Mama Blogs Toronto

Mommy Blogs Toronto has moved!

2006-11-16T04:36:00.000-08:00

The new and improved Mommy Blogs Toronto is up and running.

You can find the new site here.

Be sure to update your bookmarks!

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Party All The Time

2006-11-02T18:33:00.000-08:00

Hey! Anybody up for a dance party?

WonderBaby is going. She went this past spring, to the last Dance Party, with her buddy WonderBoy, and it was slammin'.

We can't guarantee that she'll be rockin' a 'fro again this time, but she'll be there, dancin' up a storm.

Come on down. Details HERE.

Hitting the Motherlode

2006-10-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

So, this post is a shameless rip-off of the post that I (Her Bad Mother) did the other day for urbanmoms.ca, and hits the same theme as my HBM post of Tuesday, but whatever. I can plagiarize myself. I have given myself permission (permission that I have not, as it goes, given Bitacle, so if you are reading this on Bitacle, be aware that you are supporting a total tard and that you should click HERE to read this on ethically sound terms.)

Anyway, in case you haven't heard, there this thing called the Motherlode going on right now... it's a whole conference that is exclusively devoted to the subject of motherhood. It's hosted by York University's Association for Research on Mothering, and it's going to be great. Academics, artists, writers and all sort of creative and intelligent persons are gathering together to discuss all aspects of the amazing, frustrating, joyous, life-changing, world-changing thing that we mothers do. They're going to be talking history, politics, art, environment, culture, health, policy, academe - everything in the whole wide world, and how it relates to motherhood.

Actually, I should say we - we're going to be discussing those things. I'll be there: on Friday afternoon I'm presenting a paper, entitled "The Public Mother," on motherhood and citizenship, and what it means, or might mean, to mother publicly. It's an extension of my academic work in political philosophy, but I promise - if you are at all interested in coming to hear it - that I won't be too political scientist-y or philosopher-y about it: I'll be talking about mom-lit and mom-blogging and representations of moms in film as much as I will about Aristotle and Rousseau.

And it won't just be me there, either: Ann Douglas, who you probably know as the author of the fantastic 'Mother Of All (Pregnancy) (Toddler) (Etc) Books' series will be speaking, and some fantabulous local and local-ish bloggers and mother-writer types - Jen of MUBAR, Andrea of Beanie Baby, Dani of Postcards from the Mothership and Marla of Hello Josephine, to name a few - will be there as well. And too many other amazing and inspiring women to mention. (Oh, okay, just one more: my friends Devra and Aviva from Parentopia! Oh, and Andrea Buchanan of MotherShock and Literary Mama! And, and... I'll stop now).

If you're in Toronto, there are day passes and session passes and event passes to the conference, so it's worth having a look: you can find details HERE (I'm Session D3, if you're interested. 5 - 7pm. Very inconveniently opposite Ann and Jen, et. al., who I wanted to hear.) At the least, you might loiter around Courtyard Marriott downtown and soak up all of the mother-love (and maybe do a little blogger spotting!) before hitting H&M in the Eaton Centre.

If you do, be sure to say hi!

The Play's The Thing

2006-10-15T19:29:00.000-07:00

So, we are slowly but surely wending our way toward the reconstruction and re-launch (which will officially take place at the end of this month) of MamaBlogsToronto, which has become, you may have noticed, MommyBlogsToronto. More on that at a later date; right now, we have our first 'Whassup 'Round Toronto, Culture-Wise, And How Do I Get Me Some?', written by MetroMama...

Catherine and I recently attended the launch of the Stratford Festival’s 2007 season—I’m pleased to report, it looks fabulous.

Artistic Director Richard Monette announced the new season themed ‘The Outsider’. The season marks the end Monette’s fourteen-season tenure as Artistic Director. Monette said, “Artists by definition are outsiders in society and this is my tribute to all artists. Characters such as Lennie Small, Shylock, Othello and Atticus Finch are all struggling either to be accepted by society or to change it”.

A tribute it will be—highlights of the playbill include: King Lear (yay!) featuring and directed by Brian Bedford; The Merchant of Venice featuring Graham Greene as Shylock in his Stratford debut; Of Mice and Men, also featuring Graham Greene; To Kill a Mockingbird; Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!; The Odyssey, directed by Peter Hinton; Oscar Wilde’s An Ideal Husband, directed by Monette himself.

Other plays include: My One and Only; The Comedy of Errors; Othello; A Delicate Balance; Shakespeare’s Will; The Blonde, The Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead; and Pentecost, a Canadian premiere.

