life as i know it...

September 25: Canadian government cuts 40% (5 million dollars) of Status of Women Canada's administrative budget

October: Women's History Month

October 3: The word "equality" is removed from the Status of Women mandate

October 18: Persons Day

November 25: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

November 29: Conservatives close 12 out of 16 Status of Women regional offices

December 6: National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

December 10: International Human Rights Day


Well, it really sucks if you live in the North, a rural area, or anywhere except the 4 cities which will still have regional Status of Women offices after April 1st: Ottawa, Edmonton, Montreal and Moncton. It's not an April Fool's Day joke, unfortunately, just a grim reality.

Offices closed, millions in funding cut, "equality" removed from the SWC's mandate... I hear the government saying that it wants to create programs that treat men and women equally, without preferential treatment for women, but the reality is that no matter how much we'd like to think things are equal, there are still a lot of barriers and prejudice towards women. Less in some areas of the country, more in others, but when Canadian women are on average making only about 71 cents on the (male) dollar, there's surely something wrong, and I don't think that this government is taking the issues seriously. It's not terribly surprising though, considering the way some MPs speak out about their female colleagues. When well-educated, highly paid women are publicly maligned by government officials, what hope is there for single mothers, female immigrants, or women trying to break through the (still existent) glass ceiling?

- - - - -

On an even more progressive note, yesterday Saskboy wrote about about a charming commenter one of his previous blog posts who has declared that breastfeeding in public is "shameful" and "lowerclass".

Posted in: baby, body image, feminism, kids, politics on November 30, 2006 2 comments    

If you're anything like me, you look forward to seeing your favourite Christmas specials on TV at this time of year. Sure, they may be cheesy, old fashioned, and I may have seen them a dozen times each, but it just doesn't seem like Christmas unless I've seen a few of them.

My personal favourites are How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Mickey's Christmas Carol, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and The Santa Clause. I also love The Little Drummer Boy, and The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, although I don't watch them as often. Hubby's favourites are A Christmas Story and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

If you're wondering when your favourite specials will be on TV, check out the holiday programming guides linked below.

• Christmas Movie Schedule (many networks, check your local listings for times)
• CBC
• YTV

Posted in: holidays, movies on November 29, 2006 6 comments    

Here's an interesting music meme that I haven't seen before, borrowed from the blog Thinking About.... Google the top 100 songs from the year you graduated from high school, bold the ones you loved (then, anyways!), strikeout the ones you hated, and leave the others plain.

Wow... 1997 was a REALLY crappy year for music!! I've highlighted even the embarassing songs that I liked, so you can all have a chuckle at my expense (are you brave enough to own up to your favourites?!). It's weird though, I worked in a record store, so I'm pretty familiar with music from that time, but there are some songs on this list that I don't remember! Most of them I'm just really indifferent about.

