A couple weeks ago I saw these posts popping up on Instagram with #santaclaritydiet from influencers in the US. All the posts had hashtags like #Fitspo#NewYearNewYou #Hello2017#ImGonnaKillIt and then I was like what the hell is this diet? And what’s with the blood? Well, we all know now that Santa Clarita Diet is a new show from Netflix and it starts TOMORROW. Drew Barrymore is the mum and something happens and then she is ‘undead’. Tune into Netflix tomorrow to see what’s next. Netflix consistently makes great shows so I always give them spin. Also, since I spend so much time binge watching, we can easily can kill a season in a weekend. Here’s the Santa Clarita Diet ‘Starter Kit’ they sent me: I really appreciate a good marketing package and Netflix consistently blows it out of the park. One year for Valentines they sent a House of Cards themed package to go along with the season launch. Another time then sent custom House of Cards Against Humanity. At Christmas once they sent a Bill Murray Christmas sweater and Netflix show themed wrapping paper. For award season one year they sent this package to play bingo and slippers for my guests. I’ll be watching Santa Clarita Diet this weekend. Make sure you are following me on Twitter bc I always live tweet what I’m watching! LMK what you think. Tweet to @casiestewart

Did you have a nice time over the holidays? I did! I took a break from blogging and IG to recharge my batteries and I feel so alive! It might help that yesterday I went for a b12 shot and IV of vitamins at REVIV. In 2017 I am excited to focus on doing great work, telling stories about tech, and helping others. As I was driving yesterday the sun was going down and it was so bright and beautiful I stopped to catch it lighting up my face. Over the holidays I did a couple volunteer shifts for different charities including cooking & serving lunch at Evangel Hall on New Years Eve w/ the #GivingBackVibes crew. [We did this last month too, see here.] I fulfilled my dream of wrapping presents at the mall before christmas w/ Nneka Elliot at TD centre in support of StepStones For Youth. The day before I volunteered to help sort clothes with the NuScreen Digital team at Brands for Canada. I feel so good that I was able to give some of my time to help others. You’re going to see more of this in 2017. Volunteering w/ @nuscreeninc at @BrandsForCanada! ?✌?? pic.twitter.com/b3C10jtwHK — CASiE STEWART (@casiestewart) December 21, 2016 I went home between Christmas and New Years to spend some quality time with my parents. Set both mum and dad up with new tech gadgets and had lots of laughs over great food. They’re only an hour away so this year I want to spend more time hanging out. Today was a really fun day. ❤ pic.twitter.com/P10zek09Nv — CASiE STEWART (@casiestewart) December 30, 2016 On New Years Eve, Sean and I went to Ikea to get some organizing stuff and things for Em’s room.  We watched the Minimalism doc on Netflix a couple…

Christmas is just over a week away and there’s a good chance you still have few people on your nice list (including yourself!). ?? Telus has a ton of amazing gifts you can buy online or from one of their interactive stores across Canada. You’ve gotta check out the Eaton Centre store in Toronto if you haven’t yet, theres heaps of things for your home, travel, audio, AND toys, aside from phone stuff. Last year I got a Nest thermostat, amazing JBL speaker, great USB cables, and a MIP robot for the child. Here’s a few of MY FAVS from the 2016 Telus Gift Guide. These are all things I’ve gifted or been given in the last year – Fitbit, Instax camera, BB8, and the PureGear Metallic Cable. BB8 Sphero Robot – $189.99 Last weekend I surprised Embot with a tiny little BB8 Droit. She loves Star Wars and robots. BB8 comes with a stand for charging and connects to Force Band through the app on your phone via Bluetooth. Once connected, you use THE FORCE to push, pull, and control BB-8 like Em is doing here. She’s been having so much fun using to guide him around the house. He can easily go over carpet, rug, tile and wood floors too. Instax Mini 8 Camera – $99 This camera is great. A total hit at holiday parties and with the parents. I took photos of everyone at mums one Christmas and this year I’ve packaged up some stuff to send back to New Zealand filled with Instax prints from the last few months. You can order one of these online or pick up at a Telus store. They’ve got the Instax Mini 8 cam available in Rose Gold, Blue, Black, and white. See this post for an #InstaxHolidays giveaway + Twitter party details for tonight!  Fitbit 2 Charge  –…

