Category :Uncategorized

Top Price For A Winter Coat?

I saw this in the paper as an encouragement to shop Canadian – to shop our local and native companies.  And I’d love to but frankly look at those prices!  The cheapest coat there is $450.  That’s more than I spent on my last two winter coats combined, and the only reason I spent even that much was because one coat was stolen and so I had to go get another one.   That’s the one beef I have about local and native businesses, as much as I’d love to support them the price tag is just way out of my reach. I know it’s because of fair wages, etc, etc.  But there has to be some way to keep the prices more in check.  I know some people can afford to spend that much, but I not only can’t, I also won’t.  To me it’s just too much to drop on one item.  But that’s me.

How much would you spend on a coat?  How much have you ever spent on a coat and would you change that?  I’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions. 

Not A Sign Of Weakness

Shirt – thrifted; Jeans – Guess; Belt – AE; Shoes – Payless; Scarf – Smart Set.

Let’s be honest, as much as I try the real star of these shots is Drake the Dog.  He’s such a ham and camera hog, but I can hardly blame him because he is pretty darn cute.  And I’m so happy to be feeling better, I couldn’t wait to get out there and take some outfit shots for you guys.  I still have a husky voice that’s a cross between Kathleen Turner and a chronic smoker, but at least my energy is getting back up and I’m not dizzy anymore.  yay!

So on that note, let’s get back to the world birth series that the Saturday Star has going on.

This week the focus was on South Sudan – the most recent country since it’s only about 20 years old.  There the statistics are terrifying:
– Only 10 percent of women will see a qualified birth attendant.
– For every 100,000 live births, 2054 women die.  It’s the world’s highest maternal mortality rate.
– A woman in South Sudan has a 1/7 chance of dying in childbirth during her lifetime.
– The majority of women who die so so from treatable problems.

Again, it shocks me to hear about women giving birth under such extreme conditions.  What’s worse is that some women don’t go to the hospital given the choice because it’s considered a sign of weakness.  I know people say that women have been doing it for thousands of years, but before modern health care women also died by the thousands for thousands of years.  I don’t think it’s a sign of weakness to want to live.  Women have it tough enough already, we don’t need to have some sense of bravado holding us back from seeking medical treatment.  Hearing things like that really does make me reflect about how lucky I am to have a medical centres all around, several hospitals within 50 kilometers, and two walk-in clinics less than ten minutes away from me.  Oh, and health coverage of course, let’s not forget that.

Tomorrow’s Daily Challenge:
Sit in total silence for 15 minutes and just reflect. 
I managed to not have coffee, but ooooh do I want some. 

Still Sick, But Here’s Salamanca

Hey guys, I’m still pretty sick over here, so no outfit shots for the time being. Unless you want to see my stellar PJs? In the meantime, here’s a few shots from Salamanca and Bilboa Spain.

The hallway in our hotel room in Bilboa was freaky; straight out of some horror or sci-fi film.
Tomorrow’s Daily Challenge: 
Go through your entire day without coffee or tea *green tea is allowed*

90210 And Kleenex

Today I’m still sick with a bad cold, so I’ve been spending my days in fleece pants curled up on the couch with a box of kleenex and 90210 on Netflix.  Yeah, I need trashy Tv when I’m sick. 

I did manage to drag my butt out for a rehearsal last night.  Check that out here.

Tuesday In Review: My Husband

I’m going to be honest here:  I’m very easily bribed and flattered into doing things.  Well, okay not really.  But for the right person, I come cheap.  Husband knows this.  So, he knew that for a foot massage and a glass of red wine, with some dark chocolate I would easily agree to do a review of his blog for you guys.

Really, he didn’t need to bribe me since I’m proud of him, but shhhhhh….don’t tell him that.

My husband is a singer/songwriter.   He has his day job as an audio technician and manager, but making his own music is really where his passion lies.  Since having a baby, he’s found it hard to find motivation and an outlet for his passion.  So he started a little blog project – Andrew Haughton.

Every month he writes a new song.  During the month you’ll get progress reports, and posts chronicling the process – the missteps, the roadblocks, and the distractions. At the end of the month, you’ll see the final product, or more specifically you’ll hear the final product.  So far he’s got a few songs up there, and they’re all free to listen to.  Plus, you can check out his past albums.

So if you have a few moments, might I suggest you check out this awesome guy?

Awkward, Awesome, And Sick

So…..the garbage men were watching me shoot these pics.  Awkward!

Jacket & Dress – Smart Set; Cardigan – H&M; Scarf – street stand; Tights – Hue; Shoes – Clarks.

This was my first shoot of the day, and it didn’t start off so great.  I had the garbage men staring, wondering why in the world someone would be taking pictures of themselves in front of their house.  But the second shoot of the day went a lot better I think.  Awesome! I’ll share those shots with you when I get them.  And I think I nailed my audition later on.

