My Favourite Articles and Links This Week
Recently I’ve been trying to figure out how to talk to Lila about race and racial diversity, and I found this article to be really helpful.
A great review of my new poetry book– I’m particularly pleased to have it described as ‘Anna Karenina gone furious’.
I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breath looking at these Pinterest baby photo fails.
15 Canadian words that should be more prevalent. I was surprised by this list! Naturally I knew them all, but had no idea that they weren’t in the American lexicon.
My Favourite Pins This Week
A super simple chocolate streusel coffee cake recipe. It’s one of those recipes that has a box of cake mix as an ingredient, but I like that sort of thing- sometimes I feel like making things from scratch, and sometimes I just need a dessert to serve people as quickly as humanly possible. This is definitely in the latter category. Pinterest link is here, and the original recipe post is here.
I love stuffed peppers. When I was in my first year of university and had the residence meal plan, Wednesday were stuffed pepper days and they were my favourite meal all week. Â Healthy and full of protein, this is an easy weeknight recipe. Pinterest link is here, and the original recipe post is here.
My basil plants are huge and bushy, but fall is coming! If you also have basil in your garden and want to freeze it, this is a super easy video on exactly how to harvest your basil and enjoy fresh basil in your cooking all winter long. Pinterest link is here, and the original post is here.
I feel like there have been a lot of really quite chic crocheted bags lately, I’ve been really impressed. This tote looks modern and cozy, just right for fall and winter. Pinterest link is here, and the original post can be found here.
This is so true- just imagine how different we would feel, act, and be if we obsessed over the best parts of ourselves? I wish I could find the original source, but the best I can do is an Instagram rabbit hole. Pinterest link is here, Instagram rabbit hole is here.
Well done you with the Diversity talks. It never occurred to me to have such talks when our two were young. Mind you, they seem to have turned out pretty all-embracing and open minded so we did something right!
Congratulations, too, on the slim volume of poetry.
Those babies! It’s a wonder anyone gets any good pictures, let alone wonderful ones.
Canadian words – then there’s ‘timbits’, which I learned yesterday. Trust someone to find a market for the ‘holes’ in ring donuts!
Now that the weather’s cooled a bit I’ll definitely be trying the stuffed peppers.
As for obsessing about the things we either hate or love about ourselves – how about if we just got on with our lives and the whole business of living and making things livable for those who really have it tough?
Haha, timbits are amazing! so much better than a huge, spongy donut. And thank so much for the congrats on the book.
Congratulations on your book and the great review! I admire your dream chasing so much!
Shit-kickers is totally a phrase here, maybe more prevelent in the west where people wear such things. Gitch was new to me and I’m in love with the description for Fuckin Eh. Because yes.
haha, Fuckin’ Eh is truly Canadian! But not one we tend to really fly up the flagpole, just because Canadians generally try not to swear in front of non-canadians. 😉
I didn’t know you’re a poet!! That’s so cool!!
Yes, I am! I write a variety of different things, not that you can tell from the blog- I tend to feel like the blog is more of a casual, relaxed, chatting-with-friends sort of writing environment, such it’s not really a sampling of my other writing. I keep thinking I need ot try to get more of that onto the blog, but it takes a lot of time to carefully craft the work.
Ok, I am leaving that Pinterest baby photoshoot fail tab open on my computer all day. Still laughing! Have a great weekend!
I could barely breath I was laughing so hard the first time I saw it. I don’t know where they find these placid, I-sleep-in-toy-dump-truck babies.
Great review of your book – congratulations!
And the diversity talk is a hard one, and ongoing for us. It changes so much as kids get older, too. Thanks for sharing the article – I feel like I can’t read enough articles on this topic, it’s so important.
Thanks so much! I feel like the diversity talk is definitely an ongoing one, but I want to try bringing it up casually now and then, because I don’t think you can really sit a 4 year old down to talk about anything serious. I was fascinated about how the article pointed out how important it is to talk about the way racism holds people back, because that is something I wouldn’t have thought to address (in the future, I don’t think she’s witnessed any racism yet). So much more to talk about than the we-are-all-the-same stuff that I would have done automatically and figured my job was done!
