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multicultural

I think the status  update going around fb about not celebrating Christmas and everyone adapting to the 'Canadian way' is hypocritical.
It's not just about people from other places, there are a lot of Canadian people that don't celebrate Christmas or believe in God either. Before the settlers arrived the native people didn't celebrate Christmas or believe in our God. People came from other countries and forced THEM to adapt to their way.
Our Soldiers fought for everyone's freedom, including those who's religions and points of view differed from theirs. You may want to remember that when posting status in their name!
Canada is a multicultural community. It's not about making them "adapt" to our ways, it's about all of us living TOGETHER. Instead of putting down those that aren't like us,we can all learn about one an others cultures.

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Charlie Brown Quotes


"Each year, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere. He's gotta pick this one. He's got to. I don't see how a pumpkin patch can be more sincere than this one. You can look around and there's not a sign of hypocrisy. Nothing but sincerity as far as the eye can see." - L. Van Pelt (& Charles Schulz)

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Occupy London

I’ve been quiet about it, mostly because I've been too busy to keep up and feel like i don’t really have a ‘right’ to say anything without really knowing…. but.. reading the news the other day got me questioning the whole movement here.  I feel like i'm missing some important piece to the puzzle.

Why?
Why, when the protestors here have someone in power, in government (The mayor) willing not only to listen to them but to actually sit down and ‘work with them’ to work out something together, are they still protesting so hard.
Isn’t the point to get someone to listen to them? To get someone to start changing things?
Well, they have it. What do they want now?
They want the mayor to ‘bend the rules’ to allow them to camp in a public park overnight?
What makes them special snowflakes?

“People don’t necessarily have to … live in the park to get attention,” Fontana said during the town hall broadcast. “The rules are for everyone. … The law is the law for everyone.”
They have been told they could protest there between 6 am & 10 pm, and a nearby church has offered to allow them to camp out on their private property, and still a lot of them are upset by this?
I just don’t get it.  They have someone willing to listen. Willing to help make the situations of joblessness, homelessness etc better, why not work with him instead of being stubborn?
“I believe in peaceful protest,” Fontana told the occupiers after about 50 of them all but took over his virtual town hall meeting Thursday at the Covent Garden Market. “I want to work with you.”
Dear protestors in london (ont) : Your protest has been heard. Now it’s time to go and actually do something to help.  Putting up tents and breaking bi-laws isn’t going to help joblessness and homelessness in this city. Sitting down with Mayor Fontana is at the very least a step in the right direction.

" I think they're really starting to prove that they just want to have a camping trip.They wanted the mayor's ear, they've got it, even an offer of bi-annual meetings with the group. But now, after getting that, they're still demanding their right to hang around in a tent in a public park."Found on the occupy london page

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I want to go back to a time when....

  a.. Decisions were made by going "eeny-meeny-miney-mo."
  b.. Mistakes were corrected by simply exclaiming, "do over!"
  c.. "Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest.
  d.. Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "Monopoly."
  e.. Catching the fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening.
  f.. It wasn't odd to have two or three "best friends."
  g.. Being old referred to anyone over 20.
  h.. The net on a tennis court was the perfect height to play volleyball
and rules didn't matter.
  i.. The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was cooties.
  j.. It was magic when dad would "remove" his thumb.
  k.. It was unbelievable that dodgeball wasn't an Olympic event
  l.. Having a weapon in school meant being caught with a slingshot.
  m.. Nobody was prettier than Mom.
  n.. Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better.
  o.. It was a big deal to finally be tall enough to ride the "big people"
rides at the amusement park.
  p.. Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true.
  q.. Abilities were discovered because of a "double-dog-dare."
  r.. Saturday morning cartoons weren't 30-minute ads for action figures.
  s.. No shopping trip was complete unless a new toy was brought home.
  t.. "Oly-oly-oxen-free" made perfect sense.
  u.. Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles.
  v.. The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.
  w.. War was a card game.
  x.. Water balloons were the ultimate weapon.
  y.. Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle.
  z.. Taking drugs meant orange-flavored chewable aspirin.
  aa.. Ice cream was considered a basic food group.
  ab.. Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest
protectors.