But then when I got home I started to really succumb to my cold, and now it’s totally full blown to the point where I spent most of the day on the couch watching 90210 on Netflix.  Sick! The pizza lunch was yummy though.  Hope you’re all doing a lot better than I am! 

p.s. I love make-up.  It makes me looks like I’m not at all sick.

p.p.s.  check me out guest posting over here today.  I’m sharing housecleaning tips, and general thoughts…crazy I know.  Who would have thought I had house cleaning tips?  Or thoughts for that matter?

Tomorrow’s Daily Challenge:
Do something nice for someone you love for.

Random Sundays: Babies Are Hilarious!

 They find the strangest things funny and exciting, like sitting under chairs and wearing Daddy’s big shoes.

Baby and I are sick right now.  So we’re resting. Just a bad cold, but it’s got us down.

You Up For Yurt Living?

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Occupy Toronto continues in style with Yurts.  I first heard about yurts from a colleague of mine who’s very aware of their eco-nature, and I’ve sort of become obsessed with them.  They’re so cool looking, and so functional as well.  They can be as big ans as small as you want, and you can totally winterize them as well.  Basically, you just build a platform and throw on up in a couple of days.  You do have to get a cook stove, and an eco-toilet.  I’m not quite sure how that functions, but I’m sure it’s not quite as decadent as we’re used to.  But there’s something so dreamy about them.
What do you think?  Would you live in one?  Would you cottage in one?

Tomorrow’s Daily Challenge:
Thank three people for something.

I failed the last challenge.  I’ve got a nasty cold and I get dizzy going from one room to the next, so no way can I do any crunches or push-ups.  Boo.

What Do We Model?

Top – Ruche; Jeans – Gap; Boots – Threadsence; Necklace & Bird Ring – Lulus.com; Bracelet – F21

 The Toronto Star recently wrote about how your living environment, specifically your neighborhood, plays a determining factor on your kid’s activity level.  Namely, that children in suburban neighborhoods spend more of their day on physical exercise because of the luxury of quiet cul-de-sacs perfect for unsupervised road hockey, roller skating, and skipping. Their urban counterparts spend more time indoors, and have less safe green space in which to play.  Obviously, the major factor are parental role models.  If parents spend time exercising, walking to do errands, and playing sports, their children will value it and tend to do the same.

But it did get me thinking about the ways in which I hope to model living to my baby girl.  I run and workout for stress relief, the endorphins, and cardiovascular health.  And it’s always been important for me.  But I also run only to the point in which I feel satisfied – where I’ve worked my body well but not to the point of exhaustion. I didn’t think about how my attitudes and behavior affect my child because I thought she was still too young for my behavior to have that much of an impact.

I was wrong.

When we go into the bedroom, one of the first things she does is climb all over my treadmill.  She gets on top of the thing and starts to explore, stand, walk, and dance.  It must be because she sees me on it a lot – so she wants to do what Mama does.  And after breakfast, she routinely heads for the sunroom, grabs her jacket and boots and climbs into the stroller ready for our morning walk.  

Finally, she gets so excited for our daily afternoon jaunt down the street to the park and slides she somehow manages to skip despite her unstable gait.  The 5 minute walk takes about 30 when you’re doing it with a wobbly 16 month old, and then the slides, stairs and all the climbing marvels easily swallow another 30 minutes.  The walk home however takes just 6 minutes – me carrying her while she tries to squirm, wriggle, and in every way rebel against me taking her home.

And I have to say I like that.  I like the fact that my baby can only watch sesame street for about 10 minutes in the morning – her attention wanders and she’s out and about exploring something, stacking blocks, moving chairs, and trying to reach Husband’s cell phone.  I like that she has ants in her pants.

And I love the big, scrunched up nose grin when she knows we’re heading out for a walk…without the stroller.

Tomorrow’s Daily Challenge:
Let’s keep the fitness going for another day!  Do 50 crunches and 15 push-ups today (modified push-ups count)

Yesterday I ran for 24 minutes for the daily challenge.  I didn’t want to because I’m a bit run down, but I’m glad I did.  I felt better afterwards.

Everybody say, “Jump! Jump!”

I don’t know why wearing pleats makes it irresistible to jump. 
 But it does.

And twirl.
It’s hard to be serious, when you’re wearing something this fun!
Sweater – swapped; Belt – F21; Dress – Lulus; Tights – Hue; Shoes – Payless.

I’m really getting into red lately.  It’s a color I used to really stay away from.  Not sure why, maybe I just thought it was too bold?  But lately, I’ve been really embracing it.  It’s been a great love affair so far.  So when I won a shopping spree from Lulus.com. I knew I just had to get myself a red dress.  The pleats and collar of this one instantly caught my attention!  There’s something very retro about it.  Plus, I love the mix of innocence and elegance.  Of course, it wasn’t the only thing I got, but you’ll just have to wait and see future outfit posts to see the other lovely things I nabbed.  

Tomorrow’s Daily Challenge:
Keeping the theme of jumping, do 20 minutes of cardio today.  Be creative!

Yesterday I was thankful for microwaves – so easy to heat things up, coffee – I just grab a cup, but I remember my parents telling me how scarce and prized it was when they were living in communist Poland, and hot water – a scalding hot shower sometimes just saves my day.
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