Day 227: Witches In The Woods

It snowed today for the first time this season. I’m not ready for it but I also feel so romantic about it. I instantly want to start playing Christmas music while it falls slowly outside the windows. The sun came out for a minute in the afternoon and the snow finally stopped. I needed a break, so I put on my witch outfit and went into the woods. As one does! I am definitely my fav subject to shoot and highly recommend taking your own photo once in a while. I could have asked Sean but I find I like to do it myself and take my time. I don’t always know what I’m doing when I start so I like to just go with the flow and feel it out. Sometimes it works out and sometimes I just pack up and go inside and do it another time. I usually end up with a couple of good photos and a whole bunch that get deleted. I also like to take Live photos so I can turn them into short videos with the Lively app. I set up my tripod and use a self-timer or one of these handy Bluetooth remotes from Amazon. Most of the photos in my Instagram posts are taken by me with this method or a straight-up selfie. I made this video and was laughing so hard at the witch cackle, Sean was like ‘what are you DOING?’. Oh nothing, just being weird haha. See the video with AUDIO on Instagram here. With love from the woods!

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Day 220: Sit Down and Let It Out

I’ve wanted to write for the last few days and I didn’t feel like it. It wasn’t until I just started writing whatever came into my head that I was reminded how much I love to write things down. It might seem silly but sometimes you just gotta sit down and let it out. Having a diary (online or off) is so good for thinking through your own issues and reminding yourself who you are. It’s a great way to get to know YOU again. On Day 7 back in March, I wrote a post called Give Yourself A Break and I’m surprised I haven’t started a series with the same name because we all need it right now. The theme for this post is the same. I haven’t been feeling great today. I’m low energy and tonight I plan to watch Gossip Girl and go to bed early. It’s ok to give yourself a break, actually, I quite recommend it. I didn’t post on IG Stories for two days (even longer for the feed!) and it’s a small thing but it gives me a small pleasure. Sometimes I just don’t feel like posting. Everything seems a bit harder these days and we gotta know when to take a break. You never know what might happen so it’s important to try and see the bright side. We all have something to be grateful for, remember those things, write them down if you need to. I really love the caption on my good friend Brigitte’s post today. A good reminder, it’s ok to feel the feels.

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Day 131: Shiny Disco Ball

I ordered this outfit at the start of quarantine and tbh it’s one of my favs!. Sean likes to say I’m riding in the Tour de France in it haha. We’ve got a pretty nice indoor garden growing in the kitchen now. I put a little disco ball in the window and each day around 4 pm the sun hits it just right sending glitter dots all over the room. It’s a simple thing that makes me smile! This is the most populat tweet I’ve had in a while. I had a little meltdown about a project but everything was a-ok. Sometimes you just need to cry it out and make yourself a bowl of tiny pancakes. In other news, my roots are so long now that I had to get darker bobby pins! I don’t mind the way it looks now it’s just a change, longest and most natural I’ve had it in over a decade! I don’t think I’ll be having a hair appt for a while so I have to get used to it. ? Spent the night watching Love on The Spectrum on Netflix and had a Facetime hangout with two of my BFFs. Feeling good!

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Beat Winter SAD: 50 Self-care Ideas

Self-care can legit mean just about anything these days. For me, there are a lot of things I like to do and sometimes it’s as simple as putting away that pile of clothes or saying no to leaving the house. I made a list of things I like to do for myself, usually on a Sunday to prep for the week. Self-care is taking a few moments to yourself to do something for yourself, which makes you feel good and alleviate stress. Thankfully this winter hasn’t been as brutal as last year’s super cold months where everything was covered in ice. The 2019 winter blues really got me down and I am trying to best to make this winter not seem as dark, lonely, and depressing. It may seem like I am out on the town quite a bit but I assure you, it’s usually not for long. I love staying at home. I love hair masks, face masks, exfoliating, nice lotion, naps, cooking, and doing things inside the house. I started this list to make 10 things but kept going and now there are 50. Most of these you can do without leaving your house of opening your wallet. I added a shoppable section at the bottom in case you want to grab any of my favorites via Amazon Prime. If you are feeling down, do one little thing each day to bring happiness into your life. You DESERVE it. Treat yourself!