1. Candle In The Wind 1997, Elton John
2. Foolish Games / You Were Meant For Me, Jewel
3. I'll Be Missing You, Puff Daddy and Faith Evans
4. Un-Break My Heart, Toni Braxton
5. Can't Nobody Hold Me Down, Puff Daddy
6. I Believe I Can Fly, R. Kelly
7. Don't Let Go (Love), En Vogue
8. Return Of The Mack, Mark Morrison
9. How Do I Live, LeAnn Rimes
10. Wannabe, Spice Girls
11. Quit Playing Games (With My Heart), Backstreet Boys
12. MMMBop, Hanson
13. For You I Will, Monica
14. You Make Me Wanna..., Usher
15. Bitch, Meredith Brooks
16. Nobody, Keith Sweat
17. Semi-Charmed Life, Third Eye Blind
18. Barely Breathing, Duncan Sheik
19. Hard To Say I'm Sorry, Az Yet Featuring Peter Cetera
20. Mo Money Mo Problems, Notorious B.I.G.
21. The Freshmen, Verve Pipe
22. I Want You, Savage Garden
23. No Diggity, BLACKstreet Featuring Dr. Dre
24. I Belong To You (Every Time I See Your Face), Rome
25. Hypnotize, Notorious B.I.G.
26. Every Time I Close My Eyes, Babyface
27. In My Bed, Dru Hill
28. Say You'll Be There, Spice Girls
29. Do You Know (What It Takes), Robyn
30. 4 Seasons Of Loneliness, Boyz II Men
31. G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T., Changing Faces
32. Honey, Mariah Carey
33. I Believe In You And Me, Whitney Houston
34. Da' Dip, Freaknasty
35. 2 Become 1, Spice Girls
36. All For You, Sister Hazel
37. Cupid, 112
38. Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?, Paula Cole
39. Sunny Came Home, Shawn Colvin
40. It's Your Love, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
41. Ooh Aah... Just A Little Bit, Gina G
42. Mouth, Merril Bainbridge
43. All Cried Out, Allure Featuring 112
44. I'm Still In Love With You, New Edition
45. Invisible Man, 98 Degrees
46. Not Tonight, Lil' Kim
47. Look Into My Eyes, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
48. Get It Together, 702
49. All By Myself, Celine Dion
50. It's All Coming Back To Me Now, Celine Dion
51. My Love Is The Shhh!, Somethin' For The People
52. Where Do You Go, No Mercy
53. I Finally Found Someon, Barbra Streisand and Bryan Adams
54. I'll Be, Foxy Brown Featuring Jay-Z
55. If It Makes You Happy , Sheryl Crow
56. Never Make A Promise, Dru Hill
57. When You Love A Woman, Journey
58. Up Jumps Da Boogie, Magoo And Timbaland
59. I Don't Want To / I Love Me Some Him, Toni Braxton
60. Everyday Is A Winding Road, Sheryl Crow
61. Cold Rock A Party, Mc Lyte
62. Pony, Ginuwine
63. Building A Mystery, Sarah McLachlan
64. I Love You Always Forever, Donna Lewis
65. Your Woman, White Town
66. C U When U Get There, Coolio
67. Change The World, Eric Clapton
68. My Baby Daddy, B-Rock and The Bizz
69. Tubthumping, Chumbawamba
70. Gotham City, R. Kelly
71. Last Night, Az Yet
72. ESPN Presents The Jock Jam, Various Artists
73. Big Daddy, Heavy D
74. What About Us, Total
75. Smile, Scarface
76. What's On Tonight, Montell Jordan
77. Secret Garden, Bruce Springsteen
78. The One I Gave My Heart, w Aaliyah
79. Fly Like An Eagle, Seal
80. No Time, Lil' Kim
81. Naked Eye, Luscious Jackson
82. Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix), Los Del Rio (although I still remember the dance and can be convinced to do it at weddings, now!)
83. On and On, Erykah Badu
84. Don't Wanna Be A Player, Joe
85. I Shot The Sheriff, Warren G
86. You Should Be Mine (Don't Waste Your Time), Brian McKnight Featuring Mase
87. Don't Cry For Me Argentina, Madonna
88. Someone, SWV
89. Go The Distance, Michael Bolton
90. One More Time, Real McCoy
91. Butta Love, Next
92. Coco Jamboo, Mr. President
93. Twisted, Keith Sweat
94. Barbie Girl, Aqua
95. When You're Gone / Free To Decide, Cranberries
96. Let Me Clear My Throat, DJ Kool
97. I Like It, Blackout Allstars
98. You're Makin' Me High / Let It Flow, Toni Braxton
99. You Must Love Me, Madonna
100. Let It Go, Ray J

Posted in: meme, music on November 28, 2006 4 comments    

Last week, I wrote about my frustration with the anti-nursing crowd; people who think its disgusting and inappropriate for women to breastfeed in public, and the folks who got streamed up over this Baby Talk magazine cover.

Well, hold onto your hats people, check out the comments after this Nashville Scene blog post, where you'll see some real gems, including comments like:

"I certainly don't [want] anyone nursing their baby next to me. Anyway a lot of these nursers are fat. Decency should trump the need to travel by air and, IMHO, let them drive the van to wherever they are going."

"These 'nurse in' women should stay home and nurse; not run the streets protesting, flying all over the country and talking about their boobs."

Posted in: baby, body image, feminism, kids on November 27, 2006 4 comments    

Updated

I'm loving the blog IzzyMom. She has a couple of great posts up right now, which I heartily agree with. Click on the quotes below to read the full articles:

On "freak dancing" (the latest form of dirty dancing):

"...the kids are not to blame. I mean they have their noses rubbed in sexual imagery from childhood on and then we go and sexualize our little girls and then we give them numerous forms of media that are saturated with sexual content and imagery of the most base variety, as well as all manner of negative gender stereotyping and then when they freak dance, we call foul? What the hell did we EXPECT them to turn out like? Nuns and monks? They’re simply products of their environment and you can’t really fault them for that."

Posted in: baby, body image, kids on 1 comments    

Posted in: comics on 0 comments    

Weird Al Yankovic has a new song out: Canadian Idiot, a parody of Green Day's American Idiot. It's actually pretty funny, talking/singing about Canadians from the point of view of an American who believes all of the silly stereotypes.

There isn't an official video out yet, but the YouTube player below has the song, and to help you follow along, I've pasted the lyrics below. Enjoy!

