Loud and Proud Mamas

A little treat for the listeners :)

Justine, one half of your favorite Loud and Proud Mama's, has a side project that she has been working on over the summer, and is excited to share it with the beloved fanbase.

"Who Hit My Stop Sign" is a five part, limited series podcast that investigates road safety in the small town of Huntingdon, Quebec. Join Justine as she adopts the persona of a sexy noir detective, and interviews fellow residents, activists and academics in order to help understand how who roads are for, and how urban planning shapes our lives.

Here is the trailer, you can listen to the entire show out now here: https://open.spotify.com/show/4u9sDw5f11raptMY1xnIpN?si=aWSbudF5Se2oJMXfLoqFmQ

Did you despair, my dear listneners? Did you... doubt?

By popular demand, one single mama (Justine) is here and she brought along the much beloved guest, KEVIN THE HUSBAND into the hot seat to talk about all things parenting and gay in this much sprawling chat.

Kicking things off, we analyze Kevin's 4/4 streak on excellent toddler weekend adventures: what is Kevin's strategy? How to pick a good event? What to bring? Post nap or pre nap? And of course... how to tell the spouse?

For listeners who find themselves overwhelmed and lost with their finances, Kevin has some fantastic strategies to share when it comes to managing a joint finance spreadsheet. Free, customizable and keeps you completely in control: we present to you... The Kevin Method

We chat a bit about being the "preferred parent" (you'll have to listen to find out who it is!) and of course, what the other parent is capable of doing when the other parent helps with the "invisible" domestic labour. I.E: Justine made another podcast this summer! It's called "Who Hit My Stop Sign" and you can listen to it here: https://open.spotify.com/show/4u9sDw5f11raptMY1xnIpN?si=aWSbudF5Se2oJMXfLoqFmQ

And of course, fulfilling the promise that this is both a parenting and gay podcast: we chat about our fondest gay childhood memories, from the movies and shows that we liked, to how long we've been who we are.

An excellent episode listeners, not one to be missed!

* This show has been marked explicit due to Justine's occasional swearing, but not for sexual content.

Ask and ye shall receieve listeners! The mamas are back in the booth and we have a special treat for you dear and beloved listeners: A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM COHOST LAURA, you must listen to find out ;)

In this episode we talk about way to beat that 37C heat when you have busy toddlers (spoiler alert: it's all about the splash pad this summer!) then we move onto talk about the beautiful ways to say goodbye to breastfeeding.

Laura recommends "Booby Moon" by Yvette read to help transition children away from breastfeeding, a very symbolic ritual to help ease the transition.

We also discuss the wonderful BBC classic "Call the Midwife" which is BOTH Justine and Laura approved, although Laura has been working through the multiple seasons at a noticeably faster clip... shout out to CBC Gem for having 14 seasons where Canadians can watch for free!

And finally, we talk about temper tantrums. It's a part of parenting life, and it's a part of children's life, but are there strategies to manage it at least a little? listen to find out more!

Enjoy the episodes dear listeners, we'll be back soon ;)

You've asked, and we've answered! After a brief hiatus, the mamas are REUNITED and back in the booth to give you that good queer parenting content you all crave.

First on it, Laura talks swimming lessons for a two year old (OMG time flies!) and talks about all the fun they're having, including a harrowing story of her daughter trying out a diving board for the first time!

The mamas move onto the second segment to talk about their great love of thrifting! Laura lists off her most recent great deals and why she gives certain thrift stores the side eye...

Being a gay podcast, the mamas talk about June and why it's the gayest month of all. Justine gives some book recommendation (Rae Spoon's "First Spring Grass Fire" and Kai Cheng Thom's "Fierce Femmes and Notorious Liars: A Dangerous Trans Girl's Confabulous Memoir") for some excellent queer Canadian content. Laura talks about the beauty of her daughter listening to children's books featuring lesbian moms in her classroom.

We wrap it up talking about Laura's daughter's upcoming birthday and all that entails. All this content is for YOU listeners, please listen and enjoy! And as always... we appreciate you <3

One singular mama is back for YOU dear listeners, with a fantastic guest for your listening enjoyment: the one, the only: Kevin the Husband!

Kevin is here to share his meal prep strategies (chicken pot pie: OUT, ravioli: IN), share date night stories and to participate in our long running tradition: My Horrible Poop Moment of the Day.

Kevin also talks about being a small town queer, preferring the quieter slower pace. There is the odd time that being trans pops up, like in interactions with medical professionals, but as Kevin tells us, he lives a half-invisible life, with people able to read some flavor of queer from his aura, but aren't quite able to pin point it down ("bisexual, perhaps?").

We finish off by musing the role that queerness plays in our role as parents, and end it off by agreeing to go out on a date soon.

It's a fun cute episode, hope you all enjoy!

Beloved listeners, the mamas have a treat for you: our very first guest on the podcast, featuring the marvelous Bethany Lee from Protect Our Water Source!

Bethany is a fellow mother, and like Justine, has roots in the city and has fallen in love with the rural Quebec life in recent years. In this wide ranging interview, we talk about loving and belonging in our communities, how being mothers shapes our hopes for the future, and how we should share the most precious public resource: water.

Bethany is the spokesperson for an organization called "Protect Our Water Source", which become organized when it was revealed there would be a commercial water pumping venture in Hinchinbrook. Her community of Powerscourt was both surprised and concerned by the lack of information provided, and the organization has sprung forth to push for more disclosure on how water testing was performed for this project.

She takes us through the timelines of the project, what risks water pumping poses to the nearby farms, how the community has responded and what the next steps are.

It's a fantastic episode, both for locals and all those who have ever wondered: "Who is water for?"

