Category :Uncategorized

Random Sundays: Pretty Tree And Not-So-Pretty Me

Our little min-tree went up today.  Yes, it’s that time of the year.  Time to brave the shops and figure out what your loved ones would really like.  I love the food, and the family time, but I’m not into the shopping ’till your credit card is maxed out just to keep up appearances thing.  This year I want to keep things as small and personalized as possible.

Oh, and because some of you asked about my workout gear and clothes.  I have no gear, it’s totally unglamorous *hence the title of this post* – just me, my treadmill, shoes, and phone (for Tv shows).  I have no special running socks, just old worn out cotton ones, and no fancy running pants, just ratty old sweats.  But I promised you guys honesty, so here it is:

*I had to make the picture black and white so you guys wouldn’t see the stains on the pants*

Nerdy Versus Cute

Sweater – F21; Shirt – AE; Jeans – Guess; Shoes – Sketchers.

I was really concerned that this sweater would be too cutsy for me, but I love penguins so much I got it anyway and just made sure that I wouldn’t pair it with a full, floral skirt.  That I think, would be too cutsy for me.  Instead, I wore it with ripped jeans and plain sneakers.  I thought that would ground the sweater a bit more in preppy chic that cute-little-girl.  Do I think about this too much?  Am I the only one who is concerned about this?  Maybe.  Maybe I should just get the heck over it.

True Story:
You know that infinity scarf with a hood I have?  
Baby loves it too!  
She wears it around dragging the back on the floor, and lays down to cuddle with it. 

Vintage Shoot

Cardi – thrifted; Top – Urbanog.com; Pants – Lululemon, Boots – ?

I did a really fun shoot today all styled in 50s or 60s vintage.  It was a publicity shoot for Victoria Murdoch‘s new one woman fringe festival show.   It was a great impromptu shoot organized in under three days, scrounged together through various talent and resources, including the spectacular Jessica Jean Myers – hair and make-up artist extraordinaire – and shot by yours truly.  Can’t wait to show you guys the finished product.   In the meantime, check out a behind-the-scenes shot of Jessica doing Victoria’s hair:

Quote of Today:
“It would really suck to have to go through an alien apocalypse with her being so little.” 
Normally I don’t say where these come from, but today I have to own up.  
This was me.
Non-chalantly. 
Over breakfast.

Quick Contest *closed*

Photos by Daniel Garcia

I’m really busy right now.  I’m still documenting my outfits, but I have very little time over the next couple of days to actually edit them and all.  So instead, here’s a few pics from a photoshoot I did in July.  Hope you like them!

And I have a quick contest for you guys! The first person who gets someone to follow my blog via GFC or blogger gets a $10 credit to Spotted Moth *just to be clear, you win the gift, not the new follower*.  *the person has to leave a comment on this blog saying who referred them – that’s how I’ll know who gets there first*  And go!

The Daily Challenge is done!  Hope you all had a great time!  Now we’re back to our regularly scheduled True Story and Quote of Today.

Quote of Today:
“She mastered the WTF look…at 6 months.”

Congrats MamaMarchand!  I’ll be emailing you later tonight!

Fleeting

We had our first snowfall here.  Within an hour the snow had melted, but it was beautiful while it lasted.

Running While Pregnant

Shirt – thrifted; Cardi – Esprit; Jeans – Gap; Belt – F21; Boots – Threadsence.

 I’m an avid runner.  And I do mean avid.  Before I had the Baby it wasn’t uncommon for me to go for 10k runs up to five days a week.  It’s just something I liked to do.  And when I got pregnant I pretty much continued doing that.  I listened to my body and the days that I felt too tired or not up to it, I cut runs short or skipped them altogether.  And I also did P90X during my pregnancy – everything except the twists, which all the experts agree is not good for you.  And the abs – ’cause once I have a big belly that just wasn’t going to happen!  But I continued this exercise regime pretty much right up until I gave birth.  And then at six weeks post-partum, when I got the medical ‘all-clear,’ I resumed my running regimen gradually starting from 20 minutes and working my way back up.

What frustrated me were the looks of disapproval I got from some people.  The looks that said, “You’re endangering your baby by over exercising.”  I got those looks from a wide-spectrum of people, and I always dismissed them.  I told myself that my doctor and midwife didn’t have a problem with it, and my body seemed to want to continue it so why shouldn’t I? I’m pregnant, not sick.

Today I read this article about a woman who ran/walked a marathon and gave birth shortly after.  She has become infamous, drawing critics from far and wide. We all have different bodies and different capabilities, and where one woman can run a marathon pregnant, another can’t, but as long as both women are healthy, what’s the big whoop?  If you’re healthy and capable and smart, why shouldn’t you do it?  I think what’s more dangerous is the pregnant woman who lays in bed for nine months and takes pregnancy as an excuse to not move and to eat everything in sight regardless of nutrition. But that’s just me.