This week my computer had a non-fatal heart attack. Luckily I’ve got a backup of all my files. During my 3.5hr stopover at the Apple Genius Bar yesterday we wiped my Macbook Pro clean and started fresh with the operating system. It was so full before that it could not even. It’s so much faster now, I’m never letting that happen again! I’ve been looking through thousands of photos on my backup drive and came across these ones of my mum and sister. We hung out in the beaches one afternoon a while back and for christmas I edited and framed a few of them for my parents. One year I had a bunch of stickers made with Social Print Studio and stuck them on everyones cards. Once you download the SPS app you connect Instagram, and easily print your photos in frames, on wood, cards, stickers, life size prints. This year I’m working on 2 projects one for holiday cards and another photo thing for my fam. I’m a little behind but going through these photos is good motivation. Can’t wait to spend some quality time with these ladies over the holidays!

Last week Gracie and I had the opportunity to attend TD’s Your Story Your Future Speakers Series with Cheryl Strayed at the AGO. Name sound familiar? Cheryl Strayed is the author of WILD, which was made into an Oscar nominated film starring Reese Witherspoon. The story documents Strayed’s solo hike up the Pacific Crest Trail. I’d watched the movie before attending the talk but hearing her stories in real life was really inspiring. Something that stood out was Strayed’s advice from her mum that reminded me of something my mum would say ‘this is character building’ in regards to getting through hard times. TD’s “Your Story Your Future” program combines workshops and inspirational speaker events to help women feel confident about setting and achieving their financial goals. I’ve written about a few of my financial accomplishments over the last few years (read those here). I feel it’s really important for us as women to grab the reigns of our finances and set goals so we can prepare for our future. I remember when my parents got divorced, I was a teenager, and my mum was going back into the workforce after 16+ years. She stressed the importance of having my own money, not getting into a position where I had to rely on someone else when it came to my finances. Only 3 out of 10 women have a financial plan for their future and TD’s Women Investor Program wants to change that. The program was created for the growing number of women who influence a growing share of wealth in Canada and might be looking for a more personalized investment experience from men. According to a representative from TD Bank: “One of the key differences between men and women investors is a desire for a more holistic financial advisory relationship – one that is…

This weekend I’m taking a little drive to Cambridge to visit my parents for a few hours and I’m so stoked.  It’s hard to believe the summer is almost over! I love September, it feels like a little reset, opportunity to move forward, ditch old habits, and set new goals. I talk to mum almost everyday but haven’t seen her since before my birthday in May. She spends most of the summer on her boat and I’m at the cottage most weekends. It’s also been ages since I’ve seen Dad! Neither of my parents have seen me since my BR surgery in June, so I’m quite keen to visit. I’ve arranged a car that can fit both parents and their partners so I can take the whole gang out for brekky! It’s not THAT far away but since I don’t own a car it’s a bit of a hassle to get there and back, especially for a short visit. I’ve booked a carshare for Saturday morning and it’s pretty affordable & managed in an app. I’m totally guilty of being ‘busy‘ all the time and the rest of the time I feel like I’m tired. Sometimes I just need to sit on the couch and do nothing or tweet alongside something like The Bachelor to give my brain a break. On that note, I’m making more time to exercise, I’m looking to try just about ANY workout class that gets me off the couch right now. Since my surgery I feel A LOT better in workout clothes, I was REALLY self conscious before. Was gifted a 30 day membership to justtryit.ca so my plan is to try 10 classes at 10 gyms. I’ve gone to a few more aerial yoga and reformer pilates classes since my class last week. My two week pass is up on Tuesday. I really like…