30/12/2010
21/12/2010
I like to worry about little things that probably don't matter.
I try not to blog about pregnancy all the time.
No seriously, I make a conscious effort to avoid the topic for a few posts at a time (scroll down...see?). I think you'll get sick of me if I monotopic... But I also think it's time to stop filtering like that. If you stopped by to read about what's up, then I'm sure you'd appreciate a post about pregnancy more than no post at all. And after all I am pregnant and you stopped by to see what's up. Also, I'm a bit disappointed that I haven't been on the ball about pregnancy photos. We have a grand total of 5. What's up with that? We're usually photo junkies. I thought for sure I'd have a Tuesday Tummy weekly belly shot or something.
But not even close.
And I'm already fretting about how I'm going to keep the Manitoba families up to date with pictures and stories after the little one is born... Duh, the blog, but then I worry I'm going to baby over-load it. Montopic again. But does that matter, really? I honestly never get sick of hearing about other people's kids on their blogs. I mean, come on, that's what I go over there for! I'm following the person, I'd rather a kids post than no post at all. Sometimes I pine for more stories and more pictures about the kids (especially the babies!) but I'm so proud of moms who also blog about themselves, their interests, their life in general... It really brings a balance to things. I wonder if it comes natural to them or if they worry about these silly kinds of things too.
Achieving balance on the blog. Honestly, is worrying about this a good use of my brain space? I'm not so much worried about achieving balance in my life as a person... I'm way too self-centered, obsessed with my husband, and crazy about God to become all-consumed by baby.
So this would be a great time to post my latest pregnancy shot and one of the photos we have from the 3D ultrasound, wouldn't it? Or should I wait to show you in person? Seeing as we are flying to Manitoba TOMORROW!!!
No seriously, I make a conscious effort to avoid the topic for a few posts at a time (scroll down...see?). I think you'll get sick of me if I monotopic... But I also think it's time to stop filtering like that. If you stopped by to read about what's up, then I'm sure you'd appreciate a post about pregnancy more than no post at all. And after all I am pregnant and you stopped by to see what's up. Also, I'm a bit disappointed that I haven't been on the ball about pregnancy photos. We have a grand total of 5. What's up with that? We're usually photo junkies. I thought for sure I'd have a Tuesday Tummy weekly belly shot or something.
But not even close.
And I'm already fretting about how I'm going to keep the Manitoba families up to date with pictures and stories after the little one is born... Duh, the blog, but then I worry I'm going to baby over-load it. Montopic again. But does that matter, really? I honestly never get sick of hearing about other people's kids on their blogs. I mean, come on, that's what I go over there for! I'm following the person, I'd rather a kids post than no post at all. Sometimes I pine for more stories and more pictures about the kids (especially the babies!) but I'm so proud of moms who also blog about themselves, their interests, their life in general... It really brings a balance to things. I wonder if it comes natural to them or if they worry about these silly kinds of things too.
Achieving balance on the blog. Honestly, is worrying about this a good use of my brain space? I'm not so much worried about achieving balance in my life as a person... I'm way too self-centered, obsessed with my husband, and crazy about God to become all-consumed by baby.
So this would be a great time to post my latest pregnancy shot and one of the photos we have from the 3D ultrasound, wouldn't it? Or should I wait to show you in person? Seeing as we are flying to Manitoba TOMORROW!!!
14/12/2010
Learning from each other
A girlfriend of mine has two small children, a load of work, and a billion responsibilities. When she loads the car up on winter mornings it takes multiple trips from the house to strategically buckle the little ones in, without them getting too cold, or together in the car too long without mom to intervene on fights, or left unsupervised long enough to get into mischief.
So she loaded the little one first (because she can't get herself out of the car seat and go play on the street when her mom takes another trip back to the house, like the older one tends to do), then in go the day bags for nursery school, student teaching material, lunches, etc, then it's time for child number two. But this morning, upon returning to the car with child number two, to her horror she found the car doors locked. So she panicked. And so did her little one who was locked in the car by herself.