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Whales are beautiful

A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

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I joined a new page on fb geared towards parents of four or more kids, and they have ‘community questions’ for the moms & dads of many to answer. You answer as a comment, but i thought the question was blog worthy (especially, since i haven’t blogged in forever)
[via 4 kids or more]
do you believe in giving your kids individual time? And if so, how do you make the time?

As a mother of four kids, under 10, all in various stages of development, this is a loaded question.
my response:
Do i try to make equal, separate, individual time for them? Of course i do. Does it always work out? Not always.
Am i going to beat myself up over it? Nope.

A long time ago, when i was still a mother of two, i read a quote somewhere that stuck with me.
It said “Treating everyone equal does not mean that everyone gets the same, it means everyone gets what they need” and it works, even for parenting.
Not always do each of my four children get the exact same amount of time, but they do get the time they individually need, and with the same amount of attention, love and patience.
It may mean that my #2 gets 15 mins of a story, but #1 only gets 10 mins of serious talking, #3 gets a story and snuggle for 20 mins while #4 gets 30 mins of nursing and snuggling. I don’t think the time is going to be what they remember. I don’t think #1 is going to grow up thinking about how he only got ten mins of my time on friday while #2 got 15. I like to think what he’ll remember is that his mom stopped, and listened, uninterrupted when he needed me too.

Quality, not quantity, i guess that’s what we do.


I’m not saying that #1 *always* gets the least, or Lady Girl the most. I’m also not saying that it’s always like this.
What my point is, i’m not going to hate myself or feel guilty if they don’t all get exactly the same amount of individual time everyday. 

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Nine-eleven Ten years later.

Ten years ago. Has it really been that long?  I remember it like it was yesterday.If you asked me if I remembered what I did last Tuesday I couldn't tell you... but if you asked me if I remembered what I was doing 10 years ago on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, I could tell you exactly what I was doing. I was in the bath, almost due with Christian. My grandmother was yelling down the hall "they hit the towers" I got out to find her white as a ghost, with the news on, and she said "i can't live through another world war" as the second plane hit.
Remember the oneness which occurred immediately following the attacks that day? Remember  how it didn't matter what "party" you belonged to? Remember THAT? Remember you made eye  contact with people everywhere you went because we all had something in common? Let us not forget THAT. (quote & via Job Description mommy “Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend–even a friend whose name it never knew. “ - President George W. Bush, December 11, 2001

For the husband who told his wife he loved her before his plane went down in a field. For the wife who stopped in the stairs to call her husband to say she will love him forever. For the mothers and fathers who kissed their kids goodbye that morning for the last time. For the policemen, firemen, and other rescue workers who rushed in to help others and lost their lives. For the soldiers who fought back and made the ultimate sacrifice. a decade ago we lost over 3000 lives in new york city. and they will never be forgotten.
 Today, tomorrow, ten years from now,
we will remember. 
may they rip. much love to their families.

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My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world. - Jack Layton

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Rip Jack Layton

 CP24- Jack Layton dies after second cancer battle

Rest In Peace Jack Layton.
You fought bravely and hard for Canadian families.
You will be missed by many!

“If I have tried to bring anything to federal politics, it is the idea that hope and optimism should be at their heart,” “We can look after each other better than we do today,”  “We can have a fiscally responsible government. We can have a strong economy; greater equality; a clean environment. We can be a force for peace in the world.”  -Jack Layton
 These were the last words Mister Layton left to his party, and us, in his press release. I can only hope that we can follow them.

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Nine Davids: And some are very, very bad.

Nine Davids: And some are very, very bad.
 (taken from the post: with permission. Click the link to read the whole post)

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish...

"Who is the bad fish in this picture?"






...I asked my husband, with a pit in my stomach, as I read to our 13-month old son.


He raised an eyebrow and said, "Uh, the red one, obviously."


I always thought it was the yellow one.


