Sharing the Love w/ Ford Canada – Weekend Getaway at JW Muskoka

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. it’s amazing what a weekend away can do for your happiness, health, relationship, and spirit. Over the winter we don’t get away too often so when Ford Canada offered up the new Ford Expedition and hotel stay, I was so down.

2019 Ford Expedition Platinum from Ford Canada

We stayed at the JW Marriott Muskoka, one of Canada’s top 10 luxury resorts as voted by Conde Nast. I’ve wanted to stay here for ages and tweeting back in forth about Muskoka and cottage life for years. The staff were nice, the food was good, it was quiet. We didn’t do much other than eat and sleep but it was just the relaxing 24 hours we needed.

The lobby is quite modern and the whole place has a country house vibe. There was warm apple cider in the lobby, complimentary snowshoeing, snow bikes, and valet.

We were upgraded from a standard room to an apartment style suite which was verrrrrry roomy. A family of 4 could have stayed here no problem. It had a full kitchen, fireplace, two tvs, a private bedroom, washroom with 2 sinks, and a separate toilet/bath/glass shower, so you could use each independently.

I could have honestly stayed there for a week working on the great Americancan novel, or my blog.

Inside the JW Mariott Muskoka

The hallways feel a bit like you’re in a movie. We’re definitely going back in the summer to take in the outdoor spaces and activities.

The weather wasn’t great and neither were the roads. I was happy we were in a vehicle with 4 wheel-drive. The 2019 Ford Expedition Platinum is huge, especially when you are only 5’2 driving an SUV that seats 8! It’s also rollin’ on 22’s so you’re seated above most cars on the road. Great for visibility! The amazing traction control was very useful on icy Muskoka back roads.

“This is a very smart vehicle.”

Sean on the way home through a blizzard

This car definitely got dirty driving through lots of huge of slushy puddles, snowy roads, and a slight blizzard on the way home.

Some of my favourite features of the 2019 Ford Expedition:

  • wireless charging
  • heated steering wheel
  • massage chairs
  • heated/cooling seats
  • Hands-free liftgate (open back door with foot movement!)
  • SYNC3 & Apple Car Play
  • 360 + Backup cameras
  • B&O Soundsystem

There’s also entertainment screens in the back of the front seats but we didn’t use them as it was only us this weekend. Although, earlier in the week Emily absolutely LOVED sitting in the front seats, the middle seats, sleeping in the back seats, and the varying technology in each passenger location.

Another cool feature of this SUV is the Ford Pass App + Wireless Hot Spot, we didn’t use these features but I would 100% if I owned the vehicle.

Thank you Ford Canada for creating this experience. It was so nice. We had so many laughs and came home feeling rested.

If you’re keen to stay at the JW Muskoka, use this link on booking.com to get $40 back on any hotel reservation.

I’m looking forward to being back up in Muskoka in a few weeks to start opening the cottage.

The countdown to spring IS ON!

Ford Canada hooked us up with a car and hotel! Wooo hoo!

Get a Ticket for #IMakeALiving w/ FreshBooks

FreshBooks #IMakeALiving event at Burroughes, Casie Stewart speaking about building a brand online.

Next month, I’m speaking at FreshBooks #IMakeALiving event at the Burroughes. I’ve been following this series since it started and have been a few times. They bring together creatives from different industries to talk about how they make money, challenges, and lessons learned. You will leave feeling motivated and inspired.

#imakealiving: creating a genuine brand in the digital world

Our panel on March 27th brings together some great people and we’ll be talking about creating a brand in a digital world. Lots to discuss here!

Tickets are free, get one here!

Topics for the Night

  • Building an online business
  • Creating an online community
  • Projecting your persona
  • Creating authenticity in the digital space
  • Measuring ROI from impressions and reach
  • Finding the right social platform for your business

About #IMakeALiving

The #imakealiving event is returning to Toronto for the 4th time to bring together a diverse group of creatives, entrepreneurs and small business owners for a lively, candid and often hilarious conversation.

Part small business boot camp, part group therapy you’ll leave feeling inspired and motivated. Plus, you’ll get lots of actionable insights to take you and your business to the next level. After the discussion, the event opens up for networking & drinks – a great opportunity for you to meet like-minded folks!


If you’re not familiar with FreshBooks cloud accounting, check out freshbooks.com. I’ve been a customer for 5+ and use them to do all my invoicing!

Look forward to seeing you! LMK if you get a ticket!

casie stewart, this is my life

Tips for Growing Out Short Hair

At this point, I’m committed to growing my hair. It’s going to be a long road and I consider cutting it once a day BUT I WILL NOT DO IT. Right now, I’m determined to have a cute lob (long bob) in a couple of months. This super cold winter we’ve been having has been great for hair growth because I’ve been wearing a hat almost every day!

I got a trim the other day at Sassoon and asked my stylists to recommend some tips for hair growth. Thought I would share for anyone in the same situation. Do you not just wish there was some modern version of the Peanut Butter Solution?


