a peek inside the fishbowl

Our 11th wedding anniversary was on August 7th. We had dinner and spent the night at Brookstreet Hotel while the girls had a sleepover at Nana and Papa’s house.

I got my hair cut/coloured/superstraightened for the occasion and although I had a brief and fleeting issue about what to wear I settled on a favourite dress. (I look at that photo now and wonder why I didn’t crop the toilet paper out. Gah!) I wore a pair of black heels that made me 6ft tall. (I love being tall!) 

It was right before we went out that I read Dani’s post about bra shopping. Her post inspired me to get measured by a professional. I am a firm believer in foundation garments. Good underwear and a great bra can make a huge difference. But like every mom who’s breastfed, gained wait and lost weight again, my bra size has been anything than constant. I was a C-cup before we got married and DD when I was 200-pounds of pregnant with Emma. Subsequent weight loss has had an effect too. And since it’d been a couple years since I went shopping for underthings I figured it was high time to suck it up and do it again.

My intention was to go to BraChic here in Westboro but unfortunately it’s beyond my budget. So I went to Marianne’s at Westgate instead, a place which was recommended to me many times over. I wasn’t disappointed! The store is big, larger than I expected. It’s divided into three main sections: swimwear, sleepwear, and bras (although they also carry a lot of other things like summer hats, flipflops, cover-ups etc.). The staff person who helped me was extremely courteous and professional. I was really impressed.

I wasn’t expecting my measurements to be too far off from what I was already wearing. I thought I was a 36 and somewhere between an A and a B cup. My salesperson didn’t even measure me. She took one look and proclaimed me to be a 34. I was right about being an inbetweener. With cup-style bras I’m a B, with sports bras and other similar fabric/no-cup style bras I am indeed an A. (I had to laugh because I’ve been inwardly referring to myself a B-minus.)

I walked out with two everyday bras and one sports bra which totaled $150.

Armed with my proper size I finally felt comfortable returning to a store I hadn’t been to for many years – Jacob. I heard that Jacob Lingerie store at Bayshore was having a huge end-of-season sale and I took the opportunity to stock up on several of the cutest bras I’ve ever laid eyes on, in colours and styles I haven’t owned since I was dating (HELLO HOT PINK). I hadn’t worn matching tops and bottoms in YEARS, so I picked up some sets. There’s a lot to be said for the matchy matchy look. AM I RIGHT?

My new bras make me look totally stacked. I think I look taller too. (!) It feels great to be such a hawt mamma!  ;)

Anyway, all this time, effort and money was totally worth it. It’s been a real boost (ha, no pun intended). I wish I’d done this ages ago.

I beg you. If you want to make yourself feel great, get over the discomfort of getting a proper bra fitting and buy yourself some fabulous lingerie. You won’t be sorry you did.

Not to get all braggy or anything, but have I told you recently how much I love my SavvyMom gig? Not only do I get to work with great people, but my assignments give me the opportunity to explore some very cool, family-friendly fun in the Ottawa area AND stretch my creative muscle too. Is that awesome or what? 

My most recent piece was about Le Parc Oméga/Park Omega. You can read it here.

I love Park Omega. Scratch that. I adore it. We visit every year, faithfully bringing bags of carrots to a legion of waiting critters. We never leave without (a) busting a gut laughing (b) seeing something really interesting and memorable,  and (c) getting slobbered on by giant ungulates who try to stick their giant heads in our tiny car.

I enjoy our visits to Park Omega so much that I tend to talk it up a lot to local Ottawa moms.

“Have you ever been to Park Omega?” I’d ask. There is almost always a momentary blank look, followed by a slow-coming realization.
“Ummmm, no. Is that the place where you drive and look at the animals?”

Many of us here in Ottawa are transplants from the Toronto area. That’s why it doesn’t surprise me that there’s an automatic association made to African Lion Safari once I mention Park Omega.

If you grew up in the Toronto area you probably remember the commercial:

But I am here to say that Park Omega is not like African Lion Safari. In fact, the only thing they have in common is the fact that (a) there are animals and (b) you’re in your car.