Great playbill isn’t it! It will be hard to choose—I hope I can see more than one. I’ll definitely see King Lear, arguably Shakespeare's greatest play. I saw the 2002 production starring Christopher Plummer, who was a spellbinding Lear. His performance will be a tough act to follow.

After the announcement, we had the opportunity to meet the actors who had made the trip to Toronto, some having to be back in Stratford in time for matinees:

We chatted with Cynthia Dale about balancing her performances with motherhood and took pictures of her trying to eat breakfast. She was a good sport:

And here's the coolest thing - we met someone from Stratford’s PR who talked to us about their aim to make the festival a destination for families. Some of the musicals have a lot of appeal for the smaller set—what a wonderful alternative to your typical kiddie fare. Stratford also plans to have programs available for kids whose parents would prefer to see the adult plays. They are going to keep us informed about what they’re offering, and we hope to organize a field trip in the spring. Stay tuned for details!

So... who out there'd be interested in a field trip?

Check back for our re-launch towards the end of the month. A bunch of really cool TO mommy-bloggers are going to be posting regularly on a variety of topics - it's going to be a fun round-robin kind of community blog. And if you have any ideas for posts (or activities or whatever) yourself, drop a line or a comment and join the party...

Dudes! Negligence!

2006-09-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

Sort of negligence, anyway. I haven't been posting here because this site is going to undergo a major overhaul in the immediate future (a future that has been immediate for about two wees, but whatever.)

We're taking this blog DOT COM and making it a community blog, with contributions by fabulous Toronto mom bloggers. (Got ideas for posts? E-mail HBM.)

And, of course, there'll still be activities and fun and games that everyone can get involved in - parks, spas, general debauchery - so do check back in about two weeks. It'll be a whole new blog, but same old fun.

Rockin' the Park

2006-08-30T19:49:00.000-07:00

Reminder: Mommybloggers rock it in the daytime, too!

Hangin' out in the park. Thursday (tomorrow!), August 31st, 3 - 6ish, Dufferin Grove Park (just south of Bloor on Dufferin). We'll meet at the playground shelter, which is on the north edge of the playground, which is itself in the southeast corner of the park. It's a great park for kids of all ages, and Thursdays are Farmers' Market days, so bring change for a snack or for dinner fixin's.

There won't be a fake waterfall behind us, but you get the picture. Look for the blonde with the goofy smile and the Alpha Baby with a good hat.

You can also check out the photos here for mommyblogger identification purposes.

Please come! We'd love to meet you!

*********

If you can't make it tomorrow, we're also hooking up next Tuesday at Withrow Park, same time. If you join us, you just might witness a live Alpha Baby smackdown...

You know you waaaaant it.

Saturday Night's All Right

2006-08-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday night, TO mama bloggers painted the town - and their nails - red.

Literally.

Liquor and lacquer. Nice...

The spa was hot. The bar was stocked. Tunes were spun and a young, hairy Nicolas Cage graced the plasma screen...

There were pretty shoes...

... and bra-flashing and tattoo-baring...

... and a tiny little dog called Bailey (official coo-able stand-in for the babies abandoned by their wanton mothers)...

It was (wait for it) GOOD TIMES. And we'll be doing it again real soon.

You're comin' next time, right? RIGHT?

**********

Catch more literate recaps at the well-manicured blogs of MetroMama, Sunshine Scribe, MotherBumper, Kittenpie, ScarbieDoll, Lisa, and CrazyMumma.

And don't miss the PhotoShop genius of SomethingBlue (and her Flickr set!)

Then go tell Bubandpie to post a photo of her fantabulous fingernails, and go commend UrbanMommy on her superlative spa-wrangling skills. And check out the brand new blog of Mamalooper (sucked her in! woo hoo!).

Then go check out 10Spot. They were awesome.

Then make a vow to yourself to join us next time.

Got that? Good.

Coming Soon...

2006-08-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

... The Great TO MommyBlogger Lickr'd Up Buff and Polish Event Re-Cap!

Just as soon as WonderBaby's - who, in the last 24 hours, has sprouted four more teeth and developed a passion for running - batteries run down.

In the meantime, I leave you with Reason #63 why you wish you'd been there...

Ah, the man-rug. You know you love the man-rug.

