Gay Pride Parade

Today is the day. The Gay Pride Parade used to be one of the "can't miss" events of the summer for me and my friends. This year hubby and I decided that attending the celebrations would be just too much of a hassle. The parade used to be a fun way to show support for the gay/lesbian community, the floats were just fabulous and so many businesses came out to salute their members. Now the parade seems to have lost some of its appeal. It is not really family friendly, it is nearly impossible to navigate a stroller through the crowds on the crazy busy downtown streets and the floats have been getting chincier and chincier with each passing year.
Does this mean we support the gay community any less than before? No of course not, it just means we will support them from the comfort of our living room or through other, quieter means.
As I get older I have also started to realize that the eccentricities displayed in the parade are not neccesarily the norm of the gay community and many (if not all) gay individuals are just normal everyday people like me and you. They go to work, they date, they cook, they shop and they just live their lives. Do you think these parades are neccassary? I have enjoyed them in the past but wonder what you readers really think about all the fuss :)
Let me know...

Our day at the zoo...

Today we celebrate...

My baby's first birthday!! Hard to believe a whole year has passed since he came into our lives. This has been the best year of my life so far!!

Home Sweet Home

Travelling is always fun, hopping in the car, taking a road trip and visiting new places has always been something I've enjoyed. Doing it with a baby is a whole other ball game. The boy was very good-he's always very good, but babies fuss and babies get tired&cry and they don't always like being trapped in their car seats for 6 hours with nothing to look at but the rear window!!

For me though the best part about a trip away is coming home. There are so many things to enjoy in the comfort of one's own home-too many to list really so here are just a few

1. sleeping in your own bed
2. having Tim Horton's walking distance
3. no mosquitoes milling around my ears at night
4. cooking my own food (i do love eating out but love eating home made by me food even more)
5. enjoying my morning pot of coffee at my own pace :)

Today we celebrate..

All the fathers out there!!!

put your hands together for...

my hubby...Congrats go out to Gavin for receiving an award recognizing his academic achievements in the Faculty of Education this year!! All that hard work paid off :)
I had no doubts he would do it but it's always nice to be officially recognized!

what i need

Here's what you do: Google "your name + needs" and pick the first thirteen that make sense. This is hilarious (especially since Lindsay Lohan's mom is named DINA!!!). Most are not anywhere near what I need!! Thanks Chrissy!!

1. Dina needs to get help

2. Dina needs to be a MOTHER

3. Dina & Lindsay Need Rehab

4. Dina needs to grow up and realize she's not only a mother, but an ADULT,

5. Dina needs a faith-based program

6. Dina needs to keep her eyes on her children

7. Dina needs heart surgery

8. Dina needs help wiping herself or something

9. DINA Lohan needs to make up her mind

10. Dina needs love, compassion, support Doesn't everyone???

11. Dina needs to have her brows redone the only one that is kind of true!!!

12. Dina needs pain medication to treat her back Occassionally true!

13. Dina needs a big performance

10 things i can never wait for...

1. nail polish to dry. I can never wait for my nails to dry. If i paint them myself I will inevidently need to go pee or brush my hair moments after I've applied the last stroke and my nails will get nicked. A huge reason i usually wear clear or very pale colours!

2. toast to pop. When I'm hungry, I'm hungry and I just can't wait!!

3. my hair to dry. My thick hair takes a good 30 minutes to dry properly if I don't want a lot of frizz. I usually end up with a poufy, frizzy mess because I just can't stand there drying my hair until it's completely done. I usually end up letting the bottom layers dry naturally because my arm gets tired of holding the hair dryer up!!

4. the end of a book. I have a long time habit of almost always reading the last page of a book half way through the book!

5. reading a full newspaper article. If I start an article and it is continued on another page I will almost always stop reading the article. why can't they print the whole thing on one page?!?!

6. people to get to the point. I can't stand when people take forever trying to say what it is they are talking about. I find this kind of funny because I know I do this exact thing!

7. being put on hold. If I call somewhere and am put on hold for too long I will almost always hang up and never bother calling back!

8. long lines at the checkout. I just don't have patience to wait in long line ups. I refuse to wait in lines at stores such as Children's Place or Superstore. I would rather not shop there or not buy something than wait in ridiculous lines!

9. slow walkers. I can't stand getting stuck behind a doddler. I will almost always overpass or try to get around slow walkers.

10. waiting in general annoys me. If I need something done I like to get it done. I hate waiting for others to do things for me and often end up just doing things myself

some favourites

Here is a short list of some of my fave stores...
1) Reitmans great for casual work clothes and simple classic styles. I love this store. The prices are great although the quality isn't always that great.

2) Old Navy can always find jeans that fit me here. Prices are great but clothes are not always made well. Sometimes styles are kind of weird or too young.

3) GAP great classic style. Very good quality, clothes from GAP always last me a few years.

4) WINNERS just so much fun to shop at Winners. You never know what you'll find. Great for trendy lower cost pieces.

5) Le Chateau believe it or not, this store has some really nice clothes that actually fit people who are larger than a size 2!! I recently rediscovered them while shopping for a coat and figured that i'd need an XL but only needed a M!!! (although i haven't actually bought anything here for a really long time-with the exception of a necklace)

6) RW I forgot about this one...definitely one of my favourites. Pretty good quality and always has amazing sales!!!

Today is my lucky day :)

I recently realized how important it is to have a few staple items in ones wardrobe. I unfortunately realized this during an emergency "i have nothing to wear to a bar-mitvah TOMORROW" moment. Lucky for me Jill figured this one out a lot sooner than I!! She came was able to save the day at 8pm on Friday evening when I needed a dress for 11 am the next day!!

She lent me this beautiful green and black number that my husband likes so much he suggested I buy it from her!!

Today I did a little shopping after popping into my office to complete my return to work paperwork. I found this dress at Reitmans and was really pleasantly surprised when the reduced price was even further reduced!! I got this really cute black dress that can definitley be dressed up or down for a whopping $15 !! Can you believe it?!?! AND to think i wasn't sure i was going to buy it because i didn't think it was that flattering...glad i rethought it and realized I can wear better undergarmets to do the trick!

Now here is my list of wardrobe must haves

1. a really good body slimmer. Ones of these suckers can take you from a lumpy size 12 to a slim smooth lined size 10!!

2. a great pair of stilletoes. i LOVE the look of really high heels with pointy toes (like the ones i'm wearing above)

3. a little black dress. One that can be worn during the day and also in the evening. I have another one that is definitely an only evening dress, as it has spaghetti straps and a few sequins.

4. a great pair of black slacks. Also a move from day to evening pair.

5. and of course a really great handbag (which I am working on getting!)

6. a few structured jackets. I have a few and I love them. They make me feel a few pounds thinner when i look in the mirror and they can be layered, and worn nicely over jeans or with dress pants

7. a "real" necklace. Not costume jewelry, something with value and substance that can be worn with any neckline. i have a beautiful diamond heart pendant necklace that i wear to many occassions.

8. also a "real" pair of earrings. Not costume jewelry but something with real jewels, and gold.

9. a pair of skinny jeans. i'm not talking about those skinny jeans that are in style now but a pair that make you feel great. when you put these on you just feel good about yourself, your butt feels smaller, you exude confidance.

10. sexy sandals. no explanation required :)