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My Fitness Journey (So Far)

Let me start this by staying I felt like complete shit for a lot of last year. Behind the many smiling selfies, I was in pain, depressed, and trying to ignore nerve damage in half of my face. I had been treating my body like garbage with alcohol, bad food, no sleep, and something had to change. I gained a bunch of weight and after being small my whole life, I wasn’t happy. I couldn’t live like that anymore. For a lot of 2009-2019 I went to multiple events a week, sometimes several per night. I was always on the go. I ate like crap and drank multiple times a week. When I hit my 30’s, my body changed, I gained weight, then I had a breast reduction, nearly broke my back w/ two cracked back ribs and closed out the decade with a fractured collarbone. A lot of good things happened in the last decade too but I’ve already shared that stuff. For years I dreamed of being a better me, one who ate healthier, felt good in a bathing suit, had longer hair, and genuine happiness that shined out of her face. That’s who I wanted to be so I started doing things differently. From September to January, I lost 20+Lbs and does it ever make a difference! I’m saving time by not stressing over my clothes not fitting. I feel mentally and physically stronger. I have more energy and I’m happier. Here’s the low down on how I got here and I feel confident that I will stick to it this time because I love feeling this way. Fasting In August 2019 I started intermittent fasting, 8hrs eating window (noon-8 pm) and fasting the rest of the day. I started to feel healthier, more energized, and leaner…

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It’s A Long Road, You Got This

Last weekend Cory and I went on a BFF adventure to take photos at some walls we’d had our eyes on. This might seem weird to you but if you live that ‘blog life’ sometimes you need to shoot stuff and create content. Our main goal was to this up this rainbow wall on Orfus road so we packed a bunch of clothes and set out on a nice sunny day. When we arrived, much to our surprise, there was a HUGE pink wall painted with a massive red heard. Very on-brand for me! It was perfect. I highly recommend it for fun photos, kids, family, or capturing content. As we were leaving, I noticed the wall was one side of the YM Inc. building and I was flooded with flashbacks. My first job after university was at YM Inc., I was Assistant to the Purchasing Director. One winter when my boss went to Florida for a month, I decided to start a blog. It was on blogger, I could write text using a WYSIWYG Editor, upload photos, and share links. I posted mostly CGI photos I drew on the computer, told stories, posted really short thoughts and ideas. The first few years hardly anyone read it. There was no Twitter, Instagram wasn’t invented, YouTube only just launched. Some of my first posts: Chasing the Subway Apparently I’m been interested in not eating meat for quite some time She’s Gonna Write A Book About You First motorcycle ride At that time I had no idea where I was going with this blog thing but I liked it. It made me feel relaxed to write things down and document my life. Almost 15 years later, I still feel this way about writing my blog. I found something I loved and I…

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ROLLERCOASTER DAY

Some days I have it all together and others I am just a mess. This morning I woke up and started planning my outfit for Booby Ball on Friday in support of ReThink Breast Cancer. I left the house feeling positive and ready to attend a talk with the Rebel Mamas on talking to kids about cannabis put on by Drug-Free Kids Canada & Aphira. Dropped my stuff off at the office grabbed my ‘Rebel Mama’ clutch and jotted down the street to be there for 11am and GUESS WHAT?! The restaurant said ‘CLOSED’, not like, just for the day, closed as not-yet-a-functioning-establishment-closed. Checked the email again, then the initial DM. Location changed. I could have easily gone to the right location but it was too late now. Or, had I not left the house, I could have casually worked from home until late afternoon. Urghhhhhh. And I stepped in a puddle, in Converse. I’d planned to stop by Dollerama so I went there to get some supplies for Friday’s costume. Grabbed a sandwich. Set up my computer at the office. Stared at the screen. Felt garbadgey. LIFE IS SO EMOTIONAL. I considered going home again but I’ve got hair & makeup for the Fashion heals for Sick Kids show at 5. I stay at the office downtown. Felt distracted. I decided to look into flights to New Orleans for the group trip I’ve been doing for years. Forgot about my Aeroplan miles, booked the trip, only had to pay tax. Put this song on and wow, I feel so much better. I love how a song can change your mood. Sometimes it’s your boyfriend bringing you a cookie from his morning meeting. Sometimes it’s finding an old gift card or remembering travel rewards. I wore a yellow shirt today…

