I'm an American living in Toronto, and this happens to me fairly often with Canadian friends. I get all excited for them that they're going on a fancy trip and they wince and say "no, London, ONTARIO," and I try to cover my ass and say, "oh, that's nice too!" and they're all, "haha, yeah right."

WORD. This is the story of my life right now, since I just lost a lot of weight and, as always happens, all of my perfectly decent medium-sized v-neck t-shirts are suddenly showing the tops of all my bras plus all my cleavage, and even the armholes offer a view of sideboob. I don't dare get the small ones because…

Mr. Chortcake, Baby Chortcake, and I accidentally violated #1 today, because Mr. Chortcake is not from here and doesn't know much about Mother's Day, and I don't have a mother and it's my first Mother's Day as a mother, so I didn't know either. We showed up at a super-swanky cafe that it turned out was actually…

Me too! My kid(s—just have one now) are going to be in one physical activity and one non-physical activity within financial reason, of their choice, and that's it. The rest of their time not eaten up by homework or hobbies/passions/interests is theirs to do what they want with. I don't have it in me to be a…

Yes! I had hints of this "it would have been nice" when I was pregnant, and then I realized—once I have a baby, no matter what, I can STILL paint my own toenails and enjoy pink as I sometimes do, and do girly things, and go to "girl" movies. Heck—maybe my boy will want to go to them too because he won't notice or care…

Yes. I had gender disappointment due to untreated prenatal anxiety and depression for about a week, and I suspected that I would be this way when I started getting really upset when everyone was smilingly telling me they could tell it would be a boy, so I asked the gender during the ultrasound so I could get it out of…

Yes. I had untreated prenatal depression and anxiety (and not for lack of trying to get treated—thanx crappy OB clinic!), and I spent about a week being devastated that I was having a boy. I was horrified at myself the whole time, and it even pains me to write that I felt that way. I figured out pretty quickly on my…

I've had a problem with this in my pregnancy. I eat VERY healthily, few carbs, not overweight by the stupid BMI, no personal or familial history of diabetes, I took the three-hour test in my pregnancy, got one slightly high value, the nurse said there was no need to do anything and I didn't have GD. About four weeks…

As an American who has lived in Canada for the past four years, has been unemployed all this time but not for lack of trying, and who gave birth in Canada, I'm not all that surprised. Basic health care is free, yes, but the system is problematic, more so if you've immigrated in the past few years as we have, or if…

I know cotton underwear is not considered sexy, but I get too irritated by any other kind, and Victoria's Secret cotton underwear is far sexier than any of the underwear I was allowed to wear growing up (basically too-big white cotton granny panties because otherwise I might feel pretty). So I started buying VS cute…

I can't wear heels either (bunions), and I also hate flip-flops/thongs for the toe thing and also the flapping thing they do against the soles of my feet, and also because you can't run in them if you need to, just like with heels (or at least *I* can't).

Cosigned! This is the most important point in my opinion.

I had the same experience. Those fuckers were instrumental in escalating my PPD, because I listened to them and believed what they said. I wish there were some way they could be legally liable.

Thanks for saying that about bosom size! It's nice that someone understands. I had a terrible time breastfeeding (insufficient supply, stopped trying to do it exclusively at 12 weeks, baby self-weaned at 8.5 months—it DOES happen), and I also have large breasts (G/H while lactating) relative to my torso, and my baby…

Oh! This reminds me of my third-most-disgusting experience ever, which was on a katamarani (catamoran? probably) boat going back from Tallinn, Estonia to Helsinki, Finland with two Finnish friends. They're apparently flat-bottomed boats, and this is a problem when the water is choppy. On the way to Tallinn, it was…

When Mr. Chortcake and I were living in Finland, we were in the main square by our local train station. This was the middle of the afternoon, on a weekday. We were leaving the local clinic after they confirmed that Mr. Chortcake did in fact have swine flu (he was deliberately infected by a really awful housemate, but…

I do too! I'm American, and not even a real Canadian yet (but working on it), and I think I must have a secret monarchist inside my Socialist exterior or something, but I love the much higher visibility of the royal family here in Canada, and the Duchess of Cambridge is the best! Plus, we were pregnant and delivered…

Yes we can!! Incidentally, for what it's worth, I have a friend from Newfoundland (where they eat a lot of fish) who was just like, "whatevs—fish is good for ya. Fish is good for pregnant people. I should seriously not eat it?? I don't think so!" And ate lots of fish during her pregnancy, and her baby (now toddler)…

I couldn't agree more! I know some of it is well-intentioned and probably necessary caution, but I noticed while pregnant and postpartum (with the breastfeeding stuff), any indication that one isn't going to conform to a medical/social pregnant and postpartum ideal with one's body (like "deep breathing and relaxation"…

As somebody with a narrow torso and (relatively) big boobs, this is very relevant to my interests! But (sorry, I feel silly) what is a dome? I sew snaps in that spot on my button-down shirts, but if there's something better to sew in there, I'd love to know! To my untutored eyes it looks like a pretty pink crystal…