I thought I would know most of the Canadian words – I live in New England so not so very far from Canada, New England has many French-Canadian transplants, some of my favorite authors and comedians are Canadian – yet there were still a few on this list I hadn’t heard before! And they’re all great; some are ones I use already but there are some gems on the list that I’ve got to start slipping in to my conversations. 🙂
And speaking of conversations, I love reading about how to best have conversations on issues that are sensitive (sex, drugs, race, etc). It does seem very hard to know how to approach the subject of race best, in large part because of the quite non-diverse place we live in New England. At the very least, we’ll often watch the TV shows that the stepkids (ages 12 and 9) like to watch, and ask them questions when we see attitudes in the shows that are sexist or racist. We talk about the history of slavery, how that would impact an entire culture, and the injustices still occurring. But, it certainly doesn’t feel like it’s enough.
So glad you found some fun new Canadian words! I love hearing about words from other languages (not that it’s another language, but you know what I mean) that encompass things, like the swedish word Fika, which means to go for coffee and a sweet treat, not just have a coffee. And that is awesome that you are so on it with discussing sexism and racism with your kids – I am trying to prep myself now so when it gets more age appropriate as they get older, I’m ready!
Thank you for the link to the article on teaching diversity. A little more love and understanding would help to make a safer and kinder world for all of us 🙂 Could you provide a link to the recipe for the chocolate coffee cake? It looks like you tried to link to it, but I can’t seem to get it to come up. Thanks!
Oops, sorry about that! The link is here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/82894449371817970/
We need more Canadian lingo in the states! We’re, well, sadly much less colorful down here, ha! At least the people I know and hear talk, lol. Then again, the PNW also got stuck without any accents, so maybe that has something to do with it xD
And those baby photos. Half wonder how much the “original” photos are photoshopped, ha! There’s a very popular lady in the planner community (Anna Brim), who for the past few years has shared her Christmas photo with the Internet…it’s her, her husband, and their bunnies and guinea pigs in various places or poses. The amount of photoshop, and the amount of photos she splices together… 😉 But they turn out lovely! xD
haha, every year when we try to do our christmas card photos, it’s a gong show- they never turn out the way we are hoping! last year we had one made form Lila’s art, and it was far less stressful. But I think this year I might be brave and try to get Lila and James to play with some christmas lights…. we’ll see! Those studio baby shots, I’m convinced it’s all photoshop, too!
OMGosh! I didn’t know you were a published poet. Where the heck have been my ears? Those baby pictures made me LOL and so did some of those Canadian words.
It’s true! I’m just starting to work on a novel, too. I killed myself laughing over those baby photos. But I feel like there are a million more hilarious, pinterest-gone-wrong photos out there than there are actually pinterest ‘worthy’ ones!
great post but I need the link to the chocolate streusel coffee cake!
happy Friday,
So sorry!! Here it is- https://www.pinterest.com/pin/82894449371817970/
where do we find the link for the chocolate streusel coffee cake?
Oops, sorry about that! The link is here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/82894449371817970/
Dang girl, a (second!) poetry book. I am speechless. Where do you find the time?
haha, I’ve been working on it for the last 3 years, and somehow pieced it all together – I’m not sure where I found the time, either! I’m starting to work on a novel, but I’ve had to do some major life reorganization to do it. I’ve got a big post coming about that….
I love this round! Yes, imagine if we did obsess about all the things we left about ourselves? I need to wallpaper my home with this quote! Such an important reminder, I think I’ll share it with my two girls. I raised them to be confident, and to love themselves but as seventh grade quickly approached, I want to step up my game! Thank you too for the basil freezing guide, and the stuffed peppers – yum!
This quote is even more important when there are girls in the house! I think about that, how to talk to Lila about body image and self love and self acceptance as she gets older… but it starts with me mirroring good habits, so she internalizes the good stuff. I got in the habit of never saying anything negative about my body in front of people a long time ago (did you know that men don’t know what cellulite is, and if you don’t tell them you have it, they NEVER FIGURE IT OUT?!) I find that’s true for so many things- if you don’t point out your flaws, the people who care about you focus on your good qualities.
