Spring Forward 

I hate to blame daylight savings but this week I have been so tired. I had to fight myself every morning to get out of bed. I managed to do yoga and spin on Wednesday which was a big accomplishment. Last week I was so high on life and motivated. Writing heaps. Killing it everyday. This week, opposite. Almost everything I’ve had to get done work wise has been an up hill battle. End of the week, mum came to hang out and I took her around my neighbourhood and to some fab spots in the city. We picked Em up from circus camp, went to YouTube, got pizza, then saw Beauty & the Beast in 3D. It was go good to hang out. Mum has been my biggest supporter my whole life and it was really nice to treat her yesterday. Tonight we have some friends from Boston coming for dinner. I’ve got heaps on my to-do list but I’m determined to cross them all off today! I’ve got yoga at noon which will give me the energy I need to keep this momentum going. Em has a recital at this afternoon for March break Circus Camp. This week I mailed a few hand written letters with new stickers I had made in them and that made me feel really happy. This weekend I’m doing another terrarium workshop! (3rd of the year lol, I’m obsessed). My new pillows from Notion Manufacturing arrived this week which was also a small joy and good for a few LOLs. Sean loves it hahahahhahaha. Full of LULZ w/ my first @NotionMFG order. Who wants one?? ??? pic.twitter.com/G5tLJN2R3E — CASiE STEWART (@casiestewart) March 16, 2017 Remember it’s important to listen to your body and relax if you need to. Being ‘on’ all the time and…

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Breaking Down Investments w/ @TangerineBank

Last month I spoke on panel about investments with Tangerine Bank. Not ONLY was it super fun (watch the Facebook Live below) but I learned quite a bit about investing, RSPs, fees, and funds. Over the past few years I’ve shared my millennial money woes and it’s not been easy, sometimes embarrassing (remember the show Maxed Out?), but facing the problem head on helped me find a solution. Once I set a goal to payback school debt by 30, I stuck to it and accomplished my goal. Now I’m getting into investing my money so I have some later. I dream about retirement life all the TIME. WATCH THE VIDEO   We’re LIVE at BrainStation breaking down investments with Tangerine Investments Director David McGann, Personal Finance Expert & Blogger Barry Choi, Millennial Money Expert Jessica Moorhouse, Award-winning Content Creator Casie Stewart and Chef Matt Basile of Fidel Gastro’s. Here’s a few key takeaways I think are really important, like how much money you need, when to start, and watching out for fees. How much $ do you need to start investing? NOT A LOT. The most important thing is getting into the habit of putting money away. Once you start to see it grow, you want it to grow more. I love putting money in my TFSA, good security to see that nest egg. When is the best time to start? NOW. In the panel I said ‘a year from now you’ll wish you started today‘, this also works for the gym and eating healthy. Not matter what age you are, start putting some $$$ away. Mum set up my first mutual fund in high school after getting my first job, but I took the money out for university. I can only imagine what it would be now if I…

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Smart Marketing from Netflix w/ #SantaClaritaDiet

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

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Do What You Want. This Is Your Year.

Earlier this month, I was in LA and it was the first time in a long time, since I went on a trip without an itinerary. It was so freeing to be on my own, open road, and do whatever want. On my first night I went to a sound bath + breath workshop. I made a new friend in Vegas who invited me to go that night and even though I didn’t know what it really was, I went. It was really great. It’s important to step out of your comfort zone. You have to open yourself to new experiences in order to let the light in.  I feel like the experience changed me a bit. That night I set an intention for the week of my trip and I carried those thoughts around. I’m still carrying them tbh! I feel calmer, more focussed. ?? This photo was me picking up my rental car from the airport. I picked a car I really wanted to drive. [Mini Convertable via Turo, they gave me a couple credits to go towards it!]  LA is so huge and it’s always rush hour so why not make the most of it? I was driving Hollywood Blvd. when I saw a vintage store and a meat pie shop. I love both those things and was hungry. Made my next left, parked, and gave mum a ring. We chatted on the phone for 45min while I scrolled racks talking about life and random things I saw. It made me feel so free. I had nowhere to be and nothing to do and I was hanging out in Hollywood, honeyyyyyy. I got a meat pie after that and stared out the window watching people walk by. It’s not very glamorous but it was totally stress free and just…