Bringing It ON

2006-08-22T09:20:00.000-07:00

Details have been confirmed for the inaugural MommyBlogger Spa-tastic Get-Together this weekend (August 26th), and the spa segment of the evening is now fully subscribed. If, however, you are interested in joining us for drinks that evening, let me know and we can work out details for post-spa celebrations (commencing at about 9:30pm).

Details have also been hammered out for a daytime get-together for moms and chilluns: next Thursday, August 31st, 3 - 6ish, Dufferin Grove Park (just south of Bloor on Dufferin). We'll meet at the playground shelter, which is on the north edge of the playground, which is itself in the southeast corner of the park. It's a great park for kids of all ages, and Thursdays are Farmers' Market days, so bring change for a snack or for dinner fixin's.

WonderBaby and Michael Landon love Dufferin Grove. Bring it!

Stay tuned...

2006-08-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

Final details on Mamas' Spaaaaa Night Out will be posted pronto - date and activity remain the same, but exact time and, um, location (first choice couldn't accommodate us as neatly as might have been hoped) need to be finalized. We have a new locale, and they seem great, and so expect final particulars - and a plan for some daytime fun! - by mid-week...

Do not lick your screen. You'll be sipping a real one reeeaal soon.

(Anybody who is interested in joining us - that means YOU - but has not yet raised their hand in the comment section, why not jump in? We'd love to meet you...)

Mama Bloggers Need Love, Too

2006-08-06T19:26:00.001-07:00

So, here's the proposal for our next TO Mama Blogger Mix-Up:

August 26th, evening: an evening of manis and/or pedis and cocktails at a central spaaaaa. Aaaaaah. The deal will be this: we each contribute around 15$ to secure the space (and catering) for ourselves (the more of us that attend, the less it will be.) Then, 40$ buys you a manicure and a martini. Other services as desired.

The fabulous TO Mama Blogger Team will make arrangements and secure a party license so that we can BYOB to supplement the martinis; catering and manicures are included in the price (which, we figure, is about on par with the per person cost of snacks and drinks over a couple of hours at a decent lounge.) It will be a delicious few hours during which we pamper ourselves and bask in wonderful company.

So, who's in? (You? YES YOU ARE!)

(Remember - ALL are welcome. This is just one of many getting-to-know-each-other events. If you're a mom - or, gasp, a dad? - and you live within easy travelling distance of the GTA and you have a blog or even just like reading blogs, you are more than welcome to join in. We'd love to meet you!)

(You can get to know some of us by reading these interviews.)

(More interview summaries are coming! The lovely Marla, and Andrea, Kirsty, and Brenda will soon be linked up and profiled and, yes - along with the other lovely interviewees - Muppeted!)

*********

Some of you have expressed an interest in daytime activities - and as we all loooooves our babies, this kind of activity makes sense. So - shall we start tossing around ideas for a daytime activity?

Two questions to get us started:

1) Same day as Mamas' Evening Out? Or, another day? Weekday?

2) Just hangin' in a park, or an organized "activity" (i.e. visiting the Islands or Ontario Place or the Zoo or whatever?)

WonderBaby says: Everybody out of their shells!

Let's Get It On

2006-07-31T14:18:00.000-07:00

Metro Mama would like a word...

Okay, after looking at pictures of all those lucky ladies partying hard at BlogHer all weekend, I’m jonesing for more cocktails with the fabulous TO Mamas.

Anyone else?

Here are a few potential dates: Aug 25, 26, 31, Sept 1, or 2.

If you’re interested, send your votes for date and place (either specific venue or neighbourhood) to metro_mama@hotmail.com or comment here.

Yours thirstily,
Metro Mama

Um, YES. We must do this. Because, in addition to needing to get my love on with y'all and wanting to share BlogHer stories, I brought you all souvenirs from BlogHer. YES I DID.

So, yeah, let's get this figured out.

PLACE YOUR COMMENTS NOW.

(And, any of you out there who have just found us? Don't be shy - we'd love to hear from you and meet you! Leave your URL or e-mail along with your comment...)

Get Yer Red-Hot TO Mamas Right Here!

2006-07-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

We blogged us right 'round, baby, right 'round! (Like a record, baby, right 'round 'round 'round!)

No sooner had I suggested a cluster interview, the better to pimp y’all at BlogHer, than Jana steps up and offers to make it a round-robin for those who want to play wild. So it became, in part, a circle interview, and that… well, that’s just hot.