My whole childhood, in the thousands of times I've read Dr. Suess's wonderful book "One Fish Two Fish", I thought the bad fish on this page were the little yellow and blue fish. The red fish, in my child's eyes, was their father. The yellow fish was in trouble and had been "very very bad." The little blue fish was smug because he'd gotten away with it and his sibling was taking the blame. The red father fish was spanking the little yellow fish.


I saw this page last night through adult eyes and decided, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that our home will never be a spanking home.
------------------------------------------------------------------

 I came across this while going through the list of blogs I follow (weeding through them, eliminating dead ones or ones I'm not interested anymore)  and the post made me think.
I have read this book multiple times and it never occurred to me that people would think the yellow one was the bad fish.
I showed HUbby the picture and asked him who was bad, he said the red one. #1 & Baby Blue were in the room too, so i asked them. They both said the red one. When i asked why, #1 said "Red is always evil" (thank you video games *sigh*) and thenBaby Blue (4)  came out with "no, he's bad because he's hitting."

Personally I always thought the red fish was pushing the yellow one over the blue one.

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Cry it out (CIO): 10 reasons why it is not for us | PhD in Parenting

I found this blog post randomly as i was checking into facebook today.
Cry it out (CIO): 10 reasons why it is not for us | PhD in Parenting

1. CIO can cause harmful changes to babies’ brains
2. CIO can result in decreased intellectual, emotional and social development
3. CIO can result in a detached baby
4. CIO is harmful to the parent-child relationship
5. CIO can make children insecure
6. CIO often doesn’t work at all
7. Even if CIO does “work”, parents often have to do it over and over again
8. CIO is disrespectful of my child’s needs
9. Deep sleep from CIO is often a result of trauma
10. Our world needs more love
Read the original post on the blog, along with the details that go with each reason (to long to post here, plus i'm sure the blogger would rather you read the post on their blog)


I am a firm believer in non-cio. I don't understand this need parents today have with having their child un-attach from them at an early age. It just isn't natural to not respond to a child's needs. Babies cry for a reason, even if that reason is just that they need you. Go to them. Pick them up. Respond to them.
Responding to a baby only fosters security. Security in knowing someone will be there for them when they need it. I don't think that is a bad lesson to teach your child, do you?
Security makes for children who know they can do things, they grow to become independent. They grow to become secure adults.
It all starts with something as simple as you responding to their cries and needs.

Sure, if you let them cry long enough they will eventually stop.
If i cried out for someone to come help me and no one came, eventually i would give up to, wouldn't you?

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What Happens When You Tattoo “Daddy’s Boy” on Your 3-Year-Old-Son « Thought Catalog

What Happens When You Tattoo “Daddy’s Boy” on Your 3-Year-Old-Son « Thought Catalog

This man tattooed his 3 year old.
He forever altered the three year old child's body. Without medical reason, or consent.
For that he is going to jail.

Sadly, our society allows the same situation to happen to thousands of baby boys every day. They are having parts of their body removed, for no valid medical reason, without their consent.
Are the parents who consent to this jailed or even punished? No.
Are the hospital staff punished? Nope.
We allow it. Every day.

Just because it's what is considered normal, and it's what our fathers and their fathers have done, we allow it.

Just because it's what we've always done, doesn't make it ok.

Why is altering a child's body ok in certain circumstances and not in others?

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Room

RoomRoom by Emma Donoghue

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I can't even put into words what I think of this book.

To say it's amazing seems to be underselling. This book is beautiful and shows strength,determination and love,in both Jack & Ma.
I could hardly bare to put the book down, and often found myself reading it out loud to my husband.I still find myself telling others about the book, and quoting it.





View all my reviews

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Room

RoomRoom by Emma Donoghue

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I can't even put into words what I think of this book.

To say it's amazing seems to be underselling. This book is beautiful and shows strength,determination and love,in both Jack & Ma.
I could hardly bare to put the book down, and often found myself reading it out loud to my husband.I still find myself telling others about the book, and quoting it.

View all my reviews

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"Infant formula has only been around for about 100 years, and has only been widely used for about 60. Every time a deficiency is fixed in the product, it is heralded as being 'closer than ever to breast milk'. I could take a step out of my front door and be 'closer than ever' to California. Doesn’t change the fact that I’m still thousands of miles away."