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Travel Goals: RV Adventure 2017

When I was a kid my grandpa Doug converted an old school bus into the ultimate traveller complete w/ stove, bbq, and a few beds. We would drive about 2hrs to the Down Under Summer Games with heaps of Kiwis and Aussies. It was so much fun, we would sing, dance, have a a hangi, go fishing, and watch the dads do a gumboot toss. It’s a down under thing haha. This summer I’m planning to live out one of my dreams and so an RV adventure. GoRVing Canada has invited me and I’ve not set out the details but it’s going down. ? Or East, West, who knows! GoRVing.ca helps RVers in Canada with information about RV dealers, RV rentals, RV parks and campgrounds. Find all kinds of info at gorving.ca. ???? The airstream section was my favourite. It’s totally hipster of me but I love the hyyge, cozy, retro of it all. I think I could do a summer living in one of these as long as I had wifi and freshwater. I’ve learned to need way fewer things over the last few years. There are so many different kitchen/sleep/bathroom options, sizes, and pries in RVs. I knew there would be a lot to consider as a friend told me about the campingfunzone.com RV/trailer article she read and what you need to take into consideration but I was overwhelmed! I was impressed by the luxe of some, full kitchens, big fridge, queen beds. Overheard a conversation of a few people talking about how they used to live on their boat and now are looking for a nice RV to travel land on. So cool! A few years back my mum & her bf lived on their boat for a year and sailed to the Bahamas. I’ve always admired…

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NEW YEAR, NEW YOU! 

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…

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My Fav Tech Gifts from the 2016 Telus Holiday Guide

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  –…

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#tbt Photos Make a Great Gift

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!

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Capital One Canada – What Type of Leader Are You?

A couple weeks ago at the Enactus World Cup with Capital One Canada I did a survey to see what type of leader I was. I love doing these types of tests. (I have a tattoo based on a personality test I did a few times in high school & university.) What I love about the Enactus program is how it’s helping create young leaders around the world collaborate, implement, and celebrate, ideas. Their businesses are having an impact on global food, water, and sustainability. These leaders are socials conscious innovators, who take matters into their own hands, they look at the world and think ‘how can I make a difference?’ Aside from being super inspired by this experience, it was also awesome that Canada WON the competition on home soil in Toronto. Read about their innovative hydroponics system that’s bringing fresh produce to Canadian communities HERE. My first result in the Capital One Survey survey was ‘Visionary Leader’ but I think there’s characteristics of all the different types I can identify with. What kind of leader are you? Take the survey below to find out! My Test Result – Visionary Leader: Big goals + big picture = big payoff! “The dreamer who likes to operate at 30,000 feet. You have a vision of what the world will be like in the future and you set about to make things happen. There’s no idea too big for you to tackle.” I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. In primary school there was a rule implemented where you needed a gym bag to put your clothes in for class. So, I went home that night and made a bunch of drawstring bags on the sewing machine with mum. The next day I had three sizes and sold them to kids at school.…

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Hello From The Other Side of The Screen

Last week I was so exhausted but after a weekend of naps and relaxing, I feel so much better. We went out for a mini-halloween on Friday and took the rest of the weekend off. I’m usually ALL ABOUT Halloween but this year, I was too dang tired. Travelling the last month has been great but it started to catch up with me the last couple days. I was feeling sick, tired, sad, discouraged. I often rirng mum on days like that and she reminds me to take a nap and not be too hard on myself. Almost every single time I feel like giving up and ‘getting a real job’, something great is around the corner. This year I’ve signed up for NaNoWiMo (National Novel Writing Month) after a few unsuccessful attempts ovefre last 5 years. The goal is to write a novel in 30 days with a little bit each day. I’ve been working on a 10 year blog/book thinger for years a while and I’m determined to have it done by the end of 2016. I’ve got the framework all together and I just to actually sit in a quiet room and WRITE. Winter is always my ‘hibernation station’ time to focus and set goals for the upcoming year. I don’t have any trips planned till after Christmas so this month is all about self care and spending quality time at home and with my computer. Being on the go is a really exciting but part of my life but I also really love being at home writing on my computer. I’ve got heaps of stories to share so I hope you’ll stick along for the ride. Here’s to a great week! With love,

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