this secret society of women who birth naturally. I had my midwife, my mother and my husband as the only people there with me. It felt so private and personal. 

From the moment she arrived, my midwife never left me to check other labouring women, let alone stroll in just in time to "catch" the baby and stroll back out again after giving her stamp of approval. She came to my home in the middle of the night, and calmly guided me through my labour. I was able to be naked, writhing around, sometimes thrashing around. Sometimes I yelled and shrieked, but mostly I groaned deeply with each contraction. I moved from my bedroom to the living room, to my bathtub, to the toilet, and was encouraged to do whatever helped me through it. There was never a sense that we needed to hurry it along, or introduce medication because of anyone's time schedule but Owen's.  She would simply follow me around, check his heart rate with a stethoscope periodically, and reassure me that everything was happening as it should. 

By 9:30 that same morning I was lying in my own bed, with my son and my husband. People always assume that when I say 9:30 I mean PM or the next day, and marvel when I correct them. "You were home 3 1/2 hours after he was born?" No one realizes that when you give birth without drugs that you can go home! You don't need to wait until the effects wear off, or remain under constant assessment because of insurance purposes. And because I wasn't drugged Owen obviously wasn't either, so they didn't need to keep him to monitor him for the lethargy to subside or watch for signs of stress. My midwife came to my home later in the day to check on us - a luxury that hospital births can not provide as one OBGYN tends to multiple babies, moms and other non-birth related patients, therefore and understandably so, everyone needs to stay put. Midwives are in the business of birth alone. They specialize and are highly trained in one area, so their focus and experience is astounding. My midwife had only been certified for a year or so at the time of my labour, yet she had delivered approximately 130 babies!! Each and every one of those with the care and attention that Owen and I received. Not 3 or 10 in one day like an OBGYN could do. Doesn't that put things into perspective? And pregnancy/delivery care is 100% covered by OHIP. My prenatal care cost nothing and it is my strong opinion that it was far superior to any care a medical doctor could provide. 

My inspiration to write this post came from watching a new documentary, executive produced by and featuring Ricki Lake (Go Ricki!), called The Business of Being Born. Luke and I just finished watching it, and it just reaffirmed why we chose this route for our son's birth, and I am now 100% convinced that we will plan for a complete home birth for our next child. Women have been birthing their children with great success for thousands of years, and it is only in the last century that they began to be told that what their bodies could do instinctively was obsolete and they needed medical intervention. Pregnancy is not a condition, and birth should not be a procedure. It is the most natural and wonderful experience we women are able to have and I worry that we are misinformed by the medical community, and eachother about it. I wish all women could feel how amazing and truly unbelievable it is to birth your child - to go through it without finding it "unnecessary" to feel pain. It's worth it, so very worth it to feel it all. The bond, and the power of your own strength makes birth the most moving and intense event a woman could ever experience. Why would you want to dull that?

Carrots on the floor, on the ceiling, on the door!

I had my first "Oh my God, food everywhere" new-mom moment yesterday. 

Owen had pureed carrots for the first time, and it was such a success - he loved them and remained pretty darned clean considering the high colour staining potential in bright orange foods! So I thought I'd get my camera out to record him being cute, grabbing for our flowers, and anything else he could see, but while I was recording he reached for the blender that had the unused carrots that I was going to freeze for the rest of the week (hence, there was a lot leftover). I saw him once and interfered, saw him twice and held the blender still, but as he was reaching for something else his other hand knocked the blender off the table and onto the floor. The attached videos say the rest...

Where the hell is Matt?

My girlfriend, Cam, sent this my way last week. It's one of those rare treats amidst alotta crap online, so I wanted to continue the chain of sharing...

This is definitely worth the slow loading (for some of you), so bear with it and let the whole thing load in a separate window while you do something else, then watch it all as one complete video. Don't waste your patience watching it while it loads, it's too jumpy and will take away from the awe of it all. 

