I installed the new WP 5.0 that came out last week right away. I like to be the first to try things out. I’ve always been an early adopter. There are a few glitches but I believe this is the start of a new, modern, flexible WordPress. It gives you so much more customization in the way your work is displayed, photos, galleries, quotes.
I ran into an issue when I first installed WP 5.0 where it reverted me back to the Classic Editor. I lost Gutenberg when I installed 5.0 then I installed the Classic Editor and couldn’t get Gutenberg back. I searched a whole bunch of WP developer forums and it was VERY CLEAR, people HATE Gutenberg and they HATE Blocks. To fix it I disabled the Classic Editor plugin, and deleted, reinstalled the Gutenberg editor. I also disabled Page Builder (Site Origin) and a couple other plugins that I wasn’t using and probably weren’t updated for WP 5.0.
I blogged about my fav parts of the new Gutenberg Editor back in August when it was released here.
One of my favourite things in the new editor is how you can display images wide across the page. I love the way galleries look stretched out instead of just within the pixel width of your blog text. So pretty. These photos are from Ashley Longshore gallery in New Orleans, LA.
What are your thoughts on the new WordPress, do you love it or do you hate it?
Over the past 2 years, I’ve been on a mission to be healthier, both mentally & physically. Ever since I took that solo trip to LA I’ve been paying more attention to my body and taking more time for myself. My next quest is to learn about gut health.
Did you know that your overall well-being, including your weight and immunity, may be tied to your gastrointestinal health?
In the summer I went to a workshop hosted by Koena, an over-the-counter probiotic supplement to promote gastrointestinal health. This was my first introduction to gut health and got me thinking about my family. Last month I went to another workshop focussing on food sensitivity, leaky gut, and overall gut health. I’m learning but there’s so much to know.
A key takeaway is you really are what you eat and your gut is connected to your brain which is connected to everything else.
What are Probiotics?
Probiotics are “friendly” bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal track and help maintain and protect gastrointestinal health.
This week I’m starting with Koena Probiotic Supplement for adults. Their products have no GMOs, are vegan, gluten free, preservative free, with no dyes or artificial flavours. The adult formula has a blend of probiotics and a prebiotic (fibers).
Koena’s also offers certain blends for women and children’s individual needs. Their products are crafted from naturalmedicinal ingredients to promote healthy gut flora.
Our intestines are populated by a large number of various bacterial strains: a well-balanced and rich intestinal flora, also called the microbiota, is able to protect us from many disorders. Its activity helps with everything from digesting food, to fighting infections and protecting the body from toxins.
If you have any tips for gut health (or remembering to take your vitamins) I’m all ears! I’ll be sharing an update in a few weeks on how I’m feeling and my recommendations on probiotics.
I started drinking kombucha this summer, I wonder how long till I start making it myself?!
In partnership with koena.This product may not be suitable for you. Always read and follow label instructions. TM: Trademark owned or used under license by Sandoz Canada Inc.
A couple weeks ago I went on an autumn adventure to Stratford, Ontario. Home of Justin Bieber and the Stratford Festival, the city has lots to offer and is just a 2hr drive from downtown Toronto. We have so many great plces to visit within a 2hr drive of Toronto and it was so nice to visit Stratford again. I hadn’t been since I was a kid! I spent the day with Stratford Tourism and learned it’s quite the quaint destination for culture, food, shopping, and of course theatre. I was happy to find a few cute boutiques with vintage finds, local brands, unique jewellery, and beautiful housewares. Luckily I drove so I had room to fit my purchases in the boot!
Revival House
Stratford Theatre
Downtown Stratford
Revel Coffee
What to Do: Stratford Ontario
Here’s a few of the things I really loved about Stratford aside from catching a show. If theatre is your jam it’s definitely worth seeing one of the many nightly shows, we saw To Kill A Mockingbird which was great. (I did not know this story which is like whoaaa btw).
The Stratford Festival is world renowned and for $29 you can get a bus to and from the theatre from Downtown Toronto. Upcoming shows include Billy Elliot, Othello, The Neverending Story and more. See the full list here.
Shopping
New socks from Distill
Cute fitting rooms
Lots of great Canadian made accessories
Love this carpet!
Can’t forget the Biebs!
La Osa Vintage – This store is amazing. It’s on a side street from Market Square and FULL of vintage and new items from Canadian designers. They also carry heaps of unique jewellery. I could have really lit some $$$ on ??? in there!
Wills & Prior – This spot in the heart of Market Square has heaps of beautiful items for your home. The owner used to live in TO and work in PR and she’s left the city for small-town life. I was kinda jealous hearing about her journey and the store is so beautiful you’ll want to move right in!
Distill Gallery – The spot for well-crafted Canadian design, this shop has over a hundred different artisans and they have heaps of great accessories and gifts, plus a great selection of creative cards. I picked up a pair of gorgeous silk socks by Strathcona.
Wills & Prior, house goals
Candles @ Wills & Prior
They have books too
Amen to this card!
Food
Revival House – This spot is an old church that’s been renovated and is run by a local couple. It’s a beautiful space for weddings and the huge windows let the light in to create a bright dining space. Upstairs is a bar called Belfry Lounge that offers incredible cocktails made with local ingredients. On Thursdays, they have a record night where people can bring their own records and the owner DJs. It caters to the 35+ crowd and honestly sounds like a total blast. Great spot.
Revel Coffee – This shop is a hub for fairtrade coffee and homemade pastry & sweets made in their open kitchen. It had a steady flow of locals and lots of tables if you want some creative time. We all sat at a large main table with recycled wood from the shop the used to occupy the space. They have a great patio for warm temperatures and are located right in Market Square.
