After reading an article called Why is My Son in a Princess Dress? I began to wonder what I would have done in a similar situation.
In case you don't want to read the short article, I'll sum it up. A four year old boy wants to dress as Snow White for Halloween and is very firm in his decision to do so.
The parents don't know if it's a good idea or not. They fear ridicule.
Growing up I was a Tom-Boy. I hated wearing dresses and looking nice. I wanted to look like a boy. I wanted to be a boy. I played with toy cars and had a lot of male friends at school. I had girl friends too and played with Barbies, but my family always commented on how much of a Tom-Boy I was. Nobody scolded me or made me feel bad about myself for not being ultra-girly like my younger sister.
When I hit puberty, my vision of myself started to soften and I wanted to be viewed as more feminine and pretty. I became interested in make-up and perfume and skirts. As an adult I'd rather wear jeans and t-shirt over a skirt and heels any day, but I think I turned out alright. There's a time and place for everything when it comes to most fashions.
When a young boy wants to dress up in his mom's high heels and play with her make-up, there's something wrong with him. When a girl puts shaving cream on her face and pretends she's shaving just like daddy, it's cute. Everyone is aware of this double standard, yet a lot of people feel as though one is wrong while the latter is okay.
But back to the topic - would I let my four year old boy wear a Cinderella costume for Halloween?
Yes.
It's Halloween! On Halloween it's not unusual for men and women to cross-dress. It's all for fun. It's hard to say how children get certain ideas in their head, but obviously my son saw or heard something somewhere that made him think it's okay to dress like Cinderella on Halloween and I wouldn't try to stop him. In fact, I think it would be really hilarious and make for some great pictures to show at family gatherings many years later.
However, would I let my four or five year old boy pick out girls clothing to buy when we went out shopping for normal, day-to-day wear? Absolutely not.
At first I'd question why he picked out the piece of clothing or what he liked about it. Maybe he liked the colour, the pattern, the graphic, or maybe it reminded him of someone he knows. Depending on his answer I'd definitely try to sway him into picking something more gender appropriate, but I would never try to embarrass him or make him feel badly about picking girls clothes.
I hope that gender wouldn't have to enter the conversation, even though deep down I know that's what it's about for me. I don't want to encourage gender stereotyping, or pass that along to my child. I want my children to be better than me. And while most parents want their children to be pioneers and plow their own paths, sometimes it's best to wait until they're older to let them do that. A five year old doesn't need to be making that sort of statement in kindergarten. At five, the boy doesn't even know he's making a statement!
What I do know is that I would try very hard to NOT say,
"NO, you cannot wear those clothes because they were made for girls only."
Or "NO, you cannot wear those clothes because they were made for boys only."
Or "NO, you cannot play with those toys because those are girls toys."
Or "NO, you cannot play with those toys because those are boys toys."
I think saying that is wrong. Of course your children rely on you to teach them how to act and how to dress. As long as my child is cool in the summer and warm in the winter and playing safely and having fun with whatever toy he or she chooses, I will be happy.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Improvement
Dale is recovering nicely and eating lots of soft food without any problems.
Enough about him though; let's move on to ME!
It's nearing the end of the month and I believe I made a promise to myself that I would complete the Presidents Fitness Challenge to see if I've made any improvements.
1.5 mile run --> Improved!
At the beginning of the month I ran it in 13:53 and my new run time is 13:51! A two second improvement is still an improvement, but I had hoped for a 5 second improvement.
I scored 55%
Push-ups --> Improved!
At the beginning of the month I could only do 15, but now I can do 20! I can actually do a few more than that even, maybe 22, but I usually give up because my form starts to wilt.
I scored 30%
Sit-Ups --> the same.
I'm not very good at these. I can do 36. I'm going to be honest, I didn't really practice this one.
I scored 30%
Sit and Reach Flexibility test --> the same.
I did exceptionally well on this test when I first did it a month ago. I'm more flexible than the average person.