Enjoy!

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/07/01/where-the-hell-is-ma.html

My current obsessions

Rockabye Baby - Lullaby renditions of...

I came across this amazing series while searching Itunes for something with a "tinkly music box sound" for Owen to fall asleep to (that I wouldn't have to wind up again every 25 seconds). Rockabye Baby has compiled some of the greatest rock music around and made "tinkly music box sound"ing renditions and I can't get enough. I immediately bought songs by U2, Coldplay, Radiohead, No Doubt, Nirvana, Green Day, The Rolling Stones, Smashing Pumpkins, and Metallica! Metallica!  Since so much baby music makes you want to pull your own hair out, this is the perfect solution. My baby falls asleep to sweet lullabies and I get to enjoy some relaxing, and darned-good versions of some of the greatest rock songs. It makes bed time so much better for all involved. 

www.rockabyebabymusic.com

David Suzuki: The Autobiography

I bought this book after seeing it on a Facebook friend's booklist. As a Canadian, I think I share with most people a soft spot for David Suzuki, plus I had a giftcard to Chapters, so I set out to find a copy to see if I could learn more about the man behind The Nature of Things. 

I knew Suzuki was an environmentalist and a nature show host, but what probably most vividly stuck out for me for the years was - fairly or not- that he is cute in a way that has always reminded me of my dad. I wanted to know more, and I'm getting that ++ by reading this book. I've learned that he spent his teenage years in my hometown of London, ON (how didn't I know that?), that -as a Japanese-Canadian- he suffered through forced racial segregation into the bush of British Columbia during WW2, and that until his wife, Tara Cullis, pursued the undoing of a seemingly archaic law in 1972, women were not legally allowed to keep their maiden names! 

He has had such a life, it really is incredible and I'm only a third of the way in! I cherish every free moment I have reading this wonderful book and I recommend it, obviously, very highly.

You can read more about David Suzuki at

www.davidsuzuki.ca

Dear Frankie

This is such a great little movie, staring Gerard Butler (before was so Hollywood and beefed-up, therefore waaaay more appealing) and Emily Mortimer. 

In short, a single mom doesn't want her son to know his dad is a dead-beat so she makes up this elaborate story about him being aboard some ship that travels all over the world. Pretending to be his father, she writes her boy letters so that he never has to know the truth. Then, one day she is forced to supply a face-to-face meeting between her son and his "father", so she hires a stranger to play him for one day. 

The character of Frankie is so sweet and the relationship between all the characters just makes you smile. Plus, the ending is satisfying without being obvious. 

RIP makeup site

Today I took down my professional website - or rather had it redirected here. Considering I haven't done a paying makeup job in about a year, I figure it's time to let it go. Plus, it probably looks bad to have such an out-of-date CV and portfolio - makes me look lazy or something...

Anyway, I somewhat reluctantly accept that my days as a makeup artist with high hopes and a few cool credits to her name are over. I stopped pursuing makeup work, oh 2 years ago, in favour of a stable 9-5 working for an investment banking company, and ultimately, motherhood. I will always remember that period of my life as an exciting one, though. I met amazing, creative people (plus a few lesser-known Canadian celebrities to impress my family with :)), did some work I'm super-proud of, and got to experience the festival circuit on a few occasions. A career in makeup, like any creative field, should not be attempted by anyone without an incredible drive and willingness to slum it "until". A career certainly can be had, but my goodness, it is hard work and ultimately I just don't have it in me - I probably never really did. Plus, true to my genetic code (thanks Dad) I get bored way too easily, and I just can't do something because it's what expected of me. Trust me, I've tried. I turn into a shrew.

So, I wanted to post a few of my favourite images from my makeup days. A glimpse into what was a special time for me... 

Next task will be to have a makeup kit clearance party with the girls!! Now that's a way to honour the end properly - just in time to head out to Gay Pride festivities tomorrow. Glitter anyone?