So many great things in this post, first of all your book review- I just love to hear you say your poems, Performance Art is just sublime, so true and so beautifully crafted.
I had to show the failed baby pictures to my husband who was wondering why I was laughing over my coffee cup.
Diversity: it’s funny, when I grew up it was never mentioned but I had never had an issue with it because my grand-mother was West Indian, with a beautiful chocolate skin. My cousins and I were all shades of cream to chocolate milk. I guess it made me color blind and later actually became a source of pride. My kids grew in Montreal in a diverse neighbourhood and now that we’ve resettled in Brittany, attend a school with kids from 37 different nationalities. While France is not as tolerant as Canada, I’m happy we chose a region where people seem more tolerant and open-minded. After all, the Bretons are the ones who left to settle in Quebec. And I learned a few more Canadian words.
Thank you so much for your kind words about my poems! the website that did the review asked for videos, part of their poetry in motion premise. So Guy and I just filmed them on our back patio. Diversity is so important with kids, and I find that now Lila seems more aware of it, I know it’s the time to start talking about it in an age appropriate way, and I went looking for resources, because it felt like me just saying ‘yes, so-and-so is black and you are white but we are all the same!’ seemed to not quite cut it. She hasn’t said anything negative, but I feel like it’s worth getting my head in the game so I can help educate in a way that doesn’t shy away from how racism isn’t fair. Kids are all about what’s fair, so it seems like we are soon to be approaching the ideal time.
I agree with Wanda. Having grown up in New England, I do use MANY of these words but “gitch” is new to me. Some of them I never thought of as Canadian- like eavetrough. That’s just what they are. Shit kickers I always use dto describe any boots, not just cowboy boots. Very interesting!
Gitch is a really rural one, but totally used here! I think some Americans call them gutters instead of eaves trough, but I think it definitely depends on where you live!
Lovely poetry. Do you read in town? I’ll come.
I do read in Toronto! This weekend I’m reading in Fredericton, but the next one is October 25th at Another Story Book shop on Roncesvalles. If you come, please find me and introduce yourself!
Congratulations! It was so neat to hear you read your poetry. Those images are going to stick with me all day.
Where can I order a copy?
I hope you spent the weekend celebrating success.
Thanks so much! You can order a copy on Amazon, or direct from the publisher, or if you want, you can order a copy from me and I can sign it for you. Your choice! The cover on Amazon was the previous version, it got changed at the last moment. If you want a signed copy, just email me back and we’ll work out the details.
So beautiful!
Thank you so much!
That chocolate cake… Ooh! For the last one, obsessing about our best parts… I’ve been trying to do that but surprisingly, the most difficult part is other people’s reaction! Somehow when I try to be content and un-perfectionist, it is perceived as smug, delusional or even offensive. I guess most people are not used to this concept at all… Perhaps the first thing will be for us all to be less judgemental as well as accepting ourselves for who we are? It is a bit of a chicken and egg question, because the self-image and perception of others are so interlinked.
Well, you are certainly not ‘standing, undancing’…I picture you with busy legs and arms flying from moment to moment perhaps chasing a wee one. Big congratulations to you!!
Thanks, Jocelyn!!
Those Pinterest fails had me cackling!
Oh man, I could hardly breathe when I saw them. Guy as wondering what was wrong me, I was so completely incoherent with laughter.
Thanks so much for including my bag Julie! I’m feeling hungry after reading this post!
I love your crochet patterns! Makes me want to learn to crochet… one of these days I will finally knuckle down and learn! I have the resources, I just need the time….
With the exception of ‘stag’, all of those Canadarisms are new to me (commenting from the U.K.). I very badly want to introduce some of them over here though (esp ‘fuckin eh’).
It’s so fun to learn about phrases and common words in another culture that shares your language, isn’t it? I’m pretty fluent in British English (thanks to my husband and in laws), but every now and then a certain phrase that I haven’t heard before will trip me up – idioms are the hardest to learn in any culture.