heading south...

Yay, the kids and I are going to Mum and Dads for a week, We are flying from Wellington to Chch on Thursday week and then flying back on the last Friday of the school holidays, I have two very very excited Little girls who cannot wait to see Grandma and Grandad and Aunty Rebecca. I am also very excited, I haven't been down south since before Christmas so it will be nice to head down there.

In other unexciting happenings I have now got a nasty chest infection, Dr thinks I will probably catch every bug the kids get but worse this winter due to being pregnant and having Asthma, gee thanks, just what I needed. I had a cold last week when K had a chest infection and its just not gotten better so now I have antibiotics to take to see if we can get rid of this chest infection that I have.

Homesick

Mum has had to be zapped 2x in the last month due to her heart going into Atrial Fibrillation. It times like this that I hate being up here and not able to just go see her and Dad. I have looked online and could get fares for $250 return from welly to chch.... I am wondering if its worth taking the kids down there next week during the school holidays.

We could go down after I have my scan next week. mmm might have to talk to Ben about it this evening, its a possiblity price wise, it just depends on whether we can budget it in for the next fortnight or not.
D

Breastfeeding vs formula feeding

I have done both so have no set line on one which is better, but I do know that for me I prefer breastfeeding my babies, K was bottle and breastfed, L breastfed until 11 months, and O was exclusively breastfed till 6 months then continued feeding till 14 months.

Lauredhel has an interesting blog on discrimination against breastfeeding that women face. I read this and thought about it a bit and knew I had to link to it. People do think that they can comment on you breastfeeding your child in public, especially once the child is over 1 yr old. Breasts are made for breastfeeding, they arent sexual property in this case. Women should be supported in which ever way they decide to feed their child, we are all mothers together and need to remember this instead of allowing people to make us feel crap about the job we are doing.

busy day ahead

I have miss K home with a chest infection, shes so wheezy sounding. I also have a midwife appointment which will be neat, will have to take Miss K and O with me. K will love it though, she will get to hear bubs heartbeat etc which will be cool for her. I have booked my anatomy scan for the 7th, will be exactly 20 wks, its during the school holidays which will be good, K is very excited about it.

I also have Physio later today, and then we have Miss K's parent teacher interview just after 5.

Had better get going for the day, K and O are watching TV, L is at kindy, and I need to get moving.

The house

I have added this picture so people have an idea of what I am talking about, no interior pics so far....

naming baby

I am nearly 18 weeks pregnant with this baby, and have been thinking about names for it, the girls name is sussed, we will just use the name we had chosen for Mr O. Natalya Kerenza, it goes nicely with the other names of our children, but I am really really struggling to find a nice boys name for bump, we like the idea of using Rata as a middle name, Rata is a native tree. But I want a name that is strong, not too traditional but not so far out there that people say wtf were you thinking.

We also like to have the name chosen before I give birth. I dont beleive that you name the baby on how it looks to you, to me they grow into their names, I have certainly grown into my own one, my Mum's theory is that you are an adult for far longer than you are a child so you need a name that reflects that.

So the hunt for a name is on...

The new house

We are slowly getting settled in, I am loving not using the car everyday to take the girls to kindy or school, its nice to just put O in the Mountain buggy and walk them down to school or kindy.

I have put drapes up in most of the rooms, just ours and the kitchen left to sort out. I havent got a sewing machine at the moment so I arent able to make the blinds yet.

We managed to get our room painted though before we shifted our furniture into it so its looking nice and fresh. The living room is still a work in progress but it will be done hopefully over the next few weeks.

I am slowly catching up on the washing etc that needs done, and we have had a few frosty days in a row which has been great for drying clothes outside.

We have gotten rid of all our old crockery and cups etc which has been great, its nice to be using the new dinnersets that we got.

I am now on the lookout for a smaller microwave as ours takes up half of our benchtop which isnt good. I will keep looking on Trademe and see what I can find, I am also looking for a gate to go across the driveway so that we can keep Mr O in the backyard.

We are enjoying living here its a nice quite street which is a change after being by a swimming pool and sports grounds,

D

back online

its taken forever but I am back... yay. took Telecom over a week to connect the phone which was really frustrating, and then 2 days to get broadband.

the new house is great, we have pulled the fireplace surround off, stripped the wallpaper in the living room and our room, painted our room, and just settled in really.

Its great not having to use the car everyday, and I am walking to school and back up to 3 times each day.

Miss L starts morning kindy this friday which is very exciting for her. K is loving being so close to school and O is cutting his eye teeth so grumpy.

I have started Physio for my SPD. Its still pretty sore, but its good to be trying to do something to prevent it getting worse.

D

off line till telecom sorts us out

we are nearly completed the shift but telecom are bloody useless and will take 8 to 10 working days to connect our internet and phone, which is stupid, so will probably be off line from tonight till sometime next week.....

will be good to have some time off here but will miss it too

so next time I blog it will be from our new place, yay

Down Under Feminist Carnival....

Ok, I have finally had 5 minutes here to get online to put the festival up... more articles will be added tomorrow when I have more time, huge thanks to Deborah for the help she gave me.... never again will I try to do this and shift too......


It's not sex, it's rape

Fuck Politeness tries to work out what the Sydney Morning Herald is on about when it says, "there was no suggestions the woman [Clare] had been sexually assaulted."

The Queen of Thorns at Ideologically Impure finds that there are instances where the media can use the word rape: hint - broad daylight, random attacker, lots of witnesses.

The ex-expat at The Hand Mirror debunks some common rape myths.


The outing of rugby league as a refuge for rapists.

