Today, a girlfriend and I decided it was imperative that we check out the new Target near us in Toronto. I had yet to go, and Henry, as per usual, had grown out of shoes in 3 months. He was down to a pair of flip flops that I ordered online one size up and rain boots, so, as part of our "day of epic adventure" (more on that another time), we headed to pick up "Aunt Mel" and went over to the store. Obviously, I found a few cute little things for myself, so did Mel, and when it came time for us to get shoes for H, he immediately asked for the Thomas ones. He even wanted to switch out of the shoes he was wearing. So he sat in the shopping cart singing THOMAS! THOMAS!
We picked up a few other odds and ends, including a Justice League shirt (another H pick) and then went back past the shoes for one more sweep to see if I could find him another pair. And there they were. A wall of toddler Converse in different styles and colours, separated clearly by "gender." I picked up a nondescript grey pair, and H said, "no! dee!" (His way of saying, "those" or "that.") and pointed to an adorable purple pair with pink laces and stars and a neon green inside and side zipper. I panicked. All I could think about was someone saying something about it. How much it would hurt him (and me) and how much it would crush me if he got hurt for something he loved. So, I forced him into the same style in navy blue and orange.
That decision sat in my gut for hours afterwards. Why didn't I just buy him the damned purple ones he wanted? Why did I feel so strange about it in that moment that I flat-out refused and paid for the ones he didn't want? Who was I? I painted his fingers and toenails 10 hours earlier just after breakfast. WHAT THE HELL?
Parental guilt is far worse than Greek/Jewish/various Eastern European mother's guilt. I felt shame and embarrassment for not just doing what was right by my kid. So, I took to Facebook to vent. And my friends reminded me that I can always EXCHANGE the shoes and I should just do what he wants. And then, I found out that Target is open until 10pm.
So I went back and exchanged the shoes for the ones he wanted in the first place. A weight lifted off my shoulders and I feel proud again to be the parent I want to be and give my child the ability to express himself and do whatever he wants and wear whatever he wants in order to feel happy with who he is.
When I got back online, I started surfing one of my fave gossip sites, and one of the first stories I saw was about Celine Dion's son, Nelson. At 2.5 years old (about the same age as H), his favourite thing in the world to do is wear high-heeled shoes. So, during her recent interview on Katie Couric's daytime talk show, she not only mentioned it, but she showed the audience a photo.
Funny how often the universe shows you that your initial gut reaction is always the right one.
Remind me to never second guess myself again.
I don't try and hide my love of zombies. Something about the insatiable thirst for flesh, the shambling (or fast runs, depending on the film), the cultural significance. I love every gory moment of classic zombie films. And what's more classic than Night of the Living Dead? I'd probably argue that nothing even comes remotely close. And I'm not the only person who feels that way.
Toronto film company Nictophobia Films, approached the three masterminds behind NOTLD: George A Romero, Russ Streiner and John Russo about 2 years ago with a concept to produce a live stage version of their 45 year old horror classic.
This week I got a chance to speak to two of those masterminds (and cross off a bucket list item). I got to talk to Streiner and Russo about the classic film, NOTLD Live, and how a small group of Toronto fans were given the chance to bring the movie to life.
I thought about transcribing these interviews, but both Russ and John were so bloody interesting, I wanted to share the raw clips with you, so that those of you who geek out as much as I do can hear all the fascinating stuff they have to say about NOTLD and the new live show.
I was so impressed with the preview and the praise that these two gentlemen gave that I want to share the NOTLD Live experience with you! All you need to do is pop over to my dear friend Kat Inokai's Trying Times and watch her vlog about NOTLD Live (because there may be hints to win), and I'll give away 2 tickets to the Wednesday, May 1st performance of the show at Toronto's Theatre Passe Muraille.
To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment below and tell me what makes NOTLD Live a unique live show! You have until Monday, April 29th to enter. You must be a YMC member and please be sure you've registered your email address in our commenting system so we can contact you if you win.
Yummy Rules and Regs: You must be a YummyMummyClub.ca member to win. Click to sign up! It's free and filled with perks. One comment per member. Entries accepted until Monday, April 29, 2013. Contest open to Canadian residents (excluding Quebec). Winners will be picked using www.random.org. See full contest rules.
Photo courtesy of Heath Horejda
In "gee, he's a really great guy" news, actor Bradley Cooper has been spending time over the last few weeks visiting with people who were injured during the horrific Boston Marathon attack a week ago. A mother and daughter, Celeste and Sydney Corcoran, were both seriously injured in the blasts; Celeste (mum) lost both legs below the knees and Sydney has severe injuries all over her body from being hit with shrapnel. The women are lucky, and grateful to be alive.
Cooper has been at a number of memorials and interfaith services in honour of the victims of Boston, and by chance spoke to some relatives of Celeste and Sydney and agreed to come visit them at the hospital. Their family has a fund and website set up to help pay for their extensive surgeries and recovery including a website with a number of photos of the mother-daughter duo with Cooper.
Not to be outdone however, outspoken talk show host Chelsea Handler has donated $25,000 to the Corcoran's recovery fund! April 23rd was also Sydney's 18th birthday.
Stories like these in the wake of such tragedy remind me how truly kind people can be, and I always try to remember that we need to carry on the kindness not just in moments of utter despair, but we should practice this kindness and allow people like Bradley Cooper to lead by example.
For photos of Cooper's visit to the Corcorans in hospital, or to read more about their story, you can check out their site, http://www.gofundme.com/CelesteandSydney.
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