Podcast: Lockdown Love w/ Jen Kirsch

I’m listening to this right now and have to share! One of my BFFs Jen Kirsch, journalist & relationship expert, has a new podcast on eOne called Lockdown Love and I love it! It was the Monday boost I needed this morning to kickstart my workday and have a little laugh. She shares real stories about her own dating during COVID, talks to experts and her dad Dr. Kirsch even makes an appearance to comment on her ‘dating’ during COVID. I love her voice, her storytelling, and how funny she is. I was literally laughing out loud. You don’t need to be dating to enjoy it but if you are, you might be going through some of the same things she is. I can’t wait to see what’s next in this 8-episode mini-series. Congrats Jenny Jen! Looking for love in lockdown? Join dating expert and columnist Jen Kirsch as she searches for a socially (but hopefully not emotionally) distant Mr. Right! She talks with experts and exposes her own pandemic love life to help you figure out the Do’s and Don’ts of the strange world of dating in quarantine. Expect funny stories, surprising insights, and just a dash of drama.

View Post

Day 69: Self-Isolation, Self Care, Self Time

I spent the morning on the patio writing and gave myself a much-needed spa day. I did a face mask, a hair treatment, and finished my book. My most recent read was an advance copy of Little Disasters by Sarah Vaughan from Simon & Schuster Canada. It was so good! Great story! My plan was to venture out on the bike for a little ride around the neighbourhood and I ended up biking for hours. It was such a beautiful day and I was happy to be out, alone, and in the sun. I finally picked up some new fake flowers to decorate my basket. Tomorrow Sean an Em are coming to pick me up and we’ll be back together as a family in the woods. I can’t wait. ?

View Post

Day 68: Writing In The Sun

I jumped out of bed and hopped on the bike to meet a friend for morning coffee. It was so nice to see Rachel Bies and her little boy Bowie. We chatted 6-feet apart in the sun before I biked back home. The bike works as a great little tripod btw. At 1 pm, I did a writing workshop with Meghan Yuri Young where she gave us prompts over Zoom. We wrote thoughts, feelings, and to end the class I wrote a bunch of postcards to send to friends. This is a hard time for all of us but we can all stay home and make the most of our space while connecting online. Please be safe out there and know that this will be over one day.

View Post

Day 64: Hello, Meet My Natural Hair Colour

Dirty blonde! LOL. I’m not a true bleach blonde, ok? I’ve been dying my hair since my first attempt with Sun In around grade 7. Remember this yellow bottle? I just looked it up and apparently it’s still around. ?Sean really likes this natural colour and lucky for him, I can’t lighten it again for the foreseeable future. Today we are heading to the city to pick up Emily for the child switchover. Sean and I have been working on a big submission for a VR documentary and will be working at the house for 24 hours. This week he’s heading back up north w/ Emily for some dad-daughter time while I stay home. I didn’t expect to be away for 2.5 months and I need to get a few things sorted before heading back to the cottage. I have a bit of anxiety about being around so many people but I’m also kind of excited to be home. I’ve hardly seen anyone for months and some days I find it really hard. I’m a social person and my friends are like family. If it’s nice out, I’d like to bike around a bit and see some friends IRL, at a safe distance. Before heading out, I repotted some indoor plants, my propagations with their new roots, and planted some herbs. It’s finally warm enough for them to live outside. ? Do you like my gardening outfit? This hat is absolutely necessary, the bugs are out in full force. The mosquitos haven’t started yet but I am dreading them. Those buggers seem to love me so much and thank you but NO THANK YOU, PLS GO AWAY. My bites swell up and are itchy AF. I have run over 60k this month and am shooting for 100K by May 31st.…

View Post

Day 58: Focus Your Power

I keep a stack of creative books beside my computer on the table where I work in the kitchen. Sometimes when I’m feeling a creative block, unmotivated, or sad, I grab one and open it to a random page. For mother’s Day, I opened Rupi Kaur‘s ‘the sun and her flowers‘ to a poem with advice from a mum. Today, I opened Adam J. Kurtz book ‘Things Are What You Make of Them‘ to this page. Most of the time, the universe seems to know exactly what I need and presents a message on the page. I see you. What even is fashion? My Quarantine Style this week has been a bit wild. It’s still quite cold up here so I need to layer up. It’s hard to believe the long weekend is days away and we had a couple of flurries today. SPRING WHERE ARE YOU!? Here’s hoping we jump right into summer! Next week we might crack temps over 20 degrees. I AM REALLY READY FOR SOME HOT SUN.

View Post

Day 57: In Transition

This week, for the first time since the start of Iso, I really fell behind on my daily diary. From 2008-2012 I blogged pretty much every single day. I enjoy the routine of doing things, documenting them, and writing it down. It’s amazing how therapeutic a diary can be. So many times I’ve gone back to a special day, a keyword, a month, an image, to remember the moment. I love to see how things have changed, how the world was, or to reflect on who I was at the time. I have grown and changed a lot over the 15 years I’ve had this blog. I think I’ll change a lot through COVID-19 too. The current situation is forcing us all to reevaluate what matters, who matters, and how we can be better humans. We all have the ability to take a birds-eye view of our lives right now. The world is in transition and so are we. Side note, I learned how to do a hair wrap with a t-shirt thanks to my friend Jak! Grab a large shirt and check out her DIY on Instagram!