Bethany would say: "it's for the people".

Sources we mentioned:

Protect Our Water Source: https://protectourwatersource.ca/

"The History of the County of Huntingdon [Quebec]: And of the Seigniories of Chateaugay and Beauharnois from Their Settlement to the Year 1838" by Robert Sellers

Gleaner: "Farm To Food" podcast

Eau Secours: https://eausecours.org/

Fans of "Loud and Proud Mamas", you are in for a TREAT of an episode! It's finally that time: Laura's birth story!

To kick things off, Justine talks about celebrating her 2nd year anniversary at the World Final's for short track speed skaing in Montreal. It was there that afternoon that 1) she learned of the existence of William Dandjinou and 2) instantly became a committed, die hard fan. Tragedy struck in his race, and it is the opinion of this podcast that Mr William Dandjinou was robbed of his gold medal #justicefordadjinou

After that intro, we dive into what you've all been waiting for: Laura's incredible rollercoaster journey through labour and birth. This story has everything: a promising beginning, navigating medical beaurocracy, the power of family and friend support, and the complex emotions of having a different delivery experience that you had envisioned.

Justine is the one who writes these episode descriptions, so I will state this with no ego: this is truly a beautiful story of doing your best in the face of physical agony, emotional turbulence and seeing a journey through to it's end. Laura talk with honesty about pain, fear, grief and how these feelings mix with joy during birth. It's truly a must listen episode.

The podcast that Laura listened to while in birth was called "Crime Junkie" (linked below).

If you are interested in sharing YOUR birth episode, or being a guest on this podcast, let us know! We are collecting ideas for future episodes, and we'd love to have you on! Get in touch with us at [email protected].

EDIT: In the first version of this episode, Justine (me) pronounced William Dandjinou's name as "William Danjilou". Apologies to Wiliams Dandjinou and his fanbase, I misread his name and spoke incorrectly. I have since recorded the parts where I say his name, so if you notice some weird edits, that would be why. Keep going for gold William, we are big fans :)

It's been a long journey to get here, but the mamas are happy to announce that we are here to deliver the content YOU'VE been waiting for: Justine's Birth Story! (Laura to come next ep!)

We start off by talking about the Ice Apocalypse That Wasn't, our mild amusement and frustration about being over prepared for a storm that turned out milder than expected.

Justine does a deep dive into her birthing experience at the Valleyfield Hospital, with shoutouts to Nurse Sophie and Nurse Coralee. Heads up that this episode does talk about the birth experience, so discussions of vaginas and internal machinations are involved.

Music that Justine was listening to while in labour is tagged below, please enjoy the baritone and somber tones of Cash in his later years, Neil Young lament about Kent State and Bob Dylan in all his nasal glory.

We end off with a recommendation to check out the Paralympics, especially Alpine Ski! French commentary is available on Ici Tou.TV, English commentary available on CBC Gem. Official policy recommendation from Loud and Proud Mamas: Canada must increase funding by 300%! We must be on the podium next Paralympics!

Enjoy the episode beloveds, next ep is Laura's Birth Story!

Ladies and gentlemen and queers of all types, the mamas are back in the studio! Rejoice and be glad, we're coming to you with some fresh banter, pregnancy tales and stories from our long, unexpected hiatus (we are so happy to be back!).

Kicking things off, we start the episode by debuting a new segment: "Laura Was Right!". As long time listeners know, Laura is the mama who researches carefully and makes decisions accordingly. Early on in their friendship, Laura gave Justine some sage advice on baby sign language and communication. Did Justine listen and incorporate it? Listen to find out!

We move onto the second segment, where Justine muses about the feasibility of making five pounds of pâté. Reasonable? Doable? Practical? Listeners, we want to hear from you! Also, the spreadable-ness of pâté... a good thing or bad thing? The mamas are divided on this topic!

And of course, by listeners demand, the long awaited "Third Trimester" episode! My goodness, this segment is as big as we were in the last few weeks of our pregnancy. Who had to go to the hospital? Who was suggested to do an induction? What does it mean to have a "good birth"? Listen to find out!

And finally... what on earth were the mamas doing for so long? Clearly, hanging out! Listen to the end to find out all of the fun things we were up to, including bread making and quilting!

Enjoy the ep beloveds! We will be back in your ears soon!

Rejoice and be glad listeners, for Laura has returned from the DR, safe and sound and full of watermelon! The mamas have recorded this episode with only the beloved listeners in mind, so that you too can imagine that you were in the sunny beaches of the Dominican Republic...

We kick things off by talking about baby interests: Justine's son spent an afternoon fascinated by an electrician, while Laura's daughter consistently enjoys "the cooking show" (starring Laura).

Laura debriefs about the trip, handing out pro tips for traveling with babies and how they managed irregular feeding times, airplane and bus rides and mix-ups with grandmas... Look no further for all your pro tip needs for traveling with a toddler!

Justine jumps in with her own pro tip: learn to sharpen your knives! Justine walks you through the different grades of whetstones, and the benefits of sharpening your own knives instead of buying new every year (or cutting with dull knives!)

We move onto Trimester Two, that magical time where your belly grows and your lower back wants to tell you all about it! Who got stuck and had to get a ride home from the coppers? Listen to find out!

For the film review segment, Justine muses about the queer representation in "Conclave", a fun Catholic intrigue movie, while Laura dishes about the latest season of Bridgerton (potential lesbian character? Rest assured: we will report back when we know!)

And lastly: Justine the Albertan is looking for book recommendations from francophone and/or Quebec authors, both for herself and her one year old son. Got a recommendation? Let us know, and Justine will try to find it at the library (Surely the BanQ will have it!)

Listen and enjoy beloveds!