I scored 95%
My overall average score is 52%. What that means is that 52% of people my age fall below my fitness score and I am more fit than they are. So, the higher the score, the more physically fit you are!
My flexibility really saved my ass I think... Had I scored closer to 70% I would probably be below average in fitness hahaha.
As far as being fit goes, I feel fit. I feel like I'm in good shape. I know I'm not the best, far from it, but I'm glad I put in the effort to keep track of all this for a month. There's so much room for improvement and I'm going to keep working at it and test again in another 2 months!
Enough about him though; let's move on to ME!
It's nearing the end of the month and I believe I made a promise to myself that I would complete the Presidents Fitness Challenge to see if I've made any improvements.
1.5 mile run --> Improved!
At the beginning of the month I ran it in 13:53 and my new run time is 13:51! A two second improvement is still an improvement, but I had hoped for a 5 second improvement.
I scored 55%
Push-ups --> Improved!
At the beginning of the month I could only do 15, but now I can do 20! I can actually do a few more than that even, maybe 22, but I usually give up because my form starts to wilt.
I scored 30%
Sit-Ups --> the same.
I'm not very good at these. I can do 36. I'm going to be honest, I didn't really practice this one.
I scored 30%
Sit and Reach Flexibility test --> the same.
I did exceptionally well on this test when I first did it a month ago. I'm more flexible than the average person.
I scored 95%
My overall average score is 52%. What that means is that 52% of people my age fall below my fitness score and I am more fit than they are. So, the higher the score, the more physically fit you are!
My flexibility really saved my ass I think... Had I scored closer to 70% I would probably be below average in fitness hahaha.
As far as being fit goes, I feel fit. I feel like I'm in good shape. I know I'm not the best, far from it, but I'm glad I put in the effort to keep track of all this for a month. There's so much room for improvement and I'm going to keep working at it and test again in another 2 months!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Sick Kitty
On Friday August 13th Dale puked four times in the basement just as I was leaving for work. I had fed him some canned food I know he really likes and I figured he probably ate too much because he throws up quite easily. It's happened before, although usually he only throws up once and that's it.
He threw up while I was gone to Saskatchewan over the weekend. He threw up Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday -> this time on my sheets! I brought him in to see the vet Thursday late morning. He was really dehydrated and he had lost some weight.
The vet took an x-ray to see if he had swallowed something that was blocking the natural exit, forcing Dale to throw up. There was nothing there. He gave Dale some barium and then did another x-ray to see if there was something else inside him, plant material, hairball, ect... that didn't show up in the other x-ray because it wasn't dense enough. There was nothing there.
They kept Dale for a few hours to hydrate him and gave him an antacid because his stomach looked slightly irritated on the x-ray. When they released him to me my final bill was $375.00!!!!! I was shocked it was so much. I'm just glad there's nothing seriously wrong with him!
The doctor told me to offer him food and water when I got home and call him in the morning. He also said not to be alarmed if Dale doesn't want to eat or drink. When he hydrated him, he made sure there was a reserve there so to speak for Dale to draw from until he feels better. Dale hasn't eaten or drank anything yet. I offered him some food and I even offered him some milk, but he didn't want it.
Dale's not acting like himself. Last night he hid under the bed and refused to come out. I found him there again this morning and coaxed him out to pet him. He moves really slow, but doesn't appear to be in pain. My poor, poor kitty! It's not fun being sick!
This morning, Emilio threw up which was really strange. He's never done that before. However, Emilio seemed okay directly afterward. He was running and playing and drinking water. He should be fine. (I hope!)
I'm worried about Dale. If he throws up today at some point that means there could be something seriously wrong with him. If that's the case, I don't have the money to treat him properly and he'd have to be put down. It's an upsetting thought for me, my cats are my babies, so I'm not focusing on that. I feel confident that Dale will pull through and be fine.
He threw up while I was gone to Saskatchewan over the weekend. He threw up Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday -> this time on my sheets! I brought him in to see the vet Thursday late morning. He was really dehydrated and he had lost some weight.