View Post

Day 55: Let It…Snow?

Would you believe it snowed if I didn’t have a photo to prove it!? Yes, May 9th, 2020, snow. Not just any snow, a full blanket of tiny snowballs coated everything around us. I had a small birthday party on Zoom last night and it was super fun! I’m quite proud of myself for not staying up too late or drinking too much. Woke up today feeling good but also like I needed rest. I did not run today. Decided to take a day to recharge my batteries. Having a birthday can take a lot out of you, add the anxiety of your birthday in a pandemic and it’s kinda overwhelming. I am truly blessed to have such a great group of friends. Lauren started a thing where each person took a minute to say what they liked most about me and it was so nice. I feel loved and appreciated! THANK YOU FRIENDS! Sean and I had a productive day of watching ENTIRE SEASONS of both Hollywood (miniseries) and Into the Night. Both shows were good. Very different vibes as Hollywood is sexy, fun, and dramatic while Into The Night is a doomsday thriller. Next up, I’m going to tackle S2 of Dead to Me which I think I can finish in a day. The way this is going we’re going to need summer or more shows! If you have any recos, please share!

View Post

Day 48: Ray of Sunshine

Nice little Saturday! Ran in the morning, did a dance workout in the afternoon. Spent most the day inside. New running shoes are so great. This movie was pretty good. Had a few White Claw at night and chatted with some friends. I really hope the weather gets warmer next week!

View Post

Day 47: May Flowers!

Today was a great day! I ran 2k in the morning and baked sweet potato brownies. Sean returned to the cottage with Emily in the afternoon. I did some gardening in this great outfit then made a run to town for some supplies. Our friends stopped by in their boat and might take Sean wakeboarding tomorrow. For dinner, we made taco bowls as a family, had dairy-free ice cream sundaes for dessert, then watched The Matrix. Picked myself up some flowers at the grocery and had the nicest chat with a lovely lady named Nora who was working at the store. It was such a beautiful day. So happy it’s MAY!

View Post

Day 42: Dance It Out!

I spent most the day home alone as Seen was picking up Emily. It was such a beautiful day! Spent some time reading outside then did LA choreographer Ryan Heffington’s SWEATFEST dance workout on the patio. Emma Stone (actress) was there! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ryan Heffington (@ryan.heffington) on Apr 25, 2020 at 3:59pm PDT This workout has been giving me so much life lately. The steps are easy to follow and it will leave you feeling happy, lighter, and sweaty. The next classes are likely going to be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 1 pm EST on IG at @ryan.heffington. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ryan Heffington (@ryan.heffington) on Apr 19, 2020 at 9:26am PDT We put the dock in the water just before sunset when Sean got back. We both had to go in the water and it WAS SO COLD. At home Sean grabbed a few huge mirror doors we salvaged and this week I hope to use them for a creative shoot and maybe make a wooden trim.

View Post

Show Up For Yourself

I am no expert on self-love, recovery, or life, I can only speak from my own experience. I posted this image on my Instagram Stories 6 weeks ago and made a Story Highlight (the little circles) called 2020 MOOD as a reminder of the person I am going forward. Healthier, happier, a girl who can handle anything. It is definitely scary to be who you really are (especially to share it online) but I figure, there’s not really another option! Why not be the most YOU that YOU can be? Do what you want. Pursue all the things. Make a list and start checking off those goals. What are you waiting for? The time is NOW. Get creative, write your own story. It’s your life, you’re in control, you only live once. If there is one thing you can take from this post, it’s that you do not know your own strength or power until you try to use it. Put your mind in the right direction and push it further than before. Open doors for yourself. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.

View Post

Did You Lose Yourself?

I think I found her. I had to go on a journey but the fire is starting to burn again and it’s lighting up the sky.

View Post

Just Take the Photo

2020 is bringing more of the #oneleggedselfie, a fav of @hey.maca and the original Man Repeller. This is the year I start taking photos of my outfits. If I see an opportunity, I’m taking it. I used to share my looks a lot but I stopped because I didn’t feel good in my clothes, in my skin. So, I made a change, I’m moving forward. I want to document what I wear so I can remember. Like this dress over a mesh t-shirt and pants, with running shoes? Oh, yes. I am finally, after all these years, starting to plan content out a little more long term. I have some great stuff coming including a series on beating winter sadness, cause we all need to try and avoid Seasonal Affective Disorder. Last winter really got me down so I’m actively attempting to stay in high spirits till summer. I am here when you need a pick me up on cold days or a reminder of what spring feels like. I AM IN BLOOM. Saw this on IG and thought it was a nice finish to a great week. Professional Cialis

View Post