Rain, Rain

Posted on November 7, 2012 by Gwen

Today I finally found a pair of rain pants so that I can bike in the rain and not get my jeans wet. I have been looking for at least a month. I love how many places seem to think that bigger girls just do not exercise or need gear that facilitates that exercise.

I am a pretty active woman and I always  enjoyed hiking, biking and swimming. I like to ski even though I am not so good at it yet. I even enjoy snowshoeing even though the end always seems a little long. A lot of these activities mean that I need the proper outer wear to enjoy these activities without being wet or cold. Gear companies seem to think that because I have a  big bust, or what ends up being an averaged sized bottom half that I don’t deserve gear that fits. It is frustrating because I know I am not the largest woman out there and if I have this hard a time getting exercise wear how do other bigger women cope?

Women of all sizes exercise and deserve to be comfortable while doing it. Since it is always the bigger sizes that are sold out, maybe this should be a sign to the buyers for the stores. If you have about a hundred size mediums and no other sizes, maybe that should let you know that you need to get some more bigger sizes. stop relegating plus sized people to shopping online. It is a pain in the ass and you might just get more of my custom if you took the time to see that not everyone is a small size.

Sports bra people, if you could make a sports bra that was actually made to help bigger breasts (and not just a DDD) I mean BIGGER breasts , you would have so many customers your corporate offices would spin and do a happy dance. I know I am not the only woman who would love to be supported while I exercise. If someone came up with a comfortable, supportive sports bra for the H-K cup women I would support you to the skies. You would be so supported you would be thanking me.

Heads up clothiers, the big women are not going to take this much longer. Get in the game while you still can.

 

Posted in Bras, Gwen, rants | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

TV, Live, Events?

Posted on November 6, 2012 by Gwen

When I was a kid I would watch what my parents watched. We only had one small TV and because  nobody had a VCR or a DVD or a PVR until I was much older we had to watch things live. I remember watching things like Doctor Who, Star Trek, Magnum PI, and when VCRs finally did come into being I remember watching James Bond movies.

What was really special was our Friday night tradition of watching The Dukes of Hazard and popping pop corn. We would get in our pyjamas and wait for 9 pm to roll around and we would watch the good ol’ duke boys play havoc with the nasty sheriff and driving much faster than they should have.  I remember these nights along with family game nights as some of the best times of my childhood. It was a treat to stay up late. It was fun to be part of a tradition.

Tonight Aidan stayed up a bit late with us as we were watching the US election results. He was so interested that it was hard for us to be motivated to bring him downstairs to get ready for bed. When we did bring him downstairs he said something that stuck with me, “Learning who won in the morning is not the same thing as watching it live.” In a time when we watch almost everything after it has aired we don’t get the same experiences that we did as kids. It is part of the reason that events like elections are interesting. We like to feel a part of something bigger than ourselves.

Odd, I was going to write a post linking tv traditions that I had as  a child to my children’s experiences,  but I think it is turned into something else entirely. Over the last few years I have made it my goal to make sure that my boys see either Anthony or me vote in every election we are eligible to vote in. Aidan is fairly politically aware and knows who our Mayor is, who our Premier is and now, who our Prime Minister is. He knew that Barack Obama was the president of the US and he was well aware that there was an election going on in the US. If we keep our children politically aware and model voting behaviour to them, do you think we can get better voter turn out in our own country?

Posted in Aidan, Musings, My Boys, Political Activism, TV | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Cccchanges

Posted on November 5, 2012 by Gwen

This year we were fortunate enough to get Aidan into the French immersion school closer to our house, but still cross boundary for us. Since heading to L’ecole Billingue things have changed significantly in a lot of ways. There is a very different feel at this school and we are feeling much more like a part of the school community.

This year we were part of the school even before we crossed the threshold. We headed up to the Evan’s lake camp and had a great time meeting families and getting ready for school. I went to my first PAC meeting and volunteered to lead the grade 2 portion of the Halloween Haunt. I am in Aidan’s school at least once a week. While I did some volunteering in both of Aidan’s previous classrooms, this is more frequent and I am sure that I am helping. In all the events we go to we feel more like a part of this school even though we are new.

Things seem to be going much better for Aidan as well. His new teacher really has a good idea of Aidan’s strengths and weaknesses and is really encouraging him. She really seems to be open to giving him work to encourage his love of math and science. He is doing well socially as well.

There are some small things that bother me about the school, like the lack of a music program, but since we supplement that anyway I am not too worried about Aidan’s education outcomes. There is a lot of chance to supplement that with extracurriculars like choir. I just wish the ukulele program wasn’t also on Wednesdays.

I have a lot of hope for the next few years.

Posted in Aidan, Education, Gwen, hope, National Blog Post Month | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Cccchanges

Excuse Me While I Go Out

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Gwen

I meant to post this last night but in getting everything ready it fell to the wayside.

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Tonight I get to spend a night away with my husband. We decided to take advantage of the fact that my sister is here from Nova Scotia to get a hotel room and play tourist in our own city. I recommend doing this once in a while if you can. Ditch the guilt and take some time for yourselves. You will feel  refreshed and rejuvenated.

I certainly do.

Posted in Anthony, Gwen | Comments Off on Excuse Me While I Go Out