So, let me see if I can get this straight… Jana (SomethingBlue) did MamaTulip; MamaTulip did Kittenpie; Kittenpie did Sunshine Scribe; Sunshine Scribe did MetroMama; MetroMama did BubandPie; BubandPie did MotherBumper; MotherBumper did Scarbiedoll; Scarbie did PenelopeandBumblebee; Penelope did Jana.

Go that? Good.

In addition to all that circle action, UrbanMommy did herself, as did Krista and AC and Christy.

(Did I miss anybody oh god I hope not? If you’ve done the interview and posted it tell me – via comment here – and I’ll link you in ASAP.)

(Haven’t done it yet? What are you waiting for?)

So, if you’re visiting here for the first time, and would like to get know some TO (and area) mama bloggers, here’s your chance.

(NOTE: you'll notice, below, that there is very little mention of children. This is intentional - these women are all mothers, yes, and mama-bloggers, but they're first and foremost women. You can read all about their children and their experiences as mothers at their blogs. But first, get to know them as the class-act broads that they are.)

I recommend starting with SomethingBabyBlue, where you’ll meet the incomparable Jana (who you can learn more about chez Penelope) and where you’ll find an interview with the incomparably cool MamaTulip.

MamaTulip has very cool glasses. MamaTulip also writes heart-wrenchingly moving posts and gut-bustingly funny posts and curses as much as I do. You probably already read her blog, but if you don't, you should start now.

If you'd like her to read your blog, a good start would be to pretend that you're Holden Caulfield or John Lennon. Or, you could just ask her nicely.

While you're checking out her blog, read her interview of Kittenpie. Kittenpie is a super-cool, super-nice, super-gorgeous librarian - which makes her, I suppose, Super Librarian - and a wonderful blogger who consistently writes thoughtful and thought-provoking posts.

And, she has cats, but you are not to make any assumptions about librarians with cats because, um, cute much? Check her picture, right there on your left. Even the corner of her head is hip and cool and pretty.

(Oh, and she needs a blog motto, so visit her blog, churn up some ideas and share them with her.)

She interviewed Sunshine Scribe for this project, which you can read here. Sunshine Scribe, who does not like her blog name (even though everybody else loves it), is a sweet, smart lady who is very possibly the most soulful blogger around. She bares that beautiful soul and explores its corners and shares those explorations with us. She inspires.

And, she has gorgeous legs.

(And she, like Ms. Pie, wants a motto. Get busy, people.)

Sunshine, aka Sandra, interviewed MetroMama, who, she recently discovered (at our fantabulous TO Mama Blogger Ho-Down), went to her high school. MetroMama says it like it is and says it well - she's always sharp and to the point, whether she's talking up (or down) Toronto or reflecting on the issues of the day.

Yeah, she's tough, but she's funny and she's nice and she gardens.

And she likes Anna Karenina. And Buffy. And Spike. Spike.

And that, my friends, is taste.

MetroMama interviewed BubandPie. If you haven't read BubandPie yet, you are waaaay behind the bloggy times, people. Way behind. And missing out. Big time. 'Smart and funny' are overused in descriptions of bloggers, especially girl bloggers, but, um, if the shoe fits? She totally wears it.

Now, I may be biased, because she's all university-ish and teacher-y, like me (and because I've met her and I love her), but I can say with all objectivity that anyone who can spin an interview with references to Thomas the Tank Engine and Hitler and Mr. Darcy and C.S. Lewis is worthy of your time.

BubandPie interviewed MotherBumper, who is as charming on her blog as she is in real life (I know this for fact! We cruise parks together! Our babies play! Well, actually, they let out war hoots and lick each others' heads. But still!)

MotherBumper is funny and honest and really just kinda like that really sweet and smart friend that you had in high school who always made you laugh and who always laughed at all of your jokes and who was equally comfortable in the Band room or in the smoke pit.

And did I say smart? And funny? She says in her interview that she wishes that Laura Palmer had a blog. Case closed.

MotherBumper interviewed Scarbiedoll, whose blog, Martinis for Milk, was one of my own very first must-reads. Hers is another blog that you may already know very well, and if you do, you are to be commended for your fine taste in blog. She's a fantastic writer who pulls no punches and who can make you laugh and tear in up in one post. And if she does yank your heartstrings, she'll do it without an ounce of sentiment - she serves up feeling raw. Raw, like, tuna sashimi-raw, with an ice-cold vodka shot on the side. Hits you cold, goes down warm, invigorates.

And she curses. Like she means it.

That's good shit.

(And, damn. Bared the muffin top. Repeat after me: cojones.)

