While we did not take the time to stand in line to get into the Louvre, we did want to see the famous pyramid outside. Definitely worth it.
Jen Desmarais
White Mage
Final Fantasy has a plethora of options for cosplay, but my favourite is the White Mage.
Blush: Guest Post on Asexuality by S.M. Carrière
This post has been copied with permission from S.M. Carrière’s blog.
Good morning, Readers!
The easiest way I can think of to explain my experience as an asexual and what I understand about it is to do so in a Q&A format. As I do so, I cannot stress enough that not all asexual people have had my experience or my understanding on the subject, and their answers may vary. This is just how I see things.
Clear? Cool. Here we go.
So… what even is asexuality?
You know, human sexuality is this wonderfully rich, complex thing. I firmly believe that there are as many sexualities as their are people on the planet. That said, asexuality is simply the lack of sexual attraction to anyone.
That doesn’t mean that they don’t feel any romantic attraction or are unable to fall in love. It’s just that sexual attraction isn’t really part of their world.
If you’re enjoying the Blush blogs, consider learning more with Blush: The Card Game from Renaissance Press.
Ferris Wheel
When I think of Ferris Wheels, I think of the London Eye, fairs, and theme parks. It was cool to see one in Paris as well.
Guest Post: HP Studio Tour
Hello everyone! My name is Rebecca and I’m so happy to be writing a guest post for you today!
I’m turning 28 this year, and like a lot of people my age, I was BIG into Harry Potter as a kid. Midnight releases for books and movies, all the merch, playing Harry Potter games with my sisters, the whole deal.
So when a good friend from University invited me to a conference in London, England, I knew I would have to visit some Harry Potter attractions.
We had a busy trip, and while I didn’t make it to King’s Cross Station (oh look, a great excuse to go back to England!) we did go to the Warner Brother’s Studio Tour to see the sets and props used in the making of the movies.
And it was so worth it.
The Studio Tour is outside of London and the tube doesn’t run there. However, there are lots of travel packages that offer a bus to and from the tour, departing from convenient places around London (often near major hotels).
The only downside of taking the bus is that you have to catch it to get back to the city! I could have stayed all day! That being said, the timeframe that we had (approx. 3 hours) was reasonable and I never felt like I had to rush by something super fast to be able to make the bus.
The tour is set up a bit like a museum; most of the items are behind railings so you can’t touch, and there are information sheets all over telling you about each item, and fun “behind the scenes” facts. There are also video clips playing – from the movies, as well as interviews with the cast and crew.
The tour begins in the Great Hall, as if you were a student arriving at Hogwarts for the first time!
One thing I appreciated was that there was no forced Sorting ceremony. While this might be fun for some people, I know that for many adult fans, we know our houses and definitely have strong house loyalty! (Team Ravenclaw here!)
The great hall was amazing, (the whole tour was) but there were two instances in particular that gave me the WOW factor.
Do you remember in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone when Hagrid takes Harry to Diagon Alley for the first time ? That was a magical scene in both the book and the movie, where you really get to experience the magic of the wizarding world.
Walking into the set for Diagon Alley – it all came flooding back. Suddenly I was 8 years old again reading my first Harry Potter book. That magic and pure joy was truly something special.
The second location where I got that feeling was the Hogwarts Castle room. This is where they have the model of the castle that was used for all the external sweeping shots. You can see every tower, all the grounds, Hagrid’s hut. I actually teared up a bit.
Aside from the marvel of all the sets and props, the staff were also amazing. In Ollivander’s wand shop, they’ve written the names of cast and crew on the wand boxes. When I was there, a staff member was sitting with a young child who was asking where all of the character’s wands were. And the staff member knew each one! She was using a laser pointer to indicate the appropriate wand boxes all around the room. I’m sure that was a special moment for that child, and the staff member sure made an impact on the guests!
I could go on all day, but I don’t want to spoil that magical childhood transportation moment for anyone!
I would highly recommend this tour to any and all Harry Potter fans – no matter your age! I will note that part of the tour does go outside to the Knight Bus, Number Four Privet Drive, and a few other locations, so check the weather and bring a jacket if needed.
Thanks again to Jen, Eric, Dragon, and baby Pegasus for the opportunity to write for you today!
You can contact Jennifer Desmarais through Orleans Travel. jennifer.desmarais@orleanstravel.ca
Happy Canada Day
We welcomed a Pegasus on June 28! He looks angry in this picture, probably because he was told that 2 days old is too young to be travelling with the Doctor!
I hope you all have an excellent Canada Day! (Unless you’re from/live in another country, in which case, have a great Monday!)
Pan, Peter Pan
This Peter really embodied the spirit of the boy who never grew up.
Dragon loved the faces that were made at her, even though she hid in my shoulder and played shy. She does that when she’s overwhelmed from meeting her heroes.
Blush: Lactation pre-birth
Any lactation that starts before the birth of the child is made up of colostrum, the nutrient-rich, high antibody early milk.
I noticed that I’ve been producing it for a while now, but I’m not sure when it started, as mine doesn’t really interfere with daily living. My nursing pads aren’t even wet.
I talked with another person who had nursed their first-born for 3 months, and he said that he had also started lactating early while pregnant with his second.
It is nice to know that it’s normal, although I was fairly certain that it was, especially given that I had nursed my toddler until Christmas (end of first trimester).
Anyways, I thought I’d take a look into the actual facts about lactating before giving birth and see what the professionals say.
I am very glad that I did.
Apparently, it is recommended that people who have gestational diabetes (GDM) express some of this early milk and freeze it in anticipation of the baby’s birth, because the baby will have a drop in blood sugar after birth (hypoglycemia) and the extra colostrum will help regulate the blood sugar levels much faster.
Umm…okay… I didn’t know that! Good thing I received some milk storage bags from Baby Box University. And I guess I know what I’m doing sooner rather than later. (I’m 37 weeks and 5 days as of the writing of this post.)
The other option, of course, is formula feeding.
But if I’m already producing a slight amount of colostrum, I’m definitely going to try to collect it!
And hey, if the only danger in doing so is inducing labour, at my stage of pregnancy, I’m REALLY not going to complain.
Please note: there are other risk factors in expressing milk early, including to people who are supposed to receive a caesarean, if there is excess weight gain, if the baby is too small, or if there is too much fluid in the womb. Expressing milk might also reduce blood flow to the womb.
If you are considering expressing milk pre-delivery, please talk to your healthcare professional before doing so.
If you’re enjoying the Blush blogs, consider learning more with Blush: The Card Game from Renaissance Press.
