Feeling good this week. It’s like that full moon energy is in my blood! I’m on a 3-week Peloton streak and have been running each day. It’s still cold but I don’t even mind. Fresh air and exercise are something I look forward to each day. I am SO looking forward to warmer days. I went through some summer clothes the other day and can’t wait to put away my winter gear and bust out the fun stuff. I know it’s gonna be a while still but I love having something to look forward to. It looks like our lockdown order is going to be extended next week. We’re moving from Stay-At-Home order to Lockdown which means just about everything is still closed. Sean and I will be spending next week at the cottage. I wanted to be there to mark 1 full year of the Pandemic. So crazy it’sa been this long. I hardly remember pre-panini life! Hang in there! We will get through this. Look for little things in your day to bring you joy. This song is my whole vibe today, can’t break my stride! Put it on and have a dance party. I promise it will make you happy! I love rapping along w/ the lyrics, can you believe I still remember them from the 90’s?!

This week I was a guest on the Rebel Mama Hotline podcast where I talked about Instagram filters. I love these ladies, their group is the one for ‘mom group’ dropouts, the badass, rebellious women out there like us. They’ve also got two books The Rebel Mama’s Handbook for (Cool) Moms and Get Your $hit Together: The Rebel Mama’s Handbook for Financially Empowered Moms. I started creating IG filters about 2 years ago using a free program from Facebook called Spark AR. I made a beauty filter called LoLo Lash, inspired by my bff, Lauren O’Neil. I drew the lashes in Procreate with Apple pencil using a face mesh rentering then created the filter in Spark AR and added skin smoothing. This filter has 2.2M impressions, 99% of them are women aged 25-35. I understand this is (prob?) the biggest demo on IG but it also goes to show who is using beauty filters the most. In this ep of The Rebel Mama Hotline, we talk about how filters can create unrealistic beauty standards especially when the filter drastically changes your face shape. People are now going to beauty clinics with a filtered image of themselves saying ‘can you make me look more like this?’. I have a filter on this post from Day 341 and deff thought about how botox or filler could enhance my face to make it more like this ‘pretty’ filter. One of my filters that is just the smoothing effect bumped way up (Smooth AF) has almost 400K impressions. I often use filters and other beauty filters, I like the way they look, the creativeness of them, and a lot of them hide when you look tired…or feel old. Tap the play button below to listen to a snippet of the podcast or hit play…

I was thinking that something needed to change and hey, when in stressful times, why not change your hair?! ? Change is good my friends! Added some pink to my hair with a temp colour from L’Oreal I got on Amazon. I tried this one once before but it was too pink so I decided to add some conditioner before applying and it turned out a nice, light, strawberry blonde. I don’t remember ever having roots this long but adding a temp colour was always my go-to for between colourings. I like how this makes the roots less noticeable. I reckon it will rinse out in 2-3 washes but given the certain situation, it’s gonna be much longer before I get my hair done. Today’s Covid update is that the Greater Toronto Area will remain in lockdown until the 22nd of February. I know I look tired, I am tired! I’ve been trying to get 8hrs sleep every night but it doesn’t matter how much I get, I can’t escape this tired feeling. I miss doing things and going places, seeing people, having plans. Things are getting better but it’s going to be weeks before we’re out of lockdown and months before things resemble the ‘normal’ we used to know. Feeling a bit better today but could also have a breakdown at any minute. In other news, only 38 days until the first day of spring. Things do not change; we change. Henry David Thoreau

I set an alarm to wake up for this at 1am! Am I crazy? Idk but I don’t want to miss Elon Musk on Clubhouse for the first time. I hope I can get into the room before it fills up tonight! If you’re on Clubhouse you can find the Good Time Club & room details here. I love this app. Update: I woke up at 1:30 am, the room was full! It capped out at 5,000 people, then Clubhouse upped it so that the CEO of Robinhood could join, then Elon Musk interviewed him about GameStop. WILD! I listened from a secondary room that was playing the audio, it sounded like an iPhone in a Solo cup when you don’t have a speaker. Not great but it was cool to hear some of it and be ‘there’, kinda. I listened for about half an hour until falling back asleep. I was so tired on Monday, all day!

Feeling pandemic fatigue today. Thinking back to summer days, long walks with friends, patio hangouts in the sun. Flowing dresses and warm nights. It’s almost February, the shortest month, march will be here before we know it. We’re getting close to one year of the pandemic, 365 days, and nearly 365 blog posts. I’m so glad to have kept this diary but in my heart, I’m dreaming about covering events, movie premieres, galas, park hangs, and media previews again. I’ve learned a lot and grown heaps the past year but I miss the way things used to be. I’m looking forward to the day when the lockdown is over and we move through life a little more grateful for everything we have. Sending love, stay safe. Miss you. xo

Had a nice walk with my sister today after work. Always great to see her and laugh together. It’s such a hoot when we hang out, we’ve got the same mannerisms, talk alike, are about the same size, and for the first time in 20 years, we both have long hair. I love her so much! Gave Jenie one of the new masks I was given by my friend Anela, designer of Considerate Goods. Her masks are my absolute favourite! See more in this post from Day 169, August 2020, or on her website.

