What? No Happy or Loving?

The Spoon Sisters is an online shop with some very interesting gifts though, like, for example, I am sure that we can all use this reminder!

Finding comfort

I’ve been sick for a while now… is it just me, or do sinus infections completely overstay their welcome?!

At some point last week, while I was feeling really crappy, I started craving French Toast, which is something I love, but rarely eat because I only like it the way that I make it and I don’t make it too often. It is one of those things that I find really comforting though, and since in addition to being sick, I was dealing with some really bewildering personal issues, I was seriously in need of some French Toast! Funnily enough, my 3 year old is now completely in love with it, and I’ve made it about 4 times since then.

Since my kids have turned into stereotypical boys, you know, jumping off sofas, sword fighting, transformer loving, headache inducing boys, I have been drinking a lot of coffee, it’s my crack people, I can safely say I cannot function without it! Somehow though, when I am in need of some tlc, I will choose tea in a second, I am not sure what it is about that substance, but I’ve just noticed that it is so charmingly lovely and calming.

I’ve had this conversation about finding comfort with my husband, who declared that sleeping is just about the only thing that comforts him, I wonder if that’s maybe just a “man” thing, because I honestly find very little comfort in just sleeping, although I would be easily swayed if there happened to be a newborn on my chest. I am one of those people that find enormous comfort in food, or is that just a “woman” thing, because for example, on cold, rainy days, I love really savory food, like lamb in hoisin sauce, or clam chowder, and when I am depressed, I’d have to go with dark chocolate truffles, (or pretty much anything, but let’s not go there!) and I think when I am just melancholy, French Toast is truly amazing!

Beyond my obvious and somewhat obsessive love of food, I find comfort in really sappy movies, the sound of a loved one’s voice, a hug, or just maybe a really good cry. How about you?

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So, apparently Facebook ain’t all that magical

I had no idea that on the same day I posted about my love for Facebook, there was a Facebook sucks campaign in full swing! I knew that there was a petition on Facebook, and I saw a lot of breast-feeding photos, which were still there at the point in time that I checked it out, so I thought “yay, we won”, and moved on.

I breastfed all of my kids, and on occasion have even done it in public, once in Target even, and I completely support the cause, but I am a head-scarf-wearing, Muslim women living in North America, where Islamophobia is very real, where women like me are attacked everyday for our choice of clothing, where we are called terrorists for having a piece of cloth on our heads. Trust me when I say that there are no shortage of causes for me to support, and as much as I agree that what bill mahr said was idiotic, I cannot find it in me to become enraged about this, sorry.

In all honesty, I am emotionally exhausted, I cannot watch the news anymore, I cannot follow politics, I cannot even engage in conversation about the state of this world, it has become to much for me. It just boggles my mind that nuns are treated with such respect and admiration for covering their heads, but muslim women are ridiculed, called oppressed, told that they cannot vote, cannot attend school, cannot work, cannot call North America (where many of them were born) home… is this not unjust? I am moved by injustice like the Jena 6, the Darfur conflict, the freedom of the Burmese people, these are the things that stir so much emotion in me that I weep, that I gladly give of myself, that I pray for change. Of course, this does not mean that I think the right to breastfeed in public is not a worthy cause, because surely I do, and I am glad to see so many mothers and fathers make a stand.

So, back to Facebook and what I love about it, which is connecting with people, no, I don’t ‘poke’, or have a garden or a fish tank, or send gifts to anyone, but I do use it to connect with people that live all over the world, people that are not all mothers, people who are not on maya’s mom or clubmom, people that I cannot find on any other social network. You see, I live in Canada, and it is surely my home but a part of my heart will always belong to Trinidad, and I still want to hold on to those people who understand me, because it’s not easy to be understood.

I guess what I am trying to say is that in theory I am a “mommy blogger”, because I blog about being a mommy, but sadly, it’s not an easy group to be a part of, and in reality, I am just me, sharing my life with you.

I’m going pink for October!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and I am going pink!

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian women.

In 2007, an estimated 22,300 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,300 will die of it.

An estimated 170 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 50 will die of it.

On average, 429 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer every week.

On average, 102 Canadian women will die of breast cancer every week.

One in 9 women is expected to develop breast cancer during her lifetime. One in 27 will die of it.

Breast cancer death rates have declined in all ages combined and in every age group since at least the mid 1990s.

Incidence and death rates for breast cancer have declined since 1969 in women aged 20-39.

source

One of the most important things that we can do is educate ourselves about breast cancer, and try to reduce our risk of developing it. I hope you take the time to visit some of the breast cancer awareness websites, test yourself, or get tested.

Just like last year, I am doing giveaways!! And the profits from the product go towards breast cancer research.

(these are sold by a client of mine, and I will reveal the source once I’m finished with the site)

For your chance to win one of these beautiful bracelets, either leave a comment here letting me know that you’ve gone pink or make a donation to support breast cancer research. (Open to anyone, worldwide)

To help you along, you may download Randa’s pinkforoctober WordPress theme.