Revival House
Amazing decor at Revival House
Upstairs at Belfry Bar
Great food & local ingredients
Revel
Fairtrade coffee @ Revel
Art @ Revel
Stratford For the Holidays
Christmas Trail -This is a shopping tour of 25 shops downtown Stratford. You’ll get six gifts along the tour for just $30(+HST). You’ll even be able to see lookout for seven swans a swimming! ? It runs until Dec. 20th, details here.
Outdoor Christmas Market– Their Very Victorian Christmas is at Market Square and has all kinds of cute things that will surely get you in the spirit and boost up your holidays IG content. ?? Ex. carousel rides, mini markets and Santa, of course.
For more info on Stratford check out visitstratford.ca. Huge thank you to the team at Stratford Tourism for taking us on an adventure. Great to explore part of Ontario I hadn’t seen in a while!
Stratford Tourism invited me and covered my expenses but the experience is all mine!
Across Canada, 1.5 million children go hungry without access to nutritious food every single day, 30K Canadians are homeless (mostly young people), and 40% of low-income families don’t have internet access putting kids at risk for falling behind in school. We can all do something to help and this year Telus launched the Friendly Future Foundationputting $120 million into addressing the social and economic challenges facing Canadian youth. I am proud to work with Telus and have been a #TeamTelus partner for the last 8 years.
The Foundation will give grants to grassroots charities in communities across Canada who really know their community and how to help. By partnering with smaller charities, they’re able to help out groups that might be missed by huge corporate donors and make a big impact in small communities. I think this is an amazing approach. I work with Brands For Canada, an organization that provides new clothing & basic needs supplies to people across Canada and this method of working with local charities has worked great for them.
The Friendly Future Foundation funding will help kids build up digital literacy skills, get basic healthcare and mental health support to the homeless, and open up other educational opportunities. Here’s an example of doing good in a community not too far from us, Telus donated $20K to the Women’s Shelter in Barrie.
The $120 million TELUS has provided for the Friendly Future Foundation is the largest donation made by a publicly traded Canadian company in history and one of the largest ever in North America. Way to go team!
Over the past two decades, TELUS, team members and retirees have contributed more than $1 billion of value to Canadians, through $530 million in financial support and 1.21 million days of volunteerism. Last year alone they (we!) volunteered 1 million hours.
I’m continuously impressed by how Telus gives in communities where they live. I’ve had the opportunity to do some giving back of my own through volunteer programs and they have made over $21,000 in charity donations on my behalf. This year my donation went to Cambridge Montessori (where I went!) and last year my donation went to SKETCH, an art based program for kids in the GTA. I’m hoping to do more with Telus and local programs for 2019.
Have a project that could use some help? You can APPLY for fundinghere. The deadline for Toronto applications is January with different deadlines across Canada. So, if you want to make a difference, learn more about community grants here and get on it.
For more information about the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation visit friendlyfuture.com/en/foundation. And for some inspirational stories about people Telus has already helped, check these out.
This post is part of my long-term partnership with Telus sharing great stuff the brand is doing, my favourite things about being a customer, and tech gadgets I love (or want!).
The vacuum is incredible. Best I’ve ever had. I love it. The end.
VROOOOOOM, this baby has some POWER.
Okjk jk. I received an email about a month to review the new Dyson Cyclone V10 and was 100% down. In exchange for my review, I get to keep the unit and my house had never been cleaner! This thing has some SERIOUS power. It’s also easy to use right out the box (once charged!) and if you have kids around, a great motivator to clean.
Adulting is cool. Excited to bust this open and take ‘er for a spin! Thank you @Dyson! Will be sharing my thoughts on the bloggy. pic.twitter.com/YV3R69Eq7O
I love that it’s cord-free. You can just grab it and go for quick clean ups around the house, the couch, kitchen, stairs, baseboards. I’ve been using it almost daily as a small dust buster style like the photo above. This weekend we had my sister and her step-daughter over for movie night and DIY pizzas complete with chips and popcorn. I usually can be kinda crazy about not making a mess but I didn’t freak out, Dyson to the rescue! The V10 is a godsend for the area around the couch and kitchen. How do they always get so messy?! We have dark hardwood floors in the living room and I find the area around the kitchen stools needs to be cleaned daily, the V10 is especially great for this.
The dusting wand is amazing for corners by baseboards and other hard to reach areas like the ceilingvents. In other news, Emily has cleaned her room every weekend since we got it.
All the parts that come with the Dyson V10
Size wise, is a bit bigger and heavier than the V6 which is likely due to the larger bin and additional battery power. Also, I kind of wish it had an on-off switch, you currently have to hold your finger on the trigger to use it but I do like that I’m always in control. The battery lasts up to an hour which is really handy. You can vacuum up almost anything other than dirt like, cereal, sugar, popcorn, paper scraps from crafting (as long as it’s dry). ? The V10 can hold more dust and debris with it’s40% larger bin and has hygienic bin emptying making it super easy to empty without making a mess. I love this feature because that last thing you want is get stuff all over the floor AFTER after you just vacuumed.
Learn more about this great little machine at dysoncanada.ca or order your very own on Amazon.
I previously had the Dyson V6 which was an incredible vacuum and after getting the V10 I gave it to a friend. I am a huge fan of Dyson products and also have the Dyson Pure Link Fan and use it daily (read that review here).
Dyson gave me the V10 vacuum but all the cleaning was done by me and this is my honest review!