Posted in: funny, music on November 23, 2006 3 comments    

This story really makes you reflect on courage, family, love, and the meaning of "in sickness and in health". Prayers to you, Katie.

CaringBridge: Katie Ferrarias

via Life in a Nutshell

Posted in: inspiring on November 21, 2006 1 comments    

Okay, I'm essentially posting a forward here, but I think it has a lot of good wisdom for life - things that we tend to forget as we get caught up in the rat race, striving to be perfect, make lots of money, and keep up with the Joneses.

- - - - -

If I Had My Life to Live Over

Reportedly written by Erma Bombeck after she found out she was dying from cancer.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I wasn't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner." There would have been more "I love you"s. More "I'm sorry"s.

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute... look at it and really see it... live it and never give it back.

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what. Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us. Let's think about what we are blessed with, and what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, emotionally.

Posted in: inspiring on 0 comments    

Posted in: comics on November 20, 2006 0 comments    

We don't have all the facts about this situation, but if the information about her location on the plane is correct, I don't think anyone was justified to compell her to use a blanket while feeding her child, given that breastfeeding is not illegal in that state (and don't get me started on places where it is illegal). Frankly, I don't even think she should have been compelled if she was sitting in an aisle seat, but I understand that some passengers might be uncomfortable and unable to switch seats.

Why do some people still think it's inappropriate for women to breastfeed their children in public?! It's not like they strip down or whip out their breasts for amusement, and you can be discreet without using a blanket to cover yourself up.

Some people are so strangely squeamish, like the people who were outraged at seeing the breastfeeding picture on a Baby Talk magazine cover. People called the photo gross, sexual, and some shredded or hid the magazine for fear that the men in their families would see it. You see more breast watching Fashion File, the red carpet photos at the Oscars, and any number of TV shows. Some people seem incapable of thinking of the breast as anything but a sexual object, even in un-sexy situations.

Some places have nursing rooms for those who choose to use them, but that's optional. Many places don't have comfortable, clean, designated nursing areas, and when that's not available or desired, I don't think a mother should be forced to go to the car to feed her baby, or worse, go to a public restroom. Would you eat in the bathroom? I can't imagine a stranger approaching me to criticize me for how and where I feed my child. Let's hope that when Baby is born I won't have such unpleasant experiences!

It baffles me that 57% of respondents surveyed for the article about the Baby Talk cover don't think that women should have the right to breastfeed in public (!), and people freak out about that beautiful photo, yet seeing a celebrity almost naked on the cover of a magazine is accepted as commonplace.

Strange world we live in. The Baby Talk article examined why women don't nurse longer - is it any wonder?

Technorati tags: baby, breastfeeding

Posted in: baby, body image, feminism, kids on November 17, 2006 13 comments    

Here's a really cool link I stumbled across at Grrrl Meets World:

Presidential Speeches: Tag Clouds

The clouds show how often certain words were used in major speeches by U.S. presidents, from 1776 to today. Move the slider along the timeline to look at the trends in speeches throughout history.

Technorati tags: USA, politics, speeches, president, tag clouds

Posted in: politics, war on November 16, 2006 0 comments    

Hubby and I went to Winners last night to check out the baby section, and I was pleasantly surprised with the selection there - Winners has cool kids' stuff! I only bought a couple of board books and a baby mobile ($15!), but I saw a lot of things that I'd like to get for the baby.

I really liked the selection of infantino toys. I'm not a fan of noisy toys (generally, I'm of the opinion that if it needs batteries, don't buy it), and it frustrates me that almost everything in the toy stores these days makes noise, and doesn't have a volume control. Anyways, there were some really cute (non-noisy) infantino toys at Winners, and even more neat things on thieir website! I really like a lot of the Discovery Toys products too. Their website isn't great, but they have a lot of neat developmental toys.

But I just can't handle Tickle-Me-Elmo!! This is my version of hell.

Technorati tags: toys, baby, kids, infantino, Discovery Toys, Winners

Posted in: baby, kids on November 15, 2006 4 comments    

So cute!

Click here for the wisdom

Posted in: funny, kids on November 14, 2006 1 comments    

Technorati tags: marketing, politics, comics, Fox Trot

Posted in: comics, funny, politics on 1 comments    

In Flanders Fields

by Dr. John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.


Related: Best commercial ever (Hat tip: Helmut)


A Soldier - His Prayer

As the story goes, this anonymous poem was blown into a slit trench in Tunisia during a heavy bombardment in the early days of World War II. Who its author is, or was, cannot be determined, but it is certain that he had a gift for poetry which he used to express his great faith and sense of hope.