And of course, it's these moments when the husband can't be reached at work. Cuz life is like that. After what felt like eternity of trying to get a hold of her him with no luck, she called 911. They dispatched 3 officers who came and smashed the window of her car for her... (Just as her husband pulled into the driveway...)
She phoned me to tell me to always have an extra car key.
I thanked her for being bold enough to let me learn from her experiences too... And that she should have a fire extinguisher in her house.
Today I found myself in a little predicament. I had a grease fire going on in the oven and there's just so much a poor husband can do about it when he's at work. (To his credit, he left for home immediately, cell phone in hand, but it's not like he works down the street.)
The fire was getting worse, and our place was filling with smoke. I swallowed my pride and went to the neighbor's to see if he had a fire extinguisher, because we ~ erm ~ don't. The neighbor looked at me a bit puzzled as to why I'd be on his doorstep, without a jacket, looking for a fire extinguisher. I told him I had a fire in my oven and, although it's contained, I would love for it to be out. (For some reason, neighbors that share a wall with you are more than willing to help put out fires...) By God's timing he had something even better than a fire extinguisher, he happened to have his buddy over, who's a fireman! Both of them tore out his door and into my place... It was out in seconds.
So there you have it.
Be sure to have an extra key for your car, a fire extinguisher for your kitchen, and girlfriends to learn from!
So she loaded the little one first (because she can't get herself out of the car seat and go play on the street when her mom takes another trip back to the house, like the older one tends to do), then in go the day bags for nursery school, student teaching material, lunches, etc, then it's time for child number two. But this morning, upon returning to the car with child number two, to her horror she found the car doors locked. So she panicked. And so did her little one who was locked in the car by herself.
And of course, it's these moments when the husband can't be reached at work. Cuz life is like that. After what felt like eternity of trying to get a hold of her him with no luck, she called 911. They dispatched 3 officers who came and smashed the window of her car for her... (Just as her husband pulled into the driveway...)
She phoned me to tell me to always have an extra car key.
I thanked her for being bold enough to let me learn from her experiences too... And that she should have a fire extinguisher in her house.
Today I found myself in a little predicament. I had a grease fire going on in the oven and there's just so much a poor husband can do about it when he's at work. (To his credit, he left for home immediately, cell phone in hand, but it's not like he works down the street.)
The fire was getting worse, and our place was filling with smoke. I swallowed my pride and went to the neighbor's to see if he had a fire extinguisher, because we ~ erm ~ don't. The neighbor looked at me a bit puzzled as to why I'd be on his doorstep, without a jacket, looking for a fire extinguisher. I told him I had a fire in my oven and, although it's contained, I would love for it to be out. (For some reason, neighbors that share a wall with you are more than willing to help put out fires...) By God's timing he had something even better than a fire extinguisher, he happened to have his buddy over, who's a fireman! Both of them tore out his door and into my place... It was out in seconds.
So there you have it.
Be sure to have an extra key for your car, a fire extinguisher for your kitchen, and girlfriends to learn from!
*Side note: Hooray for police officers and and firemen
taking care of daily crises when our husbands are at work!!!
taking care of daily crises when our husbands are at work!!!
13/12/2010
Published... sigh
Well, it's exciting to know that not all the hard work, blood, sweat and, yes, even sometimes tears over my grad degree wasn't completely in vain. A portion of my final manuscript has been officially accepted for publication and will appear in the Food and Nutrition Bulletin's March 2011 edition.
Yay! Right?
Well sorta. Here's what I'm struggling with:
1) The final product had most of the actually interesting aspects of our theory removed... Due to their 'speculative and controversial nature'. Well, isn't that the point of research and publication? To reach a little further, to think a little harder, to shine light on a new way of thought as opposed to continually ascribing to accepted theories? You know, help evolve science, blah blah blah?
2) The title starts with "Diarrhea..."
Yes-sir-ee, after March 2011, a quick Google search will pair my name with first author on a scientific publication apparently about loose bowl movements... And to revert back to #1, this wasn't even on the top 10 list of interesting findings... Sigh.
But hey, I'll take it none-the-less!!!
** UPDATE: I re-read this post this morning and realize I sound ungrateful that we got accepted... For the record, that's not true at all! Yay for first authorship!!