(But, um, hotness? Double damn.)

Scarbie interviewed PenelopeandBumblebee, whose blog I only discovered, like, last week or something ridiculous like that. Don't let this happen to you: go and get acquainted with her blog now. Better, go read Scarbie's interview with her, and linger over her witty answers to the Proust-gone-blog questions. Note that she provides the best answer, in the last century and a half or so of Proust questionnaire answers, to the singularly banal question: 'what are your favorite names?'

Yes, you immediately thought of your children's names. Or your spouse's name. I did. Not PaB.

Her names? Ben and Jerry.

The names that you and I and every other honest mother out there scream out in the night. Admit it. She's got us figured out.

(And, yes, PaB is a goat. A Capricorn goat, silly. Sticking her tongue out. At you.)

PaB interviewed Jana of SomethingBlue. 'Twas Jana decided that this whole interview thingie should be done round-robin style, and 'twas Jana who organized the round (the robin?) Jana tells charming stories over at her blog and oozes friendliness and wit and warmth all over the place and would probably be the first bloggy person that I would think of if I needed to rest my bloggy head upon someone's chest and sob my bloggy heart out. Because she's the sort of writer - and the sort of person - who just always makes you feel good.

And she wishes that she had the power to astrally project herself to BlogHer, and you should wish that too, if you're going, because you'd love to meet her.

You could also just visit her blog. You'll like it there. I promise.

UrbanMommy did her own interview, which is just like her, because a) she's an arts/culture/media type who prefers being behind the camera, and b) she's fiercely independent. But not so independent that she won't play - hard - and be the best friend around.

She's one of my very best friends, so, yes, I'm biased. But I also have good taste in people so you can take my word on her.

She's made it her mission, on her blog, to tell the truth about what it's really like raising a downtown baby. (So far - not easy.) Will she ever succumb to the lure of midtown? Uptown? Out-of-town? Will the cockroaches and crackheads ever chase her away? Or will she realize that raising a child can be a form of performance art, and best showcased in an arena of grit?

What she already knows (and you can take it from her, because she is an artist, bona fide) is this: the art of child can flourish wherever there's love. And there is love. Lots. Go check it.

And if you like art and artists, you must also check out the lovely Krista, who weaves a brilliant tapestry of words and images over at her blog, The Silent K. She writes, she knits, she takes wonderful photographs - she's a creative whirlwind.

And she will explain the proper pronunciation of Proust to you (that's Proost, FYI) by referring to the Gilmore Girls.

Yes, you would want to hang out with her. But failing that you can visit her blog and read her interview and feel enriched for having met her.

You'll also want to hang out with AC, whose blog title, CrazyMumma, sums up how most of us feel every single freakin' day. (Well, it's how I feel every freakin' day.) AC manages to be both intense and funny, and can spin an anecdote about her children into a gut-buster in under one screen-page.

And she had one of the very best answers to my favourite Proust-gone-blog question (what character of fiction do you most wish had a blog?): the White Witch of Narnia.

'Cause, you know, Aslan would just be too predictable.

Once you've visited AC, you need to go check out Christy. Christy found me, and MamaBlogsToronto, through one of the bestest blogger chicks ever, Izzy, and you know that anyone who hangs with Izzy has just got to be cool. Super cool.

Christy is, as her blog title affirms, A Yankee in Ontario, and writes about the experience of being an American in Canada and makes Americans and Canadians look better in the process.

And she takes awesome photographs.

And she has cool Crocs.

Read her. Because I said so.

And me? The ghostly presence behind the curtain of MamaBlogsToronto? You've probably read me here. You may have hung out in my Basement.

I'm that Bad Mother. You can read my BlogMe interviews here and here.

And when you're done all this reading, you really must do this interview yourself, regardless of whether you are a TO mama or a GTA mama or even a mama at all. Just do it.

Because I'd love to take you with me to BlogHer, and this is the next best thing.

In Search of Blog Times...

2006-07-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

In advance of BlogHer, there's a sort of meme circulating. The idea - bloggers going to BlogHer interview themselves or each other, so that we can all get to know each other better before we meet face-to-face. It's called BlogMe, and it's open to anyone, and it's a great idea.