Enjoy!

Michael Richards is still an a@* hole

I was sent an email forward last week from someone close to me. Apparently Michael Richards (Kramer from Seinfeld) is pissed off at the response he has received since his racist tirade at a comedy club last year. I've attached the email, where Richards basically says that if minorities get to have Black History Month, or Gay Pride celebrations, then why can't we be proud (and vocally so) about being white - why don't we get White Pride Day? I thought I would post my reply to the email I sent to my loved-one (who, by the way, was not agreeing with Richards, just thought I'd find the whole thing interesting. She was right.), as it pretty succinctly relays my point-of-view. It's the purple text following the Richards stuff...

> Proud To Be White

>

> Someone finally said it.

> How many are actually paying attention to this?

>

> There are African Americans, Mexican Americans,

> Asian Americans, Arab Americans, etc.

> And then there are just Americans.

>

> You pass me on the street and sneer in my direction.

> You Call me 'White boy,' 'Cracker,' 'Honkey,'

> 'Whitey,' 'Caveman' ... And that's OK.

>

> But when I call you, N!gger, Kike, Towel head,

> Sand-n!gger, Camel Jockey, Beaner, Gook, or Chink .

> You call me a racist.

>

> You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you,

> So why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live?

>

> You have the United Negro College Fund.

> You have Martin Luther King Day.

> You have Black History Month.

> You have Cesar Chavez Day.

> You have Yom Hashoah.

> You have Ma'uled Al-Nabi.

> You have the NAACP.

> You have BET.

> If we had WET (White Entertainment Television) we'd be racists.

> If we had a White Pride Day, you would call us racists.

> If we had White History Month , we'd be racists.

> If we had any organization for only whites to 'advance'

> OUR lives we'd be racists.

>

> We have a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a Black Chamber

> Of Commerce, and then we just have the plain Chamber of Commerce.

> Wonder who pays for that?

>

> A white woman could not be in the Miss Black American

> Pageant, but any color can be in the Miss America pageant.

>

> If we had a college fund that only gave white students

> Scholarships you know we'd be racists.

> There are over 60 openly proclaimed Black Colleges

> In the US . Yet if there were 'White colleges' THAT

> Would be a racist college.

>

> In the Million Man March, you believed that you were

> Marching for your race and rights. If we marched for

> Our race and rights, you would call us racists.

>

> You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and orange, and

> You're not afraid to announce it. But when we announce

> Our white pride, you call us racists.

>

> You rob us, carjack us, and shoot at us. But, when a

> White police officer shoots a black gang member or beats

> Up a black drug-dealer running from the law and posing a

> Threat to society, you call him a racist.

>

> I am proud.

> But you call me a racist.

>

> Why is it that only whites can be racists?

>

> There is nothing improper about this e-mail.

> Let's see which of you are proud enough to send it on. 

The issue with Michael Richards' comments is that when you are a visible minority (which - still in these liberated present days - includes anyone who is not white), every day is white pride day unless you specifically carve one out for yourself. In our education system, political system, beauty pageant system (hee) whites still by FAR out number any other race. We have more opportunities because of our skin colour. Remember how I said that I was lucky to be a white, accent-free woman when applying for temp positions? I got placements that others would've struggled to get.

Yes there is MLK Jr. day, and black history month, etc. but truly so much of our life (flip on the television and count the ratio of white to "minority" actors) is still overwhelmingly aimed at Caucasian people. Minorities have to stand up and take an outspoken pride in their race/culture so as not to get left behind. They still fight every day for the equality we whites think exist. We do not live in an equal society - as much as our arrogance wants to believe we do.  They need individualized and specific support, because whites have a blanket of opportunities over all of them.

However, I do not believe that this should give anyone the right to use racial slurs - ever. No person has the right to call me a honkey or a cracker etc. Although, in some warped way I do understand why some people are angry enough to do it anyway.

See you soon,

Kate xox