Yay! Right?
Well sorta. Here's what I'm struggling with:
1) The final product had most of the actually interesting aspects of our theory removed... Due to their 'speculative and controversial nature'. Well, isn't that the point of research and publication? To reach a little further, to think a little harder, to shine light on a new way of thought as opposed to continually ascribing to accepted theories? You know, help evolve science, blah blah blah?
2) The title starts with "Diarrhea..."
Yes-sir-ee, after March 2011, a quick Google search will pair my name with first author on a scientific publication apparently about loose bowl movements... And to revert back to #1, this wasn't even on the top 10 list of interesting findings... Sigh.
But hey, I'll take it none-the-less!!!
** UPDATE: I re-read this post this morning and realize I sound ungrateful that we got accepted... For the record, that's not true at all! Yay for first authorship!!
08/12/2010
06/12/2010
Your opinion, please!
Scenario 1:
There are a group of us ladies (mostly from the church) gathering at a restaurant for breakfast. The place is filling up fast so a friend and I offer to move to the end of the table to share a seat in order to make room for a new comer and her 83 year old mother. The new comer responds: "Sure! You two skinny-minnies can fit on the end! Oh wait... I guess you [finger pointing at me] aren't a skinny minnie anymore though, are ya!?!?"
Umm... I guess not...
Scenario 2:
After the lady's breakfast I go to a friends' home where the young adults/youth are having a get together. The place is packed. I get a bit anxious when I have to enter a room full of people on my own at the best of times... But then I hear Tom's voice coming from the kitchen. He's talking about me... "... Yeah, Candice is doing really well and she looks amazing. She should be here soon..." Awww! Refill on the self-confidence! So I take a deep breath and enter the kitchen. There's about 30 people in there, and the hostess (who has had 3 kids herself) blurts out, over top of all conversation happening "There's Candice!! WOW, so that's how you'd look if you were FAT!!!"
Tell me, dear bloggers, what's the correct answer to that?
Scenario 3:
We're at a Christmas party pot-luck. There's about 100 people there. Tom and I are sitting at a table talking to a young couple we just met. Yay for potential friends! A gentleman we know (who's wife has had 4 kids) walks up to the table and upon greeting me, says "You make me feel thin!!" (Sidenote: This man is anything but thin.)
Totally taken aback (and embarrassed in front of our new friends) I needed to clarify before I got offended, "You mean, because I'm pregnant?"
Realizing this is not a good situation, Tom jumps in" "No, no, Candice, he was talking about me!"
The man, completely oblivious to the fact Tom just offered him an out to his off-colour remark, responds "No! I meant her [pointing directly at me]!"
Scenario 4:
Last night I was discussing these comments to a few of my more 'philosophical' friends. You know, ones that you'd expect to laugh along with you at the absurdity of the comments, and help identify the causes these social behaviours at a deeper level. Right after ending my rant of how these types of comments are not funny (in the same way) to a pregnant woman, how they are a blow to the self-esteem, and, considering you would never say such things towards a non-pregnant adult actually boarder on verbal abuse (in my opinion) because they leave a woman wounded and defenseless (because if she were to snap back and defend herself and her ever-growing and chaning body due to the NEW LIFE GROWING INSIDE her, she would be labled "hormonal")... Where was I? Oh right, so I just finish this rant with a "... And because there's so many changes happening in her body, the woman is barely comfortable in her own skin, let alone take blows from friends... So comments like these make you want to go home and cry."
And what does my most philosophical, (usually) sensitive friend say? "No, those are the HORMONES doing that!!" And the room bursts out laughing.
I would love to continue this rant, underlining the absurdity and double-standards that pregnant women face: Needing to gracefully accept gaining weight and becoming larger (in a society that shuns such body changes) to adapt and foster the human being developing inside her (while people critique her every move as to whether or not it's harmful to the fetus). To keep smiling and 'glowing' while people take great joy in teasing you with the horrors of labour, delivery, and parenthood ("... But I guess I shouldn't say things like that to you, you may regret getting pregnant! Blahhaaha!) To answer people's questions honestly about what I'm feeling, just to hear "Oh, just wait until..." Like the stage I'm at isn't 'there' yet. Like parenting teenagers is when it really starts...