The vet took an x-ray to see if he had swallowed something that was blocking the natural exit, forcing Dale to throw up. There was nothing there. He gave Dale some barium and then did another x-ray to see if there was something else inside him, plant material, hairball, ect... that didn't show up in the other x-ray because it wasn't dense enough. There was nothing there.
They kept Dale for a few hours to hydrate him and gave him an antacid because his stomach looked slightly irritated on the x-ray. When they released him to me my final bill was $375.00!!!!! I was shocked it was so much. I'm just glad there's nothing seriously wrong with him!
The doctor told me to offer him food and water when I got home and call him in the morning. He also said not to be alarmed if Dale doesn't want to eat or drink. When he hydrated him, he made sure there was a reserve there so to speak for Dale to draw from until he feels better. Dale hasn't eaten or drank anything yet. I offered him some food and I even offered him some milk, but he didn't want it.
Dale's not acting like himself. Last night he hid under the bed and refused to come out. I found him there again this morning and coaxed him out to pet him. He moves really slow, but doesn't appear to be in pain. My poor, poor kitty! It's not fun being sick!
This morning, Emilio threw up which was really strange. He's never done that before. However, Emilio seemed okay directly afterward. He was running and playing and drinking water. He should be fine. (I hope!)
I'm worried about Dale. If he throws up today at some point that means there could be something seriously wrong with him. If that's the case, I don't have the money to treat him properly and he'd have to be put down. It's an upsetting thought for me, my cats are my babies, so I'm not focusing on that. I feel confident that Dale will pull through and be fine.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Get The Hell Out of Dodge
It's time for a mini-vacation. I need to shift gears and just do something ELSE for a bit. Working full time is a drag, especially since I have nothing to show for it! I wanted to go somewhere far away this weekend, but unfortunately for me my funds are on hold until at least September. I want to go somewhere new, visit friends or family, possibly leave the country.
Cabin fever is the worst! I feel isolated, almost trapped at the CBC sometimes. I'm working night shifts a lot and I barely have time to see Bob, let alone other friends of mine. Even just going to the beach this weekend would have been nice, but it's expected to be cloudy and possibly rain.
An impromptu drive out west might be just what I need. I think I'm going to head out to Yorkton, Saskatchewan and visit Chris Maxwell and possibly stop quickly in Regina for some fun with my newlywed friends, Carly and Matt!
Also, in Saskatchewan, I can buy more Bullseye Vanilla cigarillos!
In September I might even plan a trip to Grand Prairie, Alberta and visit Jake Hammell since he's been to Winnipeg to visit me (and others) and I have yet to go visit him.
After that... who knows? I'd really like to spend some time in Grand Forks and I'd really, really like to board a plane for the first time in my life and go somewhere exciting and romantic! But not Mexico - too hot! Not my style.
Perhaps I'll go to Louisiana and visit my pen-pal in jail lol.
Cabin fever is the worst! I feel isolated, almost trapped at the CBC sometimes. I'm working night shifts a lot and I barely have time to see Bob, let alone other friends of mine. Even just going to the beach this weekend would have been nice, but it's expected to be cloudy and possibly rain.
An impromptu drive out west might be just what I need. I think I'm going to head out to Yorkton, Saskatchewan and visit Chris Maxwell and possibly stop quickly in Regina for some fun with my newlywed friends, Carly and Matt!
Also, in Saskatchewan, I can buy more Bullseye Vanilla cigarillos!
In September I might even plan a trip to Grand Prairie, Alberta and visit Jake Hammell since he's been to Winnipeg to visit me (and others) and I have yet to go visit him.
After that... who knows? I'd really like to spend some time in Grand Forks and I'd really, really like to board a plane for the first time in my life and go somewhere exciting and romantic! But not Mexico - too hot! Not my style.