The mouse for my computer died so I ordered a new one from Apple to be picked up with click and collect. The process was very organized but still, a bit weird. I drove up to Yorkdale Mall, parked, and went to the entrance where I had to show the order on my phone to get past security. Once inside, I was directed down a walkway where I showed my order again. I was instructed to take my place on my given numbered spot where my order would be delivered to me. It took about 15 minutes and everyone was wearing masks. I have to admit it was strange to be inside the mall like this. I couldn’t’ help think about all the stores and how empty the parking lot was. I drove home feeling sad for lost jobs, revenue, and how the pandemic has hurt small businesses. I wonder how long we’ll be in lockdown? The cases keep going up and things don’t seem to be getting better. ? I try not to read the news too much but this is the reality we’re living in now. Please be safe and wear a mask when you go out!

Feels great to be home! Who would have thought we’d spend most of 2020 up at the cottage. Being home has a different vibe and feels a bit more like normal life, despite the fact we can’t really go anywhere because of lockdown. I’ve been playing around with my iPad pro a bit more. I’ve dreamed of making fabric, more art, and creating. It’s such a great little tool! I mostly use Procreate App with the Apple Pencil. What does 2021 have in store for me? According to my 12 most used emojis (this is social science haha), it’s looking like 2021 will have: Happiness, praise (clapping), love (red heart + pink heart to me means friends & family), star (success), more cute hearts, a crown, laughter, high fives, art/creativity, brains/nerding out, silliness, home, kindness, and rock on (hopefully this means some partying with people!).

Hello gorgeous, beautiful new year! I greet you with my love, kindness, hope, and joy! I have high hopes, a renewed sense of self, and a positive outlook. I know the world we live in is going through a rough patch but each of us has the ability to shift our perspective and see the light. There are heaps of things to be grateful for each day, the moon and a pink sky on a cold January morning, a new book, exercise, food, love, health, friendship. We have all grown so much in the past year as the world has changed, we’ve learned and unlearned. The world will never be the same and neither will we. This morning I did Peloton cardio and ran 5k on the treadmill. Listened to my latest read on Audible while cleaning. We’re heading back to the city today and I’ll be at home for a little while. I’m looking forward to going back to work on Monday and being at my desk. Here’s to a fresh start and high hopes!

I’ve had this suit from The Drake General Store for ages and finally decided to wear it. ? A onesie makes great winter wear, cute, cozy, and warm. FYI The Drake has a great habanero hot sauce you can order online or with your takeout order. Highly recommend! I like to add it to pasta, stir-fry, or just about anything deep-fried. In other news, my latest round of scrunchies are white organza! The fabric is from a sheer curtain I ordered on Amazon ages ago but was the wrong size. This one turned out so good, she pretty! I can’t wait to gift a few of these to friends as a surprise by mail. I’m quite behind on sending out anything Christmas-related (as planned) but maybe Valentine’s Day is a better time to send love anyway. ? This was the moon last night over the cottage, the last full moon of 2020. I stared at its beauty, then closed my eyes, and took a few deep breaths. Before going inside, I made six wishes and gave a howl like the wild woman I am, as a way to say: ‘BYE 2020 I AM READY FOR NEW!’

What a year it’s been! I’m planning to write something thoughtful about the things I’ve learned this year before the end of the week. We’ve all grown and changed so much. It’s crazy to think we’re almost at 300 days of the pandemic with no end in sight. As this is the last Monday of 2020, think about how you can make Monday your fav day of the week in 2021. Today is a holiday (Boxing Day) and I’m looking forward to being back in business tomorrow and meeting with a colleague (over Zoom of course!). We have to clear off some snow from the last couple of days but we’ve got a skating rink and cold-plunge pool down by the lake. Sean has really been into cold immersion this year. I’m not as experienced but I love the idea and how it feels (after, not during!). Planning to do at least one more dip before 2020 is over.

Drove back up to the cottage today to spend the last week of 2020 in the woods. It’s SO snowy! The roads were pretty crazy once we got out of the city as we drove through the snow storm. Sean did a bit of shovelling as I collected wood for the fire. I’m gonna bo back to eating less meat after indulging a bit over the holidays. I’ve also ate more chocolate and candy in the last few days than the entire year. Felt good tho, I earned a good binge. One of my fav things to make is a simple chickpea curry in the Instant Pot. While soaking the chickpeas, I sauté onions & garlic with olive oil, then add spices to activate them. I add in some broth and chickpeas without the shells. I like to throw in tomatoes, potatoes, or cauliflower depending on what’s in the fridge. I set the timer for 12 minutes and once done, I add in chopped spinach. It is so incredibly good, especially on cold winter days.

Traditionally Sean and I give each other our gifts on Christmas Eve Eve. We’re back downtown and it’s so nice to be home. I met up with a friend for a brief distance hang then Sean and I celebrated the holidays with some drinks. We’re both officially off work for a few days and it feels GREAT.  Today, Sean gave me an Apple Watch and I’m really excited about it. I’ve wanted one for ages and we’re gonna do so much working out together. This year I was really focused on getting to a weight where I felt good. For 2021, I really want to work on strength and muscle.