Misconceptions

As I've been slowly getting through my reading for my Post Partum Doula certification it's really gotten me thinking about what type of mother I want to be when the day comes, and what type of birth Jon and I are going to want for our child.  I have to say that overall, I have been loving my reading, and coursework.  I think it's going to be very interesting to come back to some of these books after I do become a mother and see how my perspective on them changes.

One book that I've read that really got me thinking is Misconceptions - Truth, Lies, and the Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood by Naomi Wolf.  I don't think I've ever been so angered and yet so pleased with a book at the same time.  This is a very insightful look at one woman's journey through pregnancy and delivery, her experiences, and the sometimes hidden, and not so hidden agendas of doctors, hospitals, children's product companies and more.

Wolf details her experience of her first pregnancy with her husband, which was not planned.  As I mentioned parts of the book were enraging for me to read, and the reason for this is that I feel there is a distinct difference between a woman who accepts and deals with a pregnancy, as opposed to a woman who desperately wants it.  In one instance Wolf describes a feeling of not understanding pregnancy as linked to birth since in her mind it was so closely linked to death - that is a death of the woman she was before, and the woman she felt she would never be able to fully be again once her child was born.  While I do fully agree with the sentiment that you are likely never the same person once your child is born, I have a very hard time seeing it as a death.  To me it is more of a re-birth.  One of my favorite quotes is from the Johnson & Johnson ads "When a baby is born, so is a mother."  This is my approach to pregnancy and motherhood now...  As I said, I'm very interested to see how this will change once we do have a child, and I experience my own birth.  I'm sure there are things about myself now, and my child-free life with Jon that I am  going to miss, and am going to look back on and think "Oh wasn't it nice when we could ..... ?"   By the same token, I'm sure there are a million joys and emotions that children will bring that I can't even imagine yet.

All that being said, I could NOT put this book down!  I had to keep reading - partially because it's required reading for my Doula certification, but much more so because Naomi Wolf, while I didn't always agree with her stance, is such a captivating and beautiful author.  The writing in this book is almost poetic, without being overly flowery... and some how had the perfect amount of sentiment, without being mushy.... definitely not mushy.  It was truly captivating. 

While I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book for a couple actively trying to get pregnant, I think it would be an fantastic read for someone who is pregnant, and a mandatory read for parents!  It truly is just brilliant.

I'll leave you with a quote from the book....   "Birth is viewed through a softened lens of pink haze: the new baby and radiant mommy in an effortless mutual embrace, proud papa nearby...  I want to record and do honor not to the fantasy but to the real thing.  Real mother love is more impressive than the fantasy of it.  That actual, specific, fierce maternal love that grows in the wake of that immense psychic and physical tremor that is pregnancy and birth should inspire awe, not sentiment.  I wrote this book to explore the genuine miracle, not the Hallmark card; to trace the maternal bond as it forms, heroically and poignantly, in spite of, rather than because of, the obtuse and unnatural ideology of motherhood under which we labor." ~ Naomi Wolf

Caffeinated Cool

This summer seems to be bringing a crazy heat wave every where from Jersey, Toronto, to Halifax and every place in between!  Jon and I have really been trying to eat healthier especially focusing on eating local organic and cutting out... cutting down refined sugars.  (Well, trying anyways...)  Neither of us have much of a sweet tooth at all, but it really is crazy the places you'll find refined sugar!  On top of which, with all this heat we've been finding ourselves on mid-night ice cream runs much more than we  our waist lines would like!

Thankfully my sister turned me on to this amazing foodie blog that I am loving!  This post about making home made Frappuccinos from coffee ice cubes got me thinking...  Jon and I love coffee, and I have always had a strong nostalgia for homemade freezer icey molds being that I was practically raised on these in the summers, growing up in Jersey as a child.

 Seriously... even just the empty cups make me think of the care free summers as a kid.  Love it....  

So I made up about 4 cups of coffee, mixed in about 1 cup of milk, a bit of natural brown sugar, roughly 4 tbsp into the whole batch.  Blended with a milk frother.  (I think it would have been the same consistency if I mixed it with a spoon...)  

Poured into the cups, and let set a few hours in the freezer...  The plan was to let set overnight, but we couldn't resist!  They were delicious!  A perfect summer treat, not to mention our waist lines love it as much as we do, and it's super cheap and easy!    

Enjoy!  Stay cool!

Additional Note:  After posting this a friend of mine read it and told me she does something similar but before pouring the coffee into the cups, pours a bit of Hershey's syrup into the tip of each cup so it's a Mocha pop.  Must try this for our next batch! 

Quick Hello From New Jersey!

Normally long gaps between my postings mean that not much is really going on but this time it's been quite the opposite.  Things have picked up fast in the last little bit, in a good way!!  Jon and I (Okay, me more so than Jon... but still)  have been getting alot of chances to just really focus on us and take some time back for ourselves.  After a trip down to Lockeport for my sister in law's grad from high school, Canada Day celebrations and now spending a week with my family in Jersey it certainly has been go go go!!  I'll blog again once I'm home about my Jersey trip, but for now I'll say that words cannot even begin to describe how theraputic coming home is.  I truly love mine and Jon's life that we've built together in Halifax, but there is something about the home you grew up in that cannot be replaced or replicated.  It is what it is, and exists only in that one place, and needs to be cherished.

These pics are mostly of my niece and her mommy and daddy!  (And we have a nephew on the way as you can see!!)

Happy Birthday Canada... And The Navy Too!!

Canada Day is Jon's FAVORITE holiday, hands down.  He loves it more than Christmas and his birthday... combined.  I haven't quite figured out why but he absolutely loves it!!  So I was thrilled that he got in from sea early and we were able to enjoy the festivities for it!

This Canada day was very special because it was also the 100th Anniversary of the Canadian Navy, and I have always had a fascination with the Navy.  The morning of Canada Day Jon and I headed down to the Halifax waterfront to check out all the amazing Navy boats from all over the world in town to celebrate with us!  We actually also got a tour of a Danish ship.  It was the largest in the Danish Navy, and actually had two docks for helicopters on board, and had one helicopter there.  Pretty cool stuff!!  :o)  Unfortunately I had forgotten my camera so these are pics that I looked up of the ship online, from the Danish Navy website.

After checking out the waterfront, and grabbing some burgers on the boardwalk for lunch we headed home for a nap.  (It was at this point that we realized we are officially old....hehe.)  And then we were off to the Joel Plaskett concert at Alderny Landing on the Dartmouth Waterfront.  It was good music, fireworks and a great time enjoying a beautiful and very special Canada Day with my hunny.  Luckily, this time I remembered my camera!