These days I still run on the treadmill, but I pretty much run all day everyday….after Baby and Drake the Dog.   What did you do during pregnancy?  How did your body feel? What would you change if you were to do it again?

The Last Daily Challenge:
Run.  Whether 10 minutes or 60, just try it. 

An Open Email

Remember my review of this?

You better, it’s only been one day!  Well, I received a great email from the creator of these little gems. She didn’t mind when I asked to share her words with all of you.  Here’s what she had to say:

Dear Joanna,
 
I hope this finds you well.
Thank you for supporting mimiTENS with words and your hard-earned bucks.
I am happy that you like them and that your daughter tried with all  
her might to get them off...
This is the third year that mimiTENS are in stores and I do not tire  
of hearing stories from happy parents.
 
You mention that the price point is high.  I agree and it is my  
product!   mimiTENS are more expensive than most mittens but the  
reason is that they are manufactured in Canada.  Mine are the only  
mittens for kids that I know of that are.  There are lots of mittens  
for kids out there and some even claim to be "Designed in Canada, Made  
in China".  Mine are made in Scarborough.  Start to finish and it is  
super important to me to try and create work locally.  More than 80%  
of my costs are related to manufacturing.  My margins are slim but I  
am fine with that.
 
Also, I chose to use Recycled Thinsulate and and Oeko Tex certified  
bamboo fleece to line the mittens.  Again, the only one in kids-mitten- 
land that does.  I confirmed this with the makers of Thinsulate.
 
I hope to introduce some mittens that are at a lower price point  
without compromising my principles.  I have also asked that retailers  
lower the MSRP but many independent retailers want to make as much as  
possible.  They always make the biggest cut but small independents are  
the ones most likely to support a vanguard brand.  It is a delicate  
balance.
 
 
Thanks again for supporting mimiTENS.  I am a mom trying to make it in  
the big city too.  I really appreciate your time and energy.
 
Best,
Anna-Maria

I really appreciated hearing all the eco-conscious decisions made in their manufacturing, and the fact that they are made locally here in Toronto.  Thanks Anna-Maria for sharing the secrets behind mimiTENS!

HelloCotton Headliner

HelloCotton

Guess what?  I was featured on HelloCotton as the headline of the day in the Fashion section.  
Yay!   
*holds head up high*

The Bravery Of Women

Cardi – Smart Set; Dress – Trashy Diva; Tights – Hue; Shoes – Payless.

 It’s a focus on Kenya, where the rich go to private hospitals with clean floors and the poor go to public hospitals with blood and cockroaches as the stomping ground, in this post on world birth.  According to the article, the country has made absolutely no progress in improving maternal and infant care.  Teenage pregnancy, unsafe abortions, and HIV plague women in this African country.  But what is the worst thing?  The conditions and statistics  mentioned in this article are considered an improvement over a few years ago. 

Every new country that is examined just makes me more and more thankful for the blessedly wonderful conditions I had surrounding my labour: a clean hospital, two midwives and a student, my husband, my mother, and my best friend there to comfort and support me.  I can’t imagine going it alone, afraid to eat the food, or touch anything, and worrying about the possibility of contracting HIV during my labour.  I applaud the bravery of all these women.

p.s. I promised you guys something good when I hit 200 on GFC and I haven’t forgotten.  We’re almost there and I’ll have a good surprise for you all!

Tomorrow’s Daily Challenge:
Call your mama and thank her…for anything.

Tuesday In Review: Mini-Tens Baby Mitts

Mimi-Tens

I have this little problem.  My precious baby hates to wear mittens.  We put them on her and she flaps her arms like a little bird desperate to take flight until she has flapped them completely off.  I thought that the freezing cold would propel her to keep them on, but no.  I often end up chasing her around with a mitten in my hand – case in point.   But help has arrived! Recently on my way from the doctor’s office I walked past a shop that had these delightful things in the window.  I popped in and nabbed them ASAP. The stretchy cuff goes over her arm.  In fact we put it on over her long sleeve shirt and it reaches almost up to her armpit.  The jacket then goes over everything and voila!  Gloves stay on!

No amount of arm flapping gets these puppies off.
Trust me, she’s tried.
It’s really funny to see her flap for five minutes straight.
Plus, they’re lined with thinsulate so they’re nice and cozy for the winter.

They are a little pricey for me – about $40 after taxes – but I bought them a size larger so theoretically she can use them for three winters.  And if we do that, they’re just over $10 per winter.  I think that’s a good deal.

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