Yes, I would love to continue that rant (because, oh boy, I've got more where that came from!) but instead I want to be a little more constructive. I'm wondering...
1) Could this be a cultural thing? In Costa Rica I was told to turn around so they could see my back end and make comments regarding it's plumpness. I wrote it off as cultural and was able to laugh it off. That would be great if this were the case here, too. Could it be that Quebec's social behaviours towards pregnant women are different than where I grew up, explaining why I feel this is unacceptable yet domestics don't seem to feel the same way? PLEASE, let me know what your experiences were so we can compare notes!
2) Am I over reacting (is it hormonal?) Would you be offended? Tom assures me that no, I'm not being overly sensitive, but rather some people are rude and some comments are hurtful. Period.
3) What would be a constructive way to deal with comments like these? Just to note, my offense stems from the fact that people are comfortable (and think it's acceptable) to slam me with body image comments, and not that I feel grossly large (but I'm willing to bet that after enough comments my brain will start to think they are right... And I don't want to buy into that!).
Wow, that was long!
Happy Monday!!
There are a group of us ladies (mostly from the church) gathering at a restaurant for breakfast. The place is filling up fast so a friend and I offer to move to the end of the table to share a seat in order to make room for a new comer and her 83 year old mother. The new comer responds: "Sure! You two skinny-minnies can fit on the end! Oh wait... I guess you [finger pointing at me] aren't a skinny minnie anymore though, are ya!?!?"
Umm... I guess not...
Scenario 2:
After the lady's breakfast I go to a friends' home where the young adults/youth are having a get together. The place is packed. I get a bit anxious when I have to enter a room full of people on my own at the best of times... But then I hear Tom's voice coming from the kitchen. He's talking about me... "... Yeah, Candice is doing really well and she looks amazing. She should be here soon..." Awww! Refill on the self-confidence! So I take a deep breath and enter the kitchen. There's about 30 people in there, and the hostess (who has had 3 kids herself) blurts out, over top of all conversation happening "There's Candice!! WOW, so that's how you'd look if you were FAT!!!"
Tell me, dear bloggers, what's the correct answer to that?
Scenario 3:
We're at a Christmas party pot-luck. There's about 100 people there. Tom and I are sitting at a table talking to a young couple we just met. Yay for potential friends! A gentleman we know (who's wife has had 4 kids) walks up to the table and upon greeting me, says "You make me feel thin!!" (Sidenote: This man is anything but thin.)
Totally taken aback (and embarrassed in front of our new friends) I needed to clarify before I got offended, "You mean, because I'm pregnant?"
Realizing this is not a good situation, Tom jumps in" "No, no, Candice, he was talking about me!"
The man, completely oblivious to the fact Tom just offered him an out to his off-colour remark, responds "No! I meant her [pointing directly at me]!"
Scenario 4:
Last night I was discussing these comments to a few of my more 'philosophical' friends. You know, ones that you'd expect to laugh along with you at the absurdity of the comments, and help identify the causes these social behaviours at a deeper level. Right after ending my rant of how these types of comments are not funny (in the same way) to a pregnant woman, how they are a blow to the self-esteem, and, considering you would never say such things towards a non-pregnant adult actually boarder on verbal abuse (in my opinion) because they leave a woman wounded and defenseless (because if she were to snap back and defend herself and her ever-growing and chaning body due to the NEW LIFE GROWING INSIDE her, she would be labled "hormonal")... Where was I? Oh right, so I just finish this rant with a "... And because there's so many changes happening in her body, the woman is barely comfortable in her own skin, let alone take blows from friends... So comments like these make you want to go home and cry."
And what does my most philosophical, (usually) sensitive friend say? "No, those are the HORMONES doing that!!" And the room bursts out laughing.