So I'd like to give it a little twist: because so few Toronto-area bloggers will be attending BlogHer, I thought that it would be cool if we could pull together a page of interviews so that I can properly introduce all of YOU while I'm at the conference, simply by referring folks to a meet-and-greet page that will link up to all of you. Which is to say, I'm tagging everyone on the blogroll at right (and any blogger mama in Southern Ontario who wishes to participate) and issuing the following guidelines:

1) Complete the interview: answer the questions below in a post sometime between now and next Thursday (I leave Friday before dawn).

2) Send me a link to the post (you can just put a comment here, if you like, or e-mail it).

3) Send me a photo (jpeg, please) of some piece of yourself. Arm, leg, ear, boobs, feet, face, whatever. Something to accompany your link and the little blurb that I'll do for each link (which will be one of your answers to the questions below.) This is not mandatory, but it will be really, really cool if most of you do it.

I'll be posting a full response from Devra from Parentopia later today, so you can check back to see how that goes. I'll do the group post (with the pics and blurbs and links) next Thursday and pimp it all weekend.

Got all of that? Good. Here is the interview (with apologies to Proust, from whom the latter half is directly borrowed, and the first half inspired):

Please answer the following if-Proust-blogged questions

What is the quality you most admire in a blogger?
What is your most marked blogging characteristic (or, how would you describe your blog)?
What is your greatest virtue as a blogger (what do you most like about your blog)?
What do you regard as the principle defect of your blog?
What character of fiction do you most wish had a blog?
What historical or real life person do you most wish had a blog?
What is your present state of blog (present state of mind as a blogger)?
What is your blog motto?

Then, select and answer the questions from the list below that you feel will most reveal the person behind the blogger, as many or as few as you like (from the original – abridged – Proust questionnaire)

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
What is your idea of earthly happiness?
To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
Who are your heroes in real life?
Who are your heroines in real life?
Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
Who are your favorite characters in history?
What historical figures do you most despise?
What is the quality you most admire in a man?
What is the quality you most admire in a woman?
What is your favorite virtue?
Who or what would you have liked to be?
Where would you like to live?
What is your most marked characteristic?
What do you most value in your friends?
What is your principle defect?
What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?
What is your favorite bird?
Who are your favorite prose writers?
Who are your favorite poets?
Who are your favorite composers/musicians?
Who are your favorite painters?
Who are your heroes in real life?
What are your favorite names?
What is it you most dislike?
What natural gift would you most like to possess?
How would you like to die?
What is your present state of mind?
What is your motto?

Last minute hook-up

2006-07-10T14:28:00.000-07:00

Hey all...

Kittenpie and I (HBM) are meeting up tomorrow afternoon at Dufferin Grove Park. Anyone else who'd like to come hang out (and no, we don't need to have met before) is more than welcome - we'll be by the play area (SE corner of the park) after about 2:30...

To help you find us, this is me:

There won't be an ocean in the background, but you get the picture. Kittenpie, FYI, is a gorgeous chica with short dark hair and pretty eyes who does not look remotely like a librarian. She will be sans enfant. I, on the other hand, will have WonderBaby swinging from hair or hands or boob. You won't be able to miss us.

Hope to see you!

(And - do check out the Buttercup Birthday Announcement below!)

BIRTHDAY! (Buttercup Style!)

2006-07-10T05:38:00.000-07:00

Hi! It's Strawberry here. You can find regular stories about me over here.

My little sister, Buttercup is zero but it's her birthday next.

Oh Oh, Pa Getti-O!

My mommy has not planned a party. She says it's too late to ask you all to come but I told her that six days is like forever.

I said, Yo mama, whip up a batch of something tasty, fill the cooler with Kool-Aid Jammers and let's have a picnic in the park!

Sunday, July 16th
Drop by between 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM
At Christie Pits Park (Bloor and Christie)

There is a wade pool, playground, picnic tables, recreational swim at the Alex Duff Memorial Outdoor Pool and the Toronto Maple Leaf Baseball team will host the Brantford Red Sox starting at 2 PM (The game is free!)

Did I mention that there will be Blue's Clues birthday cake? Deee-Lish-Us!

Everyone is welcome but please let us know if you can make it so that there will be enough num nums. Hope to see you there!

Getting It Together

2006-07-07T16:56:00.000-07:00

The Great TO Mama Get-Together was, by all accounts, a wonderfully debauched success. Still need to catch up? Check these links for the reportage:

Kittenpie
Sunshine Scribe
BubandPie
MetroMama
Something Blue
Martinis for Milk
Her Bad Mother

(Know of more reports? Post them in the comments and I'll link them in.)

So, now, TO mamas, what say you? Any ideas for future get-togethers?

