This is the Best Travel Accessory EVER.

Mum and I arrived in New Zealand earlier this week and the flight was pretty great. I was a little nervous about driving in NZ on the other side of the road with a right-hand drive car but it was totally ok. I was super alert after sleeping half of the flight from San Francisco to Auckland. Everyone knows the travel pillows below but they’re bulky, not that stylish, and don’t really hold up your head. Well, do I have the best travel accessory ever for you!  I ordered the Trtl pillow from Amazon and when mum came over before we left, she was like “ok I need one of these too”. So now I have ordered two. It was an absolute lifesaver for the journey here. It wraps around your neck like a scarf and the plastic bit under the cover holds your head up. I slept 5 hours on the 11-hour flight, incredible!  I picked up a few other things for this trip and they’ve already come in super handy. We’re in Auckland this week and driving up to the Coromandel Peninsula tomorrow to spend some time at the beach with some family on my dad’s side. I love it here so much. [amazon_link asins=’B00LB7REE6,B000NBM8JM,B071WZR9TP,B073RLH9M6′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’casiestewartc-20′ marketplace=’CA’ link_id=’47bbdd10-eb4e-11e7-9d00-05a50c9e7c7b’] With love from New Zealand!

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Need New Headshots? No Problemo!

Last weekend on my way home from New Orleans I popped into the Iris Photobooth at the MSY Airport. I’d seen these booths on the internet and really wanted to give it a try. I thought the company was owned by LinkedIn but I have since learned it is not. The pop-up headshot station is marketed to LinkedIn users for new profile photos. Amazing idea if you ask me. However, you may want to use the services of a photographer who specializes in headshot photography instead. Photos are $20 for 6 photos including retouching and you get 1 hi-res download. I unlocked the remaining 5 for $5. I also did 2 sessions because I love having my photo taken! ? I think the photos turned out really good despite the fact that my hair wasn’t done, I did my makeup in the car, and had rushed to the airport. The lighting is super bright, almost better than a human headshot setup. (Sorry photographers, the robots are coming!) You can edit the photos right in the booth before saving in a FaceTune kinda way (smoothing, remove blemishes, whiten teeth etc). If you’re looking to get some new photos done in Toronto there’s a booth at Ryerson near YD Square or you can catch them at airports around the USA. See locations here. I would love to be able to book it for a day at our office. I think I’ll pop into the Ryerson one next time I’m on the area. I had been meaning to get a couple photos for ages and this was SO EASY. OK THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY OFF TO GET MY HAIR DONE BYE!

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Cyber Monday, More Like Cyber Funday! ?

Did you buy any stuff today? I’ve been out and about around New Orleans but I’m back in my apartment to check on and share a few deals before the day is done. Last week for Black Friday I ordered a new Instant Pot from Amazon and an Echo Dot. I’ve been obsessed with the Instant Post since we got one last year for Christmas and I use it a couple times a week. SOME OF MY FAV DEALS ON AMAZON TODAY! [amazon_link asins=’B06Y1MP2PY,B00QJDU3KY,B07456NHZ7,B074R17GS5,B01LBWEMP4′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’casiestewartc-20′ marketplace=’CA’ link_id=’1850eb58-d3bf-11e7-b8b7-f5b4dff9c389′]

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Social Media Week Kicks Off Today – Visit YouTube, Twitter, Inspiring Speakers

Today kicks off Social Media Week in Toronto. I’ve been part of it every year since it started, in some capacity. This year I’m on the SMTWO  Advisory Board for my second year and speaking on a panel Wednesday. It is truly amazing to be part of an industry that has grown and developed SO MUCH the last 10 years. I could go on an on about how special the start of it was and how there were so few people. Back then, the role of Community Manager didn’t exist, we couldn’t’ schedule updates, there were no analytics, no budgets, and advertising was few and far between.  Back then people had influence, we called them leaders. Fearless self-starters who took chances, tried new things and did things differently. We followed to see what they would do next. Influence came from their work and the impact it had on others, not just followers.  Things have really changed and they continue to change. This is what makes Social Media Week such an important event for our growing industry. Every year the topics are different and there’s new platforms, policies, and processes to discuss. For the past couple months, I’ve been tweeting ‘NEW THINGS EVERY DAY‘ almost daily when a new feature is added to Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat. It’s a challenging space to work in because your tools and the entire drawing board are always changing. #SMWTO has TONS of cool things, here are a few of my favourites! Take a Tour of Twitter Interview with Instagram Mega-Star @GirlWithNoJob Tour YouTube Space Canada Ready to Lead w/ Kirstine Stewart “Clapback” and the Progression of Brand Tone on Social Media Working with Influencers: Then and Now (My panel wd/ Deb from RockIt!) Fireside chat w/ Founders of Diply How to Make Friends and #ReachPeople Thank you to Michelle & Pinch…

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Casie & Emily’s Review of Prodigy Game on iPad

On a rainy day last week I was almost late to pick Embot up from daycare so we decided to go for burgers and test out Prodigy Game. Em spent hours playing over the next few days. In that time she created an avatar for herself, explored Prodigy Game’s world, enhanced her math skills and even described it as ‘really fun.’ Prodigy is a free math game with over 20 million students, teachers, and parents using it worldwide.  It combines gaming and education for students in grades 1-8, alleviates math anxiety and teaches valuable math skills aligned with the student’s curriculum at school. Prodigy Game was also recently named by Canadian Business as one of the top 10 fastest-growing start-ups in Canada. Companies like this are educating our young people and also providing cool jobs for our tech sector! I wasn’t very good at math in high school and did summer school or night school every year until I graduated. Safe to say I’ve always been on the highly creative side. It’s important to work on these skills as a kid so you’re equipped with the tools you need to excel in the future. Last year, our provincial government implemented a $60-million math strategy, but math scores in Ontario are still low with half of Grade 6 students not meeting the provincial standard. Prodigy Game addresses that major issue in our education system and helps students tackle – and beat – their math anxieties. Emily doesn’t mind math but she reallllllly loves her iPad. Legit this kid could watch videos all day of people making slime or doing funny challenges on YouTube. I was so glad to see her using it to play an educational game, by choice. Parenting WIN. Em was on Level 3 when 2 kids about her age passed by and saw her playing. The younger one said…

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