I would love to continue this rant, underlining the absurdity and double-standards that pregnant women face: Needing to gracefully accept gaining weight and becoming larger (in a society that shuns such body changes) to adapt and foster the human being developing inside her (while people critique her every move as to whether or not it's harmful to the fetus). To keep smiling and 'glowing' while people take great joy in teasing you with the horrors of labour, delivery, and parenthood ("... But I guess I shouldn't say things like that to you, you may regret getting pregnant! Blahhaaha!) To answer people's questions honestly about what I'm feeling, just to hear "Oh, just wait until..." Like the stage I'm at isn't 'there' yet. Like parenting teenagers is when it really starts...
Yes, I would love to continue that rant (because, oh boy, I've got more where that came from!) but instead I want to be a little more constructive. I'm wondering...
1) Could this be a cultural thing? In Costa Rica I was told to turn around so they could see my back end and make comments regarding it's plumpness. I wrote it off as cultural and was able to laugh it off. That would be great if this were the case here, too. Could it be that Quebec's social behaviours towards pregnant women are different than where I grew up, explaining why I feel this is unacceptable yet domestics don't seem to feel the same way? PLEASE, let me know what your experiences were so we can compare notes!
2) Am I over reacting (is it hormonal?) Would you be offended? Tom assures me that no, I'm not being overly sensitive, but rather some people are rude and some comments are hurtful. Period.
3) What would be a constructive way to deal with comments like these? Just to note, my offense stems from the fact that people are comfortable (and think it's acceptable) to slam me with body image comments, and not that I feel grossly large (but I'm willing to bet that after enough comments my brain will start to think they are right... And I don't want to buy into that!).
Wow, that was long!
Happy Monday!!
03/12/2010
02/12/2010
Extended!
The Montreal Diet Dispensary requested an extension of our contract 'till the end of January!!! Working for them has been such a sweet deal, I'm very appreciative of this opportunity to keep it going!
01/12/2010
Oh my, how time flies
Alright, who's been toying with my ticker?! I'd swear it said 150 days just a few short days ago...
Things are progressing nicely around here though. So far my pre-natal appointments have been wonderfully uneventful, and I've been feeling pretty darn good. Prenatal yoga rocks.
We had a 4D ultrasound this past weekend which *definitely* confirmed the gender and gave us a sneak peak into what he looks like.
Mr Kickboxer often makes himself known, resulting in many friends catching a feel of a moving fetus. Pretty neat!
We are also proud owners of a beautiful white crib (thanks, mom!), and scored a matching dresser/change table off Kijiji for just $25 bucks! These pieces will go wonderfully in the newly painted baby's room, which is now green. The white and brown polka-dot stickers I ordered online have arrived and will be put up in January with the help of an artistic friend (sure, slapping round stickers on the wall may sound easy...) The dresser already contains a few baby gifts and hand-me-downs. How exciting!!!
Yes, things are shaping up (including my belly!) and thanks to my hubby, I also have a pair of new winter boots with built in 'traction control' (a.k.a 12 spikes built into each shoe's grip that can retract into the sole when not needed) to combat that nasty ice Montreal is prone to. The last thing I want to do is fall!
Things are progressing nicely around here though. So far my pre-natal appointments have been wonderfully uneventful, and I've been feeling pretty darn good. Prenatal yoga rocks.
We had a 4D ultrasound this past weekend which *definitely* confirmed the gender and gave us a sneak peak into what he looks like.
Mr Kickboxer often makes himself known, resulting in many friends catching a feel of a moving fetus. Pretty neat!
We are also proud owners of a beautiful white crib (thanks, mom!), and scored a matching dresser/change table off Kijiji for just $25 bucks! These pieces will go wonderfully in the newly painted baby's room, which is now green. The white and brown polka-dot stickers I ordered online have arrived and will be put up in January with the help of an artistic friend (sure, slapping round stickers on the wall may sound easy...) The dresser already contains a few baby gifts and hand-me-downs. How exciting!!!
Yes, things are shaping up (including my belly!) and thanks to my hubby, I also have a pair of new winter boots with built in 'traction control' (a.k.a 12 spikes built into each shoe's grip that can retract into the sole when not needed) to combat that nasty ice Montreal is prone to. The last thing I want to do is fall!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)