Stay with me God. The night is dark
The night is cold: My little spark
Of courage dies. The night is long;
Be with me God, and make me strong

I love the game; I love a fight.
I hate the dark; I love the light.
I love my child; I love my wife.
I am no coward. I love life.

Life with its change of mood and shade.
I want to live. I'm not afraid,
But me and mine are hard to part;
Oh unknown God, lift up my heart.

You stilled the water at Dunkirk
And saved your servants.
All your work is wonderful, dear God. You strode
Before us down that dreadful road.

We were alone, and hope had fled;
We loved our country, and our dead.
And could not shame them; so we stayed
The course, and were not much afraid.

Dear God, that nightmare road! And then
That sea! We got there - we were men.
My eyes were blind, my feet were torn,
My soul sang like a bird at dawn!

I knew that death is just a door.
I knew what we were fighting for:
Peace for the kids, our brothers freed,
A kinder world, a cleaner breed.

I'm but the son my mother bore,
A simple man and nothing more.
But - God of strength and gentleness,
Be pleased to make me nothing less.

Help me, O God, when death is near
To mock the haggard face of fear,
That when I fall-If fall I must-
My soul may triumph in the dust.

Posted in: holidays, war on November 11, 2006 1 comments    

Most of us have so much music, but we tend to get into ruts; phases of listening to the same stuff over and over. My current phase is female singer songwriters (Patty Griffin, Joni Mitchell, Maren Ord, etc.). LLD at What It Do NB? posted her iPod shuffle, and came up with some old gems that she had forgotten about.

Here are the random 10 that came up in my (iPod-less) music shuffle:

Steve Earle - Copperhead Road
Cake - I Will Survive
Jim Carey - I am the Walrus
Dixie Chicks - Long Time Gone
Edwin - Alive
Kilt - Come on Eileen
Christina Aguilera - The Voice Within
The Champs - Tequila
Runrig - Big Sky
Ian Tyson - Alberta's Child

Posted in: meme, music on November 10, 2006 3 comments    

Okay, Apartment Girl has already heard this weirdness-of-my-life (actually, she knows all the weirdness of my life - poor girl), but what the hell, let's broadcast it to the masses.

I like banana bread. The thing is, I don't always have the time or inclination for baking. But nevertheless, when we have bananas that are getting spotty and mushy, I throw them in the freezer, with the intent to make banana bread later.

Hubby was defrosting the freezer yesterday, and came in with TWO SHOPPING BAGS FULL OF BANANAS.

I've gotta get baking.


Technorati tags: banana bread, baking

Posted in: household on 3 comments    

Quick roundup of interesting things:

• Make sure you bring your passport when travelling to the USA
  
  
• Watch the trailer for a documentary about the backlash the Dixie Chicks got after voicing their politics
  
  
• Watch a very cool video clip - fireworks with paint! (via A Family Runs Through It)
  
  
• The Small Print Project is collecting the text of strange, silly, and overly restrictive agreements that people consent to when downloading, surfing, performing, and even purchasing products in retail stores. (via BoingBoing - good description here)
  
  
• I want a laptop so I can have one of these laptop cases!!!
  

Posted in: law, technology, videos on November 09, 2006 0 comments    

Here's a handy (true) tip I received from my Mom this morning:

Washing the lint filter in your clothes dryer can help extend the lifespan of the appliance.

Apparently dryer sheets create an invisible film over the lint trap mesh which causes your dryer's heating unit to burn out more quickly. The best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take the filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush at least every six months. That makes your dryer last twice as long.

Read more information here.


I'm also interested in using dryer balls instead of fabric softener sheets. Has anyone tried them?

Technorati tags: dryer, household tips, dryer sheets, fabric softener

Posted in: helpful tips, household on November 07, 2006 5 comments    

Free Hugs Campaign

Via IzzyMom

Technorati tags: free hugs, Juan Mann

Posted in: inspiring, videos on November 01, 2006 3 comments    

I always make these muffins around this time of year. They're a nice Halloween/Thanksgiving treat (because of the pumpkin) and they're good for Christmas baking too. I usually bake some in a mini-muffin pan to make bite-sized muffins to give out in Christmas tins with cookies.

These freeze well. In fact, we often grab a couple from the freezer, and give 'em a zap in the microwave for a quick dessert!

Pumpkin Chip Muffins

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 can (16oz) pumpkin (real pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling)
1 ½ cups vegetable oil (you can substitute unsweetened apple sauce - I usually do 1 cup apple sauce, 1/2 cup canola oil)
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil until smooth.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups ¾ full. Bake at 400 F for 16-20 minutes or until muffins test done.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

Makes about 24 standard-size muffins.

Technorati tags: baking, muffins, recipe, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas

Posted in: holidays, household, recipes on 1 comments