As a start, I'll throw this out: would y'all be interested if I posted (or if anyone posted - remember, anyone who wants to can put up a relevant post here) announcements stating when some of us are heading out to a park or to Movies for Mommies or whatever? Like, say, Dufferin Grove playground/Farmer's Market next Thursday, 4-ish, come hang if you'd like - that kind of thing?

And beyond that... howzabout another Moms Gone Wild evening?

Post your thoughts and ideas in the comments... (and don't be shy if you weren't able to make it to the last get-together, or if you're new to this site - we want to see you next time!)

TO Bloggers Gone Wild!

2006-07-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

Live! From Toronto!

Blogger Baby Cage Match!

WonderBaby prepares by meditating and munching on a sports biscuit. Cage Match is a mental game, dudes. Mental.

This one seems quiet. Not a physical threat.

Ah. The one they call 'Cakes.' Back away from my biscuit, Cakes. Or I'll take your cheese.

As Cage Match draws to a close, the Alpha Babies move to centre ring. To take on the duck.

Die, duck.

(A Cage Match Pop Quiz: What are the differences between the last two pictures? First person to answer correctly wins the houseboy services of David Hasselhoff.)

(Prize must be collected at head offices of Hasselhoff's German record label.)

(Also, you may be the winner of Euro Lotto. E-mail your banking information to WonderBaby now!)

Cage Match ended abruptly when Gap-clad orangutans burst into the room and took over the ring.

Not to be outdone, the moms set up their own ring and got dirty. (Gap clothes wash well. No cottons got hurt.)

We were pretty equally matched so we called it a draw and went out and got liquored up.

The orangutans got carded, and had to head back to the zoo. But they hooked up with rockin' monkeys and got loaded. So, a good time was had by all.

Now, aren't y'all sorry you missed that? That'll learn ya. Next time you're going to move heaven and earth to join us, right? RIGHT?

2006-06-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

TO Mama-Bloggers Unite and Take Over Get-Together!

***Weather Change***

New daytime location: With Child, 705 Pape (just south of the Danforth). This is a baby store that has a room for us to use. Kittenpie is bringing some toys; BYO snacks, etc.

Evening activities remain the same (details below)

Friday afternoon all-ages at Withrow Park (south of the Danforth, betweenLogan and Carlaw), 2:30 - 5:30(ish)

*At the very north edge of the park, beside the tennis courts, there is a playground area mostly designed for the younger set, fully fenced in, with a shady clubhouse overhang, with small slides and baby swings and a sandbox. This is a perfect place. (Thanks Kittenpie!)*

Friday evening at The Chelsea Room, 923 Dundas West (at Grace), 8pm to ???

See y'all there!

You know you wanna do it too

2006-06-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

We all want to do it. We fantasize about it. We wonder what it would be like. We're pretty sure that we'd like it. A lot. That we'd want to do more of it.

But we're a little bit scared to try. What if it's disappointing? What if we're disappointing?

What if - oh god - we walk out there, naked, in all of our real-life glory, and get rejected? Do we really dare come out from behind the screen?

I did. And I want more.

Yesterday, for the very first time, I met a bloggy friend. In real life. In the worldosphere. And it was good.

It was scary, at first. What if she doesn't like me? What if she thinks that I'm not nearly as smart or funny - oh god how we flatter ourselves - as I seem onscreen? What if she thinks that my blog is really only so much false advertising? What if I am disappointing? Will I be disappointing?

Oh god.

But everyone thinks that stuff, right? Jaelithe and Andrea did, before their recent meeting (at which they both discovered that, yes, each is indeed as awesome as the other imagined.) And I can't be the only one that is clutching onto this fear of BlogHer - that I'll arrive and mingle and somebody will say YOU'RE Bad Mother? Really? I thought that you'd be, um, cooler. (Like the time that I stood beside Colin Farrell at Starbucks in Yorkville and thought Dude, you are so short and so not as good-looking as I thought you would be. Bleh.)

(I am so not comparing myself to Colin Farrell. No sex videos, and nowhere near the same tolerance for alcohol.)

And I've been more than a little nervous about this Friday's TO mama-blogger get-together, for the same reasons. Times ten, because I organized it and because I've already gone on record as wanting to do it semi-regularly. What if everybody thinks, um, nice effort, but she's really kind of dull. I'll pass on next time.

I know. I regress.

