feminism

How to be a proper “mommy blogger”.

May 1, 2013
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How to be a proper “mommy blogger”.

I have just finished watching all three first seasons of Downton Abbey. It took about three episodes of season one to hook me, but after that I was a goner. It really is a very well written, acted and produced show and I am looking forward to season 4. I was drawn to the show for a few different reasons. One, EVERYONE and their well-bred dogs kept going on and on about it and so I had to see what all the fuss was about. Two, I have a secret obsession with all kinds of historical dramas set in England (I am a quarter British BTW). I have seen the Elizabeth movies about five times each, I am a huge fan of The Tudors, and this just seemed to fit in with the whole genre. And three, my maternal grandmother (the British part of me) was a governess for...

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On motherhood: the ultimate vulnerability.

April 22, 2013
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On motherhood: the ultimate vulnerability.

I had coffee with a friend the other day. A pregnant friend who is in that “second-trimester, starting to feel uncomfortable in her own changing body, slightly grumpy about the restrictions it is placing on her” friend. We are relatively new friends (and yes, we did “meet” via social media), but our stories are quite similar. She could be me seven years ago. A woman in her mid-30′s with a burgeoning career, life experiences and accomplishments that she is proud of and someone who is pretty sure of who she is in this world. And she is afraid. Afraid of what becoming a mother means. Afraid of losing herself to this new role in her life. Afraid of following in the footsteps of the mothers in her life, who became wholly consumed by motherhood and whom she feels lost all of who they were before then. So I told...

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When the landscape changes, so must we

March 29, 2013
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When the landscape changes, so must we

I wasn’t going to read it. There has been so much in the news and on blogs and all over the internets about the Steubenville rape case that I was just not going to read another article that would A) raise my blood pressure to toxic levels again or B) make me physically sick to my stomach. Watching CNN’s Candy Crowley and Poppy Harlow report on the verdict in this case nearly did me in! A few days ago, I reacted to a tweet by a local news anchor who had just read Barbara Amiel’s Maclean’s article, the one I was NOT going to read. I had already seen excerpts from it in a few posts earlier this week and I really did not want to read more of it and get upset again. But I had to. I had to give context to the tweet I reacted to...

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An interview with Lesléa Newman: Feminism, diversity, freedom

March 24, 2013
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Last night, my husband and I watched the movie, Jeff, Who Lives at Home.  It is a poignant little film that explores the concept that everything happens for a reason, something that I have long believed in myself. A few weeks ago, I got an email inviting me to interview Lesléa Newman before her upcoming Visiting Lectureship in Human Rights at the University of Alberta. I’ll be honest, I did not know who she was before receiving this email. An extensive google search and a visit to the library changed all of that and then I got VERY excited about this opportunity! Lesléa Newman is a prolific writer, poet, and human rights activist. She is the author of over 60 books and edited collections including the groundbreaking children’s book Heather Has Two Mommies, the first children’s book to portray lesbian families in a positive way, and the award-winning short story A Letter to Harvey Milk....

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keep calm and carry on

March 11, 2013
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I started writing something last night and three hours in my husband had to stop me because I had started weeping. It was the kind of crying where the tears are like a leaking faucet and they just don’t stop. It wasn’t pretty. I am not sure what triggered this kind of response from me. Perhaps it was the culmination of a long and trying week. Maybe it was PMS. Might have been the 2, 4, 6, shot I don’t know, but look at the mess I am in…. {Sorry, couldn’t help myself.} In the end, I kept the post. It’s one for the private vault. Just for me, to read again when I need that kind of purge. The problem is that all day I have been analyzing my feelings about it and keep coming back to this part. I have moments lately where I look at myself...

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I love my twitter stream….

February 26, 2013
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Because I find hashtags like #MAKERSchat, that take me to the most inspiring, frustrating, idealistic, political and personal piece of television I have ever seen! I just spent the last 151 minutes watching Makers: Women who make America, and I highly recommend you watch it too. Download the video from iTunes, catch it again on PBS, find a friend who saved it on her PVR. Just watch it. It is our story, the story of women, the story that is not over… That my dears, is my silver lining for today (#16). Good night my sisters! Natasha~  

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this side of pro-choice

February 25, 2013
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***Trigger warning: The following post covers the topic of abortion. Please be aware of this while reading and sharing.*** ** It also comes with some book spoilers too.**  I am part of a book club. Really, who isn’t these days? We are a bunch of women from all walks of life that meet once every 6-8 weeks and drink wine and eat chocolate and cheese and yes, we even discuss books! This past week was Book Club Week and I was especially looking forward to it, because, 1) I really needed a night out and said wine and chocolate and 2) I actually finished this month’s book choice a whole week ahead of time. The book was Caitlin Moran’s half autobiography, half feminist manifesto, “How to be a Woman”. And if you haven’t read it already, then I highly recommend you get yourself in the queue for the e-book...

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motherhood mountaineering

February 19, 2013
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motherhood mountaineering

Why is it that every few months someone gets it in their head to go on a rant against motherhood? It’s as if these people forget that they actually have mothers and in most cases are themselves mothers too. This week’s target was none other than ‘the mommy blogger’. Her crime you ask? Taking feminism a step back because she has discovered a hidden talent for making crafts out of paint swatches or finding the best homemade organic baby food mix for her fussy little eater and subsequently blogging about it. In her Huffpo piece this past week, Amana Manori of The Purple Fig says that the problem (as she sees it) is this: “… many of these blogs perpetuate gender stereotypes and generalize female behaviour. Intentionally or unintentionally, many mommy bloggers do one of two things. First, many mommy bloggers may be living very fulfilling and well-rounded lives...

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vagina…. CHECK.

February 7, 2013
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vagina…. CHECK.

I am halfway through reading “How to be a Woman.” by Caitlin Moran for my next book club get-together (aka, evening of wine and no kids or husbands). Now, a) I am not in the habit of writing about a book before I have even finished it, and b) I do NOT like being told how to be or do anything, most of all anything at all about how to be a woman, but I have identified with so much of this book already, that I really have to write down some of my thoughts before I forget everything. Add to that the things I am learning about and for myself in my counselling sessions and it is adding up to a lot of things jumbling around in my head and well, if you know me at all, you know that I have to PURGE it all out here,...

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When girls build the world.

November 15, 2012
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  What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice And everything nice, That’s what little girls are made of. I have been thinking about writing on the topic of little girls for a long time. What kind of world our daughters are growing up in and how we as modern women and feminists are shaping that world. The US Elections were fascinating for me to watch. Time and time again we heard about and saw the attack on women by various members of the GOP and their ridiculously ignorant statements made about girls and women with regards to contraception, rape, even about actually being allowed to vote!  As a woman I was outraged and shocked by some of the hatred and bigotry being spewed by this political party. As a Canadian, I was ever so thankful for the country that I live in. As far from perfect as it...

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