If you’re read the SavvyMom article you’ll learn pretty much everything there is to know about making a trip to this awesome place, but I do want to stress this point:

DO NOT LEAVE HOME WITHOUT YOUR CAMERA.

It’s the best photo-op you’ll get all summer and your kids will remember it forever.

I had a lot of trouble picking one photo to represent our trip, so I just threw a bunch up in my Flickr. I think it’ll give you a good idea of what Park Omega is all about. :)

I went to two summer camps. One was called Camp Bellaleo. I spent a few weeks there during the summer before fifth grade. The second camp was a Czech-language camp in the heart of Scarborough (I know, I wouldn’t believe there’s a camp there either) which I attended in my early teens and later stayed on as camp counsellor and, when I was about 19, camp director. (I think management wasn’t able to find anyone else interested in the job!)

This week we had the opportunity to visit some friends whose family runs a summer camp for children in the Temagami area.

Camp Wabikon is a helluva drive from Ottawa – it took us about six hours – but it was well worth it. It is a gorgeous part of the province. This is Canadian Shield country, rugged and wild with tall evergreens dotting a wide expanse of rock. For me, this is the kind of topography I love. It’s a place where hunting, fishing, and canoeing are common pursuits and life revolves around the many lakes and rivers. This isn’t living off  the land as it is living with the land. It is glorious and good for the soul.

The camp itself is on Lake Temagami. It had its beginnings as a hunting lodge and has been a children’s camp since around WWII.

Our long drive came to a close at the end of a long gravel road and finally, a dock where a boat was waiting to bring us across with all of our stuff. It was Emma and Sarah’s first time in a motor boat.

When we arrived we got a big tour and were introduced to all the staff. And then the girls left us and were rarely seen again. They assimilated themselves into camp life without a second thought and took part in everything that was offered to them, including a canoe trip and hike to High Rock across the lake:

… as well as some time in the swimming area:

Mark and I had a campsite about a 15-minute canoe trip away from camp.

It was right on the water, nestled in the trees:

We got rained out one night (at which point we were rescued and brought back to camp to sleep in a cabin) but had a gorgeous sunset on our second night (sans children):

… which became a wonderful star-filled night. We lay out on a rock and watched shooting stars. It was so quiet at night that our ears were ringing.

FYI: I survived the digging of the latrine. I wasn’t mentally prepared for this when we set out, but you know what? It beats the stinky outhouses of a regular campground. ‘Nuff said.

Mark and I spent a lot of time at the camp. While we walked around I experienced one deja vu on top of another. The wooden beams in the dining hall:

… the expansive landscape in which water plays such an integral role:

… the fishing, the canoes… it all came rushing back to me. The experience of being at summer camp is very unique. Camp has a culture all of its own. Either you’ve been there or you haven’t. Either you get it or you don’t. And explaining this all to non-camp people is nearly impossible.

I was talking to someone about it before we left and wasn’t able to do it justice. How could I explain the camaraderie? The relationships? The experience of living outside the watchful eye of our parents? The traditions?

At my first camp we sang a prayer song before every meal. (And this was not a religious camp! For context, keep in mind that this was back in the day when everyone recited the Lord’s Prayer at school.)

Oh the lord is good to me,
And so I thank the lord,
For giving me,
The things I need,
The sun and the rain and the apple seed,
The lord is good to me,
Johnnyappleseed [clap] AMEN!

This song is forever burned into my memory.

And then there were all the nutty pranks. When I was older (at the Czech camp), one of our peers was a tough-talkin’ girl from the U.S. who – gasp – smoked. The boys thought it was a disgusting habit and took it upon themselves to teach her a lesson. One them took one of her cigarettes, emptied out some of the tobacco and then filled it back up again … but with some of his toenail clippings added to the mix.

She smoked it while we killed ourselves laughing.

All of this came back to me as we walked around the Camp Wabikon.

I think that summer camp played a part in the person I am today, and I think every child should have the opportunity to have their own summer camp experience at least once in their lives.

What do you think? Are you a camp person? And would you send your kids to summer camp?

We’ll probably be sending our girls next summer. I just hope that they don’t smoke someone’s toenails.