And I don't really believe any of this - what do we call it? - negative self-talk. Because I know that I'm going to like everybody. I knew that I was going to like MotherBumper. I knew this because I already liked her. I've liked her since I started reading her blog. And I was right. More than right. I liked her just as much in person as I have on the screen and felt totally comfortable and within seconds had stopped worrying about whether she liked me.

It was great. It was companionable. I loved it. It made me even more excited for Friday, and for BlogHer, and many more park perambulations with the Bumpers.

So there you have it. The obligatory I was so scared and excited and scared about meeting other bloggers but OMG I did it and I loved it and when can I gets me more of this blogger-on-blogger action post.

Now, what you really came for: Blogger Baby Kissy-Faced Smackdown!

WonderBaby! C'mere!

For I wish to lick that delicious, hairless, bulbous head of yours!

(Head-licking is how the Lilliputians show affection...)

(Also, they challenge each other to swing races...)

(The hairless ones are more aerodynamic.)

Later, the Lilliputians conferred on how to best achieve world domination, and it was decided that they needed an Alpha Baby street gang. (They represent... the Lilliput Guild, the Lilliput Guild, the Lilliput Guild...)

Hazing rituals for new members begin this coming Friday...

(At the TO Mama-Bloggers Unite and Take Over Get-Together! Full details and directions to be posted here tomorrow, but for now, here's what the plans look like: Friday afternoon all-ages at Withrow Park, 2:30 - 5:30ish, Friday evening adults-only at Chelsea Room, Dundas West, 8pm to ???

Do these times sound okay for everybody? Last chance for voting in changes, final details go up tomorrow...)

This is your neighborhood...

2006-06-24T07:22:00.000-07:00

... and these are yo' mamas.

Welcome to your online moms' group/playgroup/coffee klatsch. The mommy-blogosphere is, of course, our larger neighbourhood, the virtual place that we write and play: this is a local gathering space, for plotting real-life adventures and talking about all things GTA. The topics that might be a little too local-community specific for regular front-page posting.

I know that there are many online resources devoted to mommin' it in Toronto. Again, this is not intended to function as a resource so much as a gathering space (tho' resources will almost certainly be generated). An open, collaborative gathering space. If you want to organize a get-together but don't want to devote a whole post at your site, just make an announcement that there's a post here that GTA mamas and friends might be interested in. If you feel like ranting or raving about something in Toronto or environs (I am BUSTING to rant about the inexplicably terrible customer service at certain TO baby stores, and to rave about the fact that H&M is coming to Dufferin Mall. H&M and Winners in one location that I can WALK TO, OMG), but think that it would only be of interest to TO moms, do it here and link to it from your site. I, of course, will always announce and link to whatever is here from my site.

Kind of like MetBlogs, or BlogTO. But for moms (and interested dads).

This is just an experiment, of course. It may simply turn into Her Bad Mother's Backyard, the place where I announce BBQ's and badminton matches. And that's fine, too - the living room and basement are too small for badminton matches, and they have to happen somewhere. But for now, like the Basement, it's open to anybody and everybody. If you live in TO, near TO, not-so-near but like TO, visit TO, got something to say about TO or anywhere within driving distance of TO - you're welcome to hang here. Same principles as the Basement: e-mail me with your post and I'll put it up. (Eventually I'd like to just circulate the username - tdotmoms - and password to regular posters, but I need to figure out how we'd co-ordinate that without spilling all over each other's posts.)

*******

And now - dum da da DUM - for our first announcement...

TO Mama Get-Together!!!!

Hopefully, the first of many. Confirmed details to date: Withrow Park, June 30th, 2:30 - 5:30 (or thereabouts).

Where in Withrow? If somebody could suggest a location in the park, I'd be much grateful.

After Withrow? Again, we need suggestions for watering holes that will accomodate a group. I'll start the discussion by suggesting this: because we're doing the park thing east side, and because we'll all need to take babies/kiddies home before slipping out for libations, a central location is probably best (so that those of us who are not on the east side don't have to travel cross town twice). Any ideas?

We also need to decide upon the timing for the evening get-together: earlier (in the vicinity of 7pm) or a bit later (after 8pm, after babbies are put to bed).

Once we've settled upon final details, hopefully by Monday, I'll post them here and we can do a head count!

So excited, ladies! So excited.

*******

If you're a TO mom, or a near-TO (southern Ontario) mom, and you'd like to have your blog included on the 'Moms in the GTA' sidebar list, send me a link or post it in the comments.

A blogroll of other blogs will be added shortly, as will a list of TO resource links...