--Snagged from The Leaky Boob on FB

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‘Intactivist’; anti circumcision activists want to outlaw circumcision - Health - The Imperfect Blog

‘Intactivist’; anti circumcision activists want to outlaw circumcision - Health - The Imperfect Blog: "

There are bigger things to worry about? Baby boys are having parts of their body hacked off for no reason at all. baby boys are bleeding to death. Baby boys are being horribly maimed.Baby boys are having their own rights to make choices about their own bodies. If their very basic human right to choose what does or doesn’t happen to their own bodies isn’t worth worrying about, I don’t know what is. It’s not their penis intactivists are “obsessing” about, it’s their own right to choose.


Yes, i am an intactivist, and i do think it's mutilation. I am also pro choice. Most argue that you can't be both, because you should be arguing for the babies lives as much as you do for their genital integrity, but really it's about choice.
The choice to decide what happens within your body.
The choice to decide what gets cut off your body.
Does it really surprise you that someone who is pro choice when it comes to abortion, is also pro-choice when it comes to circumcision? Leave the choice up to the person who's body it is, and stop hacking off baby boys body parts.

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Woman, Uncensored: Neglect-o-Matic

Need to know when it's time to check on and settle your baby?
Well don't worry, there's an app for that!



Features:

  • Checklist (Nappies, wind etc) that must be completed before the app can start.
  • Alarm* that sounds when a wait period has completed and it's time to settle the baby.
  • Automatic doubling of the wait period after each settle.
  • Ability to select any of the the preset wait periods after each settle.
  • History kept of the time taken to get baby to sleep.
  • Customize app with baby's name and sex.

Disgusted yet?

Me too. I can't imagine leaving my baby to cry until some stupid app told me it was time to check on him/her.
I couldn't imagine leaving my infant to cry period.

And i'm not the only one:

Woman, Uncensored: Neglect-o-Matic:

"Apparently CIO isn't ridiculous enough, now cheap technology can tell you whether it's time to parent your child or not. 'No sweetie, ignore the sounds of Susie vomiting from distress... my phone hasn't beeped at me yet' Maybe they'll add features that let us know when we're allowed to feed our kids as well. Little alarms can go off if we've given them too many hugs and kisses or *god forbid* held them too long! Brilliant. Evidently we're not smart enough to actually pay attention to our offspring and our instincts, eh? Save yourself a few bucks and love your kid. If you expected a full night's sleep, you should have gotten a plant."

I couldn't have said it better.

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"We live in a country where people feel increasingly empowered to make decisions for pregnant woman."

(I originally saw this link posted on Cafe Mom's "the stir"  Image is also from there)

Water-Drinking Pregnant Woman Asked to Leave Bar 15 Minutes Into her Night Out

Why? not because she was doing anything wrong, or illegal, but because she was pregnant.
She wasn’t even drinking!
The bouncer took it upon himself to tell her to leave. Many people argue he had a right.
Why? because she was pregnant?

Last time i checked being pregnant in a bar wasn’t illegal.  They argue he was worried and trying to protect the bar.
Oh, fine, but wouldn’t it be his job to protect every patron in that bar and not just the pregnant one? Then why did he only ask her to leave?
If she wasn't doing anything wrong, the.y don't have a right to ask her to leave, and there is nothing illegal with a woman being in a bar pregnant.
Hell, she can smoke & drink if she wants to (i'm not agreeing, or saying that's ok!) it isn't illegal, and that means the bouncer doesn't have a right to make her leave simply because she's pregnant.
It would be akin to asking someone to leave just because they're gay, straight, white, black, purple, liberal, democrat, vegan, whatever. Just because the bouncer didn't agree with a pregnant woman being in there, doesn't mean he had a right to make her leave.
It’s discrimination. He discriminated against her just because she happened to be pregnant.

"We live in a country where people feel increasingly empowered to make decisions for pregnant woman."

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Important Things I've Learned From Kids

Randomly stumbling on stumbleupon,i came across this:
http://parents.berkeley.edu/jokes/important.html

(author unknown)

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