The Radical Radish reflects on the program, and goes through the issues, and mscate at The Dawn Chorus summarises the issues in her reaction to the Four Corners program. These two posts are as good a place as any to start with if you're trying to work out what this whole story is about.

Audrey and the Bad Apples talks about the standard of mutual respect and enjoyment, and how it surely wasn't present on that night.

Helen at Blogger on the Cast Iron Balcony fills out the bingo card.

Blue Milk describes Matthew Johns' "apology" as a textbook study in male attitudes to sexual violence and exploitation.

Fuck Politeness is ill from all the victim blaming.

The Radical Radish wonders why all the focus is on Matthew Johns - does this mean other men are off the hook?.

Lauredhel catches SMH reporter Asher Moses calling a woman who was raped "slutty."

Deborah has a take down of an academic who blames women for getting raped, just in big words.

Pavlov's Cat wonders how on earth getting together to degrade women can be team bonding.

Spilt Milk recalls the day when she found out what sixteen and seventeen year old boys really thought about women and sex and rape.

And Tigtog wonders why a man who uses clever words and compliant behaviour to get out of a bad situation is a hero, but a woman who does that when surrounded by lots of big strong rugby players absolutely, must be asking for it.


Rape

I Am Not Cake has a message: Stop policing women’s sexual choices. No. No exceptions, no ifs, buts or maybes. Just stop it.


Sex

Audrey and the Bad Apples considers the commodification of sex and the autonomy of a woman who auctioned her virginity on the internet.


Fuck Politeness writes about International Whore's Day, in response to Hexy's post at Hoyden About Town, telling the story about how International Whores Day first started.


Gender

Mikhela at Fly My Pretty thinks about her reactions to cross dressing her toddler twins.

caitlinate at The Dawn Chorus wonders why The Age insists on referring to a trans male as "she." Beppie is pleased that at least the judge got it right.

HellonHairyLegs considers why, as a radical feminist, she should think about and use the term, "trans."

Chally at Zero at the Bone reflects on the discussion of trans issues by cis people.

Wildly Parenthetical dicusses the policing of intersex bodies.

Guest posting at The Hand Mirror, Louise has a trans-101 post.


Privilege

She Who Stumbles uncovers the privilege in an environmental campaign.

Jo Tamar has written a series of posts for Reconciliation Week. They are all worth reading, slowly, several times.


Women's work

Blue Milk suddenly remembers the awful truth about "men's work" and "women's work."

Anne Else at Elsewoman reports on the National government in New Zealand axing the Pay and Employment Equity Unit, and pulls apart the government's logic in her column on Scoop.

Hexy argues the case for sex workers representing themselves, not being represented by others, and when she excluded from the discussion elsewhere, makes another response at her own place.

Spilt Milk thinks that she's kind of looking forward to not doing nurturer anymore.


Being feminist

Chally reflects on how she started to identify as feminist.

Deborah answers Blue Milk's 10 feminist motherhood questions.

anjum wonders about the correlation between having daughters and voting left.


Celebrating Women

Andragy points to a review of This Child will be Great, a book about Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the newly elected president of Liberia.

HellonHairyLegs posts a poem by Sylvia Plath.

hannahcolman at The Dawn Chorus talks to Melbourne-based writer and editor Rachel Power.

Tigtog writes about Kirsty Moore, the first woman pilot to join the Red Arrows acrobatic team

Third Cat remembers her mother.



Columnists and writers and other media

Blogger on the Cast Iron Balcony responds to Clive James' claim that western feminists don't really want freedom, because they don't support the US bombing various dictatorships back to the stone age.

Fuck Politeness pays tribute to her laptop which tried to save her from reading a Miranda Devine column, in which the Devine one asserts that it's all the FEMINISTS' FAULT!.

Jo Tamar has a fantastic series of posts on the duty of fiction writers to tell the truth: one, two, three, and four.

Chally has a post on Feminist science fiction, and an update on race fail.

Lauredhel comes across a poster that some people found disturbing and offensive; it shows a little girl breastfeeding her doll. And in another "it's a woman, it must be sex" moment, she is astounded that science reporters turn a paleolithic figurine into pornography.


Activism

Feminists is Australia, and elsewhere: it's time to pick up your pens and write. The Federal Government is reviewing regulations for access parking (that's parking for people with disabilities), and the proposed new regulations would create huge problems for many PWD. Lauredhel has the details here, a form letter you can print off and sign, and an open letter to disability organisations that you can sign-up to. She's also got a post about what really pisses her off about abuse of access parking, and it's not what you might think.


Celebrating

Things to celebrate: Blue Milk's beautiful baby boy; Inner City Garden has a day off with a good book; Penguin Unearthed looks forward to the end of Mothers' Day; stargazer anjum spends a day with her daughters; here at SAHM Feminist, there's a reminder about International Midwives Day; the ex-expat graduates from her cake decorating class.

down under feminist carnival

I am launching this on Friday, have been so busy shifting that I am struggling to get time near the laptop to even read blogs, but it will be up as promised.

D

absolutely knackered... in a good way

We have spent most of the weekend doing redecorating at the new place, we have stripped the wallpaper in the living room, plastered any holes etc, sized the walls, and done a coat of paint on the ceiling, one more coat to go and we can hang wallpaper.

I had a sleep in this morning, my hips are killing me from all the up and down steps etc. I am going to take some panadol though and get back into it once I have had my cuppa.

its quite exciting having our own home, I cooked our first meal there last night which was cool. We have taken O's portacot over so hes been able to sleep while we work which has been really good. We have got to take a light fitting out today, its two 6 ft fluorescent tubes in the middle of the living room ceiling, great light but crap in every other way. D