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CBD: What Works For Me

I’ve been asked about CBD a bunch over the past few months so I’ve finally put down some thoughts. This post is IN NO WAY medical, I am not a professional, this my personal experience. You should 100% consult some kind of professional before trying something for medical purposes. You can’t go wrong with someone who can tell you the difference between cbg and cbd, and their different medical uses. On the other hand, if you are already familiar with the cannabis plant or have been self-medicating for some period of time, you’ll enjoy this! The photo above is from Sugar High Love Stoned and I bought the sweater while I was writing this post. ? I’ve tried a bunch of products and these are my favorites. There are HEAPS of products out there, my recommendation is to get any cannabis product from somewhere credible or recommended by a trusted friend. If you are using CBD for a specific reason such as your an athlete, then I suggest you go to aethics for specialist products. A lot of beauty, health, food products are coming out claiming to have cannabis or CBD, where it could be low-grade CBD or hemp seed oil. You can also get help derived CBD products, which can be confusing. My friend Ama Scriver wrote a great piece on cannabis and the beauty industry for healthline.com here. CBD To Calm Down + Focus + Sleep Aurora CBD Liquid Gels Product: Small gel capsules, each with 8.5mg of CDB and 0.3mg of THC. You can find them at Nova Cannabis on Queen, OCS, or through your accredited Licenced Producer. They look like mini Advil. Thoughts: These are great. The THC content is pretty low (0.3mg) so they don’t make me high, just relaxed. I find they’re good when…

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Smart Tech to Help You Through The Winter

We all know it’s coming, the dark and cold months of winter where all hibernate a little more and give thanks to the Netflix gods. I’ve been trying to stay on track with being productive when I’m at home and working out and am determined this winter to exercise just as much time as I spend binge-watching. Luckily, we live in a tech world that allows us to have all kinds of smart devices to help our minds and homes running smoothly through the dark seasons. A site like Wired Smart has some great info on practically every type of smart device that can be useful but today I decided to focus more on the tech that will help get you through winter. Scroll down for tech accessories I find help me through colder days. Finess Tracker: FitBit I have been using a Fitbit on and off for the past 5 years. I love the reminders to move every hour and getting those steps in each day. It’s a small thing that keeps me accountable to move. I also love seeing my heart rate, the interval tracking, and getting text messages on my wrist. The weekly reporting is a great way to motivate yourself to be more active. I’m currently using the FitBit Versa and Sean has the FitBit Iconic. I still use my FitBit Alta HR sometimes because it’s slimmer and looks more like a bracelet. Telus also has Apple Watch if that’s more your speed. A Home Assistant: Alexa I love her, I ask her things every day. Mostly ‘what’s the weather’ so I know how many layers to put on and what type of jacket to wear. I love the weekly email from Amazon telling me with ‘What’s New with Alexa?” and all the skills you can…

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Lift & Co. High Profile

Here’s an excerpt from my interview with Lift & Co about how I use cannabis in my life and why I decided to talk about it. Read the full interview here. There are some good interviews in this series including Mary Zilba from Housewives of Vancouver, B-Real from Cypress Hill, Comedian Donell Rawlings, and DJ Unimerce. With the legislation around the corner and heaps of cool cannabis events popping up, I’m ok coming out of the ‘cannabis closet’. I’ve talked to my parents about it, my mum thinks it cool and likes that I’m on the cusp of something new. I feel the same excitement and energy as when social media was just getting started. A lot of creativity is going into marketing, branding, and storytelling around cannabis. At this point, I feel if a brand doesn’t want to work with me because I use cannabis, that’s ok. My blog is called This Is My Life and this is my life! As a female entrepreneur, I feel like it’s a blessing that a new industry is opening up around something I’m passionate about and have experience in. If I can use my voice to help shed a positive light on an incredible and natural substance, why not?! After all medical cannabis has some amazing properties, from both active compounds – THC and CBD, THC being the psychoactive compound that results in the user feeling “high” or “stoned” whereas CBD (most commonly in the form of CBD Oil) owns the more medical properties, allowing the user to calm down, destress, cope with pain and much more, if you don’t fancy getting high, you could always see how CBD could help you, try looking into CBD sites like CBD Nationwide. You have to take a chance sometimes. When I started my blog,…

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