Perhaps I'll go to Louisiana and visit my pen-pal in jail lol.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Progress
I'm making progress with my fitness training! Yesterday I managed to do 16 push-ups in a row! That is my new record; before I could only do 15 in a row before collapsing.
Last night I went for my usual 1.5 mile run. I don't own a stop watch so I couldn't time myself, but it felt like a really good run. My sister accompanied me for the first couple blocks before giving up and walking home. I'm glad she came with me because I noticed something about the way I run - I can talk while running.
This must mean that I am not actually running and I am indeed jogging. Tonight while I run I'm going to pick up the pace so that I cannot talk while I run. If I can talk while running, my heart rate probably isn't high enough.
Flexibility isn't an issue. I'm practically a cat woman. (ooh go Bob!)
Sit-ups are a different story. I have a fairly strong core, but it's difficult to time myself doing sit-ups without a stop watch and to also count how many of them I'm doing properly. It all usually ends up being an estimate. I want to be more precise than that and know exactly where I am.
On top of it all, I've lost 2 pounds!
Last night I went for my usual 1.5 mile run. I don't own a stop watch so I couldn't time myself, but it felt like a really good run. My sister accompanied me for the first couple blocks before giving up and walking home. I'm glad she came with me because I noticed something about the way I run - I can talk while running.
This must mean that I am not actually running and I am indeed jogging. Tonight while I run I'm going to pick up the pace so that I cannot talk while I run. If I can talk while running, my heart rate probably isn't high enough.
Flexibility isn't an issue. I'm practically a cat woman. (ooh go Bob!)
Sit-ups are a different story. I have a fairly strong core, but it's difficult to time myself doing sit-ups without a stop watch and to also count how many of them I'm doing properly. It all usually ends up being an estimate. I want to be more precise than that and know exactly where I am.
On top of it all, I've lost 2 pounds!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
The President's Challenge
I am currently training for The President's Challange: Adult Fitness Test!
I encourage you to check out the link there and read all about it. Here's a brief overview:
Run 1.5 miles as fast as you can. Below is a map of the route I will be running so I can train for my test. 2.4 km is roughly 1.5 miles according to the unit converter I used to check.
Do as many half sit-ups as you can in 1 minute. You're supposed to put two pieces of tape 3.5 inches apart so that you can measure how many you do correctly.
Do as many push-ups as you can in proper form. I can currently do about 15 at a time which isn't bad, but is definitely on the low end of the scale. About a year ago I couldn't even do 5 in a row, so I feel really good about being able to do 15 before collapsing!
Sit And Reach flexibility test. This test I have trouble understanding how you measure your flexibility. I took a normal ruler and measured out 3 feet. I could bend and touch the 36 inch mark easily. As a former dancer, stretching that far is no problem, so maybe I'm doing it wrong. The man in the picture doesn't look as flexible as I am!
In conclusion, I would encourage everyone reading this to give The President's Challenge: Adult Fitness Test a try for themselves. You can input your data right there on the site and it will calculate how fit you are compared to your peers. It's really neat!
As far as my training goes, everyday I am going to practice all these parts of the test and at the end of the month my boyfriend, Bob, will be administering the test and keep track of everything. I've already tried out the test once, but I didn't document my findings since it's sort of hard to do it by yourself. Tonight hopefully I'll be able to go through it once by myself and roughly know where my fitness is at.
After Bob tests me at the end of the month we'll see how much I've improved!
I'm really excited about this! I hope I do well lol!
I encourage you to check out the link there and read all about it. Here's a brief overview:
Run 1.5 miles as fast as you can. Below is a map of the route I will be running so I can train for my test. 2.4 km is roughly 1.5 miles according to the unit converter I used to check.
Do as many half sit-ups as you can in 1 minute. You're supposed to put two pieces of tape 3.5 inches apart so that you can measure how many you do correctly.
Do as many push-ups as you can in proper form. I can currently do about 15 at a time which isn't bad, but is definitely on the low end of the scale. About a year ago I couldn't even do 5 in a row, so I feel really good about being able to do 15 before collapsing!
Sit And Reach flexibility test. This test I have trouble understanding how you measure your flexibility. I took a normal ruler and measured out 3 feet. I could bend and touch the 36 inch mark easily. As a former dancer, stretching that far is no problem, so maybe I'm doing it wrong. The man in the picture doesn't look as flexible as I am!
In conclusion, I would encourage everyone reading this to give The President's Challenge: Adult Fitness Test a try for themselves. You can input your data right there on the site and it will calculate how fit you are compared to your peers. It's really neat!
As far as my training goes, everyday I am going to practice all these parts of the test and at the end of the month my boyfriend, Bob, will be administering the test and keep track of everything. I've already tried out the test once, but I didn't document my findings since it's sort of hard to do it by yourself. Tonight hopefully I'll be able to go through it once by myself and roughly know where my fitness is at.
After Bob tests me at the end of the month we'll see how much I've improved!
I'm really excited about this! I hope I do well lol!
Monday, August 2, 2010
I Hate Summer
Summer is not my favourite season. It never has been and it probably never will be. Here are some reasons why I hate summer:
1) It's hot.
2) I sweat.
3) There are bugs.
4) Air conditioning makes me sick.
5) People often have the A/C cranked way too high.
People who crank the A/C too high are often the same people who continually state how much they love summer. Meanwhile I'm wearing shorts and tank top and fucking chattering.
At my job I have to wear a fleece sweater in the summer because the A/C is too cold. And because I'm in and out of the building, I step out into the hot sun and it's muggy and I can't breathe and I spend most of my summer's sick.
Anyone who knows me knows I hate bugs. Bugs are the most active in the summer.
Anyone who knows me knows I hate sweating. Holy fuck do I ever hate sweating. It's so gross and wet and sticky and disgusting. I just hate sweating! I sweat off my make up and it gets in my eyes and stings!
Exercising is a different thing altogether, but when I'm dressed up nice and trying go somewhere or something and I'm sweating like a pig, I feel very unattractive.
I hate the heat. I would rather be too cold than too warm. Warming up is easy. Cooling down is hard. If I had to choose between winter all the time and summer all the time I would choose winter hands down, no questions asked!
My favourite time of year is actually autumn. It's beautiful outside, not too hot or too cold or too wet. Everything is nice and dry. You can get away with wearing jeans and t-shirt during the day and a light sweater or jacket in the evening. I love fall colours and crunching dead leaves.
When this stupid ass season called summer is over I will be happy again.
1) It's hot.
2) I sweat.
3) There are bugs.
4) Air conditioning makes me sick.
5) People often have the A/C cranked way too high.
People who crank the A/C too high are often the same people who continually state how much they love summer. Meanwhile I'm wearing shorts and tank top and fucking chattering.
At my job I have to wear a fleece sweater in the summer because the A/C is too cold. And because I'm in and out of the building, I step out into the hot sun and it's muggy and I can't breathe and I spend most of my summer's sick.
Anyone who knows me knows I hate bugs. Bugs are the most active in the summer.
Anyone who knows me knows I hate sweating. Holy fuck do I ever hate sweating. It's so gross and wet and sticky and disgusting. I just hate sweating! I sweat off my make up and it gets in my eyes and stings!
Exercising is a different thing altogether, but when I'm dressed up nice and trying go somewhere or something and I'm sweating like a pig, I feel very unattractive.
I hate the heat. I would rather be too cold than too warm. Warming up is easy. Cooling down is hard. If I had to choose between winter all the time and summer all the time I would choose winter hands down, no questions asked!
My favourite time of year is actually autumn. It's beautiful outside, not too hot or too cold or too wet. Everything is nice and dry. You can get away with wearing jeans and t-shirt during the day and a light sweater or jacket in the evening. I love fall colours and crunching dead leaves.
When this stupid ass season called summer is over I will be happy again.