Here’s some style tips from Sassoon to to help your hair long and healthy. If you’re looking for short hair inspiration, feast your eyes on my Short Hair Styles Pinterest board. Heaps of looks for all different lengths from buzzcut to bob.

While we still have a few weeks left of winter, check out my Winter Hair Care Tips post from last year.

Tips for Growing Your Short Hair

  1. Get regular trims, scissors are your friend!
  2. Avoid heat as much as you can. If you can, air dry!
  3. Don’t shampoo every time you shower
  4. Cold rinse at the end of your shower. I have learned to love this!
  5. Conditioning treatments – Pamper your hair with your hair with serums each week
  6. Avoid hair ties, they can break your hair!

Years ago, my old boss gave her hair growth a boost by eating heating heaps of Jello. Apparently, gelatin helps hair and nails grow too! You can also take supplements (ex. Viviscal) but I haven’t tried anything just yet.

One of my tricks through the awkward stages is to do small braids, wear scarves, or throw on a hat. I’m almost at the half up/half down stage.

If you have any tips of magical witchcrafy ways to make hair grow, I’m all ears!

Sharing the Love on Valentines Day w/ NKPR

Hope you’re having a great day! Remember, the most important person to love on Valentines is yourself! The more love you have the more you have to give.

Today I joined Cory Lee, Ish and a bunch of volunteers at NKPR for #NKPR26 where they are doing 26 Hours of Giving. We helped to pack sandwiches for #HashtagLunchbag, a global movement empowering everyday people in local communities to spread love, one lunch bag at a time. We packed over 700 lunches!  

To learn more about Hashtag Lunchbag and find an event near you, visit hashtaglunchbag.org.


Tonight Sean and I are having dinner with Emily. We celebrate each other & our love all year but later this month we’re heading up to a hotel in Muskoka and going snowmobiling. It will be my first time and Sean hasn’t gone out on one in years. Yes, mum, we’ll be safe! ?


Sending you love and sunshine through the internet. Have a great day!

Review: AfterShokz – Trekz Air, Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones

A few weeks ago I was looking for wireless headphones, I wanted something to wear to the gym but I wasn’t sure if I wanted noise cancelling or something else. There was a whole debate about what’s better on my Facebook page and I ended up ordering a pair of noise cancelling but they made everything…too quiet! I’m rarely in a situation where I want to silence everything, I feel safer when I can hear. I like to know what’s going on around me when I’m walking around outside, working out, or in transit.

Then something great happened! I got asked to review AfterShokz headphones with bone conduction technology in a program with PTPA. Over the next 4 months, I’ll be testing out the headphones in my daily life and sharing my experience. I was really keen to try how bone-conducting headphones work and the technology behind them.


First Impression

I can tell you right now that my first day I was pretty blown away. The cool thing is, since AfterShokz headphones don’t go IN your ear, you can still hear your music, a podcast, an emergency siren, or someone calling your name in the office. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I’m really quite into them, plus you can hardly notice when they’re on. [Don’t mind my hair it’s so wild right now!]

Comfort

Comfort is a big factor for me and these are small and lightweight, you can hardly feel you’re wearing them. I’m not that into earbuds, I’ve found most of them uncomfortable in the past. I feel like a bit of a dork telling you this but there’s been a few times I’ve had them on, forgot I was wearing them, then wondered where the music was coming from. Ha! They come with a handy carrying case for easy transport when you’re not wearing them but to be honest, you can wear them all the time with ease.

I love being able to hear what’s going on around me but also have a soundtrack to my life. 

Me on Day 1 w/ AfterShokz

How Does Bone Conduction Work?

The sound is a little bit hard to explain but I like it, it feels futuristic. You can turn up the volume so you hardly hear anything around you, or keep it low and be fully tuned in to your surroundings. They also come with ear plugs if you want a noise cancelling effect but I don’t think I’ll be using those.

According to Aftershokz:

“Bone conduction is a natural part of the hearing process—sound travels through our eardrums and bones simultaneously. We’ve taken the concept to the next level through development of a suite of proprietary audio technologies and design patents. The result: headphones that deliver unrivaled situational awareness and comfort.

via aftershokz.ca


In my next post, I’ll be sharing how they are for working out now that my shoulder is better. They repel sweat and I’m gonna put that to the test. I love that you can wear them cycling or running and still feel safe and alert to sounds around you. I also have a giveaway with a pair for a lucky reader so stay tuned for that! Any questions about the sound or bone conduction technology, leave a comment or Tweet me!

Follow #ShokzSquadCAN to see what the rest of the review team is saying. ?

casiestewart, blog, blogger, toronto, canada, travel, tech

Over the next 4 months, I'm reviewing AfterShokz headphones in a paid partnership with PTPA (Parent Tested Parent Approved). All